Unbeknownst to Karma, his every move was being watched. Perched on a cliff face that offered a panoramic view of the Greenfang Forest, Su Liana was a silent, ethereal observer. From her vantage, the whole of the Greenfang Forest stretched below—a vast, green sea broken only by rivers of mist.Her gaze, sharper than an eagle's, tracked every motion of the mortal she had once dismissed.
At first, she had shadowed him out of frustration, still stung by his arrogance and refusal to heed her words. But what began as anger shifted into something else entirely. Curiosity. Unease. Even… wonder.
The man below was no pampered disciple, no chosen scion trained in polished halls. He moved with an unrefined, almost feral edge—awkward at times, but always efficient. Every strike, every dodge, was born of desperation honed into instinct. He looked less like a mortal stumbling through a world beyond him and more like a predator relearning the laws of the hunt.
Her breath caught when he stumbled upon his next opponent: an Ironfang Wolf, its fur glistening like black steel, its jaws snapping with enough force to shear through a cultivator's weapon. The beast was infamous in the Blood Refinement realm, its name whispered with respect even among sect disciples.
The wolf snarled, the ground itself trembling beneath its weight. Yet Karma didn't flinch. He raised his sword with both hands, a hunter facing down the storm.
The clash was brutal. Sparks flew with every bite of fang against stone. Karma moved by instinct, weaving through strikes, his blade carving shallow wounds that grew deeper with each desperate gamble. Then, with a roar that seemed torn from the marrow of his bones, he struck until the wolf's howl collapsed into silence.
She kept watching. Hours passed. Sweat, blood, and unyielding will carried him deeper into the Greenfang.
Then came the true test.
A bear, armored with bone ridges across its massive frame, thundered into the clearing. A mid-stage Qi Condensation beast. Even she would have chosen caution if she was in same realm. Yet Karma stood, sword trembling, eyes steady.
The battle was chaos—claws gouging stone, near-misses that nearly shredded him in two, the crack of steel against bone. And yet, somehow, through grit and sheer refusal to fall, he endured.
When his sword pierced deep into the bear's chest, spiritual energy erupted outward, flooding into his veins. The air vibrated with his breakthrough.
Qi Condensation.
Su Liana's lips parted in disbelief.
She had read of such moments, that Chosen Ones would often break through when their backs are against the wall, but to witness it—a man once ordinary, now igniting under fire—made her pulse quicken.
Her master had once told her that her brother might be one of those chosen ones. And now, watching Karma who reminded her of her brother, an unknown feeling rose in her heart.
As Karma stood over the fallen beast, a sudden, piercing roar echoed through the forest.
Wings blotted out the sun.
A piercing shriek tore through the forest as an Azure Griffin descended, its talons poised to claim the fresh kill. Its Foundation Establishment aura crashed down like a tidal wave, forcing Karma to his knees.
Still, he raised his sword. Fear twisted his features, but his eyes remained stubborn.
Karma, still weakened from his arduous battle, looked up, his face paling as he felt a terrifying pressure pressing down on him.
Su Liana didn't hesitate. She launched herself from the cliff, a flash of white in the green canopy, a single, perfectly aimed dagger streaking through the air tearing into the beast's wing. It shrieked in pain, spiraling away into the horizon.
She landed above him, her aura washing the battlefield in calm authority. The forest fell silent once more.
Karma stood trembling, his chest heaving. Slowly, reverently, he bowed.
"Lady Su… thank you. I—" His throat caught, shame thick in his voice. "I was arrogant before. I disrespected you. I'm sorry."
Su Liana felt a wave of relief. He was not angry with her. The hostility had vanished, replaced by genuine remorse.
"Let us leave this place," she said softly. "I want to talk to you."
As they walked, she asked, "Tell me the truth. Why didn't you return to my clan? And how do you cultivate now?"
He hesitated, then spoke, the words coming out in a rush of humility. "I… I was lost. I found a cave network and got turned around. By the time I made it back, the clan was gone." He paused, his gaze dropping to the ground. "As for my cultivation... I found an old manual in that cave, buried beneath some rocks. It was a tattered, ancient thing, but… it was a treasure. It helped me cultivate much faster than I expected, and with the valuable herbs and spiritual stones I found in the forest, I was able to make these breakthroughs." He painted the story in half-truths—close enough to plausibility, far enough to hide the green orb's secret.
He took the old book from his spatial pouch and offered it to her. "I want to give this to you as an apology for my earlier arrogance."
Su Liana listened silently, her eyes never leaving his. She knew he was still hiding something, but she didn't care. She felt the last bit of anger drain from her. She nodded. "This manual is rare," she said finally, handing it back. "You may keep it. Do not waste the fortune you've been given."
After a long moment of silence, she broke the stillness again. "Karma," she said, her voice soft with a new kind of sincerity, "after everything you've been through alone... will you return to the clan with me?"
Karma shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Lady Su, you and I both know your clan has no interest in hosting me. I think it's better if I continue to grow on my own."
She had half-expected this. She decided it was a good thing that he was able to grow on his own. She said, "Then why don't you move to Cloudspire Metropolis? My clan is not only closer from there, but you can also find monsters there that are much more powerful than beasts and will be a good training ground."
Thinking things through, he decided to go with her. He expressed his ideas to her, "If ever your family or your sect decide to enter Earth again, I would be willing to help and guide them there." He explained that while the Earth lacked spiritual energy, it had its own unique strengths, technologies, and social structures that could be of great use. He described how the mortal inhabitants of Earth lived, their power structure, and how governments ruled. He also explained the complexities and corruption, how some nations were at war, while others were subtly manipulated by stronger countries or massive corporations.
He then asked about the city they were going to. Su Liana, happy to share her knowledge, explained. "Unlike Greenfang City, which is a small settlement, Cloudspire is the main city of the Desolate Region. Anyone who wants to travel to the Eastern Continent must go through here, as they have flying ships that can traverse the dangerous skies from the Desolate Lands to the Eastern Continent." She added that it was an excellent place to train and find opportunities. The city was located near the Domain of the Starfall, a dangerous area rumored to be the domain of a Lord-level demon beast, a place that hosted high-level beasts and monsters.
A day later, the world opened before him.
Karma froze. His breath caught.
Ahead rose Cloudspire's fortress that dwarfed anything he had ever imagined. The walls were mountains carved by human hands, their surfaces etched with glowing runes that pulsed like veins of light. Watchtowers crowned the battlements, each brimming with spiritual pressure that made his skin crawl.
Beyond the walls stretched a living ocean of roofs, towers, and spires, vanishing into the horizon. Flying ships floated above, gliding across the sky like silent titans.
Karma's mouth went dry. This… this makes New York look like a village.
His gaze swept the gates. Dozens—no, hundreds—of cultivators moved in and out, their robes swaying, their auras pressing down on him like mountains. Some strode with the casual bearing of nobles; others carried blades that seemed to hum with bloodlust.
What unsettled him most wasn't their power—it was that most of them felt utterly unreadable, oceans of strength hidden behind calm exteriors. He couldn't even sense their limits.
The weakest among them, he realized with a sinking heart, could crush him without effort.
His legs wavered. The weight of smallness pressed on him, suffocating. This was no forest hunt. No back-alley struggle. This was the real world of cultivation.
For a moment, despair whispered. I'll never belong here.
Then Mira's voice nudged softly in his mind: You devour, Master. Even a drop becomes an ocean in time.
He clenched his fists. His despair sharpened into resolve. He would survive this place. He would climb. No matter how high the wall, hunger would carry him over it.
Beside him, Su Liana watched, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She saw the fear and the awe, but she also saw something else: the hardening of his resolve, the fire returning to his eyes. This was the Karma she was beginning to admire. 'The weakest allowed inside are at Qi Condensation,' she murmured, her voice calm. 'Everyone you see is stronger than you. Remember that.' Her words were not a threat, but a simple, unvarnished truth that she knew he needed to hear. He was not a fool to be protected, but a survivor to be guided.
She left him once he was settled, her robes trailing like mist. Yet even as she returned to her clan, she felt the strange tug again—the sense that this man, not her brother, not her clan, was somehow entangled with her fate.
The Moonstone Palace gleamed under starlight when she returned. Before she could enter her chambers, a maid rushed to her, pale with urgency.
"Young Lady—the Patriarch has decided. Envoys are being prepared. The Su Clan will send forces to Earth. They mean to conquer it."
Su Liana froze. Earth… Karma's fragile, broken world.
She stormed toward her father's hall.
And there, seated beside him, was a figure she recognized instantly—azure robes flowing like the sea, eyes deep as the stars. Yuan, Grand Elder of the Azure Edge Pavilion. Her master.
Even her father bowed in reverence.
And Su Liana knew, with a sinking heart, that the fragile peace of the world Karma called home was about to shatter, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from her current position.