After a few hours of dinner, Kayden finally returned with his beloved to their world. On the way, neither of them spoke. When they arrived in their rooms, they first made up for their longing and then began talking about the development of the world.
"A few thousand years was a good amount of time. The average strength increased to the fifth realm, and many reached the sixth realm in old age. Furthermore, the population is constantly growing," Kayden was slightly surprised, but not too much.
"The educational ones have reached the maximum size they could. Mercenary guilds have become popular, and all of them are controlled by the government. Besides that, we hold the entire monopoly of the black market and sell many prohibited items in that place. In addition, we provide techniques and things that are not found on the surface."
"Investment in shipbuilding and related things. We will open exports as soon as the world opens up. We are not suppliers of raw materials. Moreover, all our mages have a minimum understanding of magical devices and runes. The cities themselves do not have a defined function yet, but most have specialized in certain things. We made sure wars do not directly impact economies. In addition, we inform everyone about job opportunities and the like. So, companies that remain stagnant are closed in a few years."
"A few names emerged and established themselves with an empire. They were all instructed to continue the wars. Some tried to stop, and we killed them after several refusals. Currently, there are only 10 major cities with over 500 billion inhabitants, and all of them have a leadership group that is unlikely to fall."
"And the opportunities?" Kayden didn’t want the same people in power forever.
"Smaller cities have much higher turnover. The promise sold is that everyone can always leave their cities and try their luck elsewhere. Those at the top are not allowed to directly harass the weaker ones. Additionally, the fights are only between city leaders and their challengers, with a maximum size for each group challenging each city."
"We follow the law of the jungle with strength numbering. Most places hide their heinous crimes, but they are present in most areas. The weakest continue to be constantly oppressed through various means. In some cases, this escalates, and the city develops. The major cities have their laws, which we permit. Only a few chosen among them have free access to the law of the jungle, and most do not have that permission."
"We continue to provide all high-level techniques for free. Those in a major city have the same opportunity to learn as those born in a remote area. The only difference is having qualified people around, but that is natural. Libraries are neutral grounds where no one can fight or destroy."
Kayden fully understood the need for the strongest to go to the major cities. One could only surpass their environment to a certain extent; after that, they would need to change their surroundings or risk being stagnant for a long time. That’s why the strongest only sought out major cities after some years in smaller cities.
"We have about 100 thousand people with eight rays. We stopped counting those with seven rays centuries ago. With nine rays, we have only 7, and 5 of them were already with us previously." Kayden was impressed; his wife had indeed done an excellent job.
As soon as all these people started to grow, the strength of his organization would undergo another revolution. But Kayden still had much to do. He wanted to place many more people with Nine Rays within his ranks. Among those 100 thousand, there should be some thousands who, after many soul sessions with Kayden, would be capable of increasing their rays.
In the future, Kayden would need to raise his forces to a level where he could hold a slice of the universe in his hands and not be easily threatened by any organization. But this sort of… became a secondary plan at that moment. After comprehending the law of space, Kayden’s strength had risen another notch, and he hadn’t even reached the point he desired yet.
After taking the step he was waiting for… Kayden couldn’t even comprehend where his strength would reach. He would hardly fear entire organizations hunting him like a madman. Ninth-realm mages with nine rays would only be a mild nuisance, at most forcing him to retreat. Only a few beings who also reached a terrifying point would be able to make him fear for his life.
The two exchanged a few more hours discussing all the points Kayden wanted to fix or improve. There weren’t many after Athena’s impeccable work, but he always wanted more. Kayden would only be satisfied when the average level of his world was the seventh realm, with mages who climbed there on their own and not those pushed up by resources.
"The situation is very simple," Kayden was floating above more than 100 thousand people in a vast green plain that stretched to the horizon’s edge. "Those who want a chance to reach greater strength, stay and fight for your lives in my challenge. Those who don’t, just leave."
As soon as Kayden’s words ended, he released an immense pressure with his killing intent. At that moment, everyone understood they would be fighting for their lives; it wouldn’t be simple—it was all or nothing.
At that moment, more than 90% of the people took a step back. The pressure everyone felt was overwhelming. Some of the mages there were in the eighth realm and still felt Kayden’s pressure directly in their minds, like a hand gripping their necks.
"Very well," the other 10% had a fortified mind, "this was just a test; there will be no life-threatening risk. I will only apply pressure on you, and those who manage to fly up to me will qualify for the next phase."
The pressure Kayden applied was strong but not overwhelming. Most thought it would be easy, at least until it all began. Kayden released all his killing intent directly into the souls of those around him. The majority couldn’t even catch their breath afterward—they could only stare at Kayden, unable to comprehend what was happening.