Two Million Years

Shellfire Lake,

On an asteroid belt in the void of space, one wouldn't normally expect to see individuals without spacesuits discussing matters of cultivation.

One wouldn't also expect to see little children growing out of the ground in pods, however, on the most unique asteroid in the universe life flourished.

With some artificial clouds floating overhead the two leaders of the Universe Greed Alliance, a small boy with a flute could be seen behind them with two vines connected to his feet. Everywhere he walked, the roots would come out of the ground and like a doting father watch the child's back at his every turn.

The boy looked with a smile at two men dressed in beautiful silk robes staring down at a map of the entire universe.

He played his flute and smiled and danced while a few of his brothers looked to the west at a strange storm brewing on the horizon.

The two leaders turned to look at the boy Grassley and sighed before looking over at a large pile of materials that had all been depleted. A few sets of roots seemed to be sucking up all the large amounts of gold, silver, and various other rare materials that existed on the asteroid.

A large ship could be seen in the distance of the asteroid, firing beams of light at the forcefield ebbing and flowing around the asteroid belt.

A greedy cultivator had once again checked the Stellar Star Constellation in order to deplete the universe of the last resources it had available.

Witnessing the mark of the Universe Greed Alliance on a spaceship floating on the asteroid's perimeter, the man's ship instantly turned around and turned into a light that burst into the distance.

However, the next moment, an explosion that caused distortions in space echoed out into the vastness of the universe.

The white haired man sitting at the table next to little Grassley l looked at him playing his flute and then at his one and only colleague staring at the space map. It would be just a matter of time before someone stronger than the two of them discovered the rich resources remaining in this territory and destroyed their plan to become a new powerhouse in the universe.

The man pulled on his white beard and blew off the smoke from his hand after destroying the vessel in the distance. He'd been cultivating for ten million years, and had once been a part of a universe full of endless resources and beauty. His eyes contained a type of anger and wisdom that not many men would be able to fathom. However, it also contained an urgency and sadness for the fate of the universe.

In the universe, elementalist cultivators absorbed resources to cultivate while traditionalist cultivators like the white haired Aran recycled the energy of the universe through their bodies.

Though elementalist cultivators got stronger faster, they also required hundreds of times more resources to grow in strength. A few factions had single handedly claimed almost ninety nine percent of the resources of the universe.

This made some of the oldest traditionalist cultivators feel powerless and begin to pursue alternative paths to power by spending vast amount of time researching science and aspects of biology. Aran looked over at Grassley, the fruit of thousands of years of research, and smiled at his one and only vice head of the Universe Greed Alliance.

He wiped the sweat off his head and pointed down at a section of the map marked with a large X. In order for them to restore order to the universe, they had built an extremely massive spy network that had information on the sixteen great universe nations.

The only safe place to send Grassley was to the weakest nation of the sixteen great universe nations. However, looking at the boy nonchalantly playing the flute in front of them, they were certain that their plan would almost certainly fail.

Aran snapped his fingers while looking over at Grassley in order to get his attention. The boy smiled and tapped his wrist causing the roots in his body to return from the mound of rich and endless resources.

He walked over to Aran and nodded his head with a smile on his face. Suddenly, the green tint on the boy disappeared and he looked like a normal child dressed in a white suit. He had orange eyes that looked like flickering stars and pupils with a tint of intelligence.

Aran sighed and crossed his arms before pointing down at the map once again, opening his mouth while staring into his little manufactured son's enraptured gaze.

"Grassley, we have a special secret mission for you. Do you remember what we told you?"

"You told me that I'm special. I'm special right, father?" Grassley remembered hearing his two fathers and nine mothers talk about his unique type of cultivation many times.

Aside from elementalist cultivators and traditionalist cultivators, Grassley belonged to a third type of cultivator. Even his existence defied the universal rules, so they called him a defiance cultivator. Defiance cultivators created resources during breath cultivation, and then could later absorb these resources to greatly enhance their cultivation.

Basically, Grassley had the benefits of both elementalist cultivators and traditionalist cultivators. However, if this ability was discovered, Grassley had been told many times that he'd be killed.

Nodding his head, Grassley remembered what he'd learned and shook his head with sadness flowing into his eyes. "Father, wait. Am I finally going to start my mission?"

"Your mission is to get into the most prodigious school in the Sacred Fire Universe Nation. You must remember to never cultivate while anyone is present in the room."

"Aren't I strong enough?" Grassley bit his lip and stepped back before punching forward, causing a large burst of wind to shake a nearby set of trees. "I thought you told me I was strong father."

"You are strong, but greed is much stronger," Aran patted his son on the head while turning towards a portal forming in the distance. "Our best spies have spent years setting up this opportunity for you. You must get even stronger than greed. When you do that, the universe will be saved."

"Okay, father," Grassley looked over at one of his mothers holding a thatched bag he'd seen her make with tears in her eyes. "I guess today is the day to finally start my mission right?"

"Yes, there is a storage ring in that bag with enough cultivation books, scrolls, and rare resources to last you for several years. However, the shoes we provided you have a special compartment for the storage ring. You must never take it out in front of any adults."

"Yes, father. And what about fighting?"

"You must always keep your strength just a little bit higher than your opponent. However, you may only use your full strength if you are ever in danger. You cost this old man an arm and a leg and hundreds of thousands of years. You must never die!" Aran wiped a tear from his eye and hugged Grassley with all of his might. "You are also so handsome! Don't let any women give you trouble!"

"Grassley, we got to go," His mother's mellifluous voice entered his ears."You're spot in the entrance exam has already been secured. Remember to send us a message once a month with how you're doing. I can't wait to see how strong you'll be."

"Thanks mother," Grassley grabbed his little bag and walked over to the portal. A woman with a black suit stood in front of the portal with long blonde hair flowing down her back. She had beautiful glittering black hair and gorgeous green eyes that looked worriedly down at Grassley. On her shirt, besides for her beautiful figure, she had the mark of a teacher at the Sacred Fire Universe Nation. "Father, I promise to make you proud and save the entire universe. I'll be back in a few years after the plan is complete."

"Grassley, if you fail, the universe will lose its last hope at regaining its former glory." Aran sighed and looked down at the bespeckled eyes of his son. "Go! Go now before one of your other mother's cries!" Aran wiped the tears out of his eyes while a man wearing a white coat starting sobbing in the distance. At the same time, his mothers all smiled and walked out in a mixture of colorful robes. "It will feel like just a day has gone by when we see you again."

"Come on Grassley. These men are a bad example," The beautiful woman in black grabbed his hand and walked towards the portal. The next moment, the two of them disappeared, causing the two million year old cultivators to collapse in tears.

"It's finally begun," Aran said while looking up at his three consoling wives. "It's all hopefulness from here on out."