Musa smiled calmly, though a hint of tension showed as he said,
"About the symbol you saw…"
Eugene raised his palm slightly, eyes closed, and said,
"I'm not interested in that symbol."
Musa lifted an eyebrow in surprise.
After seeing his reaction that day, his obvious lie, and knowing Eugene's curious nature—how can he say he's not interested? Is he lying to me?
Musa took a sip of his tea.
"Then what do you want?"
"Hm…" Eugene hummed softly. He hadn't really thought about why he approached Musa, but after a brief pause, he asked,
"Earlier, I went to the library,"
—Musa raised his eyebrow in surprise—
"and I read something in one of the pages of the Cultivator's World Guide about something called Paths. What are they?"
"Haha, since when do you go to the library?" Musa said with amusement.
Eugene looked at him and replied,
"I'm trying to compensate for my lack of talent."
Musa set his teacup down.
"You mean the Seven Paths, right?"
Eugene nodded.
"You know that a cultivator can only take eleven potions or imprints, correct?"
Eugene nodded again.
"And you know that those imprints must be compatible with the same material or immaterial concept."
Eugene nodded once more while taking a piece of cake.
"Good. All imprints in the world, and all the systems you can form from different imprints and concepts, are classified under six—or sometimes seven—paths."
Cream slightly smeared Eugene's mouth as he asked with curiosity and confusion,
"And what's the point of that? Why classify them into six paths?"
Musa raised one finger. Eugene looked at it, unsure of its meaning, but Musa continued,
"Simply because those six or seven paths summarize almost all concepts of the universe."
Eugene tilted his head in confusion.
"I don't understand."
"Focus with me. These six or seven paths condense the concepts of the universe. Each path has its own pinnacle—the peak of the cultivator world. Each pinnacle has a different form and foundation, which creates differences in power stages even among the strongest individuals."
"For example, among the paths, there is the Path of Agricultural—"
At that moment, a group of people gathered around Musa. Some tried to flatter him to benefit from his status, others admired his strength, and some asked about the level of his son or daughter.
Eugene stood up and returned to his table with Ren and Fred, leaving Musa occupied with the crowd.
Eugene sat down as Ren quietly ate his food.
Looking around, Eugene asked,
"Where did Reem and Milisia go?"
Ren replied while drinking orange juice,
"I think they went for a walk—or to try on dresses."
A brief silence settled between Eugene and Ren, mixed with music and singing.
Up on the second floor, inside a dim room with brown-and-white walls, architectural decorations, and luxurious furniture…
Kanvi sat at a table, sipping tea. Standing near the balcony overlooking the hall below was a woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a flowing white-and-light-green dress.
"Why haven't you eaten anything since morning?" Kanvi asked.
The woman turned toward him. Freckles were visible on her face, her cheeks lightly flushed. She appeared to be in her late thirties, though she looked much younger.
"I have a cold. It's really annoying, and I can't taste food at all because of it, so I didn't eat anything."
Her voice was relatively loud, confident, gentle, and calm.
"That's not good. You should eat even if you can't taste it."
She shook her head slightly.
"A painting without colors is like a human without emotions—no taste, no joy in looking at it. Besides, the human body was made to endure hunger, not constant fullness."
Kanvi laughed.
"Since when did you become a sudden poet?"
The woman looked down—specifically toward Ren and Eugene's table. A strange mix of sadness, happiness, amazement, and wonder crossed her eyes.
"Mooom!"
The luxurious wooden door opened as Milisia rushed in, throwing herself into her mother's arms.
Though Milisia was strong and fierce, she was still three years younger than Eugene—only thirteen.
The woman hugged her warmly.
"My little one, how was your birthday?"
"It was wonderful! But why didn't you come?"
Milisia's mother smiled softly.
"I'm sick. If I went to the party, I'd infect everyone."
Milisia raised an eyebrow.
"It's just a cold. It's not that serious."
Kanvi spoke calmly,
"True, it's not dangerous—but it's very annoying. And your mother isn't the type to put her own comfort above everyone else's."
It was now three-thirty. The celebration had ended, and the guests began to leave.
Eugene exited the palace, followed by Ren, Fred, and Reem.
"Ahh…" Eugene breathed in deeply. "Warm, refreshing air and a glowing blue sky with clouds."
"That was a wonderful visit," Reem said with a smile as she waved to Milisia standing at the door.
"Goodbye. See you later."
"Goodbye," Fred, Ren, and Eugene replied.
They headed toward the train station, but before reaching it, Eugene spoke.
"Hey Ren, what time do the lectures start?"
Ren thought for a moment.
"I think nine-thirty."
"Great. That means we have time."
Fred looked at Eugene.
"Time for what?"
Eugene pointed down a street that ended at a cinema.
"Time to watch a movie and eat popcorn."
Ren looked stunned. Fred went silent. Reem raised an eyebrow, her mouth slightly open.
Ren said,
"Brother, it seems too much sugar put you into overdrive."
Reem added,
"Aren't you tired? Sleepy? Exhausted?"
"Nope. I'm full of energy."
Ren turned toward the station.
"I'm not going."
Reem said the same.
But as they turned away, Eugene spoke with a sideways grin,
"Well… looks like you're going to miss the red golden candy. Wasn't that one of your wishes? I heard it's being served today thanks to Milisia, and today is the last day it's free at the cinema."
Ren's eyes widened. He turned back, eyes closed, chin raised.
"Fine. What movie are we watching? You know I don't like spider movies."
Reem looked at Ren, then at Eugene, paused briefly, and said,
"It's Valley Cat."
"Valley Cat?!"
Reem went silent for a moment, then turned with the same expression and posture Ren had earlier.
"I'll sit near the air conditioner. Cinemas are usually too warm."
Fred looked at them, then at Eugene.
"Well, if you're all going, I'll go too. Staying at the academy alone for that long is boring."
"Hehehe."
Eugene laughed triumphantly and led them down a long street, houses tightly packed on both sides, painted red, with gray brick pavement and lanterns glowing yellow along the road.
They walked past a sign that read:
Adil District – Jonesno Street
As they moved, Fred felt something strange.
Eugene noticed Fred repeatedly glancing around.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Ren and Reem also looked at Fred.
Fred replied,
"Nothing… I just feel something strange."
"Probably just fatigue," Reem said as she continued walking.
"Maybe…"
They continued forward. As they reached a wide circular plaza with a fountain in the center, surrounded by houses arranged in a ring, with the cinema in the middle, Ren stopped.
"Guys… don't you think this place is… strangely quiet? I mean, this area is near the market—it should be full of people."
The group stopped.
Reem looked around.
"Maybe they're asleep? I mean, it's still early…"
Eugene interrupted,
"But there are people who work night shifts—this is when they return. Not to mention merchants, late-night workers, or even worshippers."
His words deepened the tension.
Then—
Whooosh.
A long, thin iron chain suddenly appeared, wrapping around the bag Eugene was carrying—the one Milisia had given him to avoid suspicion.
In an instant, the bag was yanked from Eugene's hand.
Ren, Eugene, Fred, and Reem all turned toward the source of the chain.
There stood a man atop a building—long white hair, long white beard, wearing loose red clothing, a slightly oversized cowboy-like hat, and leaning on a wooden staff.
He stepped down from above, holding the bag as lamplight revealed his features.
Wrinkled face. Gray eyes. A heavy, oppressive aura.
He was a third-grade cultivator, and judging by his smile, he meant no good.
To be continued
End of the Chapter
"Beginning Saturday, January 10th until Saturday, January 17th (for a full week), we will be providing you with one chapter daily at the usual publishing time.
After this week ends, we will return to our regular weekly schedule: two chapters per week (on Fridays and Saturdays).
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To simplify things in the future, I will call this a #ستريك (Streak). Whenever you see this tag, you'll know we are in a period of daily chapter releases, which will continue until a specified end date.