The world was slowly changing as Kayden’s disciples gained more and more influence in the global dynamics. Each could rival the greatest geniuses, but they were also the cause of most wars and heinous crimes.
Those with any power and influence in this world understood that the disciples who left Kayden’s temple were the ones who had failed, and they were the majority. Konan was the only one who had never left Kayden, which meant that this disciple had not yet failed.
The wars were supposed to stop over time, but they only continued with greater frequency. Most were caused by Kayden’s disciples, with their unstable minds and high-level talents. As time went on, these disciples began to be hunted as signs of misfortune. Wherever they went, something bad happened. The people were tired of fighting wars caused by them, and everyone understood that those who left the temple were failures.
Kayden began killing those who were too unstable as soon as they were expelled from his temple. This caused the number of disastrous events to decrease significantly, and their recovery improved somewhat. All of this was done so that the number of participants in his tests wouldn’t dwindle. Kayden was searching for a mage who could surpass Konan, but he doubted he would find one. The prince’s mind was ridiculously superior to anyone else Kayden had encountered.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Konan reached the sixth realm and managed to summon eight lightning bolts during his ascension. It was an incredible event that solidified him as the second most powerful mage on the planet, second only to Kayden.
"At this moment, you are stronger than me and practically all the seventh-realm mages," Konan heard as soon as he landed after the test. "If you want the honor and glory that come with power, I will let you go after dominion over this world. All the women, all the riches, all the treasures will be yours," Kayden sweetened his words with honey and a few soul attacks.
"No, master. I seek power, not worldly things," Konan’s mindset was ridiculously well-trained. He didn’t even waver in his decision. Long ago, he had given up on pursuing common pleasures.
"Are you sure? Glory is just one step away." Kayden was bombarding Konan’s soul with all his strength at that moment, and the boy’s mind was beginning to show signs of faltering.
"No, master," Konan resisted fiercely and rejected every one of Kayden’s advances. Finally, his mind had made the leap Kayden wanted. At that moment, he was unique, a singular existence over which Kayden no longer had control.
"Congratulations, Konan. You have passed the first stage of becoming a Monarch," Kayden began to explain everything he knew about the Monarchs to his disciples and how to become one. At that moment, a new world opened up for Konan.
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Konan’s mind was strong, but perhaps Kayden had rushed things too much, or perhaps he had dreamed too high, and Monarchs couldn’t be created. But he doubted the latter, for everyone is born with infinite possibilities for development; they just need to be guided down the right paths.
Konan had been in a coma for 23 years since he began imposing his will on mana, just as Kayden had done the first time he attempted to become a Monarch. At least he was still showing signs of life; all Kayden had to do was wait.
In the meantime, he continued to produce disciples. With each passing day, more people were infected with Kayden’s mindset. The boy had written a book and sent it to the emperors for distribution.
He wasn’t able to change everyone’s mind in this world directly, but slowly, he made small changes through interventions capable of generating direct results over time. The number of Kayden’s disciples continued to grow, and time kept passing. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years had passed, and at that moment, Kayden’s first major failure appeared.
Konan ended up dying naturally. His soul was completely shattered and cast directly onto the path of resurrection. Kayden didn’t even get to see his disciple die. So many years were wasted in a matter of seconds.
Even after all that time, Konan was still the person Kayden had invested in the most and who had gone the farthest. At that moment, he was able to push his disciples to a total of 50% cleansing of past lives.
This percentage placed them directly at the peak of the realms. Achieving seven lightning bolts was child’s play for them, but eight lightning bolts were still something special that only a tiny number had been able to reach.
Seven lightning bolts only required the strength to challenge the heavens, but eight lightning bolts was a far greater stage. One needed something beyond common geniuses; one had to be completely unique in their path and power.
This proved to Kayden that he could create monsters, but he couldn’t create geniuses. There was a subtle difference between them, but as one progressed through the realms, it became more and more apparent.
After Konan, other failures came. Kayden remained alive as time passed—thousands and thousands of years, hundreds of thousands of years, living only to study the soul and search for a way to progress.
Time no longer meant anything to him. Kayden had lived long enough to see both emperors die and others take their places. He watched the world descend into chaos over control of the empire.
The former princesses were strong, but some geniuses could go far beyond them. It was amusing to see how a mage from absolute obscurity managed to ascend to the seventh realm with eight lightning bolts and wipe out any existing dynasty.
Kayden appeared at his coronation ceremony. As soon as he stepped into the hall, everyone fell silent. It seemed the world was about to face the greatest battle in a long time, but fortunately, Kayden merely greeted him and watched the ceremony.
So much time had passed that no one dared to challenge him anymore. Kayden was the oldest man walking these lands, and even the oldest mage there remembered their parents saying Kayden was already an old man.