Kasine’s gaze shifted between them, waiting for the moment they would celebrate concocting an almost-Legendary pill.

  When it didn't come, Kasine threw her hands up. Her voice cracked with emotion as she slapped the table, the sleeves of her robe flapping like war banners, drawing their gaze to her.

  “Why aren’t you happy?! We just concocted an almost-legendary-grade pill! And you’re pulling his leg because of things out of his control?”

  Kasine looked at Hannah as if she were insane, then, turning to Sokram, she added, “And why aren’t you happier? The formula was something even Nhiria congratulated you for, and you're acting like it’s just another workday achievement.”

  Hannah felt very embarrassed hearing that and nodded apologetically, “You’re right, Kasine. This deserves a celebration. And I’m sure the girls will be waiting for us back home.”

  Turning to Sokram, Hannah’s gaze softened, “You did something amazing again. Truly amazing. I’m very proud, darling. But I can’t lose you, you know that, right?”

  Sokram stood up and pulled her into a hug, “I know, Nana. You won’t. Trust me on that, alright?”

  He gave Hannah a peck on the cheeks and went to hug Kasine. “You’re right, Nana. We did something amazing here today. Let's go home and celebrate! But first, let me recuperate so we can make enough of these for everyone.”

  That evening, Sokram, Kasine, and Hannah, after he had made the necessary corrections in the formation, concocted around 300 pills of Semi-Legendary grade.

  Sokram carefully divided the pills into three velvet-lined boxes of polished wood, with a hundred pills each, and handed each a box.

  But Hannah only took two pills and left her box with Sokram.

  Before leaving, Sokram also drew the Concoction Runic Formation and the Energy Gathering Runic Formation schematics.

  Along with the recipe for his special blood-ink, he gifted it to Hannah and Kasine. “After my training is over, we can make more. But if the need arises, you can make it by yourselves, too.”

  An important detail flashed through Sokram’s mind, and he added, “I fixed the formation so it wouldn’t become too taxing on your minds. Nana Kasine’s formation can be used with Spirit Magic. Also, this formation can be used to concoct any pill you want.”

  Kasine's eyes shone with a greedy gratitude as she hugged him tightly.

  Sokram and Hannah shared the same thought: Kasine was truly a dragon at heart.

  On the way home, Sokram would see people on the streets still discussing the event, two galactic messages in one day.

  One of those messages and titles was for someone who wasn’t even of age and continued to cause ripples throughout the galaxy.

  Entering their estate, Sokram was caught off guard when Astrid slammed into him, the force nearly knocking the breath from his lungs.

  “My baby bro is a legend! I’m so proud of you!”

  Hearing the commotion at the doorway, the rest of his family came to greet and congratulate him.

  Leona and Kamus were already there, but the rest of their family wasn’t. Not everyone was privy to all Sokram’s secrets yet, especially that he was the Pioneer of Chaos.

  Sitting in the living room, Margiory rushed, shoved past the armrests and the others in front of her to take the seat by his side.

  She planted herself beside him.

  Her eyes, bright and demanding, fixed instantly on his Void Glove. “So? What is it? Come on! Don’t make Nana wait!”

  Sokram grinned, hearing her pleading like that, but nodded, taking the two wooden boxes from his Void Glove and showing his family the emerald translucent pills.

  They seemed to pulse faintly on the velvet cushion, their color a concentrated, glowing shade of deep, flawless emerald that pulsed like captured Vitha, their glow breathing against the velvet lining.

  Knowing a little about alchemy, most of them knew it was close to legendary grade, but Amber, standing nearby, asked him, “What do they do?”

  “Theoretically, they could push you, Savannah, and Lucy to the Reformed Level in less than a couple of months using Chaos Energy Cultivation. They might even push Nana Margiory and Nana Brunhild to the same level Nana Hannah is right now in less than a year.”

  Stunned silence met Sokram’s words, once again. Even the crackle of mana-lamps seemed to hush as their minds reeled.

  Kamus stared at Kasine, wide-eyed. She merely offered a slow, deliberate nod, sealing the confirmation.

  Leona looked skeptical, wanting to ask her own questions, as there were many means to speed up cultivation.

  Yet, those would always leave shallow foundations and often lead to bottlenecks so dense that only stagnation remains after their use.

  But Hannah found something strange in Sokram's explanation, “That's a little more than what you told us previously, you said 50 years for a Chaos Energy Cultivator to reach Ascension.”

  “Yes, but I think I might have miscalculated something, but after Haramin, I realized I don't know how much these pills will speed up our progress,” Sokram confessed.

  Because of the alterations he did, he truly didn’t have a clue about how powerful the effects would be on sapient humanoids.

  Miralyn looked at Sokram, a rare, hungry glint tightening the muscles around her eyes and the hint of a naughty grin tugging at her lips, as she asked, “If Hilda takes one, how long until she is stronger than me?”

  “A few months to a year.”

  Sokram answered bluntly, raising a brow, but then added, “But there is a catch: once you start digesting, you can’t stop cultivating until reaching the Level of Existence Advancement. Or you will have to wait until your body resets after a natural advancement to take another one. These pills can only be taken once at every Level of Existence."

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Seeing everyone was calmer, he added, "Now, if everything works fine. After using a pill and advancing to a new Level of Existence, it would be better if you only use it again after one month. So your body has time to dispose of any residual substances from the pill.”

  His explanation made it clear: these weren’t miracle pills, but tools of disciplined evolution.

  “So you guys can use it, but only to cultivate in isolation. Which brings us to the question of where to do this...” Sokram's gaze shifted to Margiory, who raised an eyebrow, but right after flashed him a knowing smile, nodding.

  Before Margiory could speak, however, Leona offered, “We have isolation rooms in the palace. You can use it. But how safe are those pills? Many pills can increase cultivation speed and even energy levels, all promising miraculous results. Yet they all end in shallow foundations and stagnation.”

  “Valid question, Master. But these are different. These pills don’t give you energy. They…”

  Sokram paused, thinking of a way to clarify her doubts, then added, “These pills force your body to work in a way you can absorb and purify energy many times faster. It also helps with expansion and compression of the cultivator’s Core. So it won't create shallow foundations leading to bottlenecks.”

  Sokram’s explanation eased some of their worries, but most of them expected something like that, since even Nhiria approved.

  “Now, as for using the palace’s isolation rooms, I thank you. But I’ll have to count on you to house us for a while until after I finish my training.” Sokram smiled wryly at Leona’s questioning look.

  Then he turned back to Margiory, “How much do you think it will cost us to buy all the properties in our block? I guess we might need the space for the future.”

  “You want to build a compound, correct? I’ll get it done. Don’t even consider the cost.” Margiory grinned eagerly, but Brunhild and Hilda frowned.

  A brief moment of uneasy silence settled before Hilda broke it, “Dear, we talked about this, we don’t want to move. This is our ancestral home.” Her voice sounded firmly unrelenting.

  “Yes, son. This piece of land means a lot to Hilda and me.” Brunhild was also firm in her stance.

  “I know, but I never said anything about moving. I’m talking about expansion.”

  Sokram took out a key from his Void Glove, the same golden ornamented key he received in their family burial grounds, and handed it to Hilda.

  “Nana Brunhild said you should know when it’s time for me to receive whatever this key opens. I’m not saying now is the time, but you might have to transfer it to a ring or something like that.”

  Turning to Brunhild, he added, “I’ll make sure to reshape these walls to your taste, Nana. But we’ll need more space. And the whole block will be enough for us and our forces. Which means you’re not losing this land; we’re expanding it. Trust me, alright?”

  Brunhild nodded, but added, “If we ever fight and split this clan you’re trying to create, you'd better give me half the block as compensation. I already spent a big part of my life dealing with a greedy dragon. I won’t lose everything again because of a younger one.”

  To that, Sokram only smiled, “Nana, once I’m done. You can even have the whole block in your name if that’s what you want.”

  Brunhild looked at Margiory, who nodded, assuring her, “I agree, though... We are too old to be bickering like in the old days, haha.”

  “Alright then, do as you will, but you'd better build me a thermal pool,” Brunhild joked, but Sokram knew she truly wanted one.

  “Well, once I’m done with training, you will see what I’ll build. I wasn’t simply reading in the Arch Mage’s Tower all this time, you know? I’ll show you a little bit of what I learned.” Sokram grinned confidently.

  Their eyes fell on the lustrous emerald pills lying on the table, and they could only guess that whatever he was talking about would be something shocking.

  Using this opportunity, Hilda joked, “No flying castles!”

  Sokram’s head snapped in her direction, with wide eyes, completely caught.

  Then he grinned, “Alright.”

  “Don’t joke like that!” Astrid let out a breath in relief.

  “Why would I use a city block to build a flying castle? Wouldn’t it be better to buy a mountain instead, if that was the case?” Sokram chuckled at their reactions.

  Pointing back to the pills, he added, “Well, for tonight, let’s celebrate this great step in the Path!”

  That night, Sokram’s family and friends, the inner circle of his future clan, celebrated their achievements.

  The cheers were loud enough to rattle the windowpanes, fueled by wine and the exhilarating certainty that they were standing on the cusp of a new age.

  While they celebrated, many events happened around the galaxy.

  The main factions in the Transcendent Zone accused each other of withholding information about who the Pioneer of Chaos was.

  In the Ascendant Zone, similar drama played out throughout the many factions.

  Accusations flared across star-feeds, faction crests flashing in fury on every public screen. No one dared believe that someone Nhiria had deemed on the right track to find the Crystal Palace could come from a forgotten world on the outskirts of the galaxy.

  Especially in such a forgotten corner as where Sokram’s planet resided. That region remained ignored for a reason.

  The levels of Magi, Aura, and Vitha in that zone were exceedingly shallow, and many planets ended up swallowed by the Colossal Chaos Creatures of Calamity after those planets stagnated for too long.

  Meanwhile, in Sokram’s world, in the Central Continent Elven Empire’s imperial palace, Meriande sat in her office chair, once again lost in thought, as members of the Elder Council were sent to her office to discuss the matter.

  They threw arguments at each other as if a political speech could sway the Empress or change the situation.

  Until they heard a knock on the door, and one of the guards entered to announce someone important had arrived, “Your Highness, Queen Zenmari of the Amarian Titanic Elves and the First Princess have arrived.”

  Meriande nodded, dismissed the guard, turned back to the Council's Elders, and ordered, “The Sword of the Empire has arrived. Leave.”

  Hearing her tone, none of them dared to contest it, and after a courteous but brief farewell, they left in a hurry.

  On their way out, they passed two extremely stunning elven women, dressed in regal, long white dresses.

  The golden ornaments detailing the fabric were so finely wrought that they shimmered as liquid light against the pure white material.

  Yet, despite their beauty, the council members only showed fear.

  The two, like most elves in positions of power, had awakened their Eternal Youth bloodline gift.

  So, despite being mother and daughter, they looked exactly the same age, even with the princess being only nineteen years old.

  Both had long, wavy, ashen pink hair and green emerald eyes, which were characteristic of the Titanic Elves.

  Another characteristic of their race was their high stature and toned bodies, not overly muscular. But it gave them an Amazon-type vibe when wearing armor.

  Especially with their voluptuous attributes, but on the battlefield, they were one of the most dreaded warriors in Sokram’s planet.

  That only happened with the females of their races.

  The males of their race were delicate and somewhat feminine.

  That happened because they were considered a naturally evolved race or a new type.

  Alternatively to how Sokram was conceived, this is what happens when a new race is born from primordial beings of divergent racial groups and continues, successfully, carrying two or more bloodlines and their gifts.

  In the case of the Titanic Elves, they carried the genes of both the Gray Elves and the Gray Titans.

  This meant they had three Primordial Bloodlines running through their veins, achieved naturally, without Biomancy.

  This also caused most of them to be born as Uncommon or True Existences.

  When Zenmari and her daughter entered Meriande’s office, the Empress's expression morphed into something brighter and joyful.

  Though not as much as when one of her daughters appeared, it was clear she held the Second Queen of the Elven Empire in the highest regard after her family.

  Meriande willed it, and a few layers of sound barriers spawned as she walked to greet them, spreading through her office before she even reached them.

  “Zenma, how have you been?” Meriande, dressed in a long black dress that was adorned with rubies, approached the Queen and held Zenmari’s hands, meeting her gaze with a smile.

  A smile that froze midway when she saw Zenmari’s expression.

  “Where did you find those Titan Force and Vital Magic techniques?”

  Zenmari’s words dragged one by one from her throat, slow and gravelly with forced emphasis.

  The shock was a physical weight on her face, pulling down the corners of her mouth, showing she wasn’t there for a social call.