Absolute Cheater

Later that evening, after the nine had settled into their rooms and the estate fell into quiet stillness, Asher made his way to one of the inner chambers—designed specifically for soul cultivation. It was a circular space, inscribed with ancient soul-conducting runes that glowed faintly in shades of deep violet and silver.

Sitting cross-legged at the center of the formation was the youngest of the nine—a boy no older than ten. He had jet-black hair, pale skin, and golden eyes that seemed too deep for someone his age. This was the child with the Soul Heart—the rarest of spiritual anomalies, capable of nurturing and refining the soul far beyond mortal limitations.

Asher approached and sat down across from him.

"You've felt it, haven't you?" he asked quietly.

The boy nodded. "It's… like something inside me is always moving. Always watching."

Asher nodded in return. "That's your Soul Heart. A gift… and a curse, if left untrained."

He extended a hand and channeled a trace of energy. A soft ripple of soul force spread between them, and as it touched the boy, Asher's Eternal Creation ability activated. Like a divine blacksmith, he peered into the intricate structure of the boy's Soul Heart, every layer and rhythm laid bare before him.

It was magnificent. A perfect crystalline core, pulsing with the potential to cultivate the soul independently from the body and spirit. If nurtured properly, it could create a cultivator whose very thoughts could destroy illusions, manipulate emotions, or obliterate weak-willed enemies.

"I see," Asher murmured. "It's incomplete… but beautiful."

He then retrieved a scroll, one pulsing with mist like haze script—The Ethereal Soul Art—the very soul cultivation technique he had purchased at the auction.

Asher had not needed it for himself. His Assimilation Technique, refined by the system, was vastly superior. But for the boy… this scripture was perfect.

He placed the scroll before the boy.

"This technique," he explained, "was once practiced by Soul generals who fought with nothing but the force of their will. It will teach you how to control your soul, how to make it grow, and how to weaponize it."

The boy looked up at him, hesitant. "Why give this to me?"

Asher leaned back slightly. "Because you remind me of someone I knew long ago… and because you have something worth protecting. You're not just a child anymore—you're a soul cultivator now."

'I hope he buys this nonsense' Asher inwardly thought as he spouted bullshit.

Then, with precise guidance, Asher walked him through the first stage of the Ethereal Soul Art Scripture. Threads of energy formed between them as the boy's Soul Heart resonated with the scripture's techniques. It was slow at first, a flicker here, a pulse there… but before the night ended, the boy had entered the initial phase of soul refinement.

And for the first time since his capture, there was something in his gaze besides fear.

Happiness

Asher rose to his feet, the scripture sealed in the boy's soul space now.

"When you master it," he said softly, "I'll teach you the next part. And when you're ready to fight for yourself, I'll show you what it truly means to shape destiny."

He left the chamber, the boy still meditating, his aura slowly beginning to grow.

And far away in the manor, Valeris sat in the courtyard, gazing at the stars.

"He's teaching again," she whispered to herself, smiling faintly.

After a moment, Asher returned to her, his steps light as he approached the courtyard where she sat under the moonlight. He lowered himself beside her, and without a word, took her hand in his.

"How much more do you need?" Valeris asked softly, tilting her head as she looked into his eyes.

Asher leaned in, brushing a kiss against her lips before resting his forehead against hers.

"Hmm... I'd say I'll need another few days before I can fully analyze and perfectly recreate the Soul Heart," he murmured.

His voice was calm, thoughtful—like a craftsman envisioning his next masterpiece.

Valeris smiled. "Then I suppose I'll just have to keep you company until you do."

He chuckled gently and pulled her closer, their silhouettes merging beneath the quiet stars as a gentle wind passed through the courtyard.

From that night onward, every day in the secluded estate took on a rhythm shaped by purpose and quiet devotion.

Tucked deep within a hidden pocket world—sealed off from the outside realm by ancient formations and camouflaged with illusion arrays—Asher's estate became more than just a sanctuary. It became a crucible of transformation.

In the mornings, as twin suns rose beyond the horizon of this sealed dimension, Kael would enter the soul cultivation chamber barefoot and focused. Waiting for him always was Asher, seated in a lotus posture at the center of the soul formation, surrounded by arcs of violet and silver light.

Their lessons began with silence.

Asher never rushed the boy. Soul cultivation was not about power—it was about understanding. Sensing. Resonance. Each breath Kael took pulled him deeper into the fabric of his own being, the Soul Heart pulsing gently within like a hidden lantern guiding him through the dark.

Some days, Asher would remain quiet for hours, observing Kael with eyes like still water, using his Eternal Creation ability to deepen his understanding of the Soul Heart with every flicker of energy the boy produced. Every minute variation, every resonance pattern, every whisper of spiritual reaction—Asher studied them all.

Then he would return to his private scrolls and diagrams, mapping the Soul Heart with divine precision.

Slowly, ever so slowly, a perfect replica began to take shape—not in the physical world, but in Asher's mind.

He was getting close.

Valeris, meanwhile, had taken over much of the estate's daily management. The nine former slaves were no longer hollow-eyed survivors—they now moved with a quiet pride. Dressed in simple but fine garments tailored by Valeris herself, they took up their new roles not out of obligation, but out of loyalty.

She trained them with both kindness and sharp discipline, teaching the girls how to serve with grace, to cook, to care for the spirit flora in the garden, to weave formations into linens and clothes. She taught the boys how to manage the inner formations of the estate, to defend it in an emergency, and to read and write the common tongue—many of them had never been taught.

She even gave them new names—simple ones, but chosen with care—so that each of them could leave behind the identities they had been branded with in chains.

In the evenings, when the household settled into peace and the sky darkened with twin moons, they all gathered briefly. Sometimes for a shared meal. Other times for soft music or stories Valeris would tell beneath the willow tree in the courtyard.

And always, Kael would join last, his eyes still glowing faintly with soul force. He rarely spoke, but when he did, the others listened. For they knew—he was changing. And whatever he was becoming, it was something they all respected.

Late at night, once everyone else had gone to rest, Asher would walk the quiet halls, the Soul Heart's replica forming in fragments within his soul space—almost ready, almost perfect.

And Valeris would wait for him in their chamber, or in the starlit courtyard, never asking for more than a moment beside him.

It was a strange kind of peace.

But it was theirs.

And thus, a whole year passed in the serenity of that hidden estate.

In that time, both Asher and Valeris achieved something that no one in the outside world could have imagined—the fusion of two impossible realms.

Through tireless study, countless hours of teaching, and the unrelenting application of his Eternal Creation ability, Asher had not only replicated the boy's Soul Heart, but had perfected it. At the same time, He merged the two.

The result was a phenomenon never before seen in this world—

The Astral Soul Heart

A core that anchored both the soul and the Spirit energies(mana) of the cosmos within one singular vessel. It unified body, soul, and spirit into a seamless triad, enabling cultivation on all three levels simultaneously.

He created two of them, giving one to Valeris and one to himself, and with it they were eligible to cultivate in this World too.

"These is like my Dragon Heart is finally alive" Valeris said as she inhaled a feep breath.

Asher understood exactly what it meant.

When he had acquired the Dragon God's bloodline, he hadn't just inherited its power—he had also obtained its core: the Dragon Heart.

This heart was nothing short of miraculous. It was the reason dragons could grow stronger simply by sleeping or eating. Functioning like an autonomous cultivation engine, the Dragon Heart naturally absorbed mana and refined it within the body without conscious effort.

However, its design was specific to dragonkind. It relied heavily on their unique Mana and the natural laws of their origin world. That made it incompatible with this realm's cultivation path—until now.

With the creation of the Astral Soul Heart, that barrier was shattered. The Astral Soul Heart acted like a universal framework, bridging spirit and soul cultivation into one seamless system. When Asher merged the Dragon Heart's functions with this new core, something extraordinary happened:

The Dragon Heart began to function again—fully and perfectly—within this new world.