Damon woke before the sun finished rising.

The room was warm from five bodies sharing the same bed, and for a moment he just lay there, looking at the ceiling while his mind ran through the list of things that needed doing before he locked himself away.

Selene was on his left, her platinum hair spread across the pillow, her breathing slow and even.

Ariel was curled against his right side with one arm thrown over his chest.

Mio and Mia had claimed the lower half of the bed, sleeping back to back with their legs tangled together.

Neko was in cat form at the foot of the mattress, a small white shape rising and falling with each breath.

Damon sat up carefully and reached for the system.

He pulled up his inventory and scrolled through it.

Three Earth Grade Universal Bloodline Advancement Pills. Three Earth Grade Universal Physique Advancement Pills. Three Heaven Grade Spiritual Root Advancement Pills.

He counted his women.

Ariel. Mio. Mia. Selene.

Four.

He had bought three of each.

He stared at the inventory for a moment.

’I forgot Selene.’

He checked her status quickly through the Incubus Celestial Eyes, letting the golden patterns in his irises shift as the information surfaced.

[Name: Selene Frostborn]

[Age: 35]

[Cultivation: King Spirit Realm - Second Level]

[Relationship: Deep In Love]

[Interest: 200/5000]

[Chastity: Claim by Damon Arcknight]

[Lust: 0/100]

[Affinities: Ice: 100, Sword: 100]

[Spiritual Roots: Glacial Sword Spiritual Roots] [Heaven Grade - Low]

[Bloodline: Blood of Ice Goddess] [Mortal Grade - Low]

[Physique: Body of Ice Goddess] [Mortal Grade - Low]

[Traits: Cold, Sword Freak, Proud, Natural Sword Master, Cold Outside Soft Inside]

He had given her the Ice Goddess Bloodline and Physique as part of the mission reward, but the grade was still at the bottom of the Mortal tier.

He opened the lust store without getting out of bed and ask system to bought it.

’System, buy me, One Earth Grade Universal Bloodline Advancement Pill and One Earth Grade Universal Physique Advancement Pill.’

[You bought Earth Grade Universal Physique Advancement Pill. -250,000 lust points.]

[You bought Earth Grade Universal Bloodline Advancement Pill. -250,000 lust points.]

The two pills materialized in his palm, small and dense, one a deep crimson and the other a pale silver.

He added them to his storage ring alongside the others and closed the system.

Then he got up, dressed quietly, and went to the kitchen.

By the time he had water boiling, he heard footsteps in the corridor.

Selene appeared first, her hair pinned back already, her black robes straight.

She moved to the table and sat without saying anything, watching him with the calm attention.

Ariel came next, still pulling her hair over one shoulder.

Then Mio and Mia together, Mia yawning into the back of her hand.

Neko padded in last in cat form, jumped onto the table, and sat directly in front of Damon like she was waiting to be briefed.

Damon set cups out and poured.

"I’m starting closed-door training today," he said.

"Before I go in, there’s something I need to give all of you."

He reached into his storage ring and set the pills on the table in two rows.

Four crimson. Four silver. Three smaller white ones.

"The red ones are Universal Bloodline Advancement Pills, Earth Grade," he said.

"The silver ones are Universal Physique Advancement Pills, same grade. They’ll raise the bloodline and physique you currently have to Earth Grade. The white ones are Heaven Grade Spiritual Root Advancement Pills, one each for Ariel, Mio, and Mia."

Mio picked up the crimson pill and turned it between her fingers.

"One grade tier," she said.

"So from Mortal to Earth Grade?"

"Yes."

Mia was already looking at hers with open interest.

Ariel held the silver pill up to the morning light coming through the window, watching it catch the color.

Selene looked at the two pills sitting in front of her and then looked at Damon.

"You bought these separately," she said. It wasn’t a question.

"I miscounted last time," he said.

Something moved across her face.

She picked up both pills and set them in her palm without making a production of it.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Damon nodded and looked around the table.

"Selene will guide you through absorbing them," he said.

"The process isn’t comfortable. Your body will push back before it accepts the upgrade, so don’t fight it, just breathe through it and let the pill do the work."

Selene straightened slightly at that, the automatic posture of someone being handed a responsibility they intended to take seriously.

"I can manage that," she said.

"I know you can."

Mio set her pill down and crossed her arms.

"Where are you training? The cultivation caves for disciples are packed right now with people preparing for the tournament."

"I was going to ask about that," Damon said.

Selene set her cup down.

"Use my cultivation cave," she said.

"Elder-grade caves have a significantly higher spiritual energy concentration than anything available to inner or core disciples. The density difference is not small. You would be wasting time in a disciple cave."

Damon looked at her.

"You’re sure?"

"You are my direct disciple," she said, with the flat certainty of someone stating a fact about the weather.

"The cave is assigned to me. I’m assigning it to you for the duration of your training."

Mia leaned toward Mio and muttered something. Mio pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

Ariel just watched Selene with warm eyes.

"The girls can cultivate here," Selene continued, her tone shifting into something more practical.

"My mansion already has a spirit gathering array built into the cultivation room. The concentration inside that room is not far below the elder cave. It will serve well enough for absorbing the pills and continuing cultivation work."

Damon looked around the table.

Ariel gave a small nod.

Mio and Mia both agreed without needing to be asked twice.

Neko flicked her tail once, which Damon had learned meant she was satisfied with the arrangement.

He stood and picked up his storage ring.

"Then we move after breakfast," he said.

"Selene, show me the cave entrance before I go in."