Taking a deep breath, Lana ignored the laughing crow and focused all her energy on cultivation after settling in.
Just as the clock hit 10, Lana felt the energy inside her reach its peak, and the next second, a warm current enveloped her completely.
Whoosh!
A blinding light engulfed her, illuminating the room made of Luncaite. The light seeped into the lunacite stone, making the entire room shine with a golden glow.
The scene was so fairy-like that Mr. Crow, who had woken up due to the commotion, couldn't look away.
.............................
Far away, in his room, Monk Anaro, who was in deep cultivation, suddenly smiled. His gentle voice echoed in the empty silence.
"A genius among geniuses. A child with golden light will purify the darkness lingering in people's hearts. Like dawn's eternal flame, where every shadow silently departs."
............................
A few minutes before.
Lana slowly led a warm orb of Aether toward her nose, and many other Aether orbs followed along.
Just when she inhaled the orbs, the black space dotted with orbs of Aether pulsed as if being alive, while the orbs slowly disintegrated, spreading across the dark space, transforming it into a golden space.
When Lana opened her eyes slowly, she found her vision much clearer than before. Even with the lights off, she could see everything clearly as if it were still daytime.
What surprised her more was... the Aether inside her seemed to have increased to a new height.
Before she could name the phenomenon, the sound of Mr. Crow's flapping wings echoed, followed by his shrill voice.
"You have broken through and reached Black Rank?"
Though posed as a question, Mr. Crow sounded more certain than Lana.
"Have I?" Lana asked with disbelief in her eyes. Based on Mr. Crow's assessment, it was expected that she would take a few months to achieve Blank Rank, correct?
"Try to channel your energy in your hand." Mr. Crow ordered, his beady black eyes stared at Lana with a burning gaze.
Lana closed her eyes and slowly sensed the aether and tried to lead it toward her hands. A wave of warm current traveled from her heart to her hands.
On opening her eyes again, she saw a faint blue light lingering on the tips of her index fingers.
"You have indeed reached Black Rank." Mr. Crow muttered in disbelief.
Faint coolness lingering in the air, followed by the occasional passing cars' sound, added a touch of reality, which Mr. Crow desperately needed.
Lana, however, felt a familiar yet unfamiliar sensation in her body. The second, Mr. Crow's small figure became magnified, and the world itself became much bigger than before.
"Oh my Nytheris! You... you have transformed into a kitten!" Mr. Crow's voice, laced with disbelief, echoed in Lana's ears.
But Lana? She was lost in her own thoughts.
'Will I be teleported to my white moonlight like before?'
Before she could receive a proper answer, though, she was enveloped by a bright light. The next second, she opened her eyes and found herself dropping onto a soft yet firm thing.
"Meow!" Ouch! That hurts!
Lana used her paws to rub her butt... only to realize they couldn't reach the spot because of how small her paws were.
"Hm? Perverted cat?" The familiar, gentle yet deep masculine voice soothed Lana's mind, and she lifted her head.
A pair of deep eyes stared at her sapphire eyes, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Lucian. He was sitting in a white bathrobe, with a black file in his right hand. His perfectly sculpted chest was visible due to the loose lapel.
"Wipe off your drool; it's about to fall on my robe." Lucian chuckled, his set of white, pearly teeth, coupled with tofu-like lips, making Lana feel hungry.
Yet she obediently used her paws to wipe the corner of her mouth, only to realize... she wasn't drooling at all.
Hey! Lana glared at Lucian.
Lucian chuckled softly, scratched her forehead, and said, "You seem to have become even thinner. Not eating your food on time?"
Lana refused to answer; instead, she started to climb toward the abs. Whatever answers Lucian wanted, they would only be given once she lay on his abs!
Last time, before she could even enjoy her reward, she was teleported. This time? She will have her fill!
Seeing the determined posture of the little perverted kitten, Lucian was interested.
The next second, though, his expression froze. The little kitten climbed on his chest and lay on it, a sigh of delight escaping her mouth.
Lucian: (* °ヮ° *)