Mantra looked down at the child and spoke firmly. "I will adopt her."
The police officers blinked in surprise. "Really?"
Mantra nodded and knelt down, spreading her arms. The little girl didn't hesitate—she ran straight into Mantra's embrace, hugging her tightly. "Will you take care of me?" she whispered softly.
"Yeah," Mantra replied with a gentle smile.
Tears welled up in the female officer's eyes. Mantra held the child's tiny hand and walked out into the cool night.
Back inside the station, the chief officer asked, "Is the cruiser ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Did you record that phone call?" he turned to the female officer.
She held up her recorder. "Every single word."
The chief grinned coldly, holding up the contact card. "Good. Now let's show these terrible parents what happens when you sell your own child."
A fleet of police cars drove into the dark city, stopping outside an old apartment building. Officers marched up the stairs and knocked on the door. When a woman opened it and saw the police uniforms, she panicked and tried to slam it shut.
CRACK!
An officer shoved his hand inside, forcefully yanking the door open so hard it tore right off its hinges.
"What the..." The officer burst out laughing, holding the door in his hand.
Neighbors poked their heads out, murmuring in confusion. "What's going on, officer? Just because you're police doesn't mean you can break into someone's home!"
One officer muttered under his breath, "If we do our job, they complain. If we don't, they call us lazy."
The female officer played the recording on high volume. The mother's cold voice echoed down the hallway: "I sold her."
The neighbors gasped in horror, instantly slamming their doors shut. "Arrest them! They told us the girl died!"
The officers stormed inside. The father was slumped on the couch, dead drunk, while the mother sat at the table, greedily counting her cash.
"Tch. What a disgusting pair," an officer spat.
They slapped handcuffs on both parents and dragged them out. High on the rooftop across the street, Mantra watched the arrest quietly. She closed her eyes with a sigh. If the police hadn't handled it, I would have burned them to ashes myself.
Mantra returned to the little girl waiting safely nearby. "You know... I am not a human," Mantra said softly.
The child just looked up at her with big, innocent eyes.
Mantra chuckled. "What's your name?"
"My name is Shikha."
"Shikha... that's a nice name. Will you come with me?"
Shikha's eyes sparkled with joy, and she nodded eagerly.
Mantra raised her hand, summoning a rotating crimson portal surrounded by crackling red lightning. She held Shikha's hand, stepping through the portal before it shattered into glowing red particles and vanished into thin air.
The next morning at the Redgrave estate, Kael woke up early. He walked out into the garden carrying a hot cup of tea, taking a slow sip with a contented smile.
Setting the cup down, he closed his eyes and began his standing cultivation.
Sara stepped outside, rubbing her tired eyes. She sat down at a garden table, listening to light music playing from her tablet.
She looked over at Kael as a brilliant white aura burst from his skin, forming glowing threads that spun around his body. Seconds later, the white aura shifted into a dense, pitch-black energy. A chilling cold swept across the lawn, making his hair and clothes flutter violently. Yet just a few feet away from him, the air remained completely still and warm.
Rexon walked out, looking at Kael in curiosity. "What is he doing?"
"Cultivating," Sara answered.
"Standing up?" Rexon tilted his head.
Sara smiled faintly. "He has multiple ancient souls inside him. If he sits down to cultivate like a normal person, his body won't be able to handle the pressure, and he'll end up severely injured."
Understanding instantly, Rexon stepped up beside Kael and closed his eyes, starting his own standing cultivation. Sara stared in awe—she had never seen a System cultivate before.
A few minutes later, Kael pulled back his aura, exhaling deeply. "Whoa... that cultivation session was—"
Before he could finish, a sharp, burning pain exploded behind his left eye. The gold iris flickered crimson, and Kael let out a ragged scream, clutching his face.
Sara rushed to his side. "Again?!"
Kael fell to his knees, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Aaaggh! My left eye!"
Rexon immediately broke his cultivation and sprinted into the house to fetch water.
Kael pressed his forehead against the grass, gasping through the intense pain. "I'm never doing this again..." He gritted his teeth, then growled through the agony, "No... I have to keep cultivating. If another enemy comes, how else can I protect everyone?"
Rexon rushed back out carrying a massive pan filled with ice-cold water.
Sara quickly splashed water onto Kael's face, helping him dunk his entire head straight into the pan.
After a long moment, Kael lifted his dripping face, gasping heavily for air. "Ahhh... the cold water helps..."
Just then, Renjiro walked into the garden. Seeing Kael face-down in a pan of water, he burst out laughing. "Kael! Is this some new water therapy?"
When no one laughed, Renjiro noticed their grim expressions and immediately straightened up. "Hey... are you okay?"
"It's my left eye," Kael panted, water dripping from his chin. "It burns every time I cultivate."
Renjiro blinked, then let out a casual laugh. "Your left eye? Ah, an insect probably flew into it while you were standing there! Don't worry about it. By the way, I just visited the Void Realm and they gave me way too many gifts. Come help me finish them!"
Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm, Mantra stood beside Shikha in an open training field. Surrounding them were several Demon Lords, watching with curious eyes.
"Listen, Shikha," Mantra explained gently. "In this realm, you can manifest magic easily. Earth has very dense mana, but here, you just need to channel it."
Shikha looked confused. "How do I do that?"
One of the Demon Lords stepped forward, kneeling beside the tiny girl. "Just imagine a fireball in your mind. Make it as big as you can."
Shikha nodded seriously. She focused her mind and held out her small hand. In an instant, a bright, flickering fireball materialized above her palm.
Her eyes widened. "It's amazing! I don't feel hot from this fire at all!"
Mantra smiled. "Now, feel the muscles in your arm and push it forward, like you're throwing something."
Shikha pushed her hand forward.
BOOM!
The tiny fireball shot out at insane speed! It sliced a massive ancient tree directly in half before detonating against a second tree behind it, blowing its trunk into tiny splinters!
The Demon Lords stood frozen, their mouths wide open in utter disbelief.
"How... how can a human child possess power like that?!"