Elize Ravi stepped through the portal with trepidation. It was the ministry’s executive portal, so the waiting room was thankfully empty.

She walked through the door at the end of the room and stepped out into another reception, this one with a young woman sitting behind the desk at the end of the room. The woman was on her feet before Elize was through the door.

Elize walked into the large office connected to the waiting room, motioning to her secretary to follow. The door shut with a click as her secretary activated the privacy working embedded into the space in the room then went to stand in front of the large desk, waiting for her boss to address her.

“Everyl,” Elize greeted after taking her seat behind the desk. While Most people didn’t bother with chairs, she’d always found sitting relaxing “Did anyone come looking for me while I was gone.”

“Yes, Lady Elize,“ she said. “The minister sent a letter.”

Even now after so long, Everyl still refused to call her by her name. She hadn’t believed when she was warned about it but a few years of having the girl serve as her secretary had thoroughly changed her opinion. She’d soon realised that the Children of the Five had manners as unchangeable as their ancestors and all efforts at change were simply pointless.

“I’d like to see the letter now please,” she said, her heart filled with dread. “And check the point-of-arrival when you leave here. Just in case fate decides to smile on us.”

The door clicked shut as her secretary left her to focus on the letter in front of her. She knew what it contained, of course. Even if she hadn’t been expecting it for the past few months, she’d just returned from the meeting where the final decision was taken.

She still opened the physical letter —because the ministry was obsessed with being formal— and forced herself to read through it, if only to note the exact wording. She threw it back on the table just a second later.

She shouldn’t have been surprised; she’d been expecting it for years now. She even understood the decision. Her department had been inactive for centuries after all. None of that mattered at the moment though.

At that moment, all that mattered was that Director Elize, head of the department of Extra-planar relations, was about to lose her job.

* * *

Everyl of the Fifth tried to compose herself as she walked towards the control room of the point-of-arrival. For what must have been the twentieth time that day, she gave a silent plea to her ancestor. If anyone could give them a miracle, it was the Fifth.

Her heart ached as she opened the door of the room. It was powered down, as she’d expected, and in that moment, she knew all hope was lost. The department would be dissolved, and her Lady would be sent out of the ministry.

After every scan she tried came up with nothing, she turned to leave the room. She was barely out when an alarm started ringing. An alarm that sent excitement tingling up her spine.

Everyl might not have been there at the last ascension, but she had done extensive tests to prepare for every possible scenario the point-of-arrival could require.

She knew a successful ascension when she saw one.

She suppressed the urge to jump in excitement. She had to tell her Lady.

As she sped through the halls of the ministry, too fast to even register as a blur, a part of her felt smug as she thought back to her pleas.

Even here, the Fifth still watched over her own.

Xiao Lee woke up in an unfamiliar room.

For a moment, during the journey through the void between realms, he had lost consciousness. He did not know how long he spent making the journey.

He put that thought out of his mind. It did not really matter how long he spent unconscious.

He looked around at his surroundings taking in the room around him. Seeing nothing of note, he extended his spiritual senses for a brief moment before freezing in shock.

It wasn’t the fact that the entire room was made from heavenly grade materials, or that the formations worked into the room were far more complex than any he had ever seen that made him freeze.

It was the qi.

He’d thought the qi in the pod was plenty, perhaps even similar to what the heavens would have.

He just realised how wrong he was.

The air was packed with so much qi that it was a miracle it wasn’t choking him. He tried to absorb some. Just a wisp for a test.

He gasped in shock.

It was the best thing he’d ever experienced.

Pure, unadulterated qi, multiple grades higher than any he’d ever felt before, rushed into his body at miraculous speeds. It flowed through him even without cycling actively and he could feel it slightly empowering his body.

He directed his senses inwards, scanning his spirit to see what had changed.

His core felt much bigger, like a typical advancement. The qi it contained, however, had changed. It was dense, unbelievably so. He couldn’t provide an estimate, but he knew that it was by far the single biggest leap he had made at a time.

His spirit was vast and untouchable, with divine lightning running through it to strike any enemy spirits. Or at least that was how it felt to him. His body, reforged as it was, felt like an unshakeable mountain.

He felt powerful in a way that he had never felt before. Like there was nothing that could even hinder his path.

He basked in the sweet deception of absolute power for a few seconds before he remembered the formation around him, and reality came crashing down.

He truly was powerful and back home, he would be completely unstoppable.

He wasn’t on Xenus though.

These were the higher realms and here he would likely be a small fish. Too weak to even matter.

It wouldn’t stay that way for long, he knew. He would do what he always did.

He would advance.

Not even the heavens could hold him back.

He shook his head sardonically at the thought. He was a god for less than a day and he was already planning to defy the heavens again.

He knew himself. Truly acknowledged his strengths and weaknesses, the reflection had proven as much.

Knowing didn’t mean he had to like it though.

Engrossed as he was in his thoughts, he was still divine, newly ascended or not. So, he felt it immediately when a formation at the edge of the room subtly activated seconds before a door-sized hole opened in the wall.

The urge to fall to his knees was overwhelming as a woman stepped into the room.

He had known there’d be people much more powerful than him when he ascended. He’d even thought himself prepared for it. He was at the bottom just two decades ago after all.

He could handle being weak again. It wouldn’t even be too difficult.

Only now did he realise how wrong he was.

The woman who walked into the room was by far the most powerful being he had encountered.

It was obvious she was holding back her power. Yet even her restrained aura was enough to completely change his expectation of power.

His resolve to reach the top, unshakable as it usually was, wavered.

Just as he was trying to control himself, she spoke.

“Greetings ascendant”.

And the world broke.

He barely had time to process what she said before he was falling into darkness.

When he came to a few seconds later, he was lying face first on the floor, a hand resting lightly on his shoulder. He startled as he rose to his feet in an instant, his body subconsciously taking a fighting stance before his mind caught up and immediately dispelled such a ridiculous notion.

His breath froze as he looked up and a pair of deep blue eyes stared into his own. The first woman terrified him without a doubt, yet he understood what he was dealing with. He was totally helpless to her, but he at least understood, if only a little, how vast the gap between them was.

The woman in front of him did not have a powerful aura. She did not have an aura at all and was completely invisible to his spiritual senses. That terrified him even more. She held his gaze for a long moment before moving to stand behind the first woman.

“My apologies, ascendant,” the first woman spoke, her voice carrying an undertone of power that shook his spirit. It was a clear improvement though, considering he was still conscious. “It has been a long time since I last spoke to Neophytes. I forget how fragile you are.”

He frowned at that. Why would she forget?

There was a pause, before Lee realised she was waiting for a reply from him.

“It is of no consequence, Honoured Mistress. This one cannot begrudge you for having power.” He bowed deeply as he spoke, his rusty etiquette finally kicking in. It had been a while since he had to follow social conventions.

He was just considering whether he should have bowed from the beginning when she burst into laughter. It was a full blown, hearty laugh with a touch of what seemed like relief.

“It truly has been a while. Relax ascendant. There’s no need for all the formality. We don’t care much for it here. I am Elize Ravi, Director of the Department of Extra-planar Relations, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With regards to you, I speak on behalf of His Excellency, President Liam Mason of the Federal Republic of Lasvania,” she announced, then added after seeing his confusion. “I know that doesn’t mean anything to you, but we’ll bring you up to speed soon enough.”

“I am called Xiao Lee, Lady Elize,” he said in return, trying to make his speech more informal. Her introduction made it clear she was high ranking. He didn’t know what the Republic of Lasvania was. It could have been a backwater in the middle of nowhere for all he knew. He couldn’t complain though. Even if they were insignificant, they’d likely be much wealthier and far more powerful than any empire on Xenus if Lady Elize was an indicator.

“Please none of that. Call me Director Elize,” she said, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Xiao Lee. Sounds like it’s from one of the planets in the third sector of the second realm. Perhaps Xenus or Llea?”

“You know of Xenus?” Lee asked, surprise evident in his tone. The thought that someone as high ranking as her would be bothered to learn about lower realms was surprising.

“Well of course I do. I said I was the Director of the Department of Extra-planar relations. That comes with knowing the names of all the planets we might have contact with. Now come with me. We need to fill out some paperwork.”

* * *

Xiao Lee often prided himself for his ability to succeed against all odds. Through trial, tribulation and even powerful enemies, he had always come out on top. Yet it seemed that the heavens had conspired to bring him down. With bureaucracy of all things.

They’d given him a tiny circular device to put in his ear that would help him overcome the language barrier. Apparently, the Director had been wearing one that worked for all documented languages. A list that thankfully included Caton.

After that came the paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. It ranged from questions like what his primary element was to things like the name of his village.

By the time he was done filling all the forms, he had developed a healthy respect for Lasvanian bureaucracy.

So, he now found himself standing in the director’s office, as she pulled out a small black ball the size of a ring from what he assumed to be a spatial storage.

“Take it,” she said, stretching it to him. “It's a neural processor. Everyl, my assistant, will show you your suite. Touch it to your forehead when you’re alone in the room. You’ll understand when you’re done.

“Is it necessary?” he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. He really didn’t want to use something when he wasn’t sure about its effects. Not like he had much of a choice if they really wanted him to.

“It is absolutely necessary, Xiao Lee,” she said, dashing his hopes. “And no, I will not tell you what it does. I already said it before. You’ll understand when you use it. Now go. Everyl is waiting.”

He took the device from her and went into the reception where Everyl was indeed waiting for him. She gave him a nod then walked out of the office.

Everyl walked at what was likely a brisk pace to her, which meant of course that he had to jog to keep up with her. They got to the suite in a few seconds after which she simply stared at him for a moment then vanished. She hadn’t actually spoken to him throughout the day.

The door, which had no handle, pushed open at his touch letting him step inside what he supposed was a luxurious living room.

The interior design was, like everything he’d come across so far, very different from what he was used to. It was minimalist and functional, with only necessary furniture in the room.

As he looked around and walked into the bedroom, he realised how much he was going to miss the architecture of his home world. He didn’t know if the ministry’s style was the general method of building, but he knew it would be different from what he was used to even if it wasn’t.

The bedroom was as minimal as the living room, with only a bed in the centre of the room and a rug that covered the whole floor. There was no expression of art or flowery styling, just bland white paint.

He briefly wondered why the bed was even there. It wasn’t like he needed to sleep.

Nevertheless, he sat down cross-legged on it and held the black neural processor in his hand. He ran his sense over it, trying to gleam even a whiff of its purpose.

He was met with disappointing but not surprising failure. He had been trying to sense the underlying formations behind all the strange devices he’d seen so far. Apart from the room he arrived in, he came up blank every time. It didn’t matter how much he tried; their surfaces were simply opaque to his senses.

After giving up on trying to find out anything, he decided to simply follow instructions. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice anyway.

The moment the device touched his forehead, a tide of information flooded his mind, turning his vision white for a second before his divine brain kicked in.

Even with his processing speed, he still struggled to process all the information that assaulted his mind. Everything from simple laws to complex geopolitics, from basic tools to high tech devices. Everything needed to know about the Lasvanian Republic, and the entirety of heaven flowed into his mind.

Ten long seconds that felt like hours later, the new ascendant opened his eyes. Unlike before he closed his eyes, he was no longer ignorant of the Republic.

He was now aware of the diversity of their architecture, and how different it was from what he was used to.

He knew that the reason why he couldn’t sense the inner workings of their technology was because of their advanced manufacturing techniques.

He was amazed by the very existence of their society. Something he wouldn’t have believed capable of existing if he didn’t see it himself. Though some of their laws were annoying, it was a worthwhile trade since it allowed true justice.

Most of the time at least.

As fascinated as he was by everything, nothing interested as much as their cultivation. He felt like cursing bitterly when he found how they cultivated.

Though he knew he was weak, for some reason he expected that because of his talents, he wouldn’t be too far behind his peers.

How deluded he had been.

To find out that his age mates were ahead of him was one thing. To find that not even children in their teens were his mates though, was something else entirely.

He wanted to immediately ask for an absorber. The magical tool that helped even babies surpass him but held himself back. It was supposed to be only available for citizens and he wouldn’t be a citizen until he spent a year serving the nation.

And just like that national service became his dream job.

When he finally overcame his obstacles and became powerful enough, he supposedly couldn’t advance until he got a licence.

A licence that was notoriously hard to get even for natural citizens. He wondered, for a brief moment, whether he would be better off in one of the settlements outside Lasvania. He immediately dismissed the notion though. It definitely wasn’t worth it. Yet.

Even if he could complete his service right now, it would take some time to actually get his citizenship. Not to mention the infamous waiting times for the licence. Waiting times that could last for years.

Once again, he cursed the heavens for finding the perfect weapon against cultivators.

After all, why use force to stop someone from advancing when you could do it with bureaucracy!

Lisa Feltham felt her mind drifting as Jade continued to chatter excitedly. No doubt she was talking about some interesting boy she managed to conquer or something. That was all she got excited about of course.

“Lisa,” the sound of her name broke through the haze of concentration that filled her mind. She glared at the owner of the voice. She had almost achieved Symphony. It’ll be a while till she could attempt it again.

“Tryna cultivate again,” Louisa Walkins, daughter of High Executor Bolton Walkins, asked in her usual aloof tone. “Thought you were already at the bridge. You haven’t got your licence, have you?”

“I haven’t. I wasn’t trying to absorb. I was trying to achieve Symphony.” Lisa snapped, hoping her annoyance wasn’t so obvious.

“Symphony? What’s that,” Jade asked. “And why were you cultivating during my story? That’s rude, you know.”

“It’s true harmony with your element in its purest form. Seriously Jade, you’d know this if you ever downloaded a simple cultivation course.” Bornie Saurabh, resident academic and host, chided, her voice filled with the frustration of someone tired of repeating herself. She wasn’t a cultivation freak like Lisa, but she was passionate about cultivation theory.

Jade rolled her eyes at that, and Lisa quickly intervened before the situation devolved into an argument.

“Sorry Jade. Just got distracted. Guess I’ve been thinking about the licence too much,” she lied. Mostly at least. The part about the licence was true.

She would have loved to come clean and say that she was absolutely bored by Jade and that the only one of them she could actually tolerate was Bornie, but she didn’t. She needed friends if she wanted a licence, something her mum had made sure of, and she couldn’t really do better than them.

The thought of her mother soured her mood further. Something that was apparently evident on her face because Bornie quickly interrupted.

“Alright girls, it was nice hanging out, but I think I need to start preparing. July’s taking me out in two hours, and I think I should dress up a bit for once. Guess Jade’s little talk last week made me want to try something new.”

“Wait, are you for real?” Jade asked with obvious scepticism in her voice.

“I’m for real. In fact, I know I’ll probably regret this, but would you like to help me pick a dress?” Bornie asked nervously.

“Of course, I’ll help you,” Jade squealed, then wiped away mock tears. “I’ve been waiting for this day since forever. Today is the day you finally become a woman.”

Lisa rolled her eyes at their dramatics and stood up. “If you girls are finished, then I’d like to leave now, please. I have a meeting with my mother.”

“Oh no problem then. You’re free to leave,” Bornie permitted. “And please tell your mother that High Senator Saurabh sends her greetings.”

“Alright. I’ll tell her.”

* * *

Lisa walked through a large hallway in the extra dimensional space that was her mother’s mansion. The walls were bland and imposing and the entire hallway felt more oppressive than the rest of the house.

She suspected her mum had light qi suppressors embedded into the wall to make it seem more daunting. She hadn’t been able to prove that though.

She opened the large door at the end of the hallway and stepped inside a room she had become very familiar with over the years.

Her mother was a true minimalist. The room was completely bare except for a chair in the centre of the room.

It was on that chair that Joha Feltham lounged.

“Lisa,” her mother called, voice almost melodic. “How was your day?”

“It was a slog. Again,” Lisa deadpanned. “Senator Saurabh sends her greetings.

“Oh, that is wonderful,” her mother cheered.

“Why did you call me mum,” she asked, already losing patience.

“Well look who’s impatient,” Joha said, voice full of mirth. ”There was an Ascendant today. First in over a thousand years, you know.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said drily. “How exactly does that help me?”

“Well,” her mother’s smile was wide now. “The ascendant needs to spend a year in national service. During that time, he’ll have a volunteer citizen assist him.”

“Oh no. I’m not spending a year babysitting some old person.” Lisa protested.

“Oh, but you’ve already volunteered,” Joha said smugly. “Besides, I think you’d find him quite interesting.”

Lisa mentally accepted the file her mother sent her and skimmed through it.

“He's good. Perfect attunement on such a poor world is impressive,” she said, surprise evident in her voice. “But that doesn’t tell me why I should volunteer.”

“I thought it was obvious. You need a licence. Doing this will almost certainly guarantee you get one. And don’t give me that look. You know I won’t pull my influence to give you one. You’ll have to earn it,” her mother chided. “Besides, look at his age.”

She grumbled half-heartedly but looked to the cultivation stats section and gasped when she saw it.

“I told you. I think you’ll find this not so boring after all.” The smile was back on her mother’s face.

Lisa was indeed tempted to reflect her mother’s smile because in the character trait section, there were two things that caught her eyes.

Things that should’ve been impossible in a lower world’

Core type: Perfect

Age: Twenty-six.