At the headquarters of the Longus family...
In a remote part of that headquarters built among the trees of the great forest in which it was located, a group of mid-level Spiritual Sages was gathered in secret.
This group was basically composed of hybrids of humans and beasts, members of the lower nobility of this family.
When they had come to this continent, part of the family that had mixed with spiritual beasts to ensure their survival had been demoted afterward and had lost part of their privileges.
Even though they used this strategy to strengthen the whole family, those who had remained pure and benefited from this decision to mix their lineage with others saw these beings as their inferiors.
Precisely because of this, the men and women gathered in this group were already opposed to the patriarch's group, even for matters not connected to the chosen one.
They were not enemies of those people to the point of starting a rebellion within the family. Still, the differences between them and the leaders of this house existed and caused friction from time to time.
However, upon finding out about Minos' situation, the most important members of one of the three factions of the Longus family were soon gathered to expose their thoughts contrary to those of the family leadership.
"That's treason!"
"What they are doing is spitting on our ancestor's grave and coveting an inheritance that does not belong to them!"
"Heaven will not forgive the family if we continue on this unforgivable path!"
"If part of the ancestor still exists somewhere, he must be excommunicating us now!"
The opinions there were not subtle; everyone was expressing anger and shame at what they had just discovered.
Not only were their leaders not going to carry out the orders left by the only God this family had ever had, who had left them riches that had prevented the family's demise on four occasions along the river of time, but they were also threatening Minos!
A level 85 woman, with brown scales over much of her body and razor-sharp teeth like those of crocodiles, said to the group leader. "We have to do something. The ancestor didn't leave his heritage with the family for a good reason.
We were so loyal to him then that everyone would have been willing to die if he commanded that. But even so, he chose to leave his main inheritance to someone different...
He must have foreseen that only someone from the outside could guide us toward the light amidst the darkness of the catastrophe approaching us!"
"Yes!" the ancestor Longus was a God. He knew what was best for us.
We must help the chosen one somehow!"
The faction leader, a level 86 man, tall and very muscular, with a pair of red wings on his back, then said. "All right, here's what we'll do..."
...
In the blink of an eye, another six months passed...
In this period, the invisible war between the South and West of the Central Continent intensified, and fears of what was about to begin were reaching their limits.
Recently news had appeared in several areas of the continent informing about the beginning of Duncan's seclusion, which was supposed to be coming soon.
Everyone already knew that this man's movements would decide the fate of the war over these regions, so anything with his name on it would shake the continent.
As a result of the rumors that nobody knew whether they were true or false, the already boiling Central Continent was getting worse.
But in the midst of this, the Divine-grade medicine of the Seraphim Spatial Kingdom was reaching its peak, which would really decide the moment when Duncan would go into seclusion.
Because of this, this man was closer than ever to beginning his attempt to advance to the 11th stage!
However, contrary to rumor, he was not as close to leaving for his Spatial Kingdom as soon as they talked about it.
At most, he would leave 3 or 4 years early, but he still intended to stay a little longer to help his faction prepare for the hard times ahead.
Amid this, Minos was at a crucial moment in his seclusion, reaching the 9th stage!
While the northern region lived in anticipation of this breakthrough, mostly ignorant of the threats upon their leader, his men were looking forward to his return from the Spatial Kingdom.
The more time passed, the greater the chances that powerful enemies would attack the empire or that the truth about local wealth would spread worldwide.
But just 999 days after reaching level 79, Minos reached the maximum threshold and broke through the barrier of the 8th with the 9th stage!
...
Inside the Spatial Kingdom of Minos...
At this instant, everyone in this place was watching Minos' stage advancement, smiling as they saw the spiritual and physical changes he was undergoing.
The typical sound of advancement had already emerged from within Minos. Hence, everyone in the surrounding area knew he had already overcome the most challenging time in his cultivation and was now stabilizing his strength at a new level.
So Abby, Ruth, Gloria, Isabella, and Sarah were celebrating along with little Kendrick about Minos' advancement, relieved that he had finally reached this point.
As they hugged each other, the individuals who had remained there while the Spiritual Sages of Minos' forces were in the empire looking after the local security were also celebrating.
Everyone was sensing how quickly Minos' forces were rising, with his innate ability becoming even stronger.
It would not qualitatively evolve since he had not undergone an evolution in his Physique. But it was experiencing a relevant quantitative change.
Now he no longer passed the feeling that he was a false Spiritual Sage, as happened when he raised his level artificially and temporarily to the 9th stage with his innate ability.
Now the solidity of Minos' spiritual fluctuations was dense, charged with the vast understanding of cultivation he had gained.
Amidst this, all of his 8 techniques evolved in phases, showing themselves to be more powerful even without him activating them.
As a cultivator grew stronger, their techniques began to integrate with their powers as if they were no longer external techniques but innate abilities.
As such, by going through yet another stage and pushing his techniques further into his being, Minos displayed them even without realizing it.
The people on the outskirts of the Spatial Kingdom realized this first through the Devouring Art, as they felt their energies dwindling in front of Minos.
Amidst this, he opened his eyes and clenched his fists, feeling all the power within his grasp.
...
