Poaching

"But of course." The Young Crown Prince – Crown Prince Alaric Thorne – said as he stood up.

"My friends," he began as he glanced at those seated around him. The Direct Disciples to be exact before looking into the crowd. "I decided to hold this little gathering today as a means to gather and see eachother one last time before we proceed to leaving the Academy after the ceremony tomorrow."

His expression seemingly endearingly with a confident mug continued. "As we leave the walls of this Academy, we'll be thrust into the world out there, but as we know, the World out there is a dangerous and unforgiving World."

"As cultivators, we strive to improve, to empower ourselves and to become more than just mere mortals. However, in doing this, Cultivators lose their lives." Alaric said with a somber expression.

Looking around, he saw that the entire crowd was paying rapt attention to him, all except two individuals who seemed to be concerned whatsoever.

Squinting his eyes at them, he shook his head and continued. "Many of us come from well off families, some from rather meager families and the rest from families far above what many of us here can imagine."

"Sigh." A loud sigh sounded from the center of the hall, breaking the atmosphere Alaric had built up with his speech. "Is this what you called us here for? To boast about your background and undermine the rest of us?"

"Show some respect. The Crown Prince is speaking and you're ruining the moment." A dissatisfied voice rang out from the crowd.

"Why can't you appreciate the sentiment? It's about leaving the Academy and facing the challenges ahead, not boasting."

"If you don't appreciate the significance of the gathering, perhaps you should excuse yourself then."

The whispers among the crowd grew into a loud enough rebuttal directed at Kaito who just spoke.

Kaito on the other hand, smiled and stood up. "With pleasure then." Looking at the Crown Prince, he took a low bow saying. "As you can see, your highness, your congregation don't seem to like me too much. I'll be taking my leave then."

Contrary to his belief, Kaito was totally unfazed having the entire crowd against him, instead, he seemed to have expected this scenario and took advantage of It.

Watching Kaito make to leave the hall, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anger in his heart, and that slight anger made the color on his face change.

This change was noticed by a few young masters, who, to get into Alaric's good book, executed their respective movement techniques to block the door, obstructing Kaito from leaving.

Seeing the group in front of him, Kaito frowned and asked. "What's the meaning of this?" Turning to the Prince, he said. "Would you mind having these dogs move out of the way?"

As he asked that, his face returned to its previous stoic expression, causing everyone who looked at him to think he was becoming arrogant.

"Who do you think you are to leave when Your Highness the Prince is talking?"

"Yeah. And who do you think you're calling dogs?"

Two of the three who were blocking the door asked as they let out their auras to pressure Kaito. They were expecting Kaito's face to contort due to their combined pressure, afterall, he was only in the Chakra opening stage...or so they thought.

However, Kaito seemed to have not felt anything and turned to the three in front of him.

"First off, he's YOUR Highness, not mine. Remember that, and as for calling you dogs, what else are you if not that?" He asked, looking at them in obvious disdain.

"You!" One of the young boys, hearing this flared his chakra angrily as the full might of a Mid Stage Chakra Core master descended on Kaito.

The people in the hall all expressed their admiration towards him, but that was it. The majority of the occupants of the hall were all in the Early to Late stage of the Chakra Core Realm, so it wasn't all that awe-inspiring.

However, a few smart ones noticed that despite the pressure, Kaito didn't seem to be fazed at all, instead, the disdain in his eyes increased even more.

They were curious as to why he was this daring, afterall, in a situation like this, even if Zenith and Ayumi were to stand up for him, the Crown Prince and some other Direct Disciples would prevent them from taking action.

Due to this, while others made fun of Kaito, some merely watched the spectacle as it unfolded.

"I'll make sure you remember who you're talking to and how to talk to your betters in the future." The one flaring his chakra said and dashed over to attack.

As the aggressor dashed forward, the atmosphere in the hall shifted from a moment of reflection to one of impending conflict. The onlookers now found themselves witnessing a sudden burst of tension.

The assailant, fueled by arrogance and chakra, closed the distance with alarming speed. However, before he could reach his target, a calm voice cut through the charged air.

"Calm yourself. This is neither the time nor the place for such displays," a resonant voice spoke from the shadows. The interruption came from an unexpected source – Alaric, who had quietly observed the unfolding events.

Alaric stood with composure, his presence radiating a serene energy that acted as a counterforce to the escalating confrontation.

The aggressive assailant hesitated momentarily, caught off guard by Alaric's calm response.

The hall fell into a collective murmur as spectators exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of how the situation would unfold.

Sensing the shift in dynamics, Alaric took a step forward, his gaze resolute. "We are here to celebrate achievements and bid farewell to the academy, not to engage in needless conflict."

The aggressive assailant, visibly torn between his ego and the Crown Prince's intervention, reluctantly took a step back.

Alaric's influence extended beyond mere authority; it carried an inherent respect that even the hot-blooded cultivator couldn't ignore. Afterall, he knew his background outside this academy.

Kaito, despite the tension in the air, maintained his Stoic expression. "As I said. A dog." He said quite audibly, much to the shock of the crowd and the amusement of a few.

Angered by this, the previous assailant glared at Kaito but couldn't do anything to him. "What a good boy." Kaito cooed before making to leave the hall.

"Kaito!" Alaric called out in a loud voice filled with authority.

Stopping in his tracks, Kaito sighed and turned around. "What?"

"I'm not done."

"Not my business."

"This concerns you. It concerns all of us, but you in particular."

"Oh? Then would you stop beating around the bush and go straight to the point?"

"Certainly, but first, why don't you answer a question."

"Ask away." Kaito said and walked back to the hall.

"Tell me, what realm do you think is the peak of Cultivation?" Alaric asked, drawing murmurs from the crowd.

"Is that supposed to be a trick question?" Kaito asked back but Alaric shook his head.

"I'm being serious. What Realm do you think is the peak of Cultivation?" Alaric asked once again.

Kaito observed the prince for a good while before shaking his head. "Cultivation has no peak. It's a continuous process."

Hearing his answer, the murmur in the crowd intensified as some mocking laughter echoed.

Alaric raised his hand and the crowd turned silent, drawing an impressed look from Kaito.

"I believe you're wrong Kaito." Alaric said.

"Oh? Then do tell me the Realm at the Peak." Kaito asked, seemingly interested in his answer.

He had already read through the ABS and knew that there were other realms outside the Nine Cultivation Realms of the Mortal Level, but according to the scripture, he didn't possess enough strength to even know of those realms.

For him to hear that there was a peak Realm in cultivation really was a surprise to him.

"The Chakra Transformation Realm." Alaric confidently declared, causing the crowd to exclaim in wonder.

"Isn't the peak the Chakra Integration Realm?"

"Yeah, that's when your Chakra, Spirit and Soul are combined."

"In so doing, one would have the power of a Domain. Isn't that what we were taught?"

"You all are right!" Alaric began, silencing the rowdy crowd once again.

"You're all absolutely right. The Chakra Integration Realm is the Pinnacle. In this Realm once the trinity of Chakra, Spirit and Soul are combined, a Cultivator is able to project a Mini World, or Domain around them. And in this domain, they're akin to Gods."

Kaito meanwhile had a flabbergasted expression as he listened to Alaric. He was kind of expecting to hear something he hasn't heard of before but this...

This was just unbelievable.

His expression was caught by Alaric who thought he had managed to even capture his attention, and with renewed vigor, he continued.

"However, there is still one more realm above this. The Transformation Realm is the most dangerous realm there is, that is why no one has ever heard of it. Do you know why?" He asked but received no reply from the crowd.

"Because in this realm, you truly become a God. Your Chakra is transformed, evolved. In that way, all other aspects are developed." Alaric concluded.

Looking at the expressions on the face of the crowd, he felt quite pleased with himself and then looking at Kaito, he smirked and a disdainful light flashed in his eyes.

There was no way Kaito with his trash aptitude would ever dream of reaching this realm.

It even took his ancestors a few thousand years to prepare for the eventual Advancement into this realm.

By stopping Kaito and letting him hear this, he intended to make him interested and then make him see as his two close friends would leave him behind and join him.

Afterall, to him, True Strength was greater than all manner of friendship, and whatever Kaito had going on with Zenith and Ayumi could be destroyed as soon as the mention of a higher realm is mentioned.

"This opportunity can be given to all of you present." Alaric said softly drawing the crowd's attention back to him.

"All you have to do is..."

Pausing to let the effect sink in.

"Join me."