The flames faded from Shen Hao's body, and his breathing finally slowed.
His body trembled slightly, but he was on his feet.
Beginning Realm Level 7.
He had broken through.
He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as sparks of stable, golden Qi flowed gently through his veins. The Aetherblaze Fruit was completely refined. His core was now burning — not wildly, but with deep, compressed power.
Mo Han stood beside him, arms crossed, calm.
"You've done well."
Shen Hao glanced at the glowing scroll resting beside the Shard of Naxus.
"So… can I use the scroll now?"
Mo Han raised an eyebrow. "No."
"…Seriously?"
"You've gained power, yes — but power alone is not enough. That scroll holds techniques which require precision. Discipline. You're not ready."
Shen Hao groaned but didn't argue. Deep down, he knew Mo Han was right.
"Then what can I do now?"
Mo Han's eyes sharpened. "You've mastered the Ember Bloom technique — the first form of Crimson Core Detonation. But your breakthrough has given you a gift: enough Qi and control to begin learning the second form."
Lingfeng appeared beside the scroll with a smirk.
"Second form? Okay, NOW I'm listening."
That very night, Shen Hao started his new cultivation journey.
What began as simple breathwork quickly turned into exhausting hours of refinement, control, and explosion management.
By the end of the first week, Shen Hao had refined his use of Ember Bloom beyond what even Mo Han had expected.
He could now launch it three times in a row
He could stop it mid-air
He could even curve its direction after releasing it
The attack was no longer a wild explosion — it was a guided weapon.
On the second week, Mo Han stood before him, conjuring an illusion of fire and wind twisting together like a spear.
"This is the second form," he said.
"A condensed drill of fire and Qi. Unlike Ember Bloom, this doesn't explode outward — it pierces."
Shen Hao's first attempts failed completely. The Qi overcompressed, either fizzling out or exploding too early.
More than once, he staggered back with burned fingers and shallow breath.
Lingfeng grimaced. "Okay, I liked this training better when you weren't trying to implode yourself."
On the 21st night or at the end of the 3rd week, Shen Hao stood in the center of his room, sweat pouring down his back.
He formed the seal.
Compressed his Qi.
This time — it didn't collapse.
He launched the second form.
A twisting beam of fire shot out and drilled clean through a boulder Mo Han had placed as a test. The stone cracked in half with a hiss of steam.
He smiled.
Mo Han nodded slowly. "You've done it."
"You can only use it once," he warned again, "but that one shot… can decide a battle."
And now, standing in his room, Shen Hao faced the object that started it all.
The Shard of Naxus.
The Shard hovered silently above Shen Hao's open palm, pulsing with quiet, dark light. His room felt different—thicker, heavier, like the air itself knew what was coming.
Nearby, Mo Han hovered calmly, arms folded. Lingfeng floated in lazy circles overhead, humming a strange tune.
From within Shen Hao's dimensional ring, the voice of the elder golem echoed directly into his mind.
"Master, the shard recognizes you. The portal will open shortly. We await your command."
Shen Hao nodded. "Get ready. We're heading in together."
The younger golem's voice followed, curious but focused.
"So this is it… the legendary Echoing Mountain Realm. After all there years i can finally see it for my self."
Lingfeng floated over Shen Hao's shoulder. "Master, I swear—if this portal throws us into a lava swamp, I'm blaming you."
Shen Hao smirked and placed the shard gently onto the floor. He formed a small Qi circle with his finger. As soon as his energy connected—
CRAAAACK!
A surge of black-violet lightning tore through the center of the room. The space split open like shattering glass, and a swirling portal emerged—spinning with cosmic energy and humming like a sleeping storm.
Everyone fell silent.
Even the air seemed to pause.
Shen Hao stared into the vortex. "One last time, Master Mo Han… how does time work in there?"
Mo Han stepped forward, voice clear and steady. "Inside the Echoing Mountain Realm, time flows faster. One hour on Earth equals one year in that realm."
Lingfeng raised an eyebrow. "So we could train for a decade—and only miss a day back here?"
Mo Han nodded. "Exactly. And your body only ages by the time spent in the real world. That's why early-stage cultivators use this place to grow rapidly. A true advantage."
Shen Hao inhaled deeply. "That's… incredible."
Mo Han's face turned serious. "But don't forget—this realm has no laws, no order. There are rogue cultivators from across the universe. Some may even surpass me at my peak. The danger is real."
"We understand, your Majesty," the elder golem said from the ring.
"We are ready to serve."
Shen Hao said seriously. "Let's not waste time, then."
He locked his bedroom door. Then, without hesitation—
He stepped into the portal.
A flash of light. A rush of silence. The universe twisted—
And then they stood on solid stone.
A massive cliff, overlooking a world Shen Hao had never imagined.
The sky was emerald and endless, dotted with floating mountains and drifting islands. Twin suns hung overhead. Rivers of pure Qi glowed in the valleys. Crystals the size of buildings jutted out of mountains in the far distance.
It was as if the stars had melted into the earth.
Behind him, the portal shimmered once more—
Mo Han and Lingfeng appeared beside him.
Then, with two brilliant flashes of golden light—
the elder and younger golems emerged from the dimensional ring and landed on the stone cliff.
"We've arrived, Master," the elder golem said, respectfully.
"Our first steps in a realm even our creators never saw," said the younger. "It's... more vast than I imagined."
Lingfeng floated above them. "Master Shen Hao, I must admit… this place is kind of nuts."
Shen Hao stood still, eyes locked on the horizon.
Mo Han pointed toward the west. "That way. Roughly 120 kilometers from here lies Mount Sheng. Inside it, there's a deep cultivation cave—one of the most deepest in this realm."
Shen Hao blinked. "120 kilometers?!"
Mo Han smiled faintly. "This realm is at least seven times the size of your entire solar system. That distance is nothing here."
"Understood, your Majesty," said the elder golem. "Don't worry, we will protect our master during the journey."
Lingfeng grinned. "Well, time to go full space-wanderer. What could possibly go wrong?"
Mo Han looked to Shen Hao. "Our first goal is to find a Celestial Nexus Array—the fastest way to cross long distances."
Shen Hao frowned. "There's more than one?"
Mo Han gave him a knowing smirk. "I never said there was only one."
Shen Hao clenched his fists, the flames of Qi steady in his core.
Around him stood his blade, his ancient teacher, and two guardians born from sacrifice.
Ahead of him—
A realm of chaos, mystery, and power.
He took his first step forward.
"Let's move."