Kian Sterling sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, completely focused on guiding the medicinal power within his body.

The energy from the Scarlet Fruit was even more intense than he’d imagined, surging through his meridians like a raging fire.

He steadied his mind and, following the technique in the Beast Codex, carefully refined and absorbed that energy bit by bit.

Time ticked away, and gradually dawn crept across the sky.

Finally, there was a faint sound from within him, as if some shackle had been broken.

He abruptly opened his eyes, his handsome fox-like eyes flashing with surprise and delight.

He’d advanced to Foundation Establishment.

"Congratulations."

Zeke Veridian’s jade-green eyes flickered, his tone cool and indifferent.

He walked over to Kian and handed him the wine flask. "Want a drink?"

Kian took the flask with a smile, tipped his head back, and gulped down a big mouthful. The rich aroma slipped down his throat, washing away his fatigue.

"Thanks."

He wiped his mouth and glanced at Zeke with genuine gratitude in his eyes. "If you hadn’t protected me, I doubt I could’ve advanced so smoothly."

Because he’d messed with Malachi Arcanus last year and done something pretty stupid, he’d thought everyone despised him. To his surprise, Zeke actually helped guard him.

Zeke shook his head, his green eyes looking especially clear in the morning light. "We’re all on the same side."

Just a simple sentence, but it gave Kian a warm feeling inside.

He took another swig, then suddenly remembered something and asked seriously, "Zeke, there’s something I want to ask you."

Zeke raised an eyebrow, waiting for what was next.

Kian thought carefully about his words before speaking slowly, "When you were practicing the Beast Codex, did you ever encounter any weird feelings or bottlenecks?"

Zeke’s eyes flickered at the question.

His practice with the Beast Codex had always gone exceptionally smoothly— cultivation felt as easy as eating or drinking.

His cultivation soared without pause—not just for the Codex, but all kinds of spells and sword techniques. His speed was insanely fast, and anything he tried just clicked. It was like nothing was difficult for him at all.

After thinking for a moment, he answered truthfully, "I’ve never hit a bottleneck."

At least, not so far—who knows about the future.

Kian heard this and stared at him in disbelief, fox eyes wide, unable to stop himself from asking again, "Not even the slightest bit difficult?"

Zeke shook his head. "Nope."

Kian: "..."

Suddenly, the wine lost all flavor for him.

He’d given it his all just to squeak into Foundation Establishment, and this guy? Effortless breakthrough?

The gap was just too much.

Kian took a huge, sulky swig—and ended up coughing hard, face flushing with embarrassment.

Zeke’s lips curved ever so slightly as he reached over to pat Kian’s back. "Take it easy."

Kian finally caught his breath and shot Zeke a resentful look. "Zeke, are you doing this on purpose to annoy me?"

Zeke put on a face of pure innocence. "Not at all."

Kian: "..."

Now he was even more annoyed.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

Jago had already succeeded in mastering the Beast Codex. The beastman power in his body was completely converted into cultivation, and now he’d reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Luna Sutton was extremely pleased and passed him several Wood Element Magic and Fire Magic techniques to practice. She told him to study on his own and come to her with any questions.

Caelan Phoenix and Lian Phoenix, though both up there in years, were lucky to have single Fire Spirit Roots—pretty decent aptitude.

With Soren Phoenix’s guidance, they too crossed the cultivation threshold, and their beastman power also converted into cultivation power.

Currently, both were cultivators at the tenth layer of Qi Cultivation.

But given their age, their energy, stamina, and bodies couldn’t match the younger folks. They often ran out of steam, so their cultivation was sluggish.

In the future, their achievements would be limited.

Still, just being able to cultivate was thrilling for them. They didn’t dare hope for more.

If they could just make it to Foundation Establishment, their life spans would be far longer than ordinary beastmen.

During this period, Luna Sutton received quite a lot of faith points.

Some came from Aetheria, some from the Lower Domain, and added to her original stash, she now had 3850 points.

Not exactly rich, but enough for her to splurge a little—she was quietly plotting how to spend it.

"System, bring up the Faith Points shop. I want to go shopping."

As soon as she finished this thought—

The system popped up instantly, sighing, "I’d suggest you don’t waste your points. Did you already forget last time you almost got turned into a frog for racking up a debt?"

Luna’s lips twitched, looking a bit embarrassed.

She did almost get turned into a frog—now she actually had faith points and still couldn’t resist spending them?

She knew it was a bad habit, but sometimes you just couldn’t help yourself.

She just wanted to shop, simple as that.

She coughed, "I’m just browsing. I’ll only buy if something good pops up."

This damned system— every time she shops she’s the happiest, yet it always pretends to care about her and nags her to stop spending.

Suddenly the system’s voice got serious: "Suggestion: Host should buy some Spirit Fruit to nourish herself, or use points to boost her cultivation."

"Huh?"

She blinked. "I’m perfectly healthy."

The system’s tone was full of resigned patience: "Female cultivators lose cultivation levels during pregnancy. If you don’t prepare now, what will you do if you drop back down to Qi Cultivation?"

Luna instantly realized what it was hinting at. "What do you mean? Pregnant?"

She subconsciously touched her flat stomach and sent her divine sense inward.

Sure enough, she found five faint life energies near her dantian.

After counting them, her expression actually relaxed. Five at once sounded crazy, but compared to the previous two pregnancies, this was actually half as many.

She already had plenty of kids—honestly, she didn’t want any more.

But then she remembered Zeke didn’t have any yet. If she didn’t, that’d be unfair.

Thinking of Zeke, her eyes shifted and she couldn’t help but ask, "System, can you tell whose kids these are?"

She could sense them with her awareness, but she couldn’t identify the bloodline specifics.

The little ones were too small, barely conceived, so there was no way of telling whose they were.

The system had expected the question and calmly answered, "Three are Zeke’s, two are Kian Sterling’s. Oh, and here’s a bonus: both of Kian’s kids are boys. Now his dream of having sons can come true."

Luna was surprised. "Kian wants sons? He never seemed like it—he’s totally smitten with Zora, spoils her rotten."

The system replied gloomily, "Don’t forget, Kian is the Beast King of The Royal City—he needs an heir. He may not say it out loud, but he cares deep down."

She stroked her chin thoughtfully, "No wonder he’s been staring at Rhys Blackwood’s eight sons lately..."

The system suddenly switched to a sales pitch, grinning: "Host! ’Golden Fruit’ is on sale now! This is a top-grade Spiritual Fruit in the Cultivation Realm—amazing taste, packed with spiritual energy, and prevents morning sickness! Only 388 points per basket, super deal~"

She rolled her eyes. "Weren’t you just telling me not to waste points?"

"This is a special situation!"

The system’s tone was justified, "Besides, I’ve detected Zeke’s three kids are exceptionally gifted. They’ll be absorbing spiritual power in the womb! If you don’t supplement soon, you’ll end up wrung dry~"

"You think I’m stupid and easy to trick?"

Luna wasn’t buying it. "I was already a cultivator during my last pregnancy—my realm never dropped. You old con artist, are you just angling for faith points?"

The system immediately cried injustice, "Host, I swear! Last time your level was super low, you barely had any spiritual power—those kids couldn’t suck you dry even if they wanted. But now you’re in Foundation Establishment, and so are Zeke and Kian. It’s a whole different ball game."

Listening to this, she felt only half-convinced and rubbed her stomach, pondering.

After a moment, she decided to be cautious: "Alright, I’ll buy a basket and try the Golden Fruit. If it doesn’t work, I’ll file a complaint!"

The system replied cheerfully, "All set! 388 points deducted, 3462 left. Basket of Golden Fruit deposited in your system pack anytime you need them~"

With a thought, a bright golden fruit appeared in her hand, wafting an irresistible aroma.

She couldn’t be bothered to wash it, just wiped it clean and took a big bite.

The flesh was sweet and juicy, melting in her mouth; a warm flow instantly spread through her entire body, and even the faint little auras in her belly perked up.

"Pretty tasty."

She nodded in satisfaction, realizing that this fruit was nothing like wild fruit—it was so much better.

The system preened, "Of course! I wouldn’t recommend just anything, you know!"

Luna ignored it, finished off the fruit, and then spent a thousand faith points to raise her cultivation to mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

Her points dropped to 2462 in a blink, making her heart ache.

She remembered back when she was in the Qi Cultivation stage, 200 points could boost her several layers at once.

Now at Foundation Establishment, it took a thousand just to go up a little. The contrast was brutal.

She sighed and rubbed her belly again, "Hope these little ones don’t make too much trouble for me."