The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion
Chapter 217: 217: Cultivating Geniuses - 2

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Cultivating Geniuses – 2

The energy of Predation crept out of the human king’s body, surrounding the four women.

It filled the entire throne hall with its otherworldly, nightmarish, and monstrous presence, starting to shape and condense around them.

The women trusted their king without a single hesitation.

They knew he wouldn’t hurt them in any way, so they remained silent and allowed him to do whatever he wished.

The energy of Damian’s Predation began to cover them, as if they were submerged under water.

Then it started to seep into their skin, into their physical bodies, into their organic matter, into their blood, into every organ and tissue, into their very souls, like water absorbed by a sponge.

Despite their absolute trust in their king, the presence of his energy still filled them with fear.

Their eyes remained tightly shut.

Still, they could feel something happening, something powerful and undeniable, reaching into every part of their existence.

Damian had his energy-covered palm pointed toward the four women, bathed in the red and purple glow of his Predation ability.

He closed his eyes and focused deeply.

The energy of Predation became part of his hands themselves.

He could feel his energy penetrating every fiber of their beings.

After all, he was attempting something that had never been done before, something even he had never tried.

The women felt both warmth and cold flood their bodies.

For a few moments, they felt light.

Their senses dulled completely; they could no longer feel what was happening inside them.

They momentarily lost all connection to their powers and abilities.

This state lasted for a couple of minutes before the energy of Predation returned to Damian’s palm.

Moments after Damian finished whatever he had done, the women finally opened their eyes.

As they did, their bodies released intense waves of energy, like steam bursting from a high-pressure cooker.

From Yuki, a wave of pure and refined [Qi] burst out in every direction, surrounding her with a light blue aura.

The same was true for the others:

From Maria, a brilliant silver-white light of [Holy Essence] radiated outward.

From Shiru, a purplish-black aura of [Dark Essence] cloaked her, bringing her a sense of excellent ease.

From Ana, a thick blue mist of [Mana] evaporated from her body, drawn from the depths of her mana core.

Together, they experienced the same overwhelming sensation: their energy reserves had grown significantly, their senses were sharper, and their attunement to their inner powers had deepened by a vast margin.

They instinctively knew that the speed of their cultivation had increased dramatically.

Not only that, their physical strength had also grown stronger than ever.

Even Ana, who was a mage and not a cultivator, felt her body becoming tougher and her physical might increasing.

And more than anything, they could feel their energy reserves steadily growing on their own.

“…Y-Your Highness…” the four high humans looked at their king with wide, rejuvenated eyes, silently asking for answers.

“How do you feel?” the human king asked calmly, observing them with his [Eyes of Earth and Heaven], analyzing the changes he had made.

He scanned carefully for any rejection or defects, but everything was perfectly settled. No negative side effects were occurring.

“I feel… stronger,” Ana replied, her voice filled with awe. “My sensitivity to [Mana] has increased by a huge margin… and my mind feels clearer, as if I’ve experienced some kind of epiphany…”

She looked at her hand, where small specks of mana danced across her palm like a thick blue flame.

The others nodded, echoing her experience, they had all undergone the same transformation.

“Good,” Damian said. “Do you want to know what I did to you?”

The four women nodded rapidly like chickens, eager to understand.

Damian began to explain:

First, he had used his [Predation] ability to do what no other could.

Unlike [Devourer], which requires him to absorb something into his spiritual space to manipulate or edit it, Predation allows him to project his power externally and manipulate or edit anything in real time as though it were an extension of his own limbs.

Using this ability, he made subtle alterations to their physical bodies using his own energy and essence, not to simply make them stronger, but to make them better in every way.

He performed several changes, all with the goal of turning them into geniuses among geniuses.

First, he used his Predation energy to cleanse their bodies, removing all impurities, toxins, waste, and mundane filth lingering within them.

Second, he altered their constitutions, particularly their meridians.

Every person possesses 20 meridians, but only 12 can normally be opened.

Opening all 20 requires an unimaginable amount of energy, and no beginner in cultivation could hope to do it.

Even the most talented individuals cannot hope to it.

Damian had been able to open his 20 meridians using his Extraction ability to absorb enormous energy and force them open.

But others could not do the same, not even with help, because opening meridians must be done by oneself.

It’s a kind of spiritual law.

Maria, Shiru, and Yuki had only ever opened 12 meridians.

Ana, being a mage, had never opened a single one, and once she formed a mana core, she was no longer capable of opening them at all.

But Damian, being the anomaly and monster he was, used his Predation energy to destroy the seals on their remaining meridians without causing harm, and successfully opened all 20 meridians in all four women, even Ana.

Third, he enhanced their energy absorption and processing rates by strengthening and stretching their energy circuits and energy streams to their limits.

Using his unique energy, [Infinity Essence], he not only increased their input and output capacity but also made their circuits more durable than ever before, immune to destruction even under extreme pressure.

This process had an unexpected side effect: their minds and their mental strength were passively enhanced.

He also did something special for Ana alone.

She was the only one with a [Mana Core].

Damian used his [Infinity Essence] to fortify her core.

It changed color from thick blue to golden-blue.

This didn’t mean her core had become like his.

She still couldn’t use [Infinity Essence], only Damian could.

There was only one being in existence capable of using that energy, and it was him.

What he had done for Ana was simply to reinforce her mana core, giving it another layer of defense.

This would make her core more resilient.

There could also be some minor positive effects, perhaps her mana’s effectiveness would increase slightly, making her spells more potent than the average mage’s.

But Damian wasn’t sure what other benefits might manifest over time.

The next thing he did was use the properties of his [Infinity Essence] to greatly enhance their physical constitutions, their bones, vessels, flesh, and more.

But the final thing he altered within them was probably the most ridiculous of all.

He used his [Infinity Essence] to transform their Dantians.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s [Qi Cultivation], [Holy Essence Cultivation], or [Dark Essence Cultivation], all of them require a Dantian to cultivate.

Even Damian, who used the merged ultimate form of energy [Infinity Essence], still needed a Dantian to cultivate that energy and strengthen his physical capabilities.

He transformed their entire Dantians into Golden Dantians by fortifying them with his own energy.

It was similar to what he did to Ana’s Mana Core.

Even Ana, who wasn’t a cultivator, had her Dantian transformed into a Golden Dantian.

Damian slowly explained everything to the four High Humans as simply as possible, helping them understand how he had transformed them from mere talents into geniuses among geniuses.

The more they listened, the wider their eyes became, and the more their minds trembled with shock.

Damian looked at Ana. “Turn around, Ana.”

Ana obeyed, turning around and showing her back to her king with a red face.

“I’ve unlocked all your meridians. You can cultivate [Qi] now,” Damian said, placing his palm on her back, right along her spine.

“B-But… I’m a mage. Wouldn’t I lose my ability to cast magic if I start cultivating [Qi]?” Ana asked worriedly.

“Hehe, don’t worry… You’ve now become capable of practicing both magic and [Qi Cultivation] at the same time,” Damian continued as his hand began to glow with a light blue aura.

“I’ll teach you how to circulate [Qi] without disturbing your Mana circuits. Now, close your eyes and concentrate on my energy…”

Ana closed her eyes and focused.

Unlike Damian, who had the ability to merge different energies, Ana could not.

She had to keep [Mana] and [Qi] separate within her body.

So Damian had created a brand-new [Qi Circulation Method] for her, and also for Yuki, who had developed the capability to practice both magic and [Qi Cultivation].

Using his own [Qi] as a navigator, he circulated it inside Ana, guiding her on how and where to move her Qi without interfering with her Mana circuits or Mana Core.

Once he was done with her, he did the same for Yuki, helping her create a [Mana Core] and establish Mana circuits, enabling her to practice magic for the first time.

As soon as her Mana Core was created, she awakened her magical affinity, two elements: [Fire] and, interestingly, [Darkness].

Then he turned to Maria and Shiru.

Their cultivation paths were identical, except for the opposing energies they used as their source: [Holy Essence] and

These two were the strongest of the four without a doubt, but with Yuki and Ana now able to practice both Magic and [Qi Cultivation], they might soon surpass Maria and Shiru with a little more training.

However, Damian had a way to balance this, by enabling Maria and Shiru to use magic as well.

But that wasn’t possible, not normally.

Their bodies were already filled to the brim with powerful energy, [Holy Essence] for Maria, [Dark Essence] for Shiru.

If [Mana] were introduced, their bodies would implode.

But Damian had a solution.

[Qi] and [Mana] were able to coexist in a single vessel because they each occupied their own separate space for storage, manipulation, and channeling.

[Holy Essence] and [Dark Essence], on the other hand, were far more superior forms of energy.

They completely saturated the user’s body, leaving no space for another energy to be housed.

“Maria, Shiru, it’s your turn,” Damian said.

They both turned around, showing their slender backs to their king.

He placed his right palm on Shiru’s back and his left palm on Maria’s.

“Watch how I circulate your energy and learn it.”

His [Dark Essence] entered Shiru.

His [Holy Essence] entered Maria.

He guided them as he taught them a brand-new, never-before-seen energy circulation method.

As the energy circulated within them, it began to converge at a single point, then condense.

Within a few seconds, inside Maria, a [Holy Essence Core] was created. Inside Shiru, a [Dark Essence Core] took shape, along with a brand-new energy pathway.

“Now, for the knowledge,” he said as he removed his hands from their backs and placed them on their heads, transmitting vast quantities of information directly into their minds.

As the knowledge entered, their eyes widened in another round of disbelief.

“Holy Magic?” Maria muttered in shock.

“I… I can use Dark Magic?” Shiru’s voice trembled with awe.

“Yes,” Damian said calmly. “You can now use magic. Shiru can use Dark Magic, and Maria can use Holy Magic. And not just that. With the creation of your cores, your energy circulation will become far more controlled, and the use of your energy much more efficient. Your stamina will increase.”

“And now, you can freely expand your energy reserves by directly pouring your energy into the cores without needing to cultivate or break through.”

He smiled softly, then turned his face toward another direction, where he could sense five beautiful vampires about to awaken from their long slumber.