In the Xia clan, Rien and Kuto sat on their chairs, staring at the cup of tea on the table.
"Are you sure about this?" Rien asked seriously.
Kuto nodded with a determined look. "Yes. Let's do it."
Rien exhaled slowly, pulled a cookie from the packet, and dipped it into the tea, trying to rescue the biscuit that had already drowned at the bottom.
"We can do this," Kuto said sharply, as if this was a life-and-death mission.
Rien took another deep breath, using a second biscuit to lift the fallen one — but the new biscuit snapped cleanly in half and also sank.
"Oh no…" Rien sighed, staring at the tea like he had witnessed a tragedy.
Kuto slammed his hand on the table.
"There is nothing more irritating than a biscuit diving in to save another biscuit… and both drowning!"
Rien looked around and spotted a spoon. "We can use this."
He scooped out both biscuits and placed them on a plate, soaked and lifeless.
"I don't think they can breathe anymore…" Kuto said sadly, staring down.
Rien clapped his hands three times.
"We won't forget your contribution, my dear biscuit. You will stay alive in our memories."
Kuto nodded seriously.
"Yes. Your sacrifice will be remembered."
Suddenly, Miss Lan walked in and stopped.
"What are you two doing?" she demanded, folding her arms.
Rien opened one eye and answered calmly,
"We are praying for the biscuit's soul to rest in peace."
Lan looked at the soggy biscuits and exploded,
"You two are unbelievable! Get up and get ready — we're going to another clan!"
She stormed out as Rien and Kuto clapped one last time for the fallen biscuits.
"Next time," Rien said calmly, "we'll use stronger biscuits."
Kuto stretched his arms. "So… what was she saying?"
Rien stood up. "We're going to another clan. So we need to get ready."
After several minutes…
Kuto and Rien walked out of the clan.
"Here they are," Lan said when she saw them.
Kuto's eyes sparkled when he spotted a massive aircraft.
"WOAH! Is this an airplane?!"
Miss Yin appeared beside them.
"It's an aircraft," she corrected.
They stepped inside and were shocked by the luxurious hall, with elegant chairs and polished tables.
"Wow! Everything is so fancy!" Kuto said, flopping into a chair.
Rien sat beside him. "The arrangement is impressive."
Lan and Miss Yin took the seats in front of them.
"We're going to the Tian Clan," Miss Yin said.
Kuto blinked. "Tian Clan? Are they powerful?"
Lan nodded with a sharp, confident gaze.
"Yes. They're one of the top five strongest clans in the entire Hen Lao Empire."
Rien added calmly,
"And we're going because the Tian Clan also refuses to ally with the Soul Organisation. We need them to unite the clans."
Miss Yin leaned forward.
"Exactly. If we destroy the Soul Organisation completely, our universe can rise in rank."
Kuto frowned. "How does destroying them increase the universe rank?"
Rien explained, still calm,
"The Soul Organisation members are extremely powerful. Universes ranked between 10 and 1 depend on powerhouses to maintain stability. When those members die, their universe loses cosmic strength. If we eliminate them, this universe can rise to rank 10 or 9."
Kuto scratched his head. "That's… too complicated. I'm lost."
Lan rolled her eyes.
"That's because you're stupid."
Suddenly, the aircraft stopped mid-air.
"Why did it stop?" Miss Yin asked, looking around.
Rien stood up and walked to the front of the aircraft. Kuto followed him.
People were standing in the air ahead.
"Who are these guys?" Kuto asked.
Miss Yin joined them.
"They are from the Northern Alliance."
Kuto turned to her. "Northern Alliance? What is that?"
Miss Yin answered coldly,
"They hunt strong cosmic energy users and use their souls to increase their own lifespan and power."
Kuto gulped. "Yep. They look dangerous."
Lan snorted.
"Don't worry. Your cosmic energy isn't enough for their goals."
Rien stepped into the air, walking toward the group calmly.
"You're blocking our path," he said.
The leader stepped forward. "I am Rue, leader of the Northern Alliance. I've come to take your cosmic energy."
Rien looked at him with a bored, calm gaze.
"You can't handle my cosmic energy. Move aside."
Another member stepped forward.
"Looks like you want to die by my—"
He vanished before he could finish.
Rue's eyes widened. "W–What did you do to him?!"
Rien sighed.
"I'm getting bored. Move faster."
He released a wave of cosmic energy that shook the sky. Rue stumbled back.
"We'll return for your energy!" Rue shouted as they fled into the clouds.
Rien walked back inside.
"We need to reach the Tian Clan faster. These people are boring."
Kuto whispered, smiling,
"This boy is really amazing."
Later that night…
Lan walked through the corridor and opened a room door.
"What are you two doing?" she said, seeing Rien and Kuto standing in towels, staring intensely at each other.
Rien, tall and muscular, didn't even blink.
"We're deciding who will bathe first."
Kuto's eyes were already watery from not blinking.
"You can't beat me."
Rien stared back calmly.
"We'll see."
Lan sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"You can't beat Rien, stupid."
Kuto finally blinked rapidly, rubbing his burning eyes. Rien smiled and entered the bathroom.
"We should do this every day to decide," he said, closing the door.
Lan turned to Kuto.
"You two are children."
Kuto flexed his abs. "Forget him. What do you think about my abs?"
Lan rolled her eyes and walked away.
"You're stupid. And nonsense."
But her voice had a shy, soft tone.
Kuto flopped onto the bed dramatically.
"One day… I'll impress you, Miss Lan."
Lan stood outside the door and whispered, giggling,
"Keep trying. One day, you will."
She walked away, smiling.
On the other side, at the Northern Alliance base, Rue spoke to the others.
"We need to create a powerful team. That boy's cosmic energy was so high he killed one of our members without even touching him," Rue said.
Suddenly, one of the strongest men with a high level of cosmic energy walked toward him.
"It looks like he has a lot of cosmic energy… more than us," the man said mysteriously.
Rue looked at him and nodded slightly.
"Right. I couldn't sense his cosmic energy at all. It felt like there was nothing inside him, but judging by his power—how he vanished one of our members—I can say he definitely has a huge amount of cosmic energy," Rue said, there a determined look on his face.