Morning light—or rather, the Infinity Realm's equivalent of morning light, which was actually compressed probability waves mimicking solar radiation—filtered through the dimensional windows of Sarah's mansion. The three moons had set, replaced by a sun that existed in multiple spectral states simultaneously.

Elias woke first, as he usually did. Not because he needed to—at his level of cultivation, sleep was optional, a luxury rather than a necessity. He could remain awake for eternity without feeling even a hint of fatigue, his Perpetual Horizon Core providing unlimited energy, his refined soul requiring no rest.

But he slept anyway. They all did.

It was a deliberate choice, a small act of maintaining their human nature in a realm where such things became increasingly optional. Too many cultivators, in their pursuit of power, gradually shed the habits and quirks that made them human. They stopped eating because they didn't need to. Stopped sleeping because it was "inefficient." Stopped maintaining relationships because mortal concerns seemed beneath them.

Elias had seen it happen to countless cultivators in the multiverse—brilliant individuals who became hollow shells of power, technically alive but essentially inhuman. He refused to let that happen to his family.

So they slept. They ate. They maintained routines that served no practical purpose except to remind themselves that they were still human, despite their god-like powers.

Kaelen stirred beside him, her eyes opening with the clarity of someone whose mind was always partially active, even during rest. "Morning already?"

"The realm's diurnal cycle just completed," Elias confirmed. "Approximately eight hours have passed."

"You could just say 'yes, it's morning,'" Kaelen said with amusement, stretching in a way that had nothing to do with physical necessity and everything to do with comfortable habit.

"That would be less precise."

"Everything is about precision with you." She sat up, her cultivation base automatically adjusting to the realm's ambient pressure. After a night's rest, her adaptation to the Infinity Realm had improved noticeably. "Do you think Aria is awake yet?"

"Unknown. Should I check?"

"Let her sleep if she's still resting. Yesterday was a big day." Kaelen stood, moving to the window to observe the impossible city stretching beyond. "I still can't believe we're really here. Part of me keeps expecting to wake up in our pocket universe and discover this was all a vivid dream."

"The probability of this being a shared hallucination is negligible," Elias said seriously.

"I know. I was speaking metaphorically."

"Ah. Imprecise language for emotional effect."

"Exactly." She turned back to him with a smile. "Come on. Let's see if Sarah is awake. I want to start planning what comes next."

They dressed and headed downstairs, following the faint sound of movement from the kitchen area. Sarah was already there, examining various cultivation ingredients with the practiced eye of a master chef.

"Good morning," she greeted them. "I was just considering what to make for breakfast. Any preferences?"

"Whatever you recommend," Kaelen said. "Though I'd love to watch you cook if you don't mind. I'm fascinated by how you integrate Law principles into food preparation."

"I'd be happy to demonstrate." Sarah's expression brightened—the look of a master craftsperson eager to share their art. "Actually, why don't we cook together? I can explain the techniques as we work."

"Really?" Kaelen's eyes lit up with genuine excitement. "I'd love that."

"Where's Aria?" Elias asked, noticing his daughter's absence.

"Still sleeping," Sarah said. "I checked on her earlier—she and Lumie are both deeply asleep. The realm's energy density can be exhausting for new arrivals, even with your suppression-dampening technique. Let her rest."

"She'll be disappointed if we let her sleep through breakfast," Elias observed. "She enjoys family meals."

"Then wake her in about an hour," Sarah suggested. "That gives Kaelen and me time to cook, and you time to..." She paused. "Actually, what do you do for leisure?"

"Cultivation technique optimization."

"That's not leisure, that's work," Kaelen said. "Go find Aria when she wakes up and keep her busy while Sarah and I cook. Spend some quality father-daughter time. You've been in the Infinity Realm for a year—she probably wants to hear about your experiences."

"That's a reasonable suggestion," Elias agreed. "I'll review the mansion's arrays in the meantime. Sarah, you mentioned wanting improvements to the security formations?"

"Elias," both women said simultaneously.

"That's still work," Kaelen added. "Can't you just... relax?"

"Array optimization is relaxing."

"For you, maybe." Kaelen shook her head fondly. "Fine. Go optimize something. But when Aria wakes up, actual quality time. No lectures about technique efficiency unless she asks."

"Understood."

Elias departed, and Sarah turned to Kaelen with an amused expression. "He really can't help himself, can he?"

"Not even slightly. But it's part of his charm." Kaelen moved to the preparation area, examining the ingredients Sarah had selected. "So, where do we start?"

An hour later, Aria emerged from her room with Lumie perched on her shoulder, both of them looking refreshed. She followed the sounds of conversation to the kitchen area, where an incredible aroma made her stomach growl despite not technically needing food.

"Morning, Mother! Morning, Sarah!" she called out cheerfully. "Whatever you're making smells amazing."

"Good morning, sweetheart," Kaelen replied, not looking up from the complex energy manipulation she was performing over a cooking vessel. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like I was dead. The realm's energy density is no joke—I feel like I ran a marathon across multiple multiverse just by existing here." Aria peered at what they were preparing. "What are you making?"

"Dimensional resonance pastries," Sarah explained, her hands weaving subtle Law principles into the dough she was kneading. "They exist in multiple taste-states simultaneously and provide cultivation benefits specific to each consumer's current bottlenecks."

"That sounds complicated."

"It is. Your mother is picking it up remarkably fast, though."

Kaelen flushed slightly at the praise. "I'm just applying theoretical principles. You're the one who developed the technique."

"Theoretical application is half the battle," Sarah said generously. "Where's your father?"

"Probably optimizing something," Aria guessed accurately.

"Actually, I'm right here," Elias said, entering from the garden dimension. "I was examining the defensive arrays. They're well-constructed but could benefit from—"

"Elias," Kaelen warned.

"—which I'll discuss later because now is family time," Elias finished smoothly. "Aria, would you like to tour the mansion properly? I can show you the cultivation chambers and explain the array configurations."

"That sounds like a lecture," Aria said suspiciously.

"It's an educational tour."

"Still sounds like a lecture."

"Accurate assessment."

Aria laughed. "Fine. But you have to make it interesting. Tell me about the realm too—what you did this past year, the people you met, the battles you fought. I want stories, not just technical specifications."

"I can provide both."

"Father, stories first, specifications second."

"Suboptimal information delivery order, but acceptable."

They left the kitchen together, Lumie chirping what sounded like encouragement, and Sarah smiled. "They're close."

"Very," Kaelen agreed. "Elias isn't naturally affectionate, but with Aria he tries. It's sweet watching him navigate fatherhood—applying logic to something fundamentally illogical."

"How did he handle her childhood? I imagine tiny Aria was a handful."

"Oh, she was." Kaelen's expression turned fond with memory. "She started talking and walking the moment she was born, and cultivating while she was still a fetus. By age one, she was asking questions that stumped most Universal-level cultivators. Elias tried to create structured educational schedules, optimal learning frameworks, efficient knowledge transfer protocols..."

"Let me guess—she ignored all of them?"

"Completely. Aria learns through chaos and intuition, which drove Elias crazy at first. He kept trying to optimize her education, and she kept pursuing whatever interested her at the moment." Kaelen stirred the mixture she was preparing, watching energy patterns swirl through it. "Eventually, he adapted. Learned to guide rather than direct. Now they have this interesting dynamic where he provides information and she synthesizes it in completely unexpected ways."

"She sounds remarkable."

"She is. Sometimes I forget she's only just a century old—she acts so mature

(AN: A century old is the same as becoming an 18 year old.).

Other times she's clearly still a child, excited about everything, wanting to explore and experiment." Kaelen paused. "That's actually something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh?"

"Aria's education. Or rather, her socialization." Kaelen set down her stirring implement, turning to face Sarah directly. "She's been homeschooled her entire life in our pocket universe. Elias and I taught her everything—cultivation, sciences, philosophy, arts, combat. She's brilliant and talented and powerful. But..."

"She hasn't had normal social experiences," Sarah finished, understanding immediately. "No peers her own age. No friendships formed outside family."

"Exactly. It's been bothering me for years, but in the multiverse, there weren't really options. Cultivation academies there were... inadequate. They couldn't teach her anything she wasn't already learning from us, and the social environment was often toxic—political maneuvering, bullying, sect conflicts."

"You want her to attend an academy here," Sarah said. It wasn't a question.

"Is that crazy? She's so talented already. Most academy students would be far beneath her level. But I keep thinking about what she said last night—about powerful cultivators becoming isolated. I don't want that for her. I want her to have friends, experiences, relationships beyond just family."

Sarah considered this carefully. "It's not crazy. Actually, it might be exactly what she needs. The Infinity Realm has institutions specifically designed for prodigies—students who are already powerful but need guidance in Infinity Law and, yes, socialization."

"You know of such places?"

"I do. In fact, I'm a guest teacher at one of them." Sarah's expression turned thoughtful. "The Epochal Ascendance Academy. It's one of the three great cultivation academies in the Infinity Realm, located in a separate dimensional layer to prevent accidents from damaging the main realm."

Kaelen leaned forward, interested. "Tell me about it."

They moved to the dining area as they talked, sitting at the table where they'd shared dinner the previous night. The cooking could wait—this conversation was important.

"The Epochal Ascendance Academy was founded about fifty zillion years ago by a coalition of Sovereign-level cultivators who realized the realm had a problem," Sarah began. "Prodigies—genuine geniuses who ascended young or showed exceptional talent—were either being recruited into sects where they became political pawns, or staying independent and becoming isolated. The academy was created as a neutral ground where talented youngsters could learn, grow, and socialize without political pressure."

"What makes it different from regular cultivation sects?" Kaelen asked.

"Several things. First, it's truly neutral—no sect affiliations, no political alliances. Students come from everywhere, including major sects, but inside the academy, sect politics are forbidden. Everyone is simply a student." Sarah paused. "Second, the teaching staff is exceptional. Sovereigns who've achieved the peak of their respective fields, Masters who've spent millions of years perfecting specific techniques. I teach there occasionally when I'm between restaurant projects—courses on Dao of Cooking and energy transformation theory."

"What kind of students attend?"

"Prodigies exclusively. The admission requirements are strict: must be under ten thousand years old, must have reached at least Initiate level in the Infinity Realm, must demonstrate exceptional talent or comprehension speed." Sarah smiled. "Students range from talented Initiates to terrifying Adepts who are approaching Master level despite their youth. The academy has produced seventeen Sovereigns in its history, and three who eventually reached The Infinite."

Kaelen's eyes widened. "Three who reached 100% Infinity Law?"

"Over fifty million years, yes. It's the highest success rate of any institution in the realm." Sarah leaned back. "The academy operates on a merit-based system. Students compete in Infinity Trials, research projects, combat tournaments. Those who perform well get access to better resources, advanced instruction, opportunities to study with Sovereign-level mentors. It's intensely competitive but also surprisingly supportive—students form teams, share insights, push each other forward."

"It sounds perfect for Aria," Kaelen said quietly. "Competition, learning, social interaction with peers at her level."

"I think she'd thrive there," Sarah agreed. "And honestly, given her background—perfect Reality Law, high Quantum Law comprehension that she'd need to keep secret, daughter of a Master and a Sovereign—she'd fit right in. The academy specializes in handling exceptional cases."

"How long does attendance typically last?"

"Varies by student. Some spend a few centuries, others stay for millennia. There's no fixed graduation—you leave when you feel you've learned what you need, or when you reach Sovereign level and the academy can no longer provide adequate challenge." Sarah paused. "The academy is located in the Eternal Ascension Dimension—a pocket realm created specifically for it. Separate from the main Infinity Realm to allow full-power combat training without risking civilian casualties."

"That's well-designed," Kaelen admitted. "What about dangers? I'm assuming an institution full of competitive prodigies has its conflicts."

"Conflicts, yes. Dangers, carefully managed. The academy has strict rules about lethal force—killing another student results in immediate expulsion and severe punishment. Serious injuries happen occasionally, but the medical facilities can resurrect even destroyed bodies as long as the soul remains intact." Sarah's expression turned serious. "That said, the Academy Trials themselves are dangerous. Students die in trials fairly regularly—about ten per century. But that's considered acceptable risk for the level of training provided."

Kaelen absorbed this, her researcher's mind analyzing probabilities. "Ten deaths per century among how many students?"

"Roughly fifty thousand enrolled at any given time."

"That's a 0.02% death rate per century. Statistically minimal." Kaelen nodded slowly. "Acceptable given the benefits. And Aria is sensible—she takes risks, but calculated ones."

"Should we tell Elias and Aria about this?" Sarah asked. "See what they think?"

"Let's finish breakfast first, then have a family discussion. This should be a joint decision." Kaelen stood. "Come on, let's finish cooking. I want to master this dimensional resonance technique before we eat."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.