Announcement: I am sorry for taking a longer-than-expected break. Since familial relations and too explicit content are not allowed on the platform, the earlier chapters had to be revised and needed to create a new lore to make everyone a step family. If you want to know exactly, you can re-read chapter 4, or just check out the Introduction tab I put in the Volume Zero. With all that out of the way, Enjoy ~!
Also, today is my birthday, so it's a perfect day to restart the book~
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A light shaking of his shoulders woke up Phoenix, pulling him from dreams of flying through starfields with a harem of beauties. He groggily opened his eyes to Diana standing at the edge of his bed, arms crossed but lips curled in an amused smile. Dressed in sleek, form-fitting exercise clothes that showed off every line of her toned frame, she looked wide awake and way too energetic for this early in the morning.
"Time to get up, superstar. I'll see you in the garden. You have five minutes," she said with military crispness.
"Umm, what time is it, Mom?" Phoenix rubbed his eyes as he tried to wake up, but his body demanded that he should go back to the dreamland.
"It's already 4 in the morning. Training doesn't wait for sleepyheads, ya know." Looking at his lazy ass, her eyes fell on a certain tent under his sheets while speaking. Without hesitation, she gave his morning wood a quick flick and grinned as he was jolted awake with his entire face red hot. "And get that under control, or you'll be too distracted to train properly." With a chuckle, she strode out, leaving Phoenix mortified and scrambling for clothes.
Half-awake and trying desperately not to replay Diana's teasing in his mind, Phoenix stumbled downstairs and tiptoed through the cool, silent house toward the garden.
Diana was already waiting for him, stretching under the half-lit sky by 3 moons, her athletic curves on full display. Her leggings hugged every inch of her amazing legs, her fitted top showed off her midriff and strong arms, and the slight sheen of pre-dawn dew made her body glisten slightly under the moonlight. Trying his best to keep his gaze above her shoulders, he was failing miserably.
Diana finally looked over, folding her arms. "You done staring? If you are, let's get ready." The smile on her face was a teasing one, but her eyes were sharp, indicating her seriousness. "Come on, Let's get down to business."
Pulling up her hologram display, she cast a screen between them. "I know you already studied the basics in school, but I'll go over them once again just in case."
She enlarged the screen using her hands, making it as big as a blackboard. "The power of humans is split into nine main levels for both physical and magical cultivation. Level 1 - 'Spark Class' is the starting point for everyone, while level 9 is the stuff of legends. They are the strongest warriors or casters alive in the galaxy. Most people fall somewhere in the middle."
Diana swiped through a series of martial arts listings, each shining with rankings and star ratings. "All martial artists are split into two broad categories: physical and magical. The military gets the best martial arts for physical training, while the government has the best martial arts for magical training. Luckily for you, both of your moms work in government and the military, respectively. So you get to pick the best of both worlds."
After saying that, she opened a page with 2 columns, listing all the top techniques for both domains.
Phoenix stared at the screen, dumbfounded. He was tempted to pick a magic technique, but then he remembered the system's prompt about the tier of his technique, reminding him of his unique path.
'Hey shitty system!! Are you sure the thing you gave me is the strongest technique in the world?' He asked internally.
{Positive Host. There is no foundation technique stronger than this in the entire world.}
Hearing the positive answer, he tried to keep a straight face as he began bullshitting. "Actually, Mom, I already have a technique. I heard it's the strongest technique in the world!!"
Diana broke into a fit of laughter after hearing his words. "Hahaha, kid!! You are something else. I never knew you were so gullible. Do tell me, what is this technique of yours that is much better than a military-grade secret art?"
Phoenix forced a sheepish grin. "Uh… a kind grandpa came to me in a dream 2 days ago. He said he travelled across the galaxies, searching for an heir. He liked me, so he gave me the technique for free. Swearing to heavens, saying it's the most advanced technique in the world."
Diana chuckled in amusement but handed him her holo display anyway. "Alright, oh 'Chosen One'. Write it down, let's have a look at your so-called strongest technique."
Phoenix quickly copied the stanzas and diagrams for the [Primal Star Ascension: Foundation] technique from his memory as quickly as possible before he slid the display back into her hands, his heart racing.
As Diana started reading, her expression grew serious. Scrolling back and forth, reading slower, then faster, then slower again. When she finally looked up, a rare seriousness filled her voice. "Alright kid, give it to me straight. Where did you actually get this technique? And don't give me the bullshit about kind grandpa. Nobody is this charitable in this world to a stranger. I saw you grow up, I know when you are bullshitting and when you are not."
Phoenix swallowed nervously. In front of him was his mother, and she knew everything there was to know about him, including when he lied and when he didn't. So he decided to tell her the truth, at least a part of it.
"Well.....this might sound strange to you, but when I woke up yesterday. I had this extra set of memories in mind of a life I did not live. They appeared....primitive. There were a lot of women in it, no futas. I found this technique was in those memories."
Diana paused. She looked at him for a second to see any signs of lies, but did not find any. Then, she took a deep breath before releasing a blue wave of energy around her body, putting so much sheer pressure on Phoenix that he felt he was about to be crushed to death. The ground beneath their feet got cracked into splinters, but he was too strained to pay any attention to it.
Her energy covered both of them as she kept questioning. "So you are telling me that you have a different set of memories from yesterday, and you found this technique inside them? Answer in yes or no. I'll be the judge if you are lying or not."
Phoenix looked deep into her eyes and her serious expression before slowly opening his mouth and saying.....