Preparation

Byron Imperial Capital, eastern suburbs of Maple Leaf City, Leian Manor.

Under a clear, cloudless sky, two figures arrived through the air. Carter, the Golden-Haired Stone Ape who had been using Gravity Spell to assist Allen in his training on the manor's practice grounds, suddenly stood up and looked up. Upon seeing that it was Leian, he let his eyelids droop and slowly laid back down.

At that moment, four more black shadows darted out from the stone training chamber. As they reached mid-air, the four bodies merged instantly into one, transforming into a black cat Magic Beast—this was Selina, the Shadow Magic Monkey.

Judging by her performance, she had made significant progress in the cultivation of the Shadow Clone Technique.

Leian was quite satisfied with the vigilance displayed by the two Magic Beasts.

"Big Brother!"

Allen sheathed his sword and stood tall, his face full of pleasant surprise. He had expected his brother to be traveling for at least several years, never imagining he would return after only half a year.

"Not bad!"

Leian looked at Allen, scanned him up and down, and praised him with a smile. With his keen vision, he could naturally see that the boy was not far from becoming a seventh-rank warrior, which meant he hadn't been slacking off over the past six months.

"Leian, how did it go? Were you taken in as a disciple by the Goddess?"

Selina's voice echoed in Leian's mind, her tone carrying a hint of urgency.

As Margaret's former magic pet, Selina knew everything about the Goddess Token and was well aware that Leian had gone out specifically to participate in the Goddess's Named Disciple Tournament.

Hearing the telepathic message, Leian smiled without saying a word, merely releasing a sliver of the aura belonging to a god-level powerhouse.

An invisible wind swept through the surroundings, and a faint pressure enveloped the entire practice ground. While the people and beasts present didn't feel much physical strain, they felt Leian's presence suddenly become majestic and divine.

At this moment, while Allen and Carter remained silent, Selina froze in place, her black eyes wide as saucers.

"You, you, you... you've become a god?"

The disbelieving voice echoed in Leian's mind once more.

Back when she followed Margaret, Selina had been fortunate enough to see the Goddess of Dark Night a few times. Her memory of a god-level powerhouse's aura was still fresh, which was why she recognized it immediately.

"Big Brother, you... you broke through?"

On the other side, Allen seemed to realize something. His expression changed abruptly, and he became suddenly agitated before asking what was on his mind in a trembling voice.

Slow to catch on, he had only just remembered the lessons his brother had taught him regarding the realms of cultivation.

In the past, to motivate his family to train hard, Leian had introduced the ranks of warriors and the keys to breaking through.

For instance, comprehending "Worldly Momentum" allowed one to reach the Saint Realm; comprehending Laws and Profound Mysteries meant one was at the peak of the Saint Realm, followed by the limit of the Saint Realm, and then becoming a god...

Facing Allen's expectant gaze, Leian nodded with a smile: "That's right, I broke through. Big Brother is now a god-level powerhouse!"

Hearing Leian confirm it himself, Allen was so excited he couldn't find the words. His face flushed red instantly, and after a long moment, he let out a loud "Awoo!" and began dancing around as he ran toward the front courtyard, clearly eager to share the good news with his parents and sister.

Leian shook his head with a smile. With his divine sense covering the area, he could already see his father reading in the study and his mother and sister watering flowers in the front courtyard.

He was just about to follow them when he suddenly remembered something. He looked down at the hem of his robe, where a black lizard the size of a finger was clinging.

This black lizard was none other than the Saint Realm Black Dragon Kals. After Leian had dissolved their master-servant contract, it had shamelessly grabbed onto Leian's robe and followed him around.

Later, when Leian went to see the Goddess, it had the sense to stay outside the valley and wait, and once Leian emerged, it followed him again.

Seeing how sensible it was, Leian hadn't refused its company.

At this moment, feeling Leian's gaze, Kals quickly jumped to the ground, transformed into a black dragon over a meter tall, and called out obsequiously:

"Lord Leian!"

Looking at this black dragon that lacked any of the dignity of a Saint Realm Magic Beast, Leian was left speechless. He could only tell it to follow, then walked toward the front courtyard.

In the main hall of the manor.

Barry and his wife, along with Allen and Bella, were gathered around Leian, every face beaming with excited smiles.

"Leian, truly, I never thought in my life that my own son would one day become a god..."

"Wuu... I, Barry, actually have a son who is a god. I am the father of a god-level powerhouse, haha..."

Since learning that his son was a god-level powerhouse, old Barry had been so excited he was incoherent, and his mother, Annie, was happily wiping away tears.

Beside them, Bella and Allen were each tugging on one of Leian's arms, occasionally asking questions about the Divine Realm.

For the entire afternoon, everyone remained in a state of excitement and shock, and it wasn't until evening that the intensity began to wane slightly.

It was only during dinner that Leian had the chance to introduce Xilmon and Kals to his family. With the news of Leian becoming a god already established, Barry and the others were no longer as shocked by the presence of a Saint Realm powerhouse and a Saint Realm Magic Beast.

At night, in the manor's study.

Leian summoned Xilmon alone.

Behind the large mahogany desk, Leian looked straight at Xilmon and said calmly:

"Xilmon, I am giving you one month. In my name, recruit a group of Saint Realm experts, no more than twenty in total. Focus primarily on those who cultivate the four Edicts and the Laws of Earth, Wind, and Darkness. Can you do it?"

Recruiting Saint Realm experts was, of course, in preparation for establishing a sect. The reason he chose cultivators of Earth, Wind, and Darkness was because he was most familiar with those.

As for the four Edicts, it was just a passing mention; after all, in the material plane, those who cultivated the four Edicts were extremely rare. It would be best if he could recruit them, but it didn't matter if he couldn't.

After hearing this, Xilmon quickly puffed out his chest and replied loudly: "Rest assured, Lord Leian, Xilmon will certainly fulfill your request on time!"

Leian nodded with satisfaction. "Good, I look forward to seeing your performance. Go!"

"Yes!"

After Xilmon gave his loud assurance, he slowly backed out of the study, then soared into the air, transforming into a black phantom that vanished into the night.

Inside the study, after Xilmon had departed, Leian summoned Carter and Selina, giving each of them a Saint Realm Magic Crystal Core corresponding to their respective attributes.

Truth be told, these two Saint Realm Magic Crystal Cores were not obtained by Leian hunting Saint Realm Magic Beasts, but rather plundered from other Saint Realm Magic Beasts.

To establish a sect and spread a faith, money was indispensable, and remembering the dragon race's penchant for collecting treasures, Leian had robbed the vast majority of Saint Realm Magic Beasts in the Youquan Mountain Range.

The results were naturally a bountiful harvest; not to mention the gold coins, jewelry, and magic crystals, he had even managed to acquire eight Saint Realm Magic Crystal Cores, along with a portion of top-tier ores for forging weapons, such as Black Jadeite and Blood Garnet.

Magic Beasts usually choose to Devour magic crystal cores that match their own attributes, while storing cores of other attributes as precious treasures.

Of the eight magic crystal cores in Leian's possession, seven had been obtained from the Tyrannosaurus Demos. This veteran Magic Beast was over one hundred thousand years old, and over the long passage of time, it had truly accumulated quite a few good things.

However, they were all Leian's gain now.