---
Musa's features lifted with quiet tension as he spoke in a low voice:
"Regarding the emblem you saw…"
Eugene raised his palm carelessly, his eyes closed, pretending indifference:
"I'm not interested in that symbol."
Musa's eyebrow rose in surprise. After his explosive reaction that day, his obvious lie, and his curious personality… now he says he's not interested? Is he lying to me?
Musa took a sip of his tea, then asked,
"Then… what do you want?"
Eugene hesitated for a moment; he hadn't truly thought about why he had approached Musa. After a brief silence, he inquired,
"Earlier… I went to the library—" Musa's eyebrow rose again "—and read on one of the pages of the Farmers' World Guide something called 'Paths'… what are they?"
Musa let out an astonished chuckle.
"Since when do you go to the library?!"
Eugene looked at him seriously.
"I'm trying to compensate for the loss of my talent."
Musa set his cup down calmly.
"You mean the Seven Paths… or the Six, right?"
Eugene nodded.
"Well, you know that a cultivator can only take eleven potions—or imprints—correct?" Eugene nodded again. "And you know that these imprints must align with the same material or immaterial concept, correct?"
Eugene nodded once more while picking up a piece of cake.
"Good… All the imprints in the world, and all the systems you can form from imprints and different concepts, are classified under six or seven Paths."
Cream covered Eugene's mouth as he asked with curiosity and confusion,
"But… what's the point? Why classify them into only six Paths?"
Musa raised a single finger. Eugene looked at him questioningly, and he continued:
"Simply… because the six—or seven—Paths summarize and condense nearly all the concepts of the universe."
Eugene tilted his head in confusion.
"I don't understand."
"Ah, focus with me. They are six Paths that encapsulate the concepts of the universe. Each Path has its own peak—the pinnacle of the cultivators' world—and each Path possesses a different form and foundation at that peak, creating variations in power stages even among the strongest people in the world. For example, the Path of agricultural cu—"
Suddenly, a group of people gathered around Musa. Some began flattering him for his status, others expressed admiration for his strength, and some asked about the level of their son or daughter.
Eugene stood from his chair and returned to his table with Ren and Fred, leaving Musa occupied with the crowd.
He sat down while Ren ate quietly. Eugene looked around, then asked,
"Where did Rem and Melissa go?"
Ren answered while drinking orange juice,
"I think they went for a walk… or to try on dresses."
A light silence settled between Ren and Eugene, accompanied by distant music and singing.
---
On the second floor, inside a room overlooking the celebration, the walls were draped in brown and white with elegant architectural ornaments, and luxurious furniture lay in its corners like precious jewels.
Kanfi sat at the table, sipping tea. Before him, by the glass balcony overlooking the party… stood a tall woman, her hair yellow like wheat, her eyes blue like the sky at dawn. She wore a wide dress blended with white and light green.
"What's wrong? You haven't eaten anything since morning."
She turned toward him. Freckles scattered across her face like stars, her cheeks pink like spring blossoms. She was in her late thirties, yet appeared in her twenties. She spoke in a warm, confident voice, slightly low:
"I have a cold… it's truly annoying. I can't taste the food, so I haven't eaten anything."
"But that's not good. You must eat even if you can't taste it."
She shook her head gently.
"A painting without colors is like a human without emotions… it has no flavor and no pleasure to behold. Besides, our bodies were created to endure hunger, not to grow accustomed to it."
Kanfi chuckled lightly.
"What's this? Have you suddenly turned into a poet?"
The woman returned her gaze downward, toward Eugene and Ren's table. A wave of conflicting emotions passed through her eyes: sadness, happiness, wonder, astonishment… all captured in a single glance.
"Moooom!"
The luxurious wooden door opened, and Melissa rushed toward her mother, throwing herself into her warm embrace. Melissa might be strong and fierce, but in the end she was three years younger than Eugene… thirteen years old.
Her mother, standing by the window, embraced her tenderly.
"My little one… how was your birthday?"
"It was wonderful! But why didn't you come?"
Her mother smiled gently.
"I'm sick, my little one. If I had gone to the party, I would have infected everyone."
Melissa raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"It's just a cold… it's not that serious!"
Kanfi intervened from behind them.
"True… it's not serious, but it's extremely annoying. And besides… your mother isn't the type to put her comfort above everyone else's."
---
The clock struck three-thirty. The celebration ended, and the guests gradually dispersed.
Eugene exited the palace, followed by Ren, Fred, and Rem.
Warm refreshing air, a glowing blue sky streaked with white clouds like cotton pieces. Eugene enjoyed the weather, taking a deep breath that filled his chest.
"It was a wonderful visit." Rem smiled while bidding Melissa farewell.
They stood at the door exchanging goodbyes:
"See you… later."
"Goodbye."
They headed toward the train station. Before reaching it, Eugene asked,
"Hey, Ren… what time do lectures start?"
Ren thought for a moment.
"I think… nine-thirty."
"Good, great… then there's time."
Fred looked at Eugene questioningly.
"Time… for what?"
Eugene pointed toward one of the streets, where a cinema sign glimmered at its end.
"Time to watch a movie… and eat popcorn."
Ren looked surprised, Fred silent, and Rem raised an eyebrow, her mouth slightly open.
Ren spoke in astonishment:
"Brother… it seems the extra sugar has put you in hyper mode."
Rem added,
"Don't you feel tired? Sleepy? Exhausted?"
"No… I'm fully energized."
Ren turned toward the station.
"I'm not going. You go."
Rem said the same.
But as they turned, Eugene said with a sly side smile:
"Well… I suppose you'll regret missing the Red Golden Candy. Wasn't it one of your wishes to taste it? I heard they're serving it today at Melissa's cinema… and today is the last day it's offered for free."
Ren's eyes widened. He turned back, closing his eyes and lifting his chin with exaggerated pride.
"What movie are you planning to watch? Just… know that I don't like spider films."
Rem looked at Ren, then at Eugene, and before she could speak—
"It's the movie 'Valley Cat.'"
"Valley Cat?!" Rem paused, then turned with the same expression and tone as Ren.
"I'll sit near the air conditioner… the cinema is usually hot."
Fred looked at them, then at Eugene.
"Well… if you're all going, I'll go too. Staying at the academy all this time… is boring alone."
Eugene let out a quiet victorious chuckle.
They headed down a long street, its red houses pressed together on both sides, its ground paved with gray bricks, lanterns casting warm yellow light along the path. They walked beneath a sign reading: "Adil District… Johnson Street."
As they walked, Fred felt a strange sensation creeping into him.
Eugene turned toward Fred, noticing his repeated glances around them.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Rem and Ren looked at Fred as well.
He turned to them, his face uneasy.
"Nothing… I just feel something strange."
"Strange feeling? Maybe you're just tired," Rem said as she kept walking.
"Maybe?!"
They continued, and suddenly Ren noticed something odd. When they reached an open area with a fountain at its center, houses arranged in a circle around the square, and in the middle… the cinema.
Ren stopped briefly, then said in a low voice:
"Guys… do you notice that the place… is strangely quiet? I mean, this is a district near the market, it's supposed to be crowded!"
They all stopped. Rem looked around.
"Maybe they're sleeping? I mean… it's still very early…"
But Eugene interrupted:
"There are people… night shifts returning to work at this hour. Not to mention late-night workers, merchants, or even worshippers."
His comment intensified the tension. In the midst of the frightening silence, as their breaths nearly halted—
"Poof!"
A long, smooth iron chain suddenly appeared, wrapping around the bag Eugene was carrying—the one Melissa had given him to avoid suspicion. In an instant, the bag was snatched from his hand as if seized by an invisible force.
Ren, Eugene, Fred, and Rem turned toward the source of the chain.
There he was… a man with long white hair cascading like snow, a thick white beard, wearing loose clothes the color of fire, a large hat resembling a cowboy's, leaning on a wooden cane. He stood atop one of the houses, then descended with agility envied for his age, holding the bag as the lamplight fell upon his features.
A wrinkled face like barren land. Gray eyes surrounded by heavy shadows like the shade of death.
A Third-Grade cultivator… and his smile promised nothing good.
---
To be continued…