Jade's training had sharpened more than just his power. It had refined his mind, hardened his will, and reshaped how he viewed strength itself. Now, he stood at the edge of evolution not just as a warrior, but as something beyond mortal.
His first transformation, the partial form, allowed him to retain his humanity while drawing on the raw instincts and might of a dragon. His body moved faster. His reflexes were sharper. Every punch landed like a sledgehammer. But even then, deep down, he knew it wasn't enough.
The world had changed. And the enemies waiting beyond the veil weren't going to fall to half-measures.
So, Jade and the jade dragon climbed.
Their destination: an ancient mountain hidden deep within the spirit realm, where emerald winds whispered through jade-colored trees and the air was thick with pure, ancient energy.
"This is the place," the dragon said simply.
Jade stepped forward, kneeling at the mountain's peak. He shut his eyes. No words, no chants just focus. No thoughts of vengeance. No memories of the past. Only the stillness inside.
Then it began.
The second transformation.
Power surged from the ground like a storm rising from the depths of the earth. Jade's body cracked with light, veins glowing like molten jade. His skin shifted, scale by scale, divine markings emerging on his arms and back. His aura pulsed between light and shadow—holy and demonic, perfectly fused.
When it was done, he rose—not just changed, but reborn.
The Holy Demonic Jade Dragon Form.
Wings of light folded behind him. His eyes burned like twin emerald suns. And his voice—when he finally spoke—sounded like it echoed across time.
"I'm ready."
The dragon nodded. "Then it's time for your final test."
---
Jade entered the spirit realm—alone.
It wasn't a place of peace. It was a crucible. Time moved differently there. Hours stretched into years. Mountains floated. Oceans burned. He faced trials that pushed his soul to its limit—creatures older than memory, puzzles meant to drive a man insane, illusions meant to break his will.
But he endured.
He fought, bled, healed, and learned.
He didn't just grow stronger. He grew wiser. More centered.
Years passed. And finally, one day, the trials ended. He stood alone in the heart of the spirit realm, his power quiet but absolute. Light and darkness no longer fought within him—they moved in sync.
He had become something the world had never seen before.
Not a hero.
Not a god.
Balance.
---
And then—he returned.
The sky over the mortal realm cracked open.
A wave of energy tore through the clouds, sending birds scattering, setting off every spirit sensor and magical array in every corner of the world.
The Holy Demonic Jade Dragon had returned.
Back on Earth, at the Ryan household, the skies dimmed and a strange glow filled the air. People gathered, stunned and afraid, watching the light descend like a comet wrapped in green flame.
And then—he landed.
Seven years had passed.
But it felt like only yesterday.
His family ran to him, unsure at first—then, overwhelmed.
Mr. Ryan dropped to his knees. His siblings wept openly. His father whispered his name in disbelief.
Jade said nothing at first. He knelt and embraced them, his aura wrapping around them like a warm blanket, soft and steady.
"I'm home," he finally said, voice deep, calm, unshakable. "And I'm here to protect everything I love."
---
But not everything was joy.
There was something he had neglected.
The grave.
His mother's grave.
He walked there alone, the wind quiet as if the world understood. He knelt, his dragon form shimmering in and out of visibility, hands trembling as he touched the stone.
"I'm sorry, Mom. It took me too long."
He told her everything. The training. The spirit realm. The trials. The guilt. The pain. He spoke until the sun dipped below the horizon, and when he stood, the sorrow in his chest had settled into something clearer:
Purpose.
---
The world noticed.
The Heaven Emperor noticed.
When the skies cracked, he felt it instantly. Jade's return was a cosmic ripple. The emperor stood atop the Celestial Citadel, his face pale.
"He's changed," he murmured.
He wasn't just worried. He was afraid.
Jade wasn't just powerful anymore.
He was perfected.
A balance of divine and demonic.
The Heaven Emperor knew the realms were shifting. The balance was unraveling.
And Jade had become the tipping point.
---
Far below, in the underworld, the Demon Emperor stared into his scrying pool, watching Jade's return. He felt a strange emotion—unease.
"Too strong to fight. Too righteous to ally with. Too unstable to control," he muttered.
Jade's existence posed a threat to both order and chaos. The demon emperor had to choose: ally or annihilate. But he didn't make the choice—not yet.
He watched.
And waited.
---
The Human Emperor, far more pragmatic, was already mobilizing.
He remembered Jade. The boy. The vessel. The failed experiment.
Now, he was something else entirely.
He called his generals. Formed alliances. Summoned old enemies to his war table.
"We face extinction if we don't act," he declared. "This is not a child anymore. He's a weapon born of grief and fire."
And so, armies moved. Messengers flew. War drums thundered.
---
All three realms Heaven, Hell, and Earth now focused on a single man.
One who had disappeared broken…
…and returned divine.
Jade stood at the cliff's edge, looking out over the lands he once knew. His form shifted in the moonlight half man, half myth.
"I won't run from this."
He turned toward the horizon, the winds whipping around him, eyes burning with clarity.
"They took everything from me."
A pause.
"Now I take it back."