The First Store System



Chapter 1374: Breakthrough and New Beginnings(5)

Laney left the store after thanking Aakesh. She fully trusted him, so she decided to postpone her attempts at a breakthrough until she had devoured energy at sufficient levels.

***

"My daughter, you are back!" When Laney got back to her rented house, she received a surprise. A familiar figure was waiting for her, and it was none other than her father.

"How did you know I would exit Panagea today?" Laney asked.

An awkward smile spread across the father's face as he heard his daughter. Laney's jaw almost dropped in shock once she saw the reaction on her father's face.

"Don't tell me; you have been here for days," Laney asked.

Laney knew her father deeply loved her, and his love was one of the reasons she broke the situation at the bridge to enter the central city. But even she didn't expect her father, who was so serious about his rule, to leave the Kingdom for days.

"What is surprising about waiting for my daughter?" The father puffed his chest and responded, trying to hide his ears, which had become red with embarrassment.

"I didn't take you for someone who would say such cringe stuff." At that time, a third familiar voice rang in the house.

A smile spread across Laney's face as she turned around and saw her mother coming toward her with a gentle smile. Laney immediately rushed but stopped as she couldn't bring herself to act like a child again.

Her mother saw the hesitation in her daughter's eyes, and she frowned in response to that. The mother took the initiative and embraced Laney.

"Now you feel hesitant about hugging your mother." The mother reprimanded her at the same time.

The next moment, a gentle smile spread across her face as she patted her daughter's head. At that moment, the mother felt her shoulder turning wet, and the sound of crying also rang in her ears.

Laney had been working tirelessly to get through the trial without pausing even once, and when her mother hugged her, everything she had endured came out. It was a completely safe place for her where she could let go of all the suffering she had gone through.

Laney, who didn't even think twice before killing so many people during the trial, was now bawling like a child. The father, who saw the scene from afar, clenched his fist.

The father silently stood there and didn't say anything about the past. He understood those things were natural, and only Laney could face them if she wanted to become something and not stop where he was.

Laney was less than fifty years old and had already reached the peak Divine Lord cultivation level, whereas her father took more than five thousand years simply to step into the Divine Lord level. There was no talent comparison between the father-daughter duo. Due to that, the father expected big things from Laney.

The mother wanted to say things but was stopped by the father. Laney kept crying for hours on her mother's shoulders while the mother and father silently went through that heartbreaking pain.

Laney seemed to have returned to her childhood, as after crying for so long, she fell asleep.

"Let's go!" The father said after Laney had fallen asleep.

The mother wanted to stay there for some more time with her daughter, but seeing the stern eyes of her husband, she couldn't bring herself to say those words and left. Only with Laney was the father gentle. To others, he showed the majesty and aura of someone who came from nowhere and reached the throne.

***

When Laney woke up, two days had passed since she left the store. She tried searching for her parents since she didn't get to talk with them that day but found that they had left immediately after her crying.

Laney simply smiled and then summoned the Yellow King. She hugged the beast since she missed it as well. Laney was unable to summon the beast due to restrictions from outside things put on her, but now that the trial was over and she was out, she could finally see the Yellow King.

The Yellow King reciprocated her feelings strongly since there was no one closer to them than their partners, with whom they signed the contract.

Laney then took a bath since it had been days. After the bath cleared her mind, she devoured the tasty food made by her maids. One of the things she missed over those years in Panagea was the food, so she ate more than usual.

It was time for her to meditate after she had eaten to her heart's content. Following what Aakesh had said, Laney didn't meditate according to the cultivation art but simply meditated to absorb the overflowing energy and knowledge.

Around an hour had passed when Laney felt a tearing pain. She immediately stopped her meditation, and the pain disappeared.

Aakesh had already informed her that absorbing the extra wouldn't be easy. In normal senses, she had already touched the limit, and it showed in the chances of her successful breakthrough.

A chance of 35% success only meant one successful attempt in three, but it was an immensely high rate. The waiting time was absolutely worth it since absorbing that extra could bring added benefits to her when she stepped into the True God level.

Laney didn't have to worry about the approaching deadline of Aakesh's test since she was confident in herself to complete everything in around a month. She would still have a few extra days left after that before the deadline ended.

The meditation for the day had come to an end since there was no point in continuing through the pain. It would only harm her energy flow cycles.

Time flew by, and a week passed in a flash.

Laney inhaled a large breath and then exhaled it while energy particles around her danced in a fixed pattern. The process kept repeating itself several times, and as everything came to an end, the process also ended.

Laney opened her eyes, and there seemed to be a burning flame in the middle of her iris. It was only an illusion since it disappeared immediately.

Laney had an excited expression since it was time for her to begin her breakthrough attempt.