Two people faced each other in a spacious backyard. The wind caressed the grass under their feet, while the blue sky was framed by distant mountains. The breeze blew gently.
Ebele stood with her legs spread apart and her arms raisedâthe combat stance she was most familiar with. Opposite her, Jack stood with his arms behind his back, looking completely relaxed. Only the faint smirk on his face betrayed his happiness.
âBegin,â he said.
Ebele shouted and charged forth. Her feet took her across the grass to reach him quickly. A jab flew out, which Jack calmly leaned back to avoid. The first jab was followed by three more, which Jack effortlessly floated around. Ebele feinted a kick to his thigh, then swept in to smash him in the face. Jack raised a hand to tap hers, sending it slightly off course. He then grabbed her wrist and tossed her away.
âAgain,â he said.
This was a form of sparring. Of course, Jack and Ebele were at completely different levels of power, but Jack had used the Concept of Time to slow himself down a thousandfold, bringing their speed and awareness to similar levels. He couldnât do anything about his overwhelming advantage in power or durability, but that was fine. This was about technique.
Of course, even in just technique, there could be no real comparison between the two. It didnât matter how slow Jack made himself. Heâd been fighting for his life bare-fisted since before Ebele was born. He had battled a wide array of opponents across the universe, studied in various factions with various teachers, and had even been kickstarted in combat skills by the System.
Most importantly, his Dao of the Fist had reached such an advanced level that he no longer needed martial artsâhis understanding of the Fist was deep enough that all the right movements flowed instinctively out of him. Even excluding the difference in cultivation, there was no martial artist on Earth that could face him on equal grounds. Jack was qualified to teach Ebeleâs teachers, let alone her.
However, this wasnât just about teaching.
Jack bent his body, letting Ebele roll over his back and awkwardly land behind him. When she tried to catch him with a roundhouse kick, he just grabbed her ankle and pushed her back. âAgain!â
There was a certain excitement to sparring with your child. Her moves werenât bad. Every time she demonstrated her skills or tried a novel approach, Jack felt proud. This was his daughter, following the same path as him.
Ebele steadied herself and pouted. She was competitive. She didnât like to lose. For years sheâd fantasized about sparring against her father and showing him how good she had become, but she never imagined the difference would be this large.
She flew in again, her moves fiercer this time. Her punches were like thunderbolts, her kicks like swords. Jack calmly defended against everything, demonstrating faults in her technique that she didnât even know were there. She was panting, but he wasnât even breaking a sweat.
Ebele grew irritated. She leaned heavier into offense, giving him openings to counterattack because she knew he wouldnât. Her teachers would have frowned at this, but she didnât care, she just wanted to land one attack. She dove into his guard, shooting a straight punch at his abdomen.
Surprisingly, he didnât dodge. Her little fist landed against his stomach, but it felt like sheâd punched a wall. Before she could retreat, his arm came around, pulling her into a hug. âMff,â she said. Jack laughed out loud.
âThatâs enough,â he said, letting her go with a smile. âYou win.â
âHmph!â She crossed her arms. âThat doesnât count! You let me!â
âMaybe I did, maybe I didnât.â
âYou werenât supposed to let me. I want to earn it!â
Jack smiled, lowering his body a bit more to be at eye level. âItâs not about earning anything,â he said. âItâs about getting better. And, youâre pretty good! Iâm proud of you.â
He tussled her hair. If it was anyone else or any other time, she would have bitten their hand off. Now, however, she didnât even notice. She was busy being stunned. DadâŠis proud of me?
He is proud of me!
Against her will, a large smile formed on her face. âThanks,â was all she managed to say, but Jack only laughed, straightening up again.
âMartial arts lose their significance the more you cultivate, but they are the foundation on which Physical Daos are built. They help you find the way through the lower Grades. The better you understand them, the smoother your road will be.â
âI know that!â Ebele hurried to exclaim. âMaster Meredith says the same! JustâŠin more words.â
Jack smiled. âI wouldnât expect any less. All your teachers are qualified people. However, Ebele, Vivi tells me youâve been pushing yourself a lot lately.â
âMm.â She looked down. âI just wanted to become strong, like you. To protect Mom. Is it that bad?â
Jack sighed. âI am the last person who should advise you against pushing yourself. However, you got it wrong. Cultivation is all about the Dao, and the Dao is all about understanding the world. If you really want to reach far in the future, overworking yourself right now is counterproductive. Youâre only sixââ
âSix and a half!â
âRight. Six and a half. This is the time for you to be a child. Martial arts and preparing yourself for cultivation are good, but you shouldnât focus too much on them yet. Otherwise, when the time comes to really cultivate, you will discover that your foundation has gaps. You should embrace all parts of life, not deny themâeven the ones which seem useless.â
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She pouted. âBut I donât want to be a child. I want to be strong!â
âEvery strong person was a child once. Donât be in a rush. Youâll get there when you get there.â
âButââ
âUnless you think you know better than me, of course. In that case, feel free to ruin your future by pushing yourself too hard too early.â
Ebele looked up to find her fatherâs strict gaze. âSorry,â she said, not quite knowing what she was apologizing for. âI⊠Iâll try.â
Jack remained silent for a moment, not acknowledging her response. Finally, he sighed. âYou know I love you, right?â
âYeah!â fÉŸeewebnoveâ.coàč
âGood. Then, you listen to me, okay? No more overworking. Thereâll be plenty of time for that once you grow older. For now, just be a good girl and follow the schedule your teachers give you. Okay?â
She sighed. âOkay,â she finally said, and Jack pulled her into an embrace again. With all her eloquence and maturity, it was hard to remember he was speaking to a six-year-old child.
Six and a half, he corrected himself, smiling. âOh. Lunch is almost ready,â he said. âLetâs go find your mother.â
She cheered. âOkay!
***
Vivi and Ebele werenât the only people Jack wanted to see.
As night was falling, he pushed open the door of a little cottage in the woods. âMom?â he called out. âIâm here!â
A white-haired head poked out of a corridor. âJack!â the professor exclaimed, rushing over to hug him. She seemed older than Jack remembered. Her hair had turned completely white, her eyes were tired, and many more wrinkles filled her face. Even for someone as experienced as her, running an entire planet was stressful.
It wasnât the first time Jack saw her, of course. He made sure to visit at least every two days.
âIâm glad youâre still safe,â she said, drawing back to take a better look at him.
He laughed. âIâm fine, Mom. Even if every gang on the planet teamed up, I could beat them with a single finger.â
âI know that, but a mother canât help but worry.â
Jackâs heart warmed up. He used to call her Professor in the pastâa habit heâd picked up since joining university, a joke which stuck around. However, after everything that happened with Eric and reuniting with his family, Jack felt a new attachment to familial bonds. Calling her anything other than Mom was stupid; he realized now that he only did so in the past to create some distance between them, as young people unconsciously liked to do.
But Jack, while young for a cultivator, was now thirty-five years old and a planetarch. The antiques of youth no longer suited him.
âHow is my grand-daughter?â Margaret askedâthat was her name, Margaret Rust.
âSheâs good,â Jack replied as he followed her deeper into the house.
âDid you tell her to stop being hard on herself?â
âI tried.â
âAnd?â
âI think she got it.â
Margaret smiled to herself. âYou were the same way, you know. Once you got an idea inside your head, you wouldnât listen to anyone. Only your father could somehow persuade you.â
âYeah⊠I can see the similarity.â
âDid you know I built a memorial for him? A big statue on a small uninhabited island nearby. Itâs called Rust Island now. I even moved over his graveâI figure itâs more special than just another tablet at the Valville Cemetery.â
âOh? Do I hear a little illusion of grandeur?â
She playfully rolled her eyes. âOh, grow up, Jack. I used to rule the planetâhonoring my late husband and your father is natural. He would have loved the changeâalways liked to be a little extra.â
âI remember.â He laughed. âHow are you?â
âIâm fine. The System gave us many resources, and so did you. Though Iâll never reach the D-Grade, extending my life by a few decades is possible.â
âIâm glad, but thatâs not what I meant.â
She glanced at him, falling into an armchair sheâd had brought over from their house in Valville. Jack sat on an equally familiar couch. âIâm coping,â Margaret finally admitted. âI miss working, sometimes, but I have to admit that running a planet in wartime almost broke me. That, and alsoâŠâ She shook her head. âIn any case, I am no longer fit to lead. Iâm old. Itâs much better for Vivi to take over, let her shape the planet as she wants and get the people familiar with it. After all, Iâll be dead soon, but sheâll stick around for centuries in the least.â
Jack shook his head. âItâs a pity the System didnât arrive a few decades earlier. With your talent, you might have reached the D-Grade.â
âIf the System arrived earlier, you wouldnât be there, and weâd all be either dead or slaves.â
âWho knows? Maybe someone else would have taken my place.â
âMaybe⊠Well, enough with those subjects. Tea?â
âYes, please.â
He didnât need to sleep, and she could go without it for a day. Jack stayed with his mother deep into the night. He also inwardly pledged to visit as often as possible.
After he left Earth this time, who knew how long it would be before he could return. Vivi and Ebele would still be here, but his mother⊠No one could tell. These might be their final days together. He wanted to cherish them.
Such was the life of a cultivator: lonely and isolated. Losing track of time. Even if he used the Concept of Time to encapsulate the entire Forest of the Strong in a time distortion and stretch out the remaining few days until he had to leave, he could at most make them into a couple weeks.
It was cruelly short.
***
The Spoon Squad was crossing the sea between galaxies, approaching the Milky Way at a speed vastly surpassing that of light.
âWeâre making good pace!â Sovereign Heavenly Spoon exclaimed, observing the star map projection. âI thought it would take us a week, but it looks like weâll have arrived in just five days! Good job, Bottomless.â
âThank you,â the cloaked form replied.
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Another person approached themâa homeless-looking man with tattered clothes and crooked yellow teeth. The Sage. âI had a sudden premonition,â he said.
âOh?â the sovereign replied. âDid someone find us?â
âIâm not sure⊠But, I think it will be safer if we take a small detour.â
He pointed at the astral map, using his Dao to draw a new trajectory for their ship.
The sovereign raised a brow. âAre you sure? That seems like weâre just flying in circles. It will extend our trip by three days.â
âThatâs my suggestion. I canât really explain itâif you would rather continue in a straight line, we can.â
The sovereign shook his head. âItâs fine. Youâre our divinerâtrusting your intuition is only proper. Besides, three days is a cheap price to pay for our increased safety. Take the new route, Bottomless.â
The cloaked form did not reply, but the ship subtly changed directions, adopting a new trajectory towards the Milky Way which seemed needlessly long.
The Sage smiled as he returned to his seat. Youâre welcome, Jack.