I Can Create Clones

The grandfather clock in the main hallway had just finished chiming midnight when Ethan felt the familiar sensation of his Ascension System activating. In the privacy of his modest bedroom, surrounded by the birthday gifts from various branch families, he closed his eyes and focused on the notification that appeared in his consciousness.

Birthday Quest Complete. Rewards Available: Peak Guardianship Rank Clone, Dragon's Wrath Cultivation Manual, Celestial Binding Chains, Core Resonance Amplifier.

Ethan's heart raced with anticipation as he selected the first reward. Creating clones had become routine over the years, but this would be his most powerful creation yet.

The process began with a surge of spiritual energy unlike anything he'd experienced before. Where his previous clones had required careful concentration and gradual power accumulation, this manifestation felt like trying to contain a lightning storm within his body. The Nine Heaven Spirit Core resonated with frequencies that made his bones vibrate, while his Spirit God Body strained to channel the massive amounts of energy required for Peak Guardianship level creation.

This is... incredible, Ethan thought as power flowed through every meridian channel in his body. The sensation was overwhelming—not painful, but so intense that it bordered on transcendent. His consciousness expanded momentarily, touching realms of spiritual awareness that his original body's cultivation level should never have been able to access.

The clone materialized in the empty space beside his bed, and immediately Ethan felt the connection snap into place like the completion of a circuit. But where his High Ascendant clone had felt like gaining a powerful ally, this new creation felt like acquiring a natural disaster that he could direct at will.

The Peak Guardianship clone's aura was magnificent and terrifying in equal measure. Even suppressed to avoid detection, the spiritual pressure radiating from its form made the air itself seem heavier, more substantial. Ethan could sense the clone's capabilities flowing through their shared consciousness—control over natural phenomena, the ability to manipulate spiritual energy with surgical precision, and raw power that could level buildings with casual effort.

I can feel everything, Ethan marveled, experiencing the clone's enhanced senses through their mental link. Every spiritual signature for miles around, every fluctuation in ambient energy, even the ley line convergences beneath the city. The Peak Guardianship level awareness was like having eyes that could see in dimensions ordinary cultivators never suspected existed.

The clone's physical form was imposing—taller than his other creations, with features that seemed carved from marble and eyes that held depths of power that would make Supreme Elders pause. When it moved, even the smallest gestures carried authority that spoke of someone accustomed to reshaping reality through will alone.

With this level of power, Ethan thought, eliminating Marcus won't just be possible—it will be inevitable.

But as he basked in the sensation of controlling such overwhelming force, a new notification appeared in his consciousness that made him pause.

*Side Quest Available: Evolutionary Advancement

Objective: Peak Guardianship Clone must independently eliminate 10 Low Supreme Rank Monsters without external assistance

Reward: Clone advancement to Low Supreme Rank cultivation

Time Limit: None

Note: Clone must use only its own capabilities. No assistance from other clones, allies, or artifacts permitted during combat encounters.*

Ethan studied the quest parameters with growing interest. The clone's supreme domain level was 4, which meant it possessed capabilities that reached into Low Supreme territory despite its official Peak Guardianship ranking. Theoretically, hunting Low Supreme monsters should be within its capabilities—the lowest tier of Supreme rank creatures would be manageable for something with level 4 domain mastery.

The killing won't be the real challenge, Ethan realized as he analyzed the quest requirements. Finding ten Low Supreme rank monsters will be the true difficulty. Such creatures are rare, territorial, and usually hidden in dangerous locations that most cultivators avoid entirely.

Supreme rank monsters were apex predators in the cultivation world, beings whose very existence warped the spiritual energy around them. They typically claimed vast territories and eliminated any threats to their dominance, making them scattered and difficult to locate. Some hid in ancient ruins where spiritual energy had condensed over millennia, others claimed mountain peaks or deep forest regions where few humans dared venture.

It could take years just to track down suitable targets, Ethan mused. But the reward... advancing to Low Supreme would give me two Supreme-level assets, even if one remains hidden.

He filed the quest away as a long-term objective and turned his attention to the remaining birthday rewards.

The Dragon's Wrath Cultivation Manual manifested as a scroll that seemed to pulse with inner fire, its surface covered in symbols that appeared to move when viewed directly. As Ethan examined it through his enhanced perception, he could sense the power contained within—techniques specifically designed to harness Drake bloodline heritage, methods for channeling elemental fire and lightning that would appear natural to anyone familiar with their family's traditional capabilities.

This is perfect for Lysander, Ethan realized immediately. As someone from the main family lineage, he would be expected to possess advanced Drake bloodline techniques. Giving him this manual provides a cover story for any new capabilities he demonstrates.

The Celestial Binding Chains materialized as a set of ethereal links that existed more in spiritual dimensions than physical reality. Even in their dormant state, Ethan could feel their immense power—these weren't mere weapons, but artifacts capable of restraining even Pre-Celestial rank cultivators through pure spiritual authority. The chains would bend reality itself to hold their targets, making escape virtually impossible for anyone below the highest cultivation levels.

Finally, the Core Resonance Amplifier appeared as a crystalline formation that integrated directly with his spiritual network. The moment it activated, Ethan felt his connection to all his clones strengthen and clarify. Where before he had needed to consciously switch between different clone perspectives, now he could coordinate multiple viewpoints simultaneously, creating tactical awareness that bordered on prescience.

I can feel them all, Ethan thought with satisfaction. Every clone, every capability, every strategic option available to me. The amplifier didn't just improve communication—it turned his multiple clones into a true coordinated force, capable of complex operations that would appear to involve multiple independent cultivators working in perfect harmony.

As he integrated the new rewards and tested their capabilities, a subtle vibration from his enhanced spiritual senses alerted him to incoming communication. Lysander's carefully disguised spiritual signature was approaching through the discrete channels they had established.

The message, when it arrived, was brief and to the point: All preparations complete. Target has taken the bait and committed to personal investigation. Timing suggests contact within hours. Ready for execution.

Ethan smiled coldly in the darkness of his bedroom, surrounded by innocent birthday gifts while commanding power that could reshape the continent's political structure. Marcus had finally made his move, drawn by the spiritual signature bait exactly as planned. Tomorrow would bring the confrontation that had been months in the making.

The Peak Guardianship clone settled into meditation posture, its immense power carefully suppressed but ready to unleash devastating force at a moment's notice. The Dragon's Wrath manual awaited delivery to Lysander, providing him with techniques that would make his already formidable capabilities even more deadly. The Celestial Binding Chains hummed with potential energy, ready to restrain a Middle Supreme Elder long enough for interrogation and elimination.

Every piece was in position. Every preparation had been completed. Every contingency had been planned for.

Now they would discover whether Marcus Drake was as clever as he believed himself to be, or whether the nephew he had tried to destroy years ago had become something far more dangerous than he could possibly imagine.