A.D. Year 2595.
It is the 578th year of the Federation's founding anniversary. It heralded the ascent of human civilization into another level. Immortal cultivation brought forth countless changes, both in good and bad ways. The Federation is atypical of most cultivation worlds—a society built with strength as a form of reason. The existence of the Federation itself, backed by the strongest sect within the solar system, ensured that order would be maintained.
With proper order came the Federation's unbiased nurturing of talents. The institution is unrelenting when it comes to handing out opportunities to those who deserved it. Coupled with the fix Mobius and Vill-V discovered—allowing the population of cultivator men to catch up with women—the numbers of Foundation Establishment Realm and below were astonishing.
The Federation's current population is in tens of trillions. Earth could no longer house them all, hence the colonization of Mars and other planets. Once there were no longer any planets, they just made a new one. Immortal cultivation works wonders. It did not come off as a surprise.
This explains the current status of my Dao of Enlightenment. It is separate from my other Daos, needing none of my time to grow. Instead, it relies on the growth of the civilization I taught immortal cultivation. A privilege of this world's Dao Ancestor, I must say.
It has long reached the threshold of becoming a complete Dao, serving as a cheat when it comes to comprehending one's Dao. Testing it out is to be saved for later.
Hum-!
The jade slip on my hand went back to my storage ring. Every seventh-grade storage ring possessed an internal space similar to the known universe of my previous life. It is also extremely stable, capable of housing other lifeforms.
I looked around my surroundings. It is an exact replica of the mountaintop villa I built back in the Previous Era Bubble World. The tall mountain I stood on pierced through the sea of clouds. The gentle sunlight shone on my cheek, carrying a certain amount of warmth. The strong gusts of wind became non-existent in this special place. Precious flowers bloomed at the pathside, emitting a mesmerizing scent every now and then.
The closer I stepped onto the mountaintop villa, the stronger the scent of medicine became. All sorts of Daos flew past my sight, either becoming compressed or dissipating everywhere. The concentration of spiritual qi, which is already high to begin with, became a tad bit stronger.
I missed out on a lot while I was asleep. And I mean a lot. Hence after asking about Vill-V's matter, I went straight to here.
This entire place is a "Grotto Heaven". It is a space separate from the real universe. A piece of the imaginary space is carved out, and then modified through the use of [Two Phase Art] and formations. It is a world separate from the real world—an independent leaf of the Imaginary Tree that required no sustenance from the Tree itself. The Dao is that special.
Everyone built no less than a hundred of such places, and that was because of the lacking cultivator population.
My thoughts ended the moment the door was swung open.
"Looks like you have recovered very well."
I felt a trace of sarcasm in Veliona's tone. Her hair, dyed in dark red highlights, marked the identity that set her apart from Seele.
"I did."
"Hm."
Instead of trying to reason out with her, I caught her hand. It promptly caused her to jump in a startle, her crimson-red eyes staring at me. I did not say anything else, drawing closer to her until our lips met. Despite her 'sour' tone, Veliona did not put up an ounce of resistance. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Her free hand grasped my front collar, pulling my face closer to hers. Her slender tongue slipped inside my mouth.
Veliona's aggressiveness looked cute in my eyes. It wasn't until she was satisfied did she let go of my lips, followed by my collar. Her dainty fingers wiped off the trace of drool on the corners of her mouth.
"I accept your apology."
I could not help but let out a suppressed laugh. Veliona's ears turned visibly red as she heard it. Her hands never let go of mine, prompting me to follow her behind while handholding. She led me through a series of rooms. Three floors later, she arrived at the door at the end of the hallway. The scent of medicine here is the strongest. A slight sniff would push someone at the Golden Core Realm to a special, epiphany-like state.
Veliona pushed the door inside, revealing the stars within the room. That's right, stars. This entire space is the recreation of outer space, but more saturated with stars. The familiar set-up immediately reminded me of Bronya.
The ground I stepped on rippled with faint white light. I did not feel the sensation of traversing in vacuum space. It is more reminiscent of traveling in solid ground. I looked at the center of the room. A nigh-transparent ancient cauldron, almost entirely built of white specks of light, floated. Wisps of dark-blue flames flickered around it. The cauldron's insides housed three coagealing rounded white pills. Beneath it was none other than Seele, locked into an extremely focused state as she oversaw the creation of the pills.
"Dust Clearing Stellar Union Pill."
It is a seventh-grade pill existing with the highest difficulty of alchemical refinement. It required the alchemist to attract the essence of the Dao of Stars. While it is not as astringent as mastering that kind of Dao, it is still a difficult endeavor to pull off.
"Amazed now?" Veliona asked, pride apparent in her tone. "We already succeeded in concocting an eighth-grade pill, the World Refining Pill."
…
Damn.
Although the title of the eighth-grade alchemist needed consistency, it was still a major feat to refine an eighth-grade pill as a Void Refinement Realm expert.
"Did you utilize the Sea of Quanta?"
"Hum." She nodded before explaining, "Its ability to simulate all kinds of spiritual herbs is groundbreaking. We did not waste any materials as a result."
I nodded to her words. I have to study more about Earth's development while I am away.
After some time passed (relatively), the pill was completed. The cauldron made of motes of white light converged into Seele's palm. The pills are placed inside a special jade bottle, containing their efficacy within. A single blink was all it took for Seele to arrive, hugging my free left arm. She did not give me any words of greetings, tugging at my arm before my lips kissed hers. Seele is even more aggressive than Veliona. The latter's tongue was a quiet infiltration. The former's is akin to a rampaging thief. Our tongues went back and forth, my kissing skills suppressing hers in this sudden competition.
"She lasts longer than me…"
Veliona's aggrieved voice came from the sidelines, making me feel a bit guilty…