Chapter 6: The Five Elders

Inside the Tower

Conference Hall, Crescent Moon Building

After going out with Sumanth and bringing takeout for the elders, Sumanth's wife, and his children, Xenos returned home. Upon arrival, he heard from Sumanth that the five elders wanted to speak with him.

Xenos entered the conference hall and took a seat alongside the five elders and Sumanth.

As he looked at them, he could feel the wise and ancient aura they radiated—like old grandfathers full of knowledge. But he knew they were anything but ordinary.

Among them, Elder Leo was the oldest. He was so ancient that no one knew his exact age. As the mentor of the other four elders, he was regarded as the most knowledgeable human on Planet Xander.

To Elder Leo's left sat Elder Vijay, the second oldest. He came from the imperial family—the only bloodline to produce emperors on Planet Xander. His grandson, Sumanth, was the current emperor.

To Elder Leo's right sat Elder Eva and, beside her, Elder Saladin. Both had risen to elder status at the same time. They were orphans born during a dark period in history, a time called the "Crisis of Nightmare." This was during Elder Vijay's reign as emperor.

Long ago, the Tower of Nightmare stood as a monument of fear. It had nine floors, with Floors 7–9 ruled by humans. Planet Xander itself was located on the 7th floor, while the 8th and 9th floors housed ancient relics left by their ancestors.

However, Floors 1–6 were known as the True Nightmare, home to terrifying demonic beings. Long ago, during a war between the universe and the Outsiders, some of these invaders were sealed within the tower because they were unkillable. Creator Nuwa personally removed their origin energy and imprisoned them inside, ensuring that time would eventually destroy them.

Over centuries, the demonic beings weakened, and Elder Leo personally eradicated them. However, from their corpses, monstrous abominations began to form, searching for their stolen origin energy in an attempt to revive themselves.

Three times, these abominations broke through the barrier of the 6th floor, trying to invade the 7th floor and reclaim their lost power. Each invasion brought disease and massacre upon the world. The first two times, the abominations were strong but not unstoppable. However, the third invasion, during Elder Vijay's reign, was the darkest period in history.

During this time, Elder Eva, the Saint and Poison Queen, and Elder Saladin, the King of Weapons, rose to power, leading humanity in reclaiming its light. In the final phase of the war, Elder Athena, the Queen of War and Xenos' teacher, also rose to prominence. She unleashed a brutal massacre against the abominations, earning the feared title "Bloody Queen."

Eventually, all five elders led humanity into the lower floors of the tower to wipe out the abominations, finally restoring peace.

Now, Xenos sat across from the elders, with Sumanth beside him, waiting for them to speak.

Elder Leo was the first to break the silence. "Kid, we've seen your world along with Sumanth. It's fascinating—the science and technology. It's reassuring to see that a world can still prosper without spiritual energy."

Elder Saladin chimed in next. "Thanks for the nano-material clothes you sent. As I examined them, I had many ideas. While nano-materials are impressive, they're not ideal for battle since spiritual energy can easily damage them. I'm thinking of combining nano-materials with spiritual energy to create a new type of battle armor. I'll work on that."

Xenos's eyes lit up. "Really, Elder? I'd be grateful if you could make one for me."

Elder Saladin laughed warmly. "Sure, I will."

Elder Athena leaned in with a grin. "Don't forget to make one for me as well."

"Of course," Elder Saladin replied, nodding.

Then Elder Eva spoke up. "Kid, when you have time, buy books on everything—science, history, culture—and send them to the tower. All the elders are interested in the knowledge of science and technology."

"Sure thing, Elder," Xenos responded.

Elder Leo cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Since everyone has had their say, let's discuss the cultivation technique and potential challenges ahead."

"I've reviewed the technique you sent us," Elder Leo continued. "Even though it's just the first realm, which is similar to the soul refining and Qi refining realms, you're on the right track."

"I can guess where you're headed with this 'Body Qi.' Since the Qi is in a gaseous state, you'll eventually need to liquefy it, similar to the foundation realm. But I'm curious—how do you plan to achieve that?"

Xenos replied thoughtfully. "Elder, Body Qi is generated by the body itself, so increasing it requires intense physical training to produce even a single drop. But simply doing that would make this cultivation system no different from spiritual cultivation. Each cultivation system needs its own uniqueness to stand apart. I plan to incorporate the seven chakras for the second realm."

Elder Leo's eyes twinkled with understanding. "Ah, chakras. By opening the seven chakras, you'll align your body with nature, increasing Mortal Qi absorption. The chakras will also help refine Mortal Qi, accelerating the growth of Body Qi. That's your plan, isn't it?"

"Yes, Elder," Xenos confirmed. "Our bodies are filled with treasures we often overlook. Even though I plan to integrate the three different cultivation systems, I'll only merge their energies, not their methods."

Elder Leo nodded approvingly. "So you aim to use a singular energy to power all three systems. That will save you time and prevent the exhaustion that comes from juggling three different energies."

"Exactly, Elder."

Elder Leo leaned forward. "And how do you plan to combine these energies?"

Xenos explained, "In the third realm of cultivation, the Core Formation Realm, I want to create a core using all three energies."

Elder Leo nodded in understanding. "So, during Core Formation, you'll fuse the three energies to form a Golden Core. Then, in the Golden Core Realm, you'll refine these energies into a unique Nascent Soul. That soul will then be capable of channeling energy across all three systems."

Xenos couldn't help but smile, impressed by Elder Leo's insight. "Yes, Elder. That's exactly it."

Elder Leo spoke first. "Good. But when you reach the Nascent Soul Realm, you'll face a new hurdle—cultivation techniques. Since you're merging three different energies, you'll need a cultivation technique and pathway that can harmonize all three systems. Additionally, we need to research this new energy itself, as we've never encountered anything like it before."

Xenos nodded in agreement.

Elder Leo continued. "Since we've addressed the challenges of cultivation, let's move on to your next major obstacle—energy."

Xenos frowned slightly. "Energy?"

This time, Elder Vijay spoke up. "You should know that cultivation requires a steady supply of energy. While you have the Lotus to aid in your own cultivation, others don't have such a resource. Your tripartite cultivation system requires three different types of energy. But your planet only has Soul Qi and Mortal Qi, and even those exist in their weakest form—barely enough to sustain the first realm of cultivation. Worse yet, there is no Spiritual Qi at all. So tell me, how do you expect everyone else to cultivate?"

Xenos fell into deep thought, then hesitantly asked, "Elder, what if we use spiritual stone veins and implant them on Earth? Would that work for cultivation?"

Elder Saladin shook his head. "That's only a temporary solution. Even if we implant spiritual stone veins, what about Soul Qi and Mortal Qi? How will you resolve that?"

Xenos tensed, his mind racing for a solution.

Sensing his frustration, his teacher, Elder Athena, finally spoke up. "No need to overthink it. We've already found a solution for that. However, I must warn you—it's quite extreme."

Xenos' eyes lit up with hope. "What do you mean, Teacher?"

Elder Athena spoke up. "Do you remember the plane core you took?"

Xenos nodded. "Yes."

Elder Athena continued. "Even though it's an artificial plane core, that doesn't mean it's useless. You might not be able to use it as a true plane core, but it can serve another purpose... Saladin, I believe you should explain this part."

Elder Saladin took over. "You see, even though an artificial plane core can't function as a natural plane core, it can still be fused with a planet's core to help evolve the planet itself."

Xenos frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, Elder?"

Elder Saladin explained. "Your planet, Earth, is different from most others. In fact, calling it 'strange' wouldn't be wrong. Earth is far more ancient than most planets, and—what's even more surprising—it has a consciousness of its own. That should be impossible."

Xenos was shocked. "A consciousness? But, Elder, I haven't sensed anything like that."

Elder Saladin nodded. "You wouldn't. It's sealed by someone."

He continued, "What I'm suggesting is this: since your planet has a consciousness, we can combine the plane core with Earth's core to trigger an evolution. However, to achieve this, we need to convert the plane core into a negative plane core first."

Xenos furrowed his brows. "But Elder, isn't the plane core neutral? How do you expect to change it?"

Elder Saladin smirked. "Through the space gates. Space gates serve as a bridge to negative planes, and each one is created using fragments of a planet's core. Your Earth has 108 space gates. If you collect the cores from all of them, I can fuse them with the plane core to transform it into a negative plane core."

Xenos sighed. "But since I'm currently a mortal, I'll have to wait two years for the space gates to naturally open before I can retrieve the cores."

Elder Saladin nodded. "Yes, but there's a benefit to that. When the space gates open, spiritual energy will also flow into Earth, aiding in its evolution. Once you gather all 108 negative plane cores, I'll merge them with the plane core. Then, we can fuse the newly formed core with Earth's core, triggering a true planetary evolution."

He paused before adding, "However, achieving a perfect balance is crucial. That's where transcendent spirit veins come in. Once we stabilize the energy flow, Earth will finally give rise to true spiritual energy."

Xenos was stunned by what he had just heard. If Earth truly produces True spiritual energy, all the races across the universe will go crazy over it.