After the auction, a few days went by.
During that time, I kept training diligently and dedicating myself to study. The recent events had reinforced the need to improve my cultivation strength, proficiency in techniques and Daos, as well as in my professions, so that I'd have the means to defend myself and strike my enemies.
On the first day of training, as usual, I chose the spatial world within my palace as my training ground.
My main focus was on two new techniques: Thousand Light Bodies and Fire Dragon Claw.
I closed my eyes and focused on the energy within me, transforming my Qi into light energy and allowing it to spread, covering my entire body starting from my Dantian. My body shone with an intense, blinding light, and soon I saw a clone of light identical to myself standing beside me.
For a moment, the connection felt a little off, but I managed to maintain a reasonable level of control over its abilities. So, I gave my first command. It raised its hand and, with a smooth motion, created spears of light in the air. The spears flew forward and destroyed some trees in their path. The power level seemed similar to mine when I use light energy in this way.
Next, I commanded it to create a wall of water. However, instead of obeying, it stood still and looked at me.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I'm unable to use water energy, Master. In my current state, I can only manipulate light energy," it replied, in a calm and almost reflective tone that genuinely surprised me.
Although this presented a bit of a problem, I had anticipated something like this. I pulled out the technique manual and read through it again. It didn't take long to find the information I needed:
"Once you reach sufficient energy and mastery, you will be able to create an army of copies of yourself, each one smarter and more capable of using your full range of powers. Initially, however, only light energy will be accessible."
It was something I already expected, but it forced me to consider learning some light-related martial arts, or at least new ways to harness that energy.
For now, I ran a few more tests with the clone.
In the end, I discovered that it could move within a radius of up to five kilometers from me. It was also capable of transmitting any message back to me, and once dispelled, all the knowledge it acquired would return to me. That was an incredibly powerful feature—one that I found very satisfying.
After completing those tests, I shifted my focus to the second technique.
The manual said I should visualize the image of a powerful fire dragon. The more vivid and solid the image, and the deeper my understanding of the Dao of Fire, the stronger and more complete the technique would become.
I closed my eyes and pictured a fire dragon, based on memories from my past life. My hand instinctively took on a claw-like shape, with the two middle fingers together and the other three slightly apart. I resisted the urge to shout the name of the technique—to avoid letting my geeky side take over—and simply executed it.
My hand and the right side of my body were instantly enveloped in blazing red flames—hot, destructive, and carrying a subtle wild aura. Soon, the projection of a fiery claw manifested. I moved quickly toward a large boulder, and with brutal force, pierced it. But it didn't end there. The flames and energy of the technique spread into the rock, causing it to explode into fragments in an instant.
Satisfied with the damage, I still wanted to test another aspect of the technique.
Moving fluidly, I executed the next move.
This time, the flames gathered in the air just in front of me, forming the shape of a dragon claw. It charged forward toward another rock, which was also destroyed, though with slightly less force than the first strike.
Still, for my first official martial technique with an offensive focus—aside from sword arts—it had exceeded expectations.
…
In the present moment, I had made my way to the library, more specifically, to Icer Academy.
I'd been reading through a large number of books. Knowledge has always been essential to me—and beyond that, I've always enjoyed reading.
The books varied: some held the insights of past cultivators, others were fiction and stories, while some focused on geography, plants, minerals, and more.
While I was distracted, I sensed a bird entering the library and flying toward me.
More than just a bird, it was a wind pigeon—a spiritual beast commonly used to send messages due to its speed and small size, as well as its above-average intelligence. Though its strength was only at the early stages of Qi Condensation, it was still an effective messenger.
The pigeon stared at me for a few seconds and, after seemingly recognizing me as the target, moved its long beak to a small pouch on its stomach and pulled out a simple letter. However, I immediately noticed the royal family's seal on it.
Curious, I opened it and was surprised by what I read:
Official Invitation
Young Alex Alberian, you are hereby officially invited to Queen Mathilde's birthday celebration.
As a member of the younger generation, you will be placed in a side chamber of the palace, where you will be received by the First Prince of the Empire.
Take pride in such a grand invitation!
...
Despite the arrogant and pretentious tone typical of royalty, I couldn't help but feel surprised and curious.
This kind of invitation should have been sent to my grandfather, who—as the head of the family—would be responsible for confirming our presence. However, this one left no room for that, almost as if it were a command rather than a request. That alone intrigued me.
The Queen, the king's primary wife and mother of the First Prince, was a figure of great importance. The prince had a good reputation, but his strength was limited. Some said he had a health issue during childhood, but in return, he developed remarkable talent in blacksmithing—capable of crafting powerful weapons and artifacts.
His main rival for the throne was the First Princess, daughter of the first concubine. She was said to be exceptionally talented and had already reached a high level within the Foundation realm.
As for the Second Prince, while he had a decent reputation and some strength, he lacked the professional skill of the First Prince and the cultivation talent of the Princess. From what I've observed, he seems to harbor ambitions far greater than what he can truly handle.
Regardless, I found myself wondering why the Queen had sent me this invitation… though I suspected it may have been someone else's request.
Our family, as a newly risen military power, had remained neutral in royal politics. That neutrality, however, was weakened by my sister's engagement to the Second Prince. Now that the engagement was broken, our family could potentially ally with another prince—or remain distant, weakening us further.
Still, I wasn't particularly concerned about these political games.
To me, the only ones that truly mattered were my grandfather, my siblings, and a few members of the estate. In the future, I intend to take them beyond this small kingdom.
Realizing my thoughts had wandered too far, I turned my head and, with the letter still in hand, made my way to the family mansion.
…
Seated around the dinner table, I could feel the tension in the air.
My siblings were visibly angry, and my grandfather looked pensive. I showed them the letter and shared my thoughts.
As expected, my grandfather and brothers had received their invitations through the traditional method—delivered to the mansion.
After a few seconds of heavy silence, the family head sighed and spoke:
"This likely confirms that the next engagement proposal involving our family will be directed at Alex. I'm not sure whether it'll be from a prince or a princess, but the Queen—who oversees such political arrangements—will likely be involved."
My words only made my brothers angrier, but I noticed that my sister seemed more frustrated than upset.
Thinking about it, I held her hand and tried to comfort her.
"Sister, relax. We'll handle this. If things get too complicated, we can retreat into my personal space and leave this kingdom behind. The cultivation world is vast—we can rebuild elsewhere. This kingdom is small, anyway."
I spoke calmly, though I could still feel the tension in her. Even so, she seemed a bit more at ease.
The family leader slammed his hand on the table, reasserting his authority.
"If it really comes to that, it'll be annoying—but we'll handle it when the time comes. As the youngest said, we can simply leave this kingdom, taking only a few soldiers and servants with us."
We all agreed, and the conversation shifted to other topics.
My brothers' strength was steadily growing, and I noticed that my grandfather's cultivation realm had begun to improve again. I had the feeling he might reach new heights in the near future.
Of course, I didn't mention the auction I attended—especially because what followed was quite dangerous.
I'm sure I'd have been scolded relentlessly if they ever found out about my involvement.
…
On the day of the birthday celebration, I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my outfit.
For an event of such importance, my sister had personally selected a new attire for me, along with accessories and ornaments. My body had been thoroughly washed and perfumed with a refreshing oil, scented with white spirit flowers. My hair and eyebrows were also meticulously styled.
When I looked into the mirror, my reflection was clear—elegant and refined.