Chapter 69: Future Plans
It was on the third day that Cole finally decided to meet his new... subordinates.
Inside a small room within the Summer Family’s hideout, the four of them were gathered together: Cole, Trisha, Jessica, and Ethan. The room wasn’t particularly large, but the atmosphere within it carried a significance that none of them could fully ignore.
The four of them were the first humans in history to successfully form dantians within their bodies.
No longer bound by humanity’s ancient limitation, they could finally absorb the mana freely circulating through the atmosphere and use it for cultivation. What had once been an impossible dream for countless generations of humans had now become reality.
Cole couldn’t even begin to describe the relief buried deep within his heart.
After everything he had gone through, having Ethan, that troublesome loudmouth, finally under his control made him feel considerably more at ease. At least now, one of the biggest loose ends surrounding his secrets had been dealt with.
A small smile lingered on Cole’s lips as he looked toward the Summers siblings.
"How are you two feeling?"
"This is amazing..."
Ethan was the first to respond.
There was no trace of his usual irritation in his voice. Instead, his words were filled with genuine wonder as he placed a hand over his chest.
Every time the strange organ inside him pulsed, a subtle tremor traveled through his body. Mana flowed along his veins with every beat, warm and smooth, making him feel as though his entire body had been connected to something that had always existed just beyond his reach.
The sensation was almost addictive.
Ethan wasn’t some unparalleled genius.
He knew his own limitations better than anyone.
Yet even someone like him understood the significance of what had happened.
From a young age, he had heard stories about the rare races of the world and their ability to absorb mana directly from the surrounding atmosphere. Whenever those stories were mentioned, Ethan couldn’t help but feel an intense sense of unfairness.
Why could they cultivate so effortlessly?
Why were humans forced to rely on expensive mana potions?
Why had the heavens given other races such an advantage while leaving humanity with nothing?
There had been times during his childhood when Ethan had hated the world for it.
He had even imagined what it would be like to be born as a member of another race, possessing the ability to absorb mana naturally. At his angriest moments, he had wondered whether he would willingly abandon his own humanity if it meant gaining that freedom.
But now...
He lowered his gaze toward his chest.
The dantian pulsed once again.
Mana flowed through his body.
Ethan was completely speechless.
The thing he had once envied from afar was now inside his own body.
He could finally understand what it meant to cultivate without constantly depending on mana potions.
And perhaps the realization of what Cole had truly accomplished had finally settled inside his mind.
When Ethan looked toward Cole again, something had changed in his eyes.
The suspicion was gone.
The hostility had disappeared.
For the first time since they had met...
There was no resentment in Ethan’s gaze.
Only complicated emotions and a faint trace of genuine respect.
Compared to Ethan, the shock Jessica experienced was even greater.
She wasn’t ignorant of cultivation or the significance of what had happened. As someone who had dabbled in the art of arrays, she understood just how mind-bending this transformation truly was. The dantian wasn’t merely another organ inside their bodies. It represented the breaking of a restriction that had shackled humanity for generations.
Yet after the initial shock came something else.
Worry.
Jessica’s expression gradually became solemn as she thought about the consequences.
Once the outside world learned about this...
The reaction of humanity alone would be terrifying enough.
But what would happen when the races that had suppressed humanity for hundreds of years discovered that humans had finally found a way to overcome their greatest natural limitation?
They wouldn’t simply be curious.
They would come for them.
Those races would spare no expense to uncover the secret behind the transformation. If they couldn’t obtain the method, they might simply destroy everyone who possessed it before the knowledge could spread.
Jessica’s fingers tightened slightly.
The more she thought about it, the heavier the invisible pressure became.
Cole naturally noticed the change in her expression.
He understood exactly what she and Ethan were thinking.
But he had no intention of comforting them with empty words.
He was aware of the scale of the challenge in front of them better than anyone. What they had accomplished was astonishing, but that didn’t mean they were invincible.
In fact, the opposite was true.
They had only taken the first step.
It was better for Jessica and Ethan to understand the bigger picture now rather than become complacent because of their newfound abilities.
After exchanging a few more words, Cole finally stood up.
He didn’t stay behind to explain everything or continue discussing the matter endlessly. The three of them needed time to digest what they had learned, and Cole himself had far more important matters to deal with.
He left the room and returned to his own quarters.
Once the door closed behind him, the outside world was once again separated from his thoughts.
Cole sat down cross-legged on the floor and slowly closed his eyes.
His mind immediately began organizing his future plans.
There were several things he needed to prioritize.
First...
He needed to find himself a secure place.
The current hideout was useful as a temporary shelter, but it wasn’t somewhere he could conduct his future research and operations indefinitely. Too many people knew about it, and the more his Bloodline Path developed, the more dangerous it would become to operate beneath someone else’s protection.
He needed a place that belonged to him.
A location far from prying eyes.
Second...
He needed a proper mana-breathing technique.
The dantian had solved humanity’s greatest limitation, but it didn’t automatically make someone an exceptional cultivator. Without a suitable breathing technique, they could only absorb the mana naturally drifting through the atmosphere.
That was far too inefficient.
If he wanted to develop the Bloodline Path properly, he needed a method capable of maximizing the speed and purity of mana absorption.
And finally...
His own strength.
Cole’s expression gradually became serious.
He was currently at the Moon Knight Realm, but after experiencing everything that had happened in Blessed Moon City, he understood just how insignificant that strength truly was.
In a small city, perhaps it could be considered impressive.
In the vast world beyond it...
It was practically nothing.
Markovich’s terrifying strength had already shown him the difference between realms.
If possible, Cole also needed to reach the Moon Wizard Realm and properly step onto the path of a Magus.
Physical strength alone wasn’t enough.
Neither was wizardry.
He needed both.
The more paths he could master, the more options he would have when facing enemies stronger than himself.
Cole slowly opened his eyes.
His priorities were clear.
Strength first.
Everything else could wait.
After all, no matter how many secrets he possessed, how profound his research became, or how many plans he created...
Without sufficient strength to protect them, all of it was meaningless.
Strength was the foundation.
And Cole intended to build that foundation as solidly as possible.
[Name — Cole Saint]
[Bloodline — Thunder Worm Leviathan | Fusion Progress — 100%]
[Realm — Moon Knight Rank 1]
[Authority — VIP]
[Strength — 10.3]
[Spirit — 10.4]
[Mana — 10.1]
[Agility — 10.2]
[Health — 10.1]
Even without deliberately cultivating, Cole’s dantian continued to pulse steadily within his chest, sending streams of refined mana through his body. With every circulation, his flesh, bones, and organs were subtly nourished, causing his physical attributes to increase little by little.
The growth wasn’t dramatic enough to notice from one day to the next, but when Cole compared his current status with the one from ten days ago, the difference was unmistakable.
Still, he was far from reaching the Sun Knight Realm.
According to the information he had managed to gather, the threshold for entering the Sun Knight Realm required both Mana and Spirit to reach 30.
Cole glanced at his current numbers.
10.1.
10.4.
The gap wasn’t small.
It was enormous.
If he wanted to reach the next realm, he still had a long road ahead of him.
...
Ten days later.
Cole and Trisha stood outside a simple two-storied building located along one of the busier streets of Soaring Dragon City.
The building itself wasn’t particularly impressive. Its walls were slightly weathered, and the windows were ordinary glass rather than expensive magical materials. Yet above the entrance hung a newly installed sign that immediately caught the eye.
Intelligent Potion Works.
Cole lifted his head and stared at the sign for several seconds.
This was the first business he had established since arriving in this world.
During these ten days, with the assistance of the Summers siblings, he had managed to find and rent the building. The location wasn’t the most luxurious in Soaring Dragon City, but it was convenient enough for a newly established potion shop.
And more importantly...
It gave him a legitimate source of income.
Cultivation required resources.
Research required resources.
The Bloodline Path required even more.
Cole couldn’t rely on Jessica and Ethan forever, nor did he intend to keep asking others for money whenever he needed something.
With the A.I. Chip assisting him, Cole was extremely confident in his ability to refine potions.
If he could turn that ability into a business...
Then money would no longer be one of his biggest problems.
Cole took one last look at the building before turning toward the Summers siblings.
"Make sure to use the hiding technique I taught you to conceal the aura of your dantians."
His tone was serious.
The newly formed dantians were their greatest secret.
If someone powerful sensed the strange aura leaking from their bodies, it could immediately attract unnecessary attention.
Jessica nodded.
"We understand."
Ethan also nodded, although his expression contained a trace of reluctance.
Ten days had already passed.
The Summers siblings had decided that it was time for them to leave.
They couldn’t remain hidden in Soaring Dragon City forever. Their absence was already becoming suspicious, especially considering the circumstances surrounding their sudden involvement in the Saint Family’s conflict.
If their regional branch discovered that they had secretly left their assigned territory to rescue the heir of an Ancient Family, questions would inevitably follow.
And neither Cole nor the Summers siblings wanted to deal with that trouble.
After exchanging a few final words, the three of them stood silently for a moment.
There was no dramatic farewell.
They had simply met under extraordinary circumstances, formed an unexpected alliance, and now had reached the point where their paths temporarily needed to separate.
Jessica gave Cole a final nod.
Then she and Ethan turned around.
Their figures gradually disappeared into the flow of pedestrians, leaving Cole and Trisha standing outside the newly established potion shop.
Cole watched them disappear before turning his attention back toward the sign above the building.
Intelligent Potion Works.
His eyes gradually became sharper.
This was only the beginning.