"What are you thinking?" Sophia's voice resonated in Ray's mind. to only sighed and shook his head out of the deep thoughts he was in.
Heading to the coliseum, led by one of the elders, he didn't know how to express his mixed feelings right now.
From the tour around the city, Ray was left completely silent. From shops of all kinds of merchandise, to passing through blacksmith streets and soul tools workshops, and even playgrounds with modern sports fields or training fields—the sea city was almost on par with some medium cities from his past life, just with cultivation mixed into it.
The thing that truly shocked Ray for a second was that all of this was done without much heavy effect on Plana itself.
"Nothing, just…" Looking at the coliseum in front of him, Ray let out a confused sigh. "God damn, I wish I were here when everything started to form together."
That declaration alone told Sophia the whole story, even more so to his escorting elder.
He knew by experience that Ray was talking to Sophia (he had his own partner, too), but the declaration still couldn't help but bring a prideful smile to his face.
"Well, we're still rising, and it will be an honor to work for the Young King," the old man said, signaling him toward an entrance on the side.
On the way up, using an elevator, Sophia explained the coliseum and how its arenas worked.
In simple terms, they had come close to what was known as dimension engineering, as the coliseum could now be counted as an independent dimension with its own rules.
Ray looked at them and asked playfully, "You sure you even need me by now?"
The old man caught the playful tone and sighed. "Going by the talk of Elder Hu Zi, this construction is still incomplete."
"Talking about that—where are Fu Meng and Mera?" Ray asked, confused. From the information he had gained, elders hardly ever left Plana, acting as the last defense line, being limit Douluos for most and nearing that hurdle for the rest.
"Well, Fu Meng is outside, trying to extend Plana's network," Elder Wang shuddered. "Mera is inspecting a new zone that appeared in the Plana Sea."
Ray was surprised at the magnitude of their missions and frowned at the last part. He knew Plana's expansion brought new varieties of biomass, but attracting the attention of a Limit Douluos was another matter entirely.
"Don't worry, Young King." Seeing the frown, Chen Wang smiled. "She's already on her way back—just a normal inspection."
Nodding at his words, Ray stepped out of the elevator into an open balcony room right above the arena below.
With most of the balcony made of see-through crystal, Ray could clearly see the stadium seats, along with the center of the arena, without distraction.
"You sure know how to create unique architecture," Ray praised, then stopped, noticing the stadium below was already almost full. He raised an eyebrow at the sheer count of the audience.
"Is this normal?" Ray asked, but instead of the old man answering, Sophia appeared beside him, smirking.
"Do you know what Plana's residents cherish the most?" Sophia asked back playfully.
"I don't know… peace and safety?" Ray answered after some thought, basing it on the conditions of their first arrival.
"Nice, but no," Sophia refused. "That might be true for those who just arrived, but here… there's literally nothing threatening their safety."
"Then what is it?" Ray asked, still confused, not getting her meaning. "Keeping Plana safe?"
"It flows in that direction in the end," she nodded lightly, "but no. It's actually children."
Ray squinted his eyes, clearly asking if she was serious.
"Yup. The greatest treasure we have in Plana is our descendants, and their descendants after them—the shine of Plana for generations to come," the old man said with a goofy smile, as if remembering something.
"Yup. With a safe place, instead of raising conflict like you'd expect them to," Sophia added, earning a smirk from the old man.
As a matter of fact, in the first years, they found it hard to interact with Sophia due to how she completely distrusted humans in general.
That still held true until now—but Plana's residents were the exception.
"And instead, they started to ask and look for ways to raise their children while keeping the rules you asked to be upheld," Chen Wang said. Being one of the few hundred who witnessed that night before the tree rose under their eyes, he knew from experience the impact it left on them.
From being prisoners under the worst kinds of cultivators, to being rescued and led into what could literally be called a haven on land, and in return, they were only asked to follow simple rules, without hardship.
As the years passed and the man still slept, they feared dying before meeting him again, or worse, leaving behind descendants who wouldn't uphold the laws. So they made sure his words and ideals were passed down—not just through spoken or written words, but on a deeper level, something carried to the grave.
With the first generation of Plana-born children, parents found a chance to change their mindset. They didn't just raise them to become strong soul masters, but also shaped their character, with Ray's image as an idol.
The first part was completely worry-free, as all newborns were literally geniuses thanks to Plana's boosting. As for the second part, Sophia and several whole elders played their cards perfectly.
From educating parents on how to raise children (modern edition), to popularizing the passion for exploration, not only physically, but also intellectually.
That became the main reason for Plana's rapid rise, all linked to one common point, somehow rooted in everyone's mind: care for the young.
Now, a newborn—or even a newly adopted orphan—was seen as a celebration. And by now, families no longer flaunted strength or influence, but instead the quality of the next generation across multiple fields.
"So that's what gave rise to this championship?" Ray asked in admiration and surprise.
"Nope. The championship is just a small version," Sophia said. "Next month we have one for ages fourteen to twenty, and another over twenty by the end of the year."
"It's a way to keep top cultivators sharp," Wang explained. "Additionally, the arenas are open for private or public match bookings. Thanks to the technology used, the fatality of matches is—"
"So, only those in the stadium are the ones who can watch directly and get their hands on tickets," Sophia smirked. "The whole population is currently watching this championship."
Ray was about to ask what she meant by the first part when a knock came at the door. Seconds later, a group of six entered one after another, excitement clear in their eyes as they saw Ray.
As the door closed behind them, the old man joined them, about to kneel alongside them before Ray.
Surprisingly, Ray moved faster; his trademark crystal mist appeared out of nowhere, stopping them before they could.
"I said it before," Ray frowned. "I don't like being knelt to, and I am no king to begin with."
Ray never saw himself as a leader, let alone something fancy like a king, so he truly couldn't let it go anymore.
"I told you guys," Sophia said to them before turning to Ray. "But on the other side, Ray—you're the owner of this dimension. Like it or not, you are their king. You'd better get used to it."
Ray looked at them for a second, getting her meaning but still not backing down. Sophia sighed and snapped her tail against his head.
"Stone head, as ever."
"How about just bowing, and instead of king, Young Master will do?" Sophia suggested, looking at the elders. Living among them and watching them rise, she knew exactly how deeply they idolized Ray—and like it or not, he was stuck with that image.
"Now don't get stuck on nonsense. That's only in front of others, for formality," Sophia added, stepping in front of him. "You already met the others, except—"
Following her gaze, Ray saw the additional and final two members of the council.
Mera sea elder, a unique variant of a deep-sea whale soul beast. known as the White Whale.
Unlike her clan, which leaned toward darkness, water, and spiritual attributes (despite the name), she was born with flame, light, and spiritual affinity, placing her completely opposite her clan's spectrum.
She met Elder Chen along with her sole child after being chased by evil masters along the shores of the Sun-Moon Empire.
Later events led her to join Plana and become the main leader behind the rise of the sea city, introducing fish farms and deep-sea plant harvesting methods.
The last was a man with silver hair and eyes, with a small scar running across his right eye. Ray vaguely felt like he had seen him somewhere before, but he let it be, knowing this man was the one behind Plana's trade rise in the Douluo Continent.
Little was known about him. He and his wife had been rescued from an evil soul master base and had almost lost their memories under the torture of its leaders.
What stood out was his strong mental strength, high talent in strategy and trading—recognized even by Fu Meng—and his wife's exceptional soul tool creation talent.
Ray vaguely remembered hearing something about the lady's martial spirit being the Purple Flame Dragon, but nothing truly clicked yet.
He sighed, leaving it for later.