It took a week for Arden to get used to the Xi family and their Ally, Lady Gaia.

Once he could look past their powers and the devastating beauty they all carried around like nothing, they were almost normal people. With strange quirks and ticks.

Like Lady Xie's desire to fight beasts, or Lady Lin's fascination with metals.

"Hey Arden!" A voice interrupted his reverie. Lady Xie, again.

He stopped peeling the mana fruit and turned to see what she wanted.

"Lady?"

"Who do you like more?" she asked in a fake whisper, glancing to the side.

He glanced as well, his eyes lingering on Gaia's body for a second then returning to his fruit. Damn. That goddess was too hot. His cheeks burned again.

"I'm not sure what you mean, my lady." he replied a bit confused, but still blushing.

"She's single, you know..." Xie commented in an off-hand manner, and smiling mischievously.

What! Really?

"And I hear she invited you to her Legion, as well. Maybe she likes you too." the purple haired woman whispered and then winked.

Arden thought back, at their first meeting. She did kinda, vaguely hinted at this possibility...

"Veridian Legion...but they are vanquished, aren't they?" Arden whispered back, unknowingly sliding closer to Xie, till their elbows touched.

"Indeed, they were. Millions of years ago, at least. However, it doesn't take much to restart it. A man, a woman, and plenty of duo cultivation. Before you know it, thousands of green haired children with powers over plants." she answered in a tingling voice, making Arden blush, yet again.

He almost stole a glance towards Gaia, but he stoically resisted. His cheeks were burning hot anyway.

Inside him, the holy energy, or qi as the Xi called it was gathering in a warm ball. It hurt but also felt warm and safe.

"You're making fun of me, lady Xie. Weak as an ant, and just a poor farm boy. She's a goddess..." Arden replied with bitter words.

Silence covered their corner, and Arden unexpectedly heard a faint sob from the goddess beside him. Then she vanished, in her wake a single tear still falling.

It never reached the table, however. Pef's hand appeared and somehow snatched the falling tear, while keeping it intact. Arden froze, terrified of what might happen.

"Don't mind Xie. Her life was quite unhappy, even for this universe. What weapon do you use?" Pef asked him while storing the tear inside his glove, changing the subject as well.

Arden had to think a little, various weapons flashing through his mind. Still, the oak staff of the monks was the most familiar. "A staff, I guess."

Pef scratched his cheek, as if considering something important. "Staff then. And the complementary cultivation, of course." His finger poked Arden's forehead, and then nothing.

He woke up in the fancy bed, as hunger and the smell of something being grilled combined into a single urge. 'Gah, I need to stop fainting all the time. I'm not even working in the fields anymore.' Arden thought to himself, a bit dismayed of the poor impression he must have given to the visitors.

Then he noticed the change, a glowing core spinning inside his dantian, along with the knowledge of what it was and how to use it. Hundreds of staff forms, going from simple to highly complicated.

'I formed my Core?' Like the saint monks?

Arden took a deep breath, then followed his qi flowing along pathways and his two meridians. The extra knowledge told him he had ten more meridians to open, a very painful endeavor even if provided with the right pills.

Still, even the best trained monks needed 50 years to form their core. And he was only 12!

Hunger nudged him towards the beach house, where Pef was again cooking for his family and friends. Somehow, the friends' category now included Arden as well, along with Lady Gaia.

Arden steeled himself and sat beside Lady Gaia. "I formed my core, Lady Gaia." he announced in a fit of courage.

The woman smiled and nodded. "Amazing, right? It took me 89 years to form my core, in this life." she answered with a sad sigh. Arden blinked in confusion. What? But she was a goddess!

"88 years, here." Lady Qin announced from across the table.

"104, for me" Lady Lin added with an amused snort.

Soon a chorus of various timelines and friendly bickering formed across the table. It seemed even these goddesses were not very good at cultivating. Or at least not very fast. They all looked young and beautiful even though they all must be over a thousand years old.

Only Pef remained silent, busy with his cooking. Once he finished and served the meal, he smiled. "I also formed my core at 12 years old. Had to kill a Core ranked Forest Badger with my fists for it. No pills back then."

"Well, we did have Red Origin Pills back in Vesuvius. They just weren't used until someone was close to Sovereign rank. I got my own red pill when I was about 20 thousands years old, and ready to breakthrough to Sovereign." Lady Yuan answered with a longing smile, as if thinking of the old days. She didn't look a day past 20 though.

"I invented the Green Meridian Pills, so I win." Gaia commented with a smirk, then poked the fish in front of her, without eating. She never ate anything, and made Arden wonder why not.

"She doesn't have a body, my young friend. Basically, she's walking around in her soul form, naked as the day before she was born." Pef explained helpfully.

Arden blinked confused. 'Naked as the day before she was born?' He glanced at the goddess then blushed again, strange thoughts going through his mind for no reason.

"Lady Gaia, where is your body, can you get it back?" Arden asked concern.

"I'm not missing a body, I am Ascended. About halfway to Tier 2, when I'll be able to reform a human body. Till then, I have this divine body, which isn't so bad." she explained gesturing at her curvy lines.

Arden nodded in agreement. She wasn't bad at all, in Arden's opinion. Pretty much perfect.

The table fell silent and all the eyes fell on him, for some reason.

"What?" Arden asked in his most innocent voice.

"Don't worry everyone. As long as Pef keeps his soul anchored here, he won't die for good." Lady Xie announced carelessly, then taking a long chug from a wine bottle.

The beach vanished, leaving only darkness. Arden died, again.

Sometime later, Arden woke up in his bed, a bit bewildered.

'I died?' he mused inward. He didn't remember dying though.

This time, Pef was sitting on his bed, observing him with concentration.

"Personally, I approve. She is quite pretty. Still, don't say it out loud, next time." Pef said in a soft tone, then patted his shoulder. Then he stepped away, faster than his eyes could see.

Arden thought back to his last memories. 'Oh, I said that out loud, didn't I?' he realized after a few moments.

He rose grogily from the bed and walked to the seashore. Then he sat on the warm sand, while his feet cooled in the small waves.

Living among gods was quite dangerous, it seemed. He would have to control himself better. And get stronger too. Especially if he was serious about Gaia.

Arden meditated for a while, sorting out his feelings. Deep inside, a core of conviction was formed, englobing his heart. Nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Just not yet. He would have to be stronger.

His goal set, he rose to his feet and started flowing through the Forms.

A year passed, while his cultivation grew along with his body and heart. Not that you could tell, since the sun never set on this beach. But he felt it.

Then one day, Pef offered him another choice of pills. Arden took the blue pill without hesitation.

His soul sight exploded with new colors. Nascent Soul then. A good start, but he had a long way to go.

He trained harder. Two more years, and he formed his Spirit.

Earth. Well, that mostly meant sand around here. No matter. Earth was good enough.

Except when suffocating and dying deep underground. That wasn't good. But whatever. Now he could swim through the earth like a fish in water.

Then one day, he reached Sky. And after a number of pathetic deaths, he could even fly. Just like the godhood monks. He wasn't able to fight anyone from the beach, of course.

Their powers were so far ahead, it wasn't even funny. But at least nobody called him an ant anymore.

And today, Pef offered him another pill, a white one.

"With this one, I can breakthrough to Emperor?" Arden asked in wonder. He felt he was years away from that rank.

"Not really. But we're leaving this planet, now that most things have been fixed. You're 16 now, and should make your own decision. Gaia will stay with you, if you ask her." Pef said in a flat voice.

Arden was a bit confused. 'They are leaving?' But he remembered his goal.

"What has changed, on my planet?" he asked, just to make sure.

"A hundred parasite sects destroyed, a dozen Legion chapter houses set up in major countries. A few new technologies." Pef replied with a shrug. Nothing major, in his view.

"And Gaia?" Arden asked with a straight face. Nothing to hide, and useless anyway.

"You can help Gaia start her own Legion here. The galaxy we're heading to is full of demons. Not a place for peaceful relations."

Arden nodded slowly. "I'll stay and help her. I think she's worth it."

Pef nodded. "We'll be back someday, perhaps before she reaches Tier 2. With cultivation, the heart matters the most. Don't ever lose heart, Arden." Pef advised him then waved goodbye.

The sky shattered and Arden found himself in the same field he first met Pef. Only he was now much stronger and wiser. He flew up and towards the city. It would only take him a few minutes now.

Beside him, a ghostly woman's form flew as well. 'I think you're worthy too, Arden. I wonder if your children will have blonde hair...'