Spellheart 9: Chapter 19 (Patreon)

I experienced a complete transformation over the rest of my dual cultivation session. I wasn’t sure if it lasted days, months, or even years. Frankly, so long as that time dilation feature kept working, I didn’t care.

I’ve often heard it said that if you choose a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. If you find a way to cultivate that you love, it won’t feel like cultivating at all.

Looking back, I shuddered at the long meditation sessions I’d sat huddled in this chamber, thinking about the flow of zeal through my body and how to maximize any effects I might gain. If only I’d come up with this sooner! If I wasn’t worried about the upcoming calamity for the Hearthwood Clan and wanted to check in with my kids, I could see myself doing this for centuries before taking a break.

Before, I thought sorcerers and demigods who secluded themselves for cultivation were a bunch of asocial shut-ins lusting only for power. But in truth, I bet many of them just found something fun to do. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find some of the most powerful elves who’d hidden themselves away from the world, busy reading books and playing games, not caring what happens outside their hidden cave buried deep beneath the palace of some kingdom they founded generations ago.

At least, that’s how it was for me as I dual cultivated with my women. Each precious matriarch in my grasp became a mana battery that served my every whim, and I grew a little stronger for it.

Unlike me, most of my women had duties to attend to at one point, so they swapped in and out several times. Tivana, Sava, Eltiana, Nela, and Assyrus were replaced by Melise, Yorik, Amisra, and Jynna. We had a merry time. Or at least I did. They were quite sore and exhausted when I was done with them, though they were all more powerful for the experience.

I couldn’t help but wonder if I would make even more progress if I was slightly less stingy with the dual cultivation technique Tivana’s mother gave me. I’d promised not to spread it too far and wide, but surely I could trust Korra with it. Maybe Yavilla and Tavilla as well. Those two were adorably cute when dressed as maids. And Mayatania while I was at it. Perhaps Sharian too. She wasn’t technically a prisoner anymore, and she seemed to like the things I liked to do to cute elf women.

Though if I was looking strictly at who would provide the highest uptick in power draw, I would have to consider the leader of the Golden Sword Sect and the former sovereign of the Aquillian Isles. They were both powerful sorcerers who were already under my thumb. Teilinith and Feilinith were losing that creepy mindless puppet thing the cult had imposed on them. Once they had a bit more personality, I wouldn’t be against them showing their gratitude in the way they seemed to be offering at every opportunity. And Tivana’s friend, the Sunspire Princess, was looking absolutely delectable now that she was healthy and whole. Should I try to sweet-talk her? She probably needed help to rebuild her royal family and might come to an arrangement a little more fun for both of us than the traditional vassal and overlord relationship we found ourselves in.

Hell, there were plenty of wizards in the Circle of Necromancers who still had a feud with the Lifekeeper Sanctum. Quantity had a quality all on its own, and both factions owed me. I was certain it wouldn’t be...

I cut off my train of thought. I’d been cultivating mind magic quite a bit lately as I pushed myself to the very edge of the Sorcerer realm. Between the occasional Enlightenment Hint and constant dual cultivation, I’d pushed myself to the very edge of the wizard realm in no time at all.

I could have pushed past it to the sorcerer realm, but I’d opened to turn my attention elsewhere, first to break Minerva through to the sorcerer realm, then to push my body and earth cultivation a little further ahead each. Mind magic seemed to do something to the psyche when used to aggressively. It was something I’d experienced before, but never so acutely as this. No wonder all the Cult of the Unblinking Eye’s human men were a little megalomaniacal. They were all high off their own magic.

Congratulations on reaching the sorcerer realm as a death cultivator!

You are now a level 40 sorcerer!

I felt a bit guilty getting that notification from The Wanderer.

“You deserve this one, Minerva. Not me. It was all your hard work.” I muttered aloud.

Minerva didn’t respond, and at first, I thought something was wrong with her. But then I remembered she was just as bound up as all my other women. The whole reason I stuffed the cute little death spirit into my body was so that way I’d have someone to play with all the time, and now with the dual cultivation technique, that plan was finally bearing fruit. Minerva lay helplessly engulfed within my earth zeal from the combined might of my spirit and body cultivation. Even though she’d reached the sorcerer realm, she was still no match for me.

I’d re-envisioned the shell of energy I had around her several times, and currently, they took the form of an apparatus so complex I could only dream of building it with my current crafting skill. Only here, in this mental space, I envisioned inside myself, could I turn ideas into reality with a simple thought. It was a machine like the kind I used to work on back on earth, large enough to wrap her entire body up in. Her arms, legs, and torso were all restrained in constant stimulation. For something called a death spirit, the short white hair and pouty red lips on her looked positively adorable, wrapped around a gag of concentrated earth zeal.

I wasn’t really sure what was happening on the energy level. Still, from the way I was visualizing things, Minerva was mine for the taking. You could even argue that I was taking her every moment of every day since the device she was strapped to was made from my own power, and she was nestled inside my body.

“You look too cute like this,” I said as I pulled out the gag.

“Thank you, Master.” Minerva blushed at my touch. “A-and thank you for allowing me to reach the sorcerer realm!”

I ran my fingers through her hair. “I almost wish you weren’t so fun to tease. Good girls like you deserve rewards more often. Why don’t more people keep cute elemental spirits like you around?”

Minerva smiled. “Korra’s people do. But most don’t because we try to take over our host bodies and puppet them from the inside.”

I chuckled. “Some spirits do that. But not my cute little Minerva, right?”

Minerva squirmed a little in her bindings, showing she couldn’t take over much of anything even if she tried. It was a little too much for me, though, and I had to take her again for a little quickie. Minerva was more than happy to comply, and the extra power she generated through dual cultivation empowered us a little further.

“Pick some good death spells yourself, alright?” I instructed.

“I understand. I will pick what I think will be the most useful to you, master,” Minerva panted.

I closed my eyes and brought my attention outside my body once again.

Congratulations on advancing your World Titan Fiendbody to the Gold Muscles stage!

You are now a level 44 gold stage body cultivator!

Congratulations on advancing your mind zeal to the peak of the late wizard realm!

You are now a level 39 mind wizard!

I was stronger across the board, and with that strength came many new concepts, along with quite a few spells and abilities to show for it. They all needed a little fine-tuning, but I was in the Cultivation Chamber already, so I was perfectly positioned to do exactly what needed to be done.

New spells and techniques:

Mind Spirit Cultivation

Harmonic Resonance (spell)

Allows the user to bring themselves in tune with the mind of someone they feel a close personal connection to, allowing them to sense their feelings and emotional state.

This ability had largely been luck when developing my wizard concepts as a mind mage. It wouldn’t be too useful in direct combat, but it was plenty useful for what I was doing now.

Being able to sense what any of my girls were thinking made perfecting my new and improved dual cultivation technique far easier.

Heart Link (spell)

Allows the user to extend their mental protections across time and space to protect minds other than their own.

Like the Harmonic Resonance, this ability was for my companions as much as for me. The last thing I wanted was some grubby-handed cultist trying to brainwash my women. The enchanted necklaces had been the first step, but now that we were reaching a level of power that could potentially slip by them, I wanted more proactive defenses.

Now, if someone so much had a stray thought I didn’t like and sent it in the direction of one of my women, I could make a note of their face and location and fly over to pound the crap out of them.

Aura of Domination (spell)

Allows the user to emit a powerful and overwhelming aura of dominance and control, causing those within its range to feel a deep sense of reverence against the user. Any thoughts of resistance will be met with feelings of hopelessness. The aura of domination can be adjusted in intensity, ranging from a subtle influence that nudges others to follow the user’s lead to an overwhelming force that compels obedience and loyalty. The exact effects will depend on the level of the target relative to the user.

This ability can not alter the free will of the affected if they are completely certain of their desire to resist, but those in doubt will be nudged toward compliance.

Warning: This ability may have unintended side effects if used against individuals who are already loyal to the user or have a romantic interest in the user.

This ability I’d picked up as a general crowd control power. While it wouldn’t be useful against foes on the level I expected to fight, it would be handy in keeping lower-leveled people out of trouble.

Back when I was the chief of the Blackgorge Tribe, a decent number of far-weaker elves still felt like they had to put up a fight against me. The same thing happened in the Golden Sword Sect and the Lifekeeper Sanctum.

Defeating weaklings just wasn’t worth it for me, and there was no reason for anyone to fight a hopeless battle. Now, I could tell them to surrender and submit without a fight.

Or at least that’s what I thought. When I activated the ability to its full effect within the cultivation chamber, I tested it and received some peculiar results.

“Alright, so who’s going to be a good girl and help me test--“ I was cut off midway through asking as every one of my companions threw back their heads, moaning and quivering. Every one of them had orgasmed on the spot.

I chuckled. Perhaps the unintended effects would be a bit more fun than I thought.

World Titian Fiendbody Body Cultivation

Unbreakable Stance (Technique)

The user can call upon the earth beneath them and spread out their power through it to reinforce the battlefield, granting them the leverage to utilize their full power whenever they are in contact with the ground.

This technique was a required secondary power. I could do something akin to it already, but now that I was getting even stronger, I needed to keep firm footing. Having the strength to pick up a mountain and throw it wouldn’t matter if just lifting the mountain meant I plummeted straight through the ground when I did so.

Earth Spirit Cultivation.

Earthen Genesis (spell)

The user can create and shape new life forms using earth and clay. These life forms will be monsters with a spellheart at their core. Their power will be proportional to the energy that goes into their creation.

I was satisfied with my progress so far, but not nearly finished. Now that I’d spent some time working on everything else, I figured it might be time to make that final push with mind magic and enter the sorcerer realm with it.

I’d progressed with everything else. With my women close at hand to keep me in line, I was pretty sure I could tame any megalomaniacal impulses before they became a problem.

Korra and Amisra were napping in my arms, and I was about to shake them awake so we could begin when Mac made his presence known for the first time in ages.

[Theo, your friends are here,] Mac said.

“Now? I thought I did the whole announcing I was going into a secluded cultivation thing,” I grumbled as I peeled a naked elf and catgirl off me.

[They say they’re here to talk about that Prince Tivar fellow you killed. Apparently, things have been happening among the demigods. The Satyr King isn’t happy you killed one of his favorite sons.]

I straightened. It seemed like my little vacation was over all too quickly. I got dressed for the first time in ages and left the cultivation chamber to see what Sam and Dean had in store for me.