Kayden always held his classes sitting on a tree trunk that was located several dozen meters high outside the city. The city was large and could house a few hundred million, but hundreds of billions were at a different level.
"In a world where there was no mana at all, humans were ordinary beings. They could only rely on the limits of their body and mind." The idea of a world without mana was terrifying. "I came from that world, and through many different circumstances, I ended up here." Kayden’s revelation was deafening to most, as they knew nothing about him.
"Lies! My great-grandfather told me he met your family in the old empire," a voice emerged from the crowd with a degree of courage that no one there could believe. Kayden had placed that person there.
"Are you insinuating that I’m lying?" Kayden smiled and made a soul contract in front of everyone so that he wouldn’t lie for the next few minutes. "I came from that planet. It probably doesn’t exist anymore, but we didn’t have mana. We were just weak humans with no perspective."
Kayden’s revelations shocked everyone, especially those who had been around since the time he was just a boy. These were an absolute minority, only those who had surpassed the fourth realm lived long enough, and they were few—ridiculously few.
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"Most humans in that place lived lives of illusions, chasing material goods above all else, much like the way you pursue social titles." Kayden delivered yet another blow to many there. "But a few went beyond and tested their limits, trained their bodies and minds to the human limit and beyond it. Most of you don’t remember, but what’s the limit of a human who never cultivated? How many kilometers can they run?"
Many attended Kayden’s lectures to witness the heart of the world, so they knew some of Kayden’s questions were open for the brave to answer. They had to be brave, as there was the pressure of half a trillion people against them.
"I believe 100 kilometers is a good point for a highly trained human," the emperor of the dark side answered Kayden after a few seconds of silence.
His words were echoed by the majority there, but few truly understood the strength of a human who had never cultivated. They were extremely rare, usually due to problems they were born with, and no one sane would refuse to believe.
"Georges Holtyzer ran 673 kilometers with only a few breaks to attend to his physiological needs." An eerie silence fell upon everyone there, even some first-realm mages weren’t sure they could achieve that.
"The mind is capable of going far beyond what our bodies can. Most of you have never even come close to the true limit of your bodies. You get tired and think you’ve done your best."
Kayden’s words were once again like a slap in the face for everyone, even the emperors were deep in thought. No one there had truly reached such a terrifying point as George.
"And you think that’s the maximum? Jonas Deichmann cycled 180 kilometers," Kayden had shown this vehicle to the world a few months earlier, "ran 42 kilometers, and swam another 5 kilometers." These numbers were already impressive, but it became even worse when Kayden added, "every day for 120 days."
120 days completing what is known as an Ironman challenge. It was simply unbelievable that the human body could achieve something like that. It was simply too large a number—practically one-third of an entire year.
"Do you understand where I’m getting at? You may be strong, the most powerful mages in your realms, and yet I doubt any of you have ever worked as hard as a man who never felt mana in his life. End of the lecture."
Each of Kayden’s classes was a shock for most people. The topics were always different. Sometimes he taught techniques that would be reasons for wars between nations, while other times he simply imparted life lessons.
Both were important. Fools believed only the techniques were superior, and that brute force would always prevail. This was the mindset of the majority, but a few were wise and able to understand the quality of Kayden’s teachings.
"The test will happen in an hour," Kayden concluded his lecture and vanished. About an hour later, he returned to the same place and unleashed his full aura and killing intent.
Most collapsed to the ground unconscious as soon as the test began. Many didn’t understand the true difficulty of the test and came just for fun, which caused a few deaths from shock every year.
The rest were divided into those who could only stay conscious and those who were able to think at least a little. The latter were the ones capable of attempting the trial.
Again, only a tiny number succeeded in this trial. In fact, only four people were able to walk to Kayden, while the rest failed and were left in the void to recover on their own.
The number of Kayden’s disciples kept growing and shrinking in equal measure. He could ensure they lost about 20% of their life force with total safety. Beyond that, problems would begin to arise.
Kayden made sure they reached the 20% mark in just five years of alternating sessions, and with some resources, he only politely requested and received from the emperors, he was able to accelerate the disciples’ mental recovery.
The success rate was still 0%. No disciple, besides Konan, had been able to keep their mind intact beyond 35%. At the moment, this was the limit Konan had reached, and it had become an insurmountable barrier to Kayden’s abilities.
After a few more centuries, Kayden managed to increase the limit by 5%, using a technique that involved placing a person’s soul back into themselves. This would consolidate it while also destroying it.
When Konan reached the 40% mark, he became a true monster. His techniques became something beautiful to watch; he was practically a new person. But even so, Kayden didn’t think he was ready to try becoming a monarch.
Konan’s mind was strong—the strongest Kayden had ever encountered in all these years. But unfortunately, he still wasn’t capable of facing the monarch, at least not yet.