There were two paths to greatness in the eyes of ordinary people, but for Kayden, only one option was correct. The other was simply a path for the weak-minded and...
"I want to become a god," Konan responded without hesitation. Kayden had chosen the boy precisely for his mentality.
"Great. The first step is to abandon the paths already walked by others. Your cultivation and all your techniques came from third parties. I want you to cultivate based on this heart," said Kayden, tossing a book on the *Mana Heart* technique.
In his view, this technique was the most complete and flawless for people with physical bodies, as it increased all attributes evenly and could be followed by anyone, without restrictions.
"You must adapt it to your preferences. The foundation is something I used, but you can modify it as you see fit."
"Thank you, master," Konan said gratefully for the opportunity. Kayden had proven time and time again that he was superior to most things in this world.
************
The time he was passed. The destruction of Konan’s cultivation was a shock to the entire royalty. At first, everyone was extremely disappointed. The prince, who had the potential to surpass his father, had fallen from grace.
In a way, Konan lost prestige among the nobles, and his reputation was trashed. But he didn’t care. His mind was becoming increasingly shielded, thanks to Kayden’s teachings.
The cultivation model he chose to follow consisted of using the *Mana Heart* and imposing his path on it. Konan’s path was that of a barbarian, and his body grew stronger and more bizarrely rapid each day.
The prince delayed his progress in each realm as much as possible, following Kayden’s orders only to advance when he achieved complete perfection at each stage. This was also something unbelievable to everyone.
The only one who didn’t comment on the prince’s actions was his father, the emperor. He believed that everyone should follow their path and wouldn’t interfere, but he knew that choices always had consequences.
"He said I only have ten years to surpass my younger sister, or the throne will be hers," Konan said, distressed, to his master. Kayden had expected something like this to happen.
Over time, Konan began abandoning his social ties. After spending so much time with Kayden, he developed a sort of fascination with power, an obsession similar to that of his master, but to a much lesser degree.
This personality change wasn’t normal. Kayden had a hand in it. He was constantly testing things on the souls of people around him and implanted some of his strongest memories into Konan’s subconscious.
There weren’t many, at most five events. Still, the prince’s mindset leaped in wisdom and resilience in a completely abnormal way. The best part was that Kayden observed no direct consequences on the prince.
"What are you afraid of? Is the throne your ultimate goal?" Kayden asked, trying to guide Konan on the right path.
"But the throne was mine... it always was. I was born for it," the prince responded, repeating what everyone had told him for decades.
"No, Konan. You were forced to become a prince by your birth and then to inherit an empire that isn’t yours," Kayden commented.
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"Of course, it’s mine, master! I’m the heir," Konan said, starting to grasp Kayden’s words but faltering in his speech.
"Abandon mediocrity. You haven’t earned anything here. Everything in this place has already been tread by someone. Is that what you want? A throne to play war with other empires until the day you die? Will you settle for so little?"
Kayden’s voice wasn’t a shout, but it echoed in the prince’s mind like thunder. Not only his but also in the emperor’s, who stood at the doorway of the training room. At that moment, both realized something very important.
One of them made a decision that would change his life forever, while the other realized he was like a frog at the bottom of a well—the peak he believed he had reached was only imaginary and had no real value outside of that closed world.
A few days later, Konan invited Kayden to the kingdom’s largest social event. Naturally, Kayden refused, but after his disciple’s insistence, he felt obliged to attend.
"Kayden?" Matheus asked, dropping his cup. Kayden’s brother had blossomed as a fifth-realm mage, surpassing all the negative expectations that had been placed upon him.
It was a real surprise, this reunion. Kayden had believed that no one from his old family had any talent for this and that they would probably be swallowed up in a few years.
"No, I’m Lucas," said Kayden, releasing a few disinterested words before walking away. He no longer had any reason to keep in touch with these people.
The banquet was held outdoors, in a vast field of golden grass, artificially nourished. The most impressive thing was the number of people, easily exceeding a thousand participants.
The closer to the center, the higher the nobility and strength of the attendees. Although the social circles had no apparent divisions, no one from the lower layers dared to try to mix where they didn’t belong.
Kayden acted like a ghost, wandering the places and observing people. He was studying the differences in souls. At times, he made small alterations and watched as fights broke out, and relationships disintegrated. It was amusing how easily he could manipulate mortals.
Even making them advance in realms wasn’t difficult. Kayden only needed to find people on the verge of advancement and give them the small push they needed, placing the right knowledge in their minds.
Kayden’s presence at the event went unnoticed, but he made it the most chaotic and exciting event in centuries. Fights broke out in droves, wars were declared—it was pure entertainment.
Moreover, old warriors once considered dead weight, returned to action by advancing in the realm. Practically everything changed. In just a few hours, dozens of conflicts and advancements occurred.
"I ask for the attention of the emperor and the entire kingdom at this moment" Konan put mana in his voice and made herself heard by every inch of that environment, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the prince who was floating in the air.