It was a short and straightforward ritual of discipleship, but through it, everything changed. For better or worse, Ah Gui and the others now share a lifetime bond with Kairos Astroire. Mostly, it was difficult for Kairos to adapt to such an enormous change. At twelve, he is considered an adult in the empire, but taking in people nearly three times his age as students felt like a ridiculous notion. Yet, when he saw the fifteen covert operatives smiling at him radiantly, obviously thrilled by being accepted, he smiled wryly, not knowing who the adult in this place is.

Their joy was infectious, and Kairos could understand why they were this excited at being accepted. It was the feeling of getting a family that made these grown men and women behave like children. But of course, Kairos had given them so much that they couldn’t repay, he is their lifesaver, their benefactor, and they wanted to show their gratitude with the rest of their lives. The Origin Cultivation Method, Origin Energy, Soul Perception, and the cubic fruit that re-engineered their latent talents, had given them more than an edge against other cultivators and they weren’t gifts given to mere subordinates. Even actual family members will withhold such things from each other.

It made them formidable opponents, to the point that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they are nearly peerless within their rank. Just the Soul Perception they gained from their new cultivation method is enough to overwhelm most practitioners. When they first learned of it, they were shocked to their core.

“No wonder our ambush failed.”

“This is such an unfair skill!”

For covert operatives like them, the benefit is indescribable. Granted, there are plenty of martial techniques out there that could act like a Soul Perception, but there were none they know that could match it.

The Saint Empire cultivation techniques and martial arts are considered the acme of excellence on Gaia. While other places have their own features which equal them in power or application, they do not have as many high-level skill manuals.

They are confident that the Soul Perception ability is at least above the mortal realm’s standard. Moreover, it is only but one of the benefits of their cultivation method. The Origin Energy allows internal and external cultivation, could be used as an emergency healing method and also as a short-timed boost in fighting capacity.

Any of those is a formidable ability.

Of course, after acquiring Origin Energy, what one does with it afterwards is entirely different. Like how Kairos is focused on innovation and researching new methods, Tommy started developing the use of Origin Energy for offence while Alan explored how to become better at defending. Edward aimed for destructive force, and Jim focused on speed and precision.

Not only are they free to pursue power in the direction they wished, the cultivation method is tailored to suit them perfectly; not just who they are currently but to help them grow into what they desire to be on the path of Dao.

In fact, Kairos is the only one that learned the original cultivation methods from the Origin tome without any modifications, and that is because he couldn’t find any need to adjust the technique when it appears completely compatible with him.

Now, after the fifteen have already finished their discipleship ritual, the Snowdrifts could no longer return to what it was. It is no longer a group created by a bunch of young kids with the same interests, but now an official guild. Although Kairos had no inkling to how vital this means right now, in the future, their new guild will celebrate this very day as their opening.

Kairos scratched his head as he looked at the fifteen in front of him. As tradition dictates, a teacher needs to bestow to each disciple a gift for their new relationship. Not only is this gift meant to help strengthen the disciple, but it also symbolises their teacher’s capability as well as how much the teacher favours each disciple.

“Hmm, what do people in their thirties want? Maybe another weapon? I’m sure that their job will require them to have a spare one at all time.”

The gift for discipleship cannot be given lightly, but Kairos is only half, or even a third, of his disciples’ age. Just thinking about it, one can see the amount of headache Kairos has right now.

Although he could delay this to think carefully, it wouldn’t do for the boy to not give a gift. Doing so will simply break their hearts.

Maybe those that are not from Saint Empire would not understand, but since a long time ago, their culture places extreme importance in the relationship between teacher and disciples. This bond often supersedes most relationships, to the point a disciple would think of their teacher as their other ‘parent’.

The reason behind this is because fighters in Saint Empire treat the parents that bear them as the ones that gave them their lives, while the teacher that taught them as the one that let them survive.

Any resident in the empire would gladly lay down their lives for their parents or their teacher, and even the Emperor himself is not exclusive to this tradition. Of course, some value their own lives more than anyone else, and would gladly trade the people close to themselves to save their own skin if needed. However, such people would need to hide such thoughts from letting anyone know.

So, ironically, right now Kairos have fifteen older people who think fondly of him and would treat him as their second parent. The boy gave a helpless sigh then shrugged it off. Such a powerful relationship would need a gift of equal value.

After thinking for a while, Kairos finally made a decision on what to give each of them.

“Since I am now your teacher, it wouldn’t do if I do not prepare a gift for each of you.”

They were astonished when they heard what he said. Having never been appreciated and taken under the wing of any senior cultivator, they are over the moon from merely being accepted and haven’t dared thought of getting a discipleship gift.

“Teacher, there is no need to prepare things to lowly people like us. We have already received more than what we deserve!”

“That’s right, teacher. You have given us a new future, a treasured fruit, and most importantly, you have respected us like human beings instead of mere tools. How could we have the face to ask more of you?”

“Teacher, our very lives belong to you now. So there is nothing more teacher need to give us.”

“Hahaha. Well said, brother. Beloved teacher, this is everyone’s thoughts so please accept our intents!”

Many of them spoke up with anxiousness in their voices. They were an unfortunate bunch of people. Many of them grew up without ever receiving their mother’s love, and some were abandoned and had to be nursed by farm animals until they are old enough to eat tasteless mashed gruel. The majority of the ones that the Devilheart family adopts are infants that have not even reached the weaning stage.

They had never received a single gift in the past, and it’s no wonder that they were so worked up at this moment that these people in their thirties are acting like children who are worried of being abandoned.

They feared he could not accept them in his heart.

What if because of a gift, Kairos did not want them anymore?

Or perhaps, because they forced it on him, he would give them worthless gifts? They already knew in their hearts that they aren’t talented in cultivation and genuinely fear that they could not be of much help to the boy in the future.

Instead of risk feeling like unloved disciples, they would rather reject getting any gifts from their teacher.

Without even a need to discuss, each of them had fervently rejected Kairos’ offer. But the young boy would not hear of this, “No, it is improper to not have anything for you. I have something special in mind. Do you have fifteen weapons of steel grade that you can spare for me?”

When they heard him said this, their hearts sank. Could it be that their teacher wishes to refine such low-grade material for their apprenticeship gift?

However, even with such thoughts in their mind, they did not even think for a single moment to lie to Kairos, and soon the steel weapons are placed in front of their new Martial Teacher. Kairos did a quick mental calculation of the time needed and made sure that it is still not too late to head over to Hope’s mansion then he began his work.

For the next few hours, Kairos put his heart and soul into refining each of those weapons, and soon gleaming weapons with inscribed runes are ready for his disciples.

“Take one each.”

With pallid complexion, the fifteen disciples immediately went to pick up a weapon. In their hearts, they already submitted to the notion that Kairos did not think highly of them as his disciples. With their mediocre talents and low combat ranking, it couldn’t be helped.

However, what happened next made their heads tilt with confusion.

“Send in as much Origin Energy as you can into your weapon. Make sure you control the amount properly. If you do not have enough, quickly take some recovery pills.”

They obediently followed their teacher’s instruction. After a short while, several weapons started cracking. Those A rankers’ weapons are the first ones to overload with energy, and not a moment too soon, the first steel swords among them shattered into pieces.

When the weapon shattered, a tiny purple dragon with sharp claws and fearsome fangs flew out and hovered around the person, Selena.

She looked back at the tiny dragon with wide eyes that are filled with shocked, but before she could speak, Ah Gui, who is next to her, also shattered his weapon.

A teal-coloured dragon of the same size hovered in front of him.

One after another, tiny dragons flew out from the shattered weapons and hovered in front of each person. And every dragon is either emitting a burning or icy aura, regardless of the colour of the dragon’s scales.

“Hmm? Why are those dragons so different in colour Aisa?” Kairos sent a mental thought out of curiosity to the tiny primordial dragon in his blossom. His own frost dragon is blue, and his fire dragon is red.

Oh, those dragons have been coloured by different kinds of Origin Energies. They now have a fragment of a human’s soul, and their souls will resonate with that person. Don’t you feel that Dragons are very mystical and beautiful… like me?

“Yes, Aisa,” Kairos laughed in reply.

Of course, Aisa is still the best and the prettiest!

“Haha. I never doubted you are,” the boy thought with a grin.

When all fifteen of them shattered their weapons and released a tiny dragon, he spoke again, “These dragons are my gifts to you. They are small enough to hide within your pockets for now. When they grow to the point where they are almost too large to hide, you can make them your contract beast. At that time, they will be able to hide within your soul.

But for now, just focus on feeding them spiritual energy.”

The young boy told them as if this is the most natural thing in the world. As if forgetting that dragons are the sovereign race of the divine beasts, with powerful bloodlines.

“D…dragons?!”