The fight with the Herrscher of the End caused a lot of changes on this Bubble World's Earth. Humanity won against a great enemy without doing anything. What came next is the rapid improvements caused by the combination of spiritual qi and honkai energy.
Fortunately, Shi Tian acted in advance and uprooted all of the problematic officials—either by killing or by surrendering. Mortals could not do anything in the face of a Golden Core cultivator's spiritual consciousness.
This gave rise to Doctor MEI's opportunity to truly become its leader. The consecutive successes of Doctor Mobius' Project Soldier and Vill-V's Project Divine Keys further added to MEI's resume as someone who chose to support them.
There are some rumors, however, of some councilors wanting Elysia to become Fire MOTH's leader.
It all stemmed from one fact:
She is connected with the person who eliminated four Herrschers.
Her monthly confidential visits were leaked. Some people found her linked to "Pardofelis", a renowned start-up with more than three dozen business ventures. Her partners consisted of those recognized within the top 500 companies worldwide. It was as if they were all actively supporting her to the top.
Strangely enough, Pardofelis has no notable background… except being a former resident of the Sundown Alley. Many higher-ups took this place seriously, mostly due to Aponia's and Kalpas' case.
The furthest they dug out was Pardofelis' and Elysia's destinations converging at Mt. Fuji—at the same time, atop all. When they sent their people, however, they found nothing.
Elysia approached them right after, ultimately halting their efforts. MEI became Fire MOTH's true leader since then.
Six months passed after the Herrscher of the End's defeat.
"..."
"Can't say a thing? It's rare to see you like this~"
Mobius did not respond to Elysia's blatant teasing. Her eyes stared intently on the glass tank.
Kevin was the first one to undergo the MANTIS surgery. He succeeded with no drawbacks. The honkai genomes fused perfectly with the addition of spiritual qi. From physical body recovery, life evolution, up to material sciences, it greatly contributed. It is a kind of energy that exhibits miracles.
Hence came the second phase of the Project Soldier—Project CHIMERA. A person can only choose one honkai genome. It is akin to a storage of sorts. Once that storage limit is reached, any attempts to further add more honkai genomes will fail.
Things changed with spiritual qi… yet again.
The fused honkai genomes slowly assimilated into its hosts' original genomes. It is no longer a heterogeneous fusion, but a complete fusion. By absorbing the honkai genome, human genes advance and step onto a level unseen before.
Kevin is at the forefront of that process.
"I want to talk with him."
Elysia was startled by Mobius' suggestion. The look in her eyes spoke for herself.
She is determined to get at the bottom of it.
Throughout their years of friendship, there were only a few occasions that warranted Mobius' seriousness.
This being one of them speaks volumes.
"There must be a reason he regulated Earth's development. This project would have taken five more years had I not received the medicine he handed over."
Her voice lacked cynicism. Mobius could barely hide her exhilaration aside from several slight trembles.
"Alright! I will bring you over. But, there will be someone else with us."
An incredulous thought arose in Mobius' mind.
"That girl?"
*****
This Bubble World is one of its kind. It is the result of the Sea's focus. Being able to recreate the Herrscher of the End is a stunning feat in and of itself.
The Sea spanned far beyond the solar system. It is present even in the later game I played, Honkai Star Rail. It and the Imaginary Tree are this world's constants.
Unfortunately for this Bubble World's denizens, they possess a fragmented soul. I tried fixing this by giving a fourth grade pill to Pardofelis, but to no avail. The next best chance they have is when I turn back time itself and fish the Previous Era "Earth" out.
This did not mean that my focus over cultivating others dwindled. Rather, it increased.
It all lies in the [Blade Mantra].
Typical physical exercises could only raise one's physique up to the standards of B Rank Valkyries—the early stage of Qi Refining Realm. That was with the presence of a sixth grade spirit vein.
Facing such a limit, Pardofelis' strength stagnated. That was until I realized the level of [Heart Intention], [Blade Mantra]'s sixth level. I utilized my understanding to re-arrange the first to the fifth levels. I simplified what could be simplified and added what needed to be added.
Thus, [Blade Mantra 2.0] is born. It is a combination of spiritual qi and honkai energy utilization. It aims to temper one's body, mind, and soul with their help.
Six months was all it took for Pardofelis to reach the third level, [Clear Mirror]. It couldn't have been done without the help of her "lucky encounters". Even without my intervention, her luck pushed through everything and acted as a mini-cheat.
Using that third level mastery, she raised her physique to be on-par with peak Qi Refining Realm cultivators. She can also utilize honkai energy as a mode of attacking.
Pardofelis hasn't even undergone any MANTIS surgery yet. I planned to talk with Mobius first before attempting to do an operation with both honkai genome and demon beasts' blood essence.
By this time, I saw more of honkai energy's potential. Not everyone has to be a cultivator. Though the techniques of spirit root creation were there, resources are limited. Providing the majority of the seven billion or so human spirit roots is a huge undertaking. A huge sect would rather use that resources to create more powerful cultivators.
My mind drifted to Earth's future possibilities for a while.
"You have to make me the deputy leader!"
Kiana sat between my legs as she ate a huge chicken leg. The Demon Arena provided an endless supply of Demon Beasts. My accumulation of their corpses and Demon Cores are insane.
Out of them all, thirty possessed a True Spirit Bloodline. This talent is the equivalent of a High Grade Cultivation Physique. I already have some techniques in hand that can utilize them perfectly.
"Can you lead others?"
"Of course!"
"You would rather go out than to stay indoors?"
"Well…"
She stopped chewing on the chicken leg as she looked at me with her big blue eyes.
Ever since we lived the shut-in life—with periodical outside world patrols—Kiana became more addicted to it.
By that, I meant dual cultivation.
"I can give you the Grand Elder Role."
"..!"
Her free hand pinched my thigh in excitement. It started to crawl towards it.
"It's settled. Don't forget about it…"
"Can we finish eating first?"
Looking at her eager eyes, I could only surrender myself to fate.