The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

"So, let me recap this. You, along with eight others, were created by my past self as guardians of the Paragon Stars and light-bearers, tasked with locating me whenever I reincarnate and helping me start my next path toward the next reincarnation.

"However, you don't know why I am reincarnating, and because of karma, you cannot tell me about my past selves, the last three in particular. Also, you're the only one who has awakened this time to guide and protect me. Does that about sum everything up?"

Fruity said, biting into an apple that Yuying had served him when they appeared in the garden. He wasn't one to reject food, after all.

"Yes, that's about it," Yuying replied, sitting opposite him.

"Okay, I believe you now," Fruity suddenly said with a smile.

"You do?" This time, Yuying was taken aback. For the last three hours, Fruity had been asking her a bunch of questions, clearly having a hard time believing her. So hearing his statement just now was a shock to her.

"I do. I happen to know when someone is lying, and for the past few hours, I couldn't sense a single lie from you. So, I guess you're telling the truth." Fruity said.

"Of course I was," Yuying sighed.

She had been worried that Fruity wouldn't believe her, and because of that, she was prepared to lock him up and convince him if necessary. After all, a thousand years in isolation would be enough time to reflect and digest some things.

"So where are the others? If there are nine of you, where are the other eight?" Fruity asked. He was shocked when Yuying said his past self, or more accurately, his original self had created them. She didn't say how he did it, but creating living beings was just insane to him.

"They are still asleep, and when I say asleep, I mean they're somewhere in the universe but haven't recovered their memories yet," Yuying answered.

"But you remembered, so how does it work?" Fruity asked. If the others don't remember him, how could she?

"With every reincarnation cycle, one of us awakens with our memories intact to search for you. As for the others, they will eventually remember, but the process will speed up the faster you grow. You'll even start sensing them as you get much stronger. The current you is very weak, but we'll fix that."

"By the way, Master, where are you headed? I've been tracking you ever since you entered this world and saw you were headed somewhere but had to take a detour. So, where were you going?"

"Illusion Mountain. That was my first destination in mind. But after I would have hunted down some monsters to awaken my other ice elements," Fruity replied.

"That will take you two and a half years at your current strength," Yuying said bluntly, much to Fruity's surprise. He had expected some directions or advice, but she spoke as if she had calculated it in her head without sugarcoating anything.

"Well, I'll get there eventually," Fruity could only smile, realizing his own calculations had been wrong.

"Don't worry, Master, I've made provisions to ensure your needs are met for the next five years," Yuying said, causing Fruity to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked. He knew exactly what she meant, but he feigned ignorance to see what kind of arrangements she had made.

"You'll need a vast amount of resources, Master. To become a Sage, and eventually a Great Sage, you'll require an immense supply. I've already prepared a lot and am still working on gathering more. For the next five years, you will undergo intense training and tempering as you work toward becoming a Sage."

"And when you say you've prepared resources, how much are we talking about here?" Fruity asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Enough to make you a Sage. A powerful Sage," Yuying said, this time with a small smile.

"Yuying, exactly how strong are you?" Fruity decided to ask. So far, Yuying had shown no signs of wanting to deceive him.

But even if she had some nefarious thoughts, Fruity knew it was already too late for him. In simple terms, he was beyond saving. So, he figured he might as well stick with the Fox Lady and see where it took him.

"I awakened 370 years ago, and thanks to my cultivation base being in hibernation rather than fully dormant, I was able to progress quickly through the stages. Currently, I'm in the Ascension stage for Body, Qi, Spirit and Mind cultivation."

"It was a long road for anyone to walk, but thanks to you, I was able to walk it easily. But don't worry, Master, the current me is strong enough to handle someone two or even three realms above me."

Fruity looked at her with wide eyes. He knew what the Ascension realm was—he had read about it. He even learned from his uncle Monks that the five Ancient Monks had reached that stage.

Even if he hadn't known, the hand that emerged from the rift during the battle at the Monastery belonged to an Ascension stage expert.

Seeing one right in front of him, both cute and surprisingly strong, Fruity simply couldn't understand why such a being would refer to him as "Master." It was both shocking and oddly comforting.

"What do you mean by hibernation?" Fruity asked. From her answer, it seemed her past self was even stronger, possibly beyond the Ascension stage. Did that mean his past self had reached even higher realms?

"Master, although you may not remember yet, you were the type who didn't tolerate weak people around you. You used to say, 'Weak people should just die so the strong can live their lives.'"

"I would never say something like that, but go on," Fruity replied with a smile, thinking, 'What a maniac I was.'

"Well, you did. Because of that, you ensured that every one of us pursued complete cultivation. And when I say 'complete,' I mean that, regardless of the talent or class we awakened, we cultivated the body, mind, soul, and Qi.

"This, of course, made us several times stronger than anyone else. As for hibernation, since we exist outside of fate and its rules. So when we enter Samsara to reincarnate, our cultivation base declines to the Master stage."

"But once we awaken, we just need to gather resources to restore our strength. It's easier if we awaken with our memories intact. But even without them, we still rise above others easily.

"However, it's not that simple. Despite having 370 years, I was only able to reach the peak of the Ascension stage.

"But it was enough for me to go anywhere and prepare for your arrival. So fear not, Master, I've gathered all kinds of treasures for body, soul, mind, and Qi cultivation. You will become the strongest in just a few years, and then you can continue with your plans for this incarnation. Of course, I'll be with you, as it was meant to be," Yuying finished with a smile.

Fruity could only sigh. He knew there was a lot to digest, and from the looks of it, this was indeed the best path forward for him. The coming years would be dedicated to cultivation, thanks to his past self ensuring that fate wouldn't get the best of him.

Learning that he wasn't connected to fate in the way he'd once believed, he knew using this advantage would make things easier. The heavens wanted him dead, so his past self had made sure that each reincarnation would help him grow stronger.

He still didn't fully understand what a Paragon was, but after hearing Yuying explain so much, he began to suspect that the Monks might have known—and that this could be part of the reason they were willing to sacrifice themselves for him.

Not everyone wanted a Paragon dead. Some actually revered them, and Fruity had just crossed paths with people who might fit that description. This realization only fueled his desire to become stronger and find a way back into the Ice World.

After all, he had used his one chance to enter by sending his uncles there instead. Now, he needed more tokens, and fortunately, he already had an idea of where to start once he escaped this strange world.

"Show me what you've got," Fruity said. Yuying waved her hand, and they were instantly transported to another place—a valley of some kind.