Chapter 278: CHAOS AWAITS

They gathered in the small dining room. Alice had already arranged a light meal, so the training would not feel heavy afterward.

“You all should eat first,” Alice said with a gentle smile. “And then rest for a short while before starting your training again. It’s good to train hard but taking care of own self is also necessary.”

“Alright, mother.” Logan nodded.

“Thank you aunty.” The others replied as well.

After that they all settled in the table and started eating.

As they ate, Lilith suddenly asked, “I’m gathering Qi right now, right? What happens after that? I mean… what stage are the prince and princess at? And which stage are you in, Logan? How long will it take me to reach your or their level?” Her eyes shone with curiosity. Just like with magic, she wanted a clear understanding of the cultivation hierarchy.

Hearing her question, Logan smiled faintly. He then began explaining the stages in cultivation, just as he had done earlier while teaching Rowan and Daliah.

“Oh! So I’m gathering Qi to form a dantian and unlock the meridians that allow Qi to circulate through the body. And once I complete that, I’ll automatically reach the second level, the Body Refinement Stage, right?” Lilith asked, wanting to confirm if she had understood correctly.

“Yes,” Logan replied with a nod.

Lilith then turned to Rowan and Daliah. “Prince, Princess, how long did it take for you two to reach that point?”

Rowan raised his hand slightly and said with a polite smile, “You don’t have to be so formal when addressing us. Just call us by name.” Then he continued, “As for how long it took… Daliah was the first. She managed to complete it in one and a half years. I, on the other hand…” He paused, scratching his neck in mild embarrassment. “…took a bit longer than that.”

“One and a half years?! That long?” Lilith exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes,” Logan said from the side. “The first stage is quite difficult. And honestly, one and a half years isn’t that long when it comes to cultivation. The higher your level rises, the more time and resources it will take to climb to the next stage.”

“Is… is that so?!” Realization dawned on Lilith’s face.

After that, the conversation didn’t go on for long, just a few casual exchanges here and there. Soon, their meal came to an end.

Once lunch was over, everyone went back to their respective rooms, since Alice would never allow them to train immediately after eating.

Logan and one of the servants guided Lilith to her room. After taking a short rest, she freshened up, took a quick bath, and changed into a new set of clothes, preparing herself for the next training session.

After two hours, by the time Logan reached the courtyard, the others were already there. The orb floated into the air at a flick of his fingers and came to rest between the four of them.

“Rowan, Daliah,” Logan said, ” you can resume from you had stopped.”

They both nodded.

Then he looked at Lilith. “Same goes for you, Lilith. Continue gathering Qi from where you left off.”

“I understand,” Lilith replied. Her eyes were clear with determination.

They sat together this time. The courtyard grew quiet except for a faint wind moving through the leaves. The orb pulsed once, then again, steadily and patiently. Spiritual energy drifted like mist and then turned to clear streams as each of them found their rhythm.

Lilith followed Logan’s instructions step by step. The small particles she had sensed earlier brightened in her perception.

Minutes passed. Then more. Logan said nothing. He did not interfere.

Rowan’s aura deepened. The thin veil that blocked his next step loosened, then tightened again as if to test his patience. He did not chase it. He only refined the energy already within him.

Daliah’s breath smoothed. The uneven edges of her aura began to round out. The eagerness in her chest did not vanish, but it stopped pulling her off balance. She held steady under it, and her absorption rate rose without her noticing.

Lilith also kept trying. She was progressing at a fast rate, but it’s not like a dantian would form in just one day. Even for Logan, it had taken a few weeks.

Logan didn’t train that day while he was with them; he only observed their progress. He did that because it was Lilith’s first day, and he didn’t want any accidents to happen.

They kept training until the edges of the shadows lengthened across the courtyard.

“That is enough for today guys,” he said.

Rowan exhaled. Daliah opened both eyes and stretched her fingers. Lilith touched her abdomen once, as if to confirm the presence she felt there was real.

“There’s no need to push yourselves too hard in a single day. We’ll gradually increase the load, alright?” Logan said, looking at all three of them.

They all nodded in response, even Lilith, who was usually wild and impulsive, behaved like an obedient little girl, as if she and the old Lilith were two completely different people. Rowan couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, though he kept it to himself.

After that, they all headed back inside the house.

Meanwhile far from Smith Villa, two figures in plain cloaks moved along a quiet. Their steps were steady, their eyes half-hidden under their hoods.

Gazel stopped beside a vendor’s stall and pushed a single coin forward with a gloved finger. “Water.”

The vendor handed over a bottle. Gazel raised it, swallowed once. “Normally, we don’t feel thirst for water, but since we’re inside human bodies, we’re experiencing it just like ordinary humans do,” he murmured.

Sirus, who was standing beside him, also took a bottle from the vendor and drank some water. “We need to inform the boss that even though our power isn’t suppressed inside these human bodies, we’re still experiencing the same limitations normal humans do,” he whispered to Gazel.

Gazel gave a brief nod. “I know.”

They moved again, slipping into the flow of the late-day crowd.

Back at the Smith Villa…

Evening gradually descended, and darkness began to spread across the surroundings. One by one, the lamps throughout the villa flickered to life.

Alice called the servants to set the table in the small dining room again. She set aside a bowl with her own hands and tasted the broth before letting it leave the kitchen.

Rowan and Daliah returned first. Lilith came after washing her face and changing her clothes. Logan was last.

Dinner was simple. They did not overeat. Afterward, Daliah insisted she was fine to continue, but Logan said, “no. We will again continue in the morning. Beside training, rest is also important.”

So all had to return to their room and fell asleep. But next morning, all were back in the countryyard early.

Logan couldn’t help but chuckle when he arrived at the last.

Logan sat in lotus position. “Okay everyone just like yesterday. Rowan and Daliah, continue with your cultivation and try to breakthrough to the next realm. And Lilith, try gathering the Qi like yesterday.”

They began. Today even Logan joined with them. As Lilith was now familiar with what she had to do, Logan’s supervising wasn’t needed anymore. So Logan also started cultivating as he was in a hurry to climb higher.

Half an hour later, Rowan’s threshold loosened for the second time. This time, he pressed gently against it before releasing. The veil grew thinner. “It feels like I’m about to reach the next level, but every time I try to breakthrough, I fail.” He thought while cultivating.

Daliah’s aura steadied even more.

Lilith was also progressing at a fast pace.

Logan kept drawing and refining, and the lake inside him accepted it without a sound.

His internal energy continued to rise at a steady pace. Though he was still far from another breakthrough, with every passing second, he grew stronger.

Meanwhile, far from Arcadia, Gazel and Sirus had returned to the dungeon. At that moment, they stood before the Dungeon Boss of the largest dungeon in Solmyr.

“What’s the result?” the boss asked eagerly, his tone filled with anticipation.

“We succeeded, Boss,” both of them said enthusiastically.

“What?! You succeeded?!” The boss’s voice trembled with excitement as his grip tightened on the armrest of his throne.

“Yes, Boss,” Gazel and Sirus replied in unison.

“Good. Very good.” A wide grin spread across the boss’s face before he burst into laughter.

“Tell me everything. What did you do over the past two days?” he demanded.

And so, both of them began recounting their experience — how they had left the dungeon, wandered through the human world, observed countless things, and even noted the weaknesses they had discovered.

After listening to their report, the boss leaned forward slightly. “And what about the time limitation? How long can you stay inside a human body before it begins to degenerate?”

“I believe we’re close to our limit, Boss,” Gazel replied. “The bodies will soon start deteriorating, so we’ll need to transfer to new hosts soon. But…” He paused.

“But what?” the boss pressed, his tone sharpening.

“I think with a stronger body, we can last longer,” Gazel explained. “It’s about compatibility. If we can merge with a human body that suits us perfectly, our time limit will increase exponentially.”

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