It had been three days since So-ryong entered his mental world.

Because his realm had risen, the registration process usually ended quickly, but this time it was taking longer than expected, and everyone was standing guard around So-ryong, a little tense.

- Flap. Flap-flap.

Suddenly, the sound of wings.

At that, the Princess—who had been waiting nearby with Hwa-eun and Gun Hye-rin—sprang to her feet and shouted.

“So-ryong might be waking up!?”

“Oh, looks like it’s finally over.”

The reason everyone reacted that way to the sudden wingbeats was that Moji and Soji, who had been sitting on So-ryong’s thigh, were coming to their senses.

The two of them beat their wings and lifted off.

“Go on. Hwanji, Hwana, could you back up a little?”

At Hwa-eun’s request, Hwanji and Hwana pulled their huge ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ bodies back, and as So-ryong came into view, seated cross-legged, the newly awakened Moji and Soji flew over to Gun Hye-rin.

Then voices came through the group chat.

Two tiny, adorable voices came newly over the group chat.

『- Myu-myu. (Hye-rin, feed us.)

- Myuu. (Yeah, feed us. We’re hungry.)』

If the group chat was ringing, it meant So-ryong’s mind was awake.

But before they had time to be glad that So-ryong’s consciousness had returned—or at Moji and Soji’s first words—Hwa-eun’s eyes went round.

Naturally so, because Moji and Soji were speaking down to Gun Hye-rin.

Hwa-eun said in a stern voice:

『“I’m happy to hear your voices for the first time, but why are you talking down to Hye-rin Mom like that?”』

There was no one but Hwa-eun who would say such a thing.

The Princess and Hye-rin were, understandably, still a bit awkward about scolding the children.

They hadn’t been together long, and it hadn’t been long since they were registered in the mental world, so there hadn’t been much chance to speak with the children directly.

Then the two, who were perched on Gun Hye-rin’s shoulder licking her cheek as if to say hurry up and serve the food, twitched their antennae and answered.

『- Myu-myu. (Because she’s Hye-rin?)

- Myuu. (Right. Because she’s Hye-rin.)』

Adorable voices.

They spoke politely to Hwa-eun, but only spoke down to Gun Hye-rin.

At that, Hwa-eun folded her arms, crooked her finger, and put on a strict expression.

“You mustn’t do that. Both Lady Gun and the Princess said they’ve become Hye-rin Mom and Ji-ryeon Mom now, remember? Use pretty words. Pretty words.”

So-ryong had sat the children down once and talked to them.

That Gun Hye-rin and the Princess had now become Hye-rin Mom and Ji-ryeon Mom.

Apparently the two had dozed off or been distracted during that talk, so she was reminding them—but after listening, Moji and Soji tilted their heads and spoke in voices of incomprehension.

『- Myu-myu. (But the other kids only have one mom.)

- Myuu. (Right. We walk around at night. Everyone has just one mom.)』

It seemed Moji and Soji had wandered around at night peeking at other households inside the Beast Palace, and at their words, Hwa-eun couldn’t help being flustered.

Compared to other families, So-ryong’s household was not normal.

The parents were human and the children were spirit beasts and venomous creatures—and there were three moms, weren’t there?

Apparently the kids were feeling confused, and after a brief pause, Hwa-eun hurried to make excuses.

『“Th-that depends on the household. Some families have one mom, some have three.”』

It’s just that our family is different.

That can happen.

She answered like that—when the next question followed.

『- Myu-myu. (Why?)

- Myuu. (Why is it different?)』

At the immediate follow-up, Hwa-eun grew even more flustered.

Because... it just sort of happens with dads and moms.

“Uh, th-that, that’s...”

When Hwa-eun’s words stalled, the Princess, who had been watching, stepped in and explained to Moji and Soji in her stead.

『“That’s because your dad is a strong male. Yes, a strong male.”

- Myuu. (A strong male?)

“Right, a strong male. See, goats and chickens—one male keeps many females, right? It’s similar. If he’s strong, he keeps several females.”

- Myu-myu. (Ah, I see.)』

It felt like she’d managed to get the idea across somehow.

But at the next question, the Princess also couldn’t help being taken aback.

『- Myu-myu. (Then can the number of moms increase?)

“Eh?”』

They were asking if the number of moms could increase.

The Princess hurriedly regained her composure and answered.

『“Th-that could happen, but wouldn’t you two get dizzy, and wouldn’t Dad have a hard time?”

- Myuu. (Why would Dad... have a hard time?)

“Haha, this could go on forever. Let’s ask Dad about that later. Anyway, what matters right now is that you use pretty words to Hye-rin Mom.”』

『- Myu-myu. (O-kay.)』

It ended up being handed off to So-ryong, but in any case it felt settled.

Hwa-eun quickly sent her thanks to the Princess via sound transmission.

[Thank you, Ji-ryeon. My mind went completely blank for a second.]

[No need to thank me. It’s lucky I once asked Her Majesty the Empress the same thing.]

[Her Majesty the Empress?]

[Yes. When I was little—why does His Majesty keep many concubines, why must we treat other women with the etiquette due a mother? The Empress’s answer then was this: because the Emperor is a strong male.]

Hearing that the Empress had answered like that, Hwa-eun once again thought the imperial family was no ordinary place.

Suddenly, they felt a movement of qi in the surroundings.

“What’s that!?”

“It’s coming from So-ryong’s side!”

Hwa-eun, Gun Hye-rin, the Princess—and the children scattered around, as well as Cho and Yeondu, who had been circling in the air in shifts for days—

Everyone looked toward So-ryong.

The qi of Heaven and Earth and nature, by default, never stops flowing.

When the wind blows, when fire blazes. Even in the sun’s heat, qi moves; movement of qi itself isn’t special. But this current was special.

It felt like the natural qi of the four directions of Heaven and Earth was flowing toward a single point. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

At its center was So-ryong.

For now, the movement of qi could only be felt around So-ryong—but the subtle current now began to extend outward.

From an inch to a foot; from a foot to a jang.

One jang became a dozen, and soon the current covered the entire area.

As the slowly expanding movement blanketed the vicinity, people came running.

The startled Uiseon, Yakseon, and the Mandok Shingun, the Beast Palace Lord, and several experts of the Martial Alliance approached—only to freeze in place at the children’s razor-edged cries.

- Chrrrrrrr!

- Buuuuung!

“Kids, calm down!”

The Princess rushed out and cupped her fists to the martial seniors who had run over, speaking.

“This seems to be happening because So-ryong is stepping into the Realm of Manifestation. I apologize for not warning you beforehand. We didn’t expect something like this to occur.”

“You’re saying Ryong is entering the Realm of Manifestation?”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Heh...”

“So-ryong the Great Hero, stepping into the Realm of Manifestation...”

“The Realm of Manifestation!”

Everyone was struck with awe in that instant.

Uiseon took a step forward, his expression one of incomprehension, but halted again at the children’s warning cries.

“You mean this is what happens when one steps into the Realm of Manifestation, Princess?”

-Buuuuung!

“Ahem.”

“Yes, Elder Uiseon—why do you ask?”

At the Princess’s tilted head in response to his question, Uiseon shook his head and answered.

“I and my sworn brother are researchers of medicine.

We have studied even the treatment of qi deviation—wondering if we might help those who fall into it.

Usually, martial artists most often encounter qi deviation when breaking through from peak to the Flower Realm.

So in reviewing records of the Flower Realm scattered across the land, we also found a few traces about realms beyond it.

Yet never—never once—have I seen or heard of anything like this.”

At that, Gun Hye-rin stepped closer, gazing toward So-ryong.

“Isn’t the Realm of Manifestation the stage of using Heaven and Earth’s natural qi without obstruction? Then becoming one with Heaven and Earth’s qi shouldn’t be that strange, should it?”

“Even so, that’s far too excessive.”

“Hm.”

Gun Hye-rin could see what Uiseon meant.

It was indeed excessive.

Even if the Realm of Manifestation was about drawing freely on all the qi of the world, for all the qi of creation to gather toward a single person—this was abnormal.

Even without exact information on the Realm, this much was undeniably strange.

But since they couldn’t stop it, all they could do was wait.

It was then that Yakseon, who had been quietly listening, looked up to the sky and spoke.

“Isn’t the sky getting darker?”

At Yakseon’s words, everyone lifted their eyes. The sky truly was dimming.

Just as the qi was rushing toward So-ryong, black clouds were slowly converging above his head from all directions.

***

When I came to my senses, something felt off.

I could perceive what was happening around me, hear Hwa-eun and Gun Hye-rin and the Princess speaking, hear the children’s voices—yet I couldn’t open my eyes.

It felt like I was trapped inside my own body.

It was definitely my body, but I couldn’t so much as twitch a finger, let alone open my eyes.

The only thing I could do now was circulate the energy of the Beast-Heart Technique.

Strangely, the energy of the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art was quiet.

Normally, my way of raising my realm was to circulate the Beast-Heart Technique to register the children. But at the same time, the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art would always move together.

Registering the children meant the Beast-Heart Technique within the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art was responding.

Because my main core cultivation was the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art, and the Beast-Heart Technique was just a part dissolved within it.

But now, despite being at the Eight Poisons Realm, the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art was strangely unmoving.

‘What is this? Could it be qi deviation?’

Until now, the two always reacted together.

But now, only the Beast-Heart Technique was circulating on its own.

I worried—is this qi deviation approaching?—when I noticed a tickling sensation at my crown.

‘Huh, this place is...?’

It was the location of my upper dantian, which Gun Hye-rin and I had been studying.

Just as I realized that, I discovered something else.

The qi from outside my body was being sucked in through my entire body, gathered into my lower dantian, flowed into the middle dantian, and from there, into the upper dantian.

But what was stranger still: though an immense amount of qi was being absorbed, by the time it passed through the lower and middle dantian and reached the upper dantian, it was only a trickle.

Most of it had vanished somewhere, and only a drop remained for the upper dantian.

The open upper dantian was slowly filling with this new qi.

I heard Hwa-eun and Gun Hye-rin’s worried voices at times, but steadily, little by little, the qi continued to accumulate.

“Will So-ryong be all right?”

“It doesn’t look like qi deviation. Strange, yes—but not bad. For now.”

Gun Hye-rin had said my upper dantian was unusually large, but its location was between the brows—it couldn’t truly be big.

Even so, as the qi accumulated, the upper dantian began filling fairly quickly.

Then, just when I thought it had become full—

I felt a “snap” sensation at my brow, and suddenly, movements within several dozen feet around me were mapped inside my mind.

Bini, flustered, shifting her many legs in agitation.

Yeondu, circling the sky swiftly.

Cho, gazing down on me intently from above.

The Princess, fidgeting her fingers.

Hwa-eun, fiddling with her nails.

Gun Hye-rin, biting her lip.

‘Oh—this is the Realm of Manifestation?’

I instantly understood.

Yes, this was the Realm of Manifestation.

“So-ryong!”

“So-ryong is opening his eyes!”

My senses returned to my body and my eyes opened—and at that very moment—

From the black clouds gathered above, something blindingly fast fell toward me like a bolt of light.

The sound came half a beat after I recognized it falling.

-Krrraaaa-boooom!

“Everyone, scatter!”

My shout was drowned beneath the crash of thunder, and the following blaze of light swallowed us all.

-Kwaaaaarrrrm!

‘Wait, am I seriously going to die struck by lightning like this?’

My life flashed rapidly before my eyes.

Everything was fine—except the thought that Gun Hye-rin would become a virgin ghost.

At that instant, Cho’s worried voice came through the group chat.

-Chrrr. 『Dad, are you okay?』

My sight, bleached white by the light, slowly cleared. Looking up at the sky, I saw Cho, still crackling with lightning from the strike, peering down at us.