Inside a villa-like office, two men were engaged in a serious discussion.
"WHAT?! You're saying someone from the Star Moon Assassin Organization tried to kill my son?" Raphael sprang to his feet in shock. He had just received Donald when he delivered the news, and Raphael could hardly believe what he was hearing.
Donald suddenly added, "Honestly, if it weren't for your son's intuition, he would've died without even knowing what hit him."
Raphael was stunned once more, though this time his thoughts quickly settled. "What do you mean?"
"This is what happened," Donald said, then proceeded to recount how Kranos had somehow known he was going to be assassinated that day.
When he finished, Raphael's eyes widened. "You mean my son noticed the assassin before you did?!"
Donald paused, then replied, "I don't think he actually saw the assassin. When I asked where the attacker was hiding, he said he didn't know—just that he was sure he'd be targeted today. He seemed so certain of it that I chose to believe him."
Raphael was left speechless. After a moment, he muttered under his breath, "Perhaps his intuition really is that strong…"
Donald's eye twitched at the response. Who would believe that? Can intuition really be that precise? Still, since he didn't have a better explanation, he didn't press on.
"So, what are you planning to do about it?" Donald asked.
"What am I going to do?" Raphael gave a cold chuckle. Then he turned to the side and issued a command: "Take Nana and destroy every assassin organization in this country."
Hearing his words, Donald was stunned. "Raphael, you can't! Even though you're a prince, such an act will cause many powerful forces to be dissatisfied."
"It doesn't matter," Raphael replied coldly. "If they dared to go after my son, I'll dare to wipe them out."
He snorted with disdain, leaving Donald to sigh in defeat. It seems there's nothing I can say to change his mind.
…
After the ordeal, Kranos returned home, relieved to still be alive. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw his mother sitting on the couch, her face filled with worry.
"Son! Thank goodness you're safe. I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you."
Her expression softened into grief as she rushed forward and embraced him tightly. They stayed like that for a few moments until Anna finally let him go.
"Tell me everything," she demanded. "Your father told me you were attacked—but thankfully, Donald was with you. If I ever find out who dared to try and assassinate you, I'll…"
She trailed off angrily.
Although Anna didn't finish her sentence, Kranos could guess what she meant. He still remembered the incident with Mark—back when he allowed him to read about the world even though she originally told him to wait another year.
At the time, he thought it was over when she took him home. But the next day, he saw his teacher limping. Kranos had been shocked—it was then he realized just how powerful his mother truly was.
Kranos then began to recount the events of the day to his mother: "So that was when I felt it. Someone was watching me. It was just a fleeting feeling, but something about it didn't sit right. I just knew something was going to happen."
He had already decided on an explanation. Having read countless books, Kranos knew about the concept of geniuses born with unique talents—some with keen danger perception, others with exceptional comprehension. While such talents were rare, their rarity made them an ideal excuse.
They'll have no way to confirm whether I actually possess such a talent or not. Although he felt bad for lying to the two people that took care of him dearly since he came to this world, he knew that his affinity for time could never be revealed, ever.
It was late by the time he finished recounting the tale, so Anna gently escorted him back to his room. Luckily she finally gave up after I reassured her that I am not hungry. Kranos sighed, recalling the way his mother wanted to cook for him despite the late hour.
Now that he had become a cultivator, he felt his appetite decrease, and coupled with the fact that he was cultivating a different path, he could feel his urge to eat slow down greatly; it was as though the way his food digested had been slowed down to a large extent.
Is this also one of the effects of breaking through to the Time Condensation Realm? Kranos was stunned. It seems I haven't fully realized all the unique abilities that come with cultivating the time condensation manual. With a sigh, Kranos made a decision.
One of these days, I need to set aside time to practice. Maybe I'll discover some time-related abilities. Yes. With this thought, Kranos resumed his cultivation.
He had already cultivated a little, it previously took him almost one day to cultivate to the first stage of the time condensation realm. Based on that, he estimated it would take two more days to reach the second stage of the time-stage condensation realm.
With that, Kranos retrieved another scroll from his spatial ring. Etched across its surface were the words: Qi Condensation Manual.
He had made up his mind—it was time to embark on the orthodox path of cultivation as well. I wonder what it would feel like to walk two cultivation paths at the same time, he mused.
Without further hesitation, he unrolled the scroll and began to read. As he absorbed its contents, he simultaneously began to comprehend its foundational principles.
So… Qi Condensation is about drawing mana from the surroundings and refining it within the body to form a Dantian? That's similar to how the time orb was formed…
Kranos' thoughts raced as he made the connection.
He continued reading, but after a while, he found himself slightly disappointed. Compared to the Time Condensation Manual, the Qi Condensation Manual was far inferior…
Then, a spark of inspiration struck him. Since the Qi Condensation method is fundamentally similar to Time Condensation—one requiring the condensation of mana and the other of time—then why not apply the same method?
Why not try condensing orbs of mana, just like I did with time?
The moment the idea took root, Kranos couldn't shake it off. What would happen if I succeeded? Could I end up creating an entirely new cultivation technique?
Excitement swelled within him as his imagination ran wild with possibilities.