Chapter 269: CULTIVATING

Rowan and Daliah both began to cultivate, carefully following the breathing technique Logan had taught them.

Once they settled into rhythm, Logan stepped aside, took a seat, and observed them calmly. “Both of them are talented,” he thought to himself. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to form their dantian so quickly. True, my breathing technique is an advanced one… but still, without their innate talent, it would’ve taken them another three or four years.”

Meanwhile, Rowan and Daliah lost themselves in the flow of cultivation. Spiritual energy, dense and visible like smoke, began to gather around them, swirling slowly before entering their bodies.

Then, all of a sudden, both of them snapped their eyes open, shock flashing across their faces.

“This… this is…” Daliah stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

Logan immediately stood up, his expression turning serious. “What happened?” he asked quickly.

“The spiritual energy!” Daliah replied, her tone full of disbelief. “When I started cultivating, it felt as if I was submerged in a vast pool of it.”

Rowan nodded rapidly. “Yes! Normally, it feels like we have to forcefully draw spiritual energy from nature, pulling it in with effort. But now… it’s entering our bodies naturally, just by following the breathing technique. It’s completely different!”

Logan couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “That’s how it’s supposed to be,” he explained. “Out in the world, the amount of spiritual energy in the air is scarce, so you have to struggle to absorb it. But this orb contains an abundance of it. If the natural world were this rich in spiritual energy, you’d always feel the same ease while cultivating.”

“Really? But how do you know that?” Daliah asked, curiosity glimmering in her eyes.

Logan was caught a little off guard by the question. “I… I read about it in the library,” he replied after a brief pause. “You remember, right? Back when I first came here, I used to spend hours inside the library with your brother.”

“Oh, right! I remember now,” Daliah said with a small smile, nodding as the memory came back to her.

She then straightened her back, preparing to continue again. “Then… let’s start again,” she said with a small smile.

Rowan adjusted his posture as well, about to close his eyes. Daliah almost closed her eyes but right then a sudden thought crossed her mind. She hesitated for a brief moment, then looked up at Logan, her cheeks faintly rosy.

“L–Logan,” she said softly, “why don’t you join us too? How long are you going to just sit there alone like that?”

Her words caught Logan slightly off guard; he hadn’t expected such a suggestion. He looked at her and replied calmly, “I can train later. Since this is your first time using a treasure like this, it’s better if you two continue. I’ll observe and let you know if something seems off in your technique.”

But Daliah shook her head firmly. “No. You should join us too. It feels strange to use your treasure while you just sit and do nothing.”

This time, Rowan spoke up as well, smiling lightly. “She’s right. And besides, let’s take this as our first proper training together as friends.”

Logan exhaled slowly. “Alright.”

He then moved to the far side of the room and sat cross-legged opposite them, placing the orb at the natural center of the triangular space. He rested his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. Rowan and Daliah followed with a smile.

And then all started to cultivate. The shift was immediate. The spiritual energy, already abundant, began to circulate with a refined order.

Time folded quietly upon itself. The orb’s surface rippled faintly with inner light, throwing soft reflections across the polished floor.

Since Rowan and Daliah were still in the Body Refinement Stage, their progress advanced rapidly. Their strength and internal energy increased at a visible pace with each breath they took.

Logan, however, experienced the complete opposite. Already standing at the Ultimate Grandmaster Realm, his cultivation progressed far more slowly. Even though he was absorbing spiritual energy at a monstrous rate, the growth within his body was barely noticeable, like pouring water into an already full vessel.

There was no sound, no movement, only the gentle rise and fall of their breathing. They were so deeply immersed in cultivation that they failed to notice the passage of time, as the day quietly faded and night descended.

Eventually, a quiet knock came at the door. A respectful voice sounded from the opposite side of the door. “Your Highness, dinner is ready. Everyone is waiting.”

Logan opened his eyes first. When he glanced at Rowan and Daliah, he saw that both were still deeply immersed in cultivation. He spoke softly, not wanting to startle them. “Daliah, Rowan,” he called gently, “a maid just came by and said dinner is ready. Everyone’s waiting. Maybe we should go now and continue afterward.”

Rowan slowly opened his eyes and nodded. “You’re right. Let’s go. We can resume after dinner.”

Daliah agreed with a small nod as well. Though both of them felt almost addicted to the serene flow of cultivation, they knew they couldn’t keep everyone waiting.

Together, they rose from their lotus positions, pushed the door open, and stepped out of the room one after another. Then, side by side, they began walking toward the dining hall.

By the time they reached the dining hall, most others had arrived. Elias and Ramos were sitting at one end. Rudeous and Alice were seated side by side.

The King and Queen were not present though.

When Alice saw Logan, her face brightened instantly. “Honey, where have you been? I didn’t see you after you left,” she said.

“I was cultivating with Rowan and Daliah,” Logan replied as he took his seat. “I didn’t even realize how quickly time passed.”

“It’s alright,” Alice said with a gentle smile.

But when Logan mentioned cultivation, Elias couldn’t help but steal a quick glance at him.

After everyone had settled, the dinner started. With unworried chattering and laughter the dinner continued until coming to an end.

After that, they returned to the chamber and settled again. The orb greeted them with fresh calm, as though it too had eaten and was content to share.

Once again, time slipped away as they lost themselves in cultivation, their energies continuing to rise and flow with steady growth.

Hours thinned and slipped by. No aches rose in their legs; no heaviness dragged at their shoulders.

After a long time Logan was the first to open his eyes. “Maybe we should take a break for today.” He said as it had already become midnight.

Rowan and Daliah opened eyes one after another.

“Yeah, I think so too.” Rowan replied.

“And tomorrow you have important meeting. So you should at least take some rest. I am really sorry that I had totally forgotten about this. I was so engrossed in cultivator that I totally lost track of time.” Daliah said.

“No problem. Let’s talk tomorrow morning. Good night for today.” With that he pushed the door open and headed toward his room, but Rowan also walked ahead to help and guide Logan to his room.

They started walking and it didn’t take much time to reach it.

At Logan’s door, Rowan stopped. “See you tomorrow then.” He said.

“Yes. Let’s talk tomorrow again.” With that, Logan entered the room and Rowan also left for his one.

Logan then closed the door. He did not fall straight into sleep. Instead he lay still, thinking about tomorrow’s meeting.

“Tomorrow is an important day,” he thought. “If I can convince them to temporarily stop the dungeon raids, then I’ll finally be able to focus entirely on training and growing stronger as quickly as possible.”

He clenched his fist, his gaze fixed ahead. Countless thoughts swirled through his mind, plans, possibilities, and the weight of what was to come… until, at last, sleep quietly claimed him.

The next morning, the gentle sunlight slipping through the narrow gap of the window woke Logan from his sleep.

By the time he had freshened up and prepared himself, guests had already begun to arrive.

The Kings and Queens from different kingdoms entered the palace grounds in their grand royal carriages, while the other nobles and dignitaries followed behind in simpler ones.

Most of the faces were unfamiliar, though a few familiar ones stood out among the crowd.

Noah arrived together with Emily and Lilith, their presence drawing several glances from nearby nobles.

Shortly after, Ali Arkman, the Guildmaster entered, followed by John William, each greeted with respectful nods and whispers trailing behind them.

The gathering took place in a vast hall where seating had been carefully arranged so that everyone could settle comfortably. The soft murmur of conversation filled the space as attendants moved quietly between the rows.

Once everyone was seated and the hall had fallen into a composed silence, the massive doors at the end slowly opened.

Logan stepped inside.

The moment he did, every head turned toward him, and the atmosphere in the room subtly shifted.

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