"You have made great progress in terms of the mind power in the past two hundred years, Austin.
But just so you know: you have actually comprehended only half of what I've imparted to you.
Even so, I must admit that you have a good foundation.
From here on out, you no longer need my guidance in your cultivation,"
Nasir informed Austin.
"As the successor of the reincarnation race, you are shouldering the heavy task of rebuilding the road
of reincarnation and reviving the race.
On top of that, you have to face your enemies in the darkness race. Your journey is destined to be full
of difficulties and dangers.
But as you know, I have more than three hundred puppets under my command, each one as powerful
as a god of chaos. I insist you take one hundred of them.
That way, you won't have to fight alone."
Austin was floored at this generous offer.
"Sir, that is too much! I can't accept that! It'd be better if they remain here!"
Austin sputtered, completely taken aback.
Giving a hundred puppets to him was equivalent to sending him off with a hundred gods of chaos. It
would be a formidable army. Austin felt he had done nothing to deserve such a gift.
"Please, I insist. Remember you are also to help me collect my avatars and spiritual soul marks. Think
of this as me sending you some of my workers for the purpose,"
Nasir told Austin firmly.
Austin gave it some thought. After a moment's pause, he nodded and smiled sheepishly.
"You make a fine point. In that case, I shall take your puppets with me. Thank you very much, sir!"
Austin felt nothing but gratitude for this kind old man.
At that, Nasir nodded, and then turned to the middle-aged man.
"Bring one hundred of the puppets here," he ordered.
"As you wish, master!"
the middle-aged man answered promptly.
He turned sharply and left.
He returned moments later with one hundred puppets following him.
Nasir turned to Austin. "I shall erase the marks I left on the bodies of these puppets. Follow my
instructions and leave your marks in their bodies stead. Once this is done, they will be under your
control.
Now, because the level of these puppets is very high, it is very difficult to leave marks in their bodies.
We must utilize a special skill related to the spiritual soul to succeed.
But once it's done, you need not ever worry that others could seize control of the puppets from you.
Without mastery of the secret skill, they would have no hold over these puppets at all,"
Nasir explained.
Austin felt relief wash over him.
"That sounds great! That's a weight off my mind."
This way, there would be no need for him to worry that someone would take these puppets away from
him.
Nasir then began to work on erasing his marks from the puppets. Then, he taught Austin the secret skill
of leaving his marks on their bodies.
Once he was certain he had understood the process, Austin began to try to imprint his own marks on
the puppets.
Austin had a rough start of it, admittedly.
After all, these puppets had the strength of the gods of chaos. Naturally, it wouldn't be easy.
But Austin eventually succeeded with the help of Nasir's patient guidance.
"Wow!
I made it! I finally imprinted my mark on the first puppet!"
Austin shouted excitedly.
Nasir smiled.
"Go on, then. Try controlling it."
Under Austin's command, the puppet strode toward him.
The puppet emitted an aura strong enough to send ripples across the air around it.
The puppet bowed to Austin respectfully.
"Greetings, master!" it barked out.
"Greetings," Austin replied in wonder.
He was thrilled to see the puppet was indeed under his control now.
To think it had the power of a god of chaos!
Austin could hardly believe he was in control of something so powerful.
And soon, he would be in control of that strength a hundredfold!
Austin busied himself over the course of the next few years imprinting the rest of the puppets, one after
another.
Before he knew it, fifty years had already passed.
Austin stepped back from his work one day.
One hundred puppets stood to attention in front of him, neatly in line.
"Master!"
they greeted simultaneously.
Austin beamed.
"Greetings, my subordinates!"
Austin responded, before shaking his head and chuckling to himself, still in disbelief.
"So this is what it feels like to have a hundred gods of chaos as my subordinates!" he exclaimed in
amazement.
Nasir came up behind him.
"Well done, Austin. Now you're all set for your travels.
The next time you find yourself here, I trust you would already be bringing with you all my avatars and
spiritual soul marks,"
Nasir told him with a raised brow, with an expectant note in his voice.
"I shall do my best, sir! I won't disappoint you!"
Austin answered resolutely.
"You have my trust."
Nasir nodded with a smile.
"I shall take my leave now, sir. My eternal thanks."
Austin clasped his hands and bowed in deep respect as he bade farewell.
"Very well. Until we meet again."
Nasir waved his hand. His figure slowly dissipated into a wisp of smoke and eventually disappeared
into the crystal casket.
Austin stared at the casket, lost in thought for a moment.
He never imagined that the master of this place would turn out older and more powerful than the three
Lords of Reincarnation and the three Lords of Darkness.
Nasir had been a legend in his time, able to control everything in the Absolute Space Sea.
No one would have thought he would end up like this: in a crystal casket, with only his spiritual soul
mark left.
To think a man such as that would actually perish! That proved that no matter how powerful the top
masters were, there would always be entities more terrible that could kill them.
And if there was always someone more powerful, there could never be anyone held to be the most
powerful of all.
Austin sighed and shook his head.
He turned to the middle-aged man.
"I shall take my leave now, sir."
Although the middle-aged man was but a servant of Nasir, Austin wouldn't dare treat him like an
inferior.
This middle-aged man, too, had a powerful aura.
Austin could sense he was even more powerful than the puppets which were already as powerful as
gods of chaos.
The middle-aged man gave a curt nod and reverentially handed Austin a Space Ring.
"Take this. These are the fruits of supreme enlightenment.
My master asked me to pick them for you. They are yours now."
Some fruits of supreme enlightenment were stored in the ring.
"Thank you, sir."
Austin took the Space Ring carefully and hid it somewhere safe.
Finally, he had what he came for.
The middle-aged man nodded and motioned to Austin.
"Then let me show you out."
Outside the palace, Cayden had long grown impatient. He had been anxiously waiting for Austin's
return every day that passed.
"I wonder how Austin is doing now," he murmured to himself, not for the first time in a long while.
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