Kai sat in the underground gym, gazing at the thousands of crystals in front of him.
These were aether crystals, condensed and solidified forms of aether that could be absorbed directly into the core to advance faster.
He picked one up. Using the little aether in his core, he formed a connection with the crystal.
He waited a few moments before the crystal began to take effect. Its light started to dim as he frantically absorbed the aether within it.
His core began to expand as it absorbed the aether from the crystal. The process was slow at first, but it soon began to increase, growing faster with each passing second.
At the side, Aiden stood calmly, monitoring the changes in Kai's body from a distance.
As a dignified Tier 9 cultivator, he could see all the changes in Kai's body as clearly as day.
And that was what contributed to the shock he was feeling now.
"Ho… How is this possible?" he asked, his voice strained from the sheer absurdity of what he was witnessing.
Everyone in this world had a purity level, which determined how much aether they could absorb without loss and the speed at which they absorbed it.
Normally, having a purity of 50% would place someone among once-in-a-century geniuses. And the heirs of the Starclave Clan were only 60-76%, which was already considered extraordinary by any standard.
But he had witnessed it himself. Kai was absorbing the aether without loss, and at a speed that allowed him to deplete a crystal every second.
"100% purity…" Aiden stuttered, his face grim with disbelief.
Before he could continue his train of thought, a loud bang erupted from Kai's position. Aether shot from his body, shaking the mansion with the force.
He had broken through to Tier 2 in less than ten minutes.
As if that was not enough, Kai did not wait to revel in his breakthrough. He turned toward the remaining crystals. He had only used a little over a hundred to complete it.
"I can't waste time doing it one by one," he muttered.
From his body, strands of aether began to form, connecting to all the crystals like cables.
"Perfect aether control too, at Tier 2…" Aiden felt like vomiting blood as his entire worldview shattered in front of this inhuman boy.
He knew Kai was talented, so much so that even the clan's Patriarch had accepted him as a disciple at the age of three.
But he had never expected it to be to this extent.
This was pure monstrosity in human form.
Time passed slowly as the aether began to flood Kai's core.
Due to the multiple channels, although Kai could not absorb all of them at once, the speed was at least three times faster than if he absorbed them one after another.
Only one thought was in his mind while he cultivated.
I need to finish all these crystals before next week so I can take a long break.
He fantasized about the delicacies he could enjoy now that he was going back to the main house.
Three hours passed in a blink. Another explosion occurred, but Aiden had already gone numb to it.
This was Kai's third breakthrough since he started cultivating, placing him at Tier 4.
In just one day, Tier 4.
Aiden did not even want to think about it. Even talented heirs would need at least three days to reach this tier, and that was only because they were absurdly gifted even among the geniuses of the Starclave Clan.
The aether crystals were already losing their integrity.
After another hour, Kai finally stood up as the crystals shattered to dust.
Although he did not break through to Tier 5, he had already filled his core by a quarter.
Peeking inward, he saw that his core was much smaller than when he had first started cultivating.
But the energy it contained was nothing to joke about.
It was more than a hundred times greater than what he had before. Not to mention its potency, which was ten times higher.
He stretched his body languorously before looking at Aiden, who stood there with a calm expression that did not reflect the turmoil in his mind.
"Congratulations, Young Master," Aiden said with a bow as he walked closer.
Kai nodded. "Thank you."
He began walking toward the exit, leaving Aiden behind.
Aiden turned slightly, then spoke.
"Since you are done with your cultivation, you will be moving on to weapon mastery."
Kai stopped in his tracks.
"But I don't need it," he said lazily.
"The clan has asked me to send video proof of your weapon training," Aiden replied, turning fully to face him.
Kai knew the reason for this.
Normally, the heirs would start their training the day after awakening, but this would be done under the supervision of several clan trainers. Kai, on the other hand, had no one but Aiden to help him.
Considering their closeness, the clan needed proof so Aiden would not collude with Kai to let him skip training.
Kai sighed. "Even when I'm alone, I can't rest."
"So, what is the training about?" he asked.
"A fifteen-minute spar with me. To avoid the use of aether, both of us will wear limiters."
As he spoke, his ring glowed with a soft silver light.
From it, a large shelf appeared.
Several weapons were displayed on it, from swords to spears to gauntlets.
Everything Kai could think of was there.
Separated from them were two black bands, pulsing with gentle energy.
Aiden signaled for Kai to make his pick while he moved to take his own weapon and limiter.
After about three minutes of preparation, they were both ready.
They stood on opposite sides of the training ground.
To the left was Kai, wearing his limiter with a katana in hand.
Aiden, on the other hand, wore a gauntlet.
At the top of the ceiling, a fully autonomous drone drifted silently, recording them with perfect clarity.
A timer appeared to the side.
It remained static at first.
Then, as the first second passed, both fighters shot forward.