NOVEL NEXT Chapter 445: Breakthrough
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A few years passed by...
Godwyn, Gilderoy, and Gerald had grown into fine young men under the strict but loving care of their parents. Of course, they've grown stronger too, reaching the later stages of the Planar Traveler Realm at the tender age of 18. This progress couldn't be said to be slow; it's just moderate for geniuses like them.
They could've reached a higher realm of strength if they truly wanted to. But since it's peacetime and they're putting more emphasis on building the perfect foundation to eventually start their journey through life evolution, this little bit of stagnation was acceptable.
It's not a big deal either since these boys are strong enough to fight people who are a major realm higher than them. All of it was thanks to their hard work and efforts.
For these boys, the Hell Dive was no longer a problem. It stopped being one on their fifth try, which was also their first clear. Since then, they never failed it again.
And as part of their growth, the boys had been roaming the world on their own. They're spending less and less time at home, preferring to experience the mundane world below.
Of course, this saddened their parents because they grew up a little too fast for their liking, but they made no effort to stop this and gave them freedom as much as they could.
Obviously, the boys had to follow some rules. They were to conceal their background; their identities as Stormriders, not because their parents hate them but for them to experience true anonimity. Since they're joining the mundane world, they should start from humble beginnings. If they went down as sons of heaven right away, then this experience completely loses its meaning.
Cedric and his wives will only interfere once their lives are at stake. Otherwise, the boys are on their own. They must earn their keep too; they can't abuse their true backgrounds too much or else they'd be called back.
However, even with these limitations, the lives of the boys weren't too difficult simply because they were strong. They earn a lot of Essence Souls by clearing their Hell Dives, which was more than enough for their everyday expenses. It wasn't difficult for them to fit in with the crowd since they all possess the natural charm of their father.
And with the boys inheriting the eyes of their father, they could easily discern the true hearts of people around them. They can tell who's trying to use them for selfish reasons and separate them from those who are being genuine with them.
This allowed the boys to forge true bonds without exposing their lineage, making their experience in the mundane world worthwhile.
Of course, the boys aren't just simply here to experience what the mundane world was like. They're here to search for their own paths and carve out their own legends as well. Whether Cedric likes it or not, it's only natural for his children to try and follow in his footsteps.
Gerald joined the New Frontier, starting as a cadet like many others. It didn't take long before he was promoted to captain, though, because of his talents.
New Frontier Soldiers are sent to new planets; their mission is to terraform these new planets into a suitable world for human life. So far, there were three new planets for them to choose from. And with his template being the Frostfire Sorcerer, Gerald was sent to a cold and desolate planet to lead the charge.
Out of all the personnel who were sent there, Gerald showed the most promise. The cold and dry atmosphere of this planet might be harmful to others, but to Gerald, it's no different from the breeze of air.
Gilderoy also joined the Federation and also works under the New Frontier. However, he's not included in the terraforming teams. Instead, his talents as a druid landed him the position of an environmental specialist—people who extensively study the life and nature of the newly colonized planets.
What made Gilderoy an irreplaceable part of the team was his ability to summon Prime Earth's nature at will regardless of his environment. He could be on a foreign planet or floating amidst the vacuum of space; so long as he had mana, he could summon nature around him to survive. In case of accidents and emergencies, everybody could rely on him to survive.
Moreover, Gilderoy was a phenomenal healer and an academic genius as well. He helped humanity with a few scientific breakthroughs in his short tenure as an environmental specialist, making him a well-respected person amongst the federal circle.
As for Godwyn, his journey went beyond Solaris Prime...
He had a penchant for combat and was naturally adventurous. In their early years exploring the mundane world, Godwym immediately grew bored of it. So instead of going from other plants or doing something else, he sought out the world beyond their home.
Godwyn wanted to explore the virtual universe. His fascination lies with the alliance, similar to his father.
Actually, it wasn't just him. Even Cedric's wives were starting their humble beginnings in the virtual universe.
With their children becoming more and more independent, their mothers found themselves having more free time, so much so that they didn't know what to do with it. Spending it lazing around doesn't seem too wise, and they've already seen what Solaris Prime could offer, so they started exploring the virtual universe as well.
It wasn't too difficult to give them membership. After all, Cedric was their guanrator, and he has a rather impressive profile in the alliance, so it wasn't a problem at all.
Of course, before taking them here, he had repeatedly reminded them to behave and keep a low profile since this isn't their world.
Godwyn was having fun sparring with other people from different races. The difference between their natural endownments fascinated him to no end. Slowly but surely, he's starting to discover his true calling.
Meanwhile, Cedric's wives pursued their own interests as well. They applied for work to learn new things and get used to the life of a citizen of the alliance.
As for Cedric, it's all been the same since then.
He continued his studies at Site Delta, learning more and more skills as a future security officer. His progress remained at the same pace as the start, which was blindingly fast by Alliance's standards.
However, Cedric also knows that he's having fewer and fewer reasons to stay here as time passes. The learning materials have grown old and boring. If it weren't for the fact that he's purposefully slowing himself down, he would've already finished all of the courses being offered here.
He already had the qualifications to graduate from training; he's just not doing it yet. But soon, he will. After all, his kids are already wise enough to survive on their own.
Right now, Cedric's concern is somewhere else.
He's closed up in a room covered in restrictions. He sat in the middle of the room, cross-legged and floating a few meters above ground. A mystical force bubbled from within him, and his body began releasing a terrifying heat that was way hotter than any ordinary sun could ever reach.
A turbulence of excessive energy tossed and tumbled from within him. Cedric's skill, flesh, organs, bones, energy channels, and marrows were washed by energy, experiencing some baptism and becoming way stronger than before.
The volume of his energies was increasing but chaotic at the moment, and his spirit was also swelling in size.
All points lead to the sign of breakthrough.
Manifestations of concept laws appeared around him. If one looked at him closely, they would get the impression that Cedric was a slumbering force of nature; sometimes he's the boundless earth; he was firm, sturdy, and encompassing. Sometimes, he's akin to a sea with unknown depth; calm, serene, fluid, and endlessly mysterious.
He also sometimes appears like the manifestation of heaven and earth, or the embodiment of space and time, twisting and weaving time lines as naturally as breathing.
Sometimes, he's both the creator and destroyer of worlds.
What one saw from him depends on their perception. Regardless, this phenomenon was only possible because of Cedric's thorough understanding of the complexity of concept laws at the Grand Solar scale.
Three days and three nights was how long it took before the commotion of Cedric's breakthrough subsided.
When he opened his eyes, gold flashed by, briefly illuminating the room with a resplendent glow of gold. Releasing the faintest of sighs, all of the residual effects of the breakthrough disappeared.
He landed on the ground, and Cedric thought, 'Finally at the 5-star Grand Solar Sage realm.'
Yes, Cedric was close to becoming a cosmic-level life evolver. He achieved this stage faster than he expected thanks to the resources provided to him through the agreement of the contact he signed with Hunyo and Silas. If it weren't for that, it would've taken him centuries before he reached this stage.
Now that he has reached this stage, the cultivation techniques he got from the Tower of Prodiges have been cultivated to their acme. If he wants to become a cosmic-level powerhouse, he will need to search for other ways. Fortunately, there had been preparations made for this.
'I should tell them about this breakthrough so that I can start learning about what the cosmic level was truly about.'