Mixed Blessing System

"I want to keep a low profile, but it won't always be that way, Anna."

"I will keep it that way as long as I can. But that will change with the contest for the Secret Realm vacancies."

"Secret Realm? You intend to participate in that?" She glanced sideways at him, still walking toward their VIP room.

"Of course." Lothur smiled.

How could he miss such a chance?

The Secret Realm was not an ordinary place but rather a cultivation sanctuary for low-level people, as was the case with the students of the Morning Star Academy.

Not only that, such a region of space had been created by high-level cultivators thousands of years ago, even before Leopoldine's formation!

Initially, that was just ancient ruins located in an area now belonging to Linn Province. But even though it was a long-known place, due to the grandeur of these ruins, not even half of it had been explored.

But this was not surprising. That was because, besides the Secret Realm limiting the cultivation of those who entered it to below the 3rd stage, it did not open constantly and could not be manipulated by outsiders.

Precisely because of these limitations, such a place remained a mystery to most organizations in this province and even Leopoldine. So, not only was it favorable for the cultivation of low-level people, but it could also have life-changing riches!

That was not a totally safe place and had its dangers. But, on the other hand, given its size and the time of exploration, many spaces had already been emptied. However, among those who successfully passed through it, occasionally would appear some individuals who would eventually climb the cultivation and social ranks due to their good fortune there.

For all that, there was no way that Lothur could not value this opportunity that he had learned at the Morning Star Academy.

"Are you sure? Not only people from our academy go to that place. Other institutions in the province and even the Empire are guaranteed places in the Secret Realm."

"Then that place might be much more dangerous than you think!" Annaliese warned as they finally arrived at the place she had arranged earlier.

The VIP room they were in was not grand, but besides the fancy armchairs near a balcony on the second floor of that auction house, there was a small living room area there.

There was a table with some food and drink, a black leather sofa, and various decorations around it.

Seeing that, Lothur sat at one end of that sofa and replied to Annaliese. "I am aware of the risks. But, in any case, I will participate in the Secret Realm vacancies competition. So my strength will eventually show itself."

"Therefore, joining one of the factions of the academy will not be a problem concerning that."

"Sigh..."

"I still think it would be better for you to create your faction. That way, you would not have to be limited by anyone, and you could still act on your own."

"Your rewards would also be greater..."

"Hmmm, I understand and agree with your point. But those advantages don't come for free."

​ "By creating a faction, I would probably face resistance from other existing factions, in addition to all the work of creation and administration."

"I don't have the patience to lead. I'd rather find a ready-made organization with the structure to welcome me, and that will give me some freedoms. I will have to compromise to some degree. Still, at least this faction will be able to open routes for my development." He was sincere with her.

Of all the people Lothur knew in the cultivation world, Annaliese could be considered the one he trusted the most. That was due not only to the sinful relationship they were developing but to both of their pasts.

Before his arrival here, Annaliese had been one of the few people of status not to treat his predecessor badly, often dealing with him on an equal footing. And since the earthling Lothur still had some of his predecessor's feelings and personality, he could not help but feel good about his sister-in-law.

On the other hand, she was the one who knew most about him at the moment, but even so, his secrets had not spread. That way, he did not feel he should hide his thoughts from her!

"So that's it... Well, if you wanted, I would take care of those things for you myself. But, forget it since you don't want to create a faction." Annaliese said in a defeated tone.

"Oh? But aren't you already part of a faction? How would you help me with that?"

"I'm part of my sister's faction. So, it wouldn't be hard for me to get her approval to help you."

"Viktoria has her faction, huh? Well, that was to be expected..." Lothur smiled, looking at a painting in front of that sofa he was on.

Meanwhile, Annaliese continued to watch him. "Since you want to join an existing faction, why not do it in our faction? Ice Feathers isn't the strongest at the moment, but we're second in the academy faction rankings!" She said in a proud tone.

"Ice Feathers? Is that the name of your faction?" Lothur laughed. "What is the rank of Caroline's faction?"

Hearing that, Annaliese felt a little uncomfortable but soon answered Lothur. "The faction she is part of is called Draconic Feathers and is ranked third."

"And first place?"

"Angelic Feathers is ranked first."

Lothur frowned, noticing the pattern. "All the factions have 'feathers' in their name? What's up with that?"

Annaliese then answered him. "Well, that's a tradition in the academy. The first faction created there, which had that name, once saved many students and teachers from a deadly threat."

"After that, several members of that faction continued in the academy even after graduation, taking on roles as teachers and protectors. Because of that generation, the academy had a golden age that secured several achievements across the Empire for our academy."

"Even the Imperial Academy of that era suffered when competing with us!" She said in a proud tone, full of envy for the glory of the ancestors who had achieved such an accomplishment.

Currently, the Morning Star Academy only had one of those individuals from that faction, and its level had declined from the top of the Empire to fifth place.

Thinking about how difficult it was for them to stay among the top five academic institutions in the Empire, Annaliese could not help but admire the achievement of those ancestors.

"Anyway, after that, various factions began to emerge within the Morning Star Academy, but they all adopted 'feathers' in their name."

"Over time, the academy itself added a requirement to have that word in the name of new factions. So, every faction in our academy shares that characteristic."

"Wow, I didn't know that story..."

"In any way, I am surprised that your sister is not the leader of the strongest faction. I thought she was the most talented of the current generation..." He said in a slightly provocative tone.

"Tsk!"

"My older sister is the most talented of her age group!"

"But there are people older than her in Sector 6, and Angelic Feathers has more than twice the number of members of our faction!"

"How can we compare to them? They even have three students already at the end of the Spiritual Warrior stage!"

"Oh?" Lothur's eyes widened in surprise at such information. 'That's impressive!'

'So there are students in that academy who are as strong as my father-in-law? How can that be?'

That was the difference in talents. Aiken Frost had hundreds of years in this world, but he had already encountered a bottleneck in cultivation. On the other hand, other individuals only a few years older than his daughter were already close to his level.

But people like that were not numerous, and even they could not overcome someone like Aiken so easily. After all, cultivation only became more complex at higher levels and with a cultivator's age.

Someone not only had to gather energy to advance to higher stages but also understand Natural Laws. As such, while it might be quick to move up within a stage, changing stages was a job for few.

On the other hand, the best years of cultivation were definitely the early years of a person, particularly between the ages of 10 and 30. After that, cultivators would notice their advancement speed dropping each year dramatically.

That, of course, could be suppressed for a while if such an individual achieved faster advancement than his aging. But in the end, the stage advancement requirements were not simple, and since hardly any people could change their talent, most cultivators would encounter bottlenecks preventing them from reaching the top.

In any case, for Lothur, the situation of that academy was still imposing!

After a while, he said in a low voice. "Maybe I should join Angelic Feathers..."

"What did you say?" Annaliese almost jumped on him, ready to teach this ungrateful brother-in-law a lesson.

Lothur then laughed and brought her into his arms, trying to justify himself. "I'm just kidding!"

'Of course, I'll join you and Viktoria!"

"Humph!"

"That's better!" She pouted at him when the lights outside that room finally went out, indicating that the auction was about to start.

"Oh? Let's go to our seats!" She ran to one of the armchairs on the balcony of that VIP room.

...