(Note: Going forward, I will post the cultivation ranking and weapon ranking in the Author's thoughts, in case you don't remember.)
....................
Neville Earl, an orphan boy whom Lucian had adopted during his childhood years. He was now handling trivial matters, but Lucian had planned to delegate some internal matters for the Starlink company.
While Alfred was a gangster, Lucian had taken him under his wing. Alfred had almost lost his life while protecting Lucian in a fight. Impressed yet suspicious, Lucian had hired him and let him start from the grassroots level.
In the next 4 years, Alfred had risen in ranks and gained Lucian's trust.
Compared to Neville and Alfred, whom he had known for years, the silver kitten accusing them was a stranger.
Lucian didn't rush to draw any conclusions. Instead, he called his assistant and said in a low voice,
"Go and check Alfred and Neville's recent movement. Check if they have any hand in manipulating the recent intelligence about the stocks I had my eye on."
After receiving an affirmative answer from the other end, Lucian focused his energy on the little kitten, staring at him intently. Realizing what it must be asking for, his lips twitched.
"Last question," Lucian paused, his lips curling into a faint smile, "Are you a male or female?"
"Female." Lana typed at lightning speed.
"Alright. Do as you please." Lucian's voice was filled with resignation.
Lana's eyes lit up, and she leaped from the table to Lucian's waist. Her mind was filled with only one thought.
'Here it comes! Here is my chance! My lifelong wish is going to be fulfilled!'
The next second, the clock struck 12 o'clock, and Lana's entire being was enveloped by white light.
Clang!
"Ouch! Fuck, it hurts!" Lana, who had fallen on the floor, rubbed her face. Suddenly, she realized that her paws had vanished and that she had returned to her human form.
'Sh*t! I transformed right in front of Lucian. It's over... It's over!'
However, the next second, her expression changed. The tiles on the floor were similar to the bathroom of the hotel she was staying in, and not like the luxurious flooring of the hotel Lucian was staying in.
She scanned her surroundings... and her heart sank. She had teleported back to the hotel's bathroom.
"God, Nytheris, why? Why are you so cruel to me? At least you should have let me have a taste before shoving me to my cruel reality." Lana was genuinely furious.
A rare chance went down the drain just like that!
It took her a whole five minutes to shift her attention to the most pressing matter.
"Forget it... I should focus on why I transformed into a kitten and why I was teleported to Lucian... Did that herbal soup help me awaken teleportation powers? Hm... I should test it out." Lana muttered as she wore the bathrobe and emerged from the bathroom.
Walking toward the closet, she wore a white cotton spaghetti top with blue jeans. Her eyes unconsciously fell onto the small buns on her chest, and she sighed.
"Hey, I wonder when my lemons will become melons instead."
Shaking her head, Lana closed her eyes and tried to think about the hotel lobby.
After 2 minutes, when she opened her eyes... Lana found herself still standing in the room.
"So it wasn't teleportation, huh? Or did the power need cultivation before I could awaken it? But that doesn't make sense... that crow had said that after drinking the herbal soup, my meridians would be cleansed and I would be able to cultivate my mystic powers..."
Lana sat down on the floor and decided to sense the Aether in the surrounding area.
If her meridians were truly cleansed, she would be able to cultivate now, right?
With that thought, she closed her eyes. Her vision was shrouded by blackness, and yet Lana patiently maintained her position.
Every cultivator, or exoray (superhuman), uses the lotus position to intake the aether. It was proven through repeated trials and analysis that Aether absorption is faster in the lotus position.
The Aether in the air travels from the nostrils, and instead of settling in the body parts, it merges with the soul.
A normal human's soul, according to the data in their world, was as small as an index finger. Although the soul is small, it is not limited by time and space; therefore, despite its size, it contains something called the core.
Core was the place where Aether should be absorbed. As the core becomes stronger, the soul slowly becomes stronger and more substantial.
Core was a crucial aspect for each cultivator, regardless of what they were pursuing. Spiritual, dream wardens, mystics, and exorays, as well as celestial masters and popes, all cultivate this core. All of them cultivate this core.