Tyrian stepped out of the bath, steam trailing from his skin. His body felt lighter, his meridians clearer. No breakthrough—but Flame Sparks pulsed with a deeper rhythm. He was stronger than before.
"I see you're doing better than you were two days ago," Jalen said, arms folded.
Tyrian smiled. "It's all thanks to you, senior."
"Good. Get dressed. There's somewhere I need to be."
Tyrian nodded. He retrieved a white gown from his pocket realm and slipped it on. Moments later, he and Jalen left the underground sanctuary and made their way toward the royal capital.
Tyrian's nerves stirred. The Elemental Sword Sect held sway in these parts. If anyone recognized him, it could mean death. But he followed Jalen without question.
They arrived at the palace gates.
Jalen didn't barge in—though he could have. Instead, he approached calmly. The guards stiffened when they saw the golden token on his cloak—etched with the sigil of the Light Clan. Not just a member. An elder.
But what shocked them was that this youth—whose life force pulsed with the freshness of early adulthood—had achieved the rank of elder in one of the continent's most ancient clans. Everyone knew the Light Clan only accepted Sage Realm cultivators as elders. Which meant this boy before them wasn't just talented.
He was a phenomenon.
And they couldn't fathom it.
"I'm here to speak with the emperor," Jalen said.
Normally, even sect patriarchs couldn't demand an audience. But this was different. The guards bowed and sent word.
Moments later, Floyd, the emperor's right hand, arrived. His silver-sigiled robes shimmered faintly, and his early Sage Realm aura pressed like a mountain. But when he saw Jalen, he paused.
The boy who killed Prince Rayan.
Now an elder of the Light Clan.
A Sage Realm cultivator at such a young age.
Monster.
Floyd's gaze shifted to the youth beside Jalen. His life force was startlingly young—far younger than Jalen's—yet his cultivation had already reached the Moon Realm. That could only mean one thing: the boy had emerged from a subrealm where time flowed differently. But even accounting for that, Floyd's instincts screamed the truth.
This child was less than twenty. And yet he stood at the Moon Realm that took most cultivator by normal cultivation standard a couple hundred year.
Impossible. Unnatural.
Or perhaps… destined.
Floyd led them inside.
Jack WangChester, Emperor of Bellini, sat tall on his throne. Composed, but wary. His silver hair shimmered like moonlight, his beauty sharp enough to wound. He had already been informed of his guest's identity—and of Jalen's transformation. Floyd's earlier mind-link had ensured that.
"To what do I owe the honor of being graced by an elder of the Light Clan?" Jack asked.
"I've come for Jaya and Walford," Jalen replied, each word deliberate, stripped of ceremony.
"My daughter and her protector?" Jack's tone darkened. "I thought you came to offer your life for killing my son. Not many are brave enough to do such a thing and still live."
Tyrian's knees buckled. His ancestor killed a prince?
"But because you're an elder," Jack continued, "you dare show your face here. Do you think I'm afraid to kill you?"
"Are Jaya and Walford here or not?" Jalen asked, unmoved.
"You think you can march in and make demands?"
"If you're so confident, Emperor, why beat around the bush? Come at me."
Jack's eyes narrowed. Floyd's aura flared briefly—but Jalen didn't blink.
"She's being punished because of you," Jack said. "Her protector is locked away for aiding you, a fugitive and a prince-killer."
"So they're here, then," Jalen said.
"They can't meet with you."
"Then I'll find them myself."
"Are you threatening His Majesty?" Floyd asked.
"Take it as you will," Jalen replied. "They're my friends. I won't stand idle if harm comes to them."
"They're mine to deal with," Jack said.
"That was before I met them. If any harm comes to them, I promise—I'll flatten this empire."
Tyrian's pulse quickened. He'd faced death before. Fought monsters. Survived collapse.
But this was different.
The emperor's gaze wasn't just sharp—it was sovereign.
Tyrian didn't need glasses to see it. That look could flatten mountains.
And he was no mountain.
That kind of threat? Tyrian wouldn't dare.
But Jalen…
Jalen didn't flinch.
His ancestor knew no fear.
"You may have the Light Clan behind you," Jack said, "but right now you're alone here. Outnumbered."
"I'm giving you one last chance, emperor, out of respect for your daughter and showing you face. Bring them forth, or I act."
Jack laughed. "You're bold. Fine. I'll send for my daughter."
"But Your Majesty—" Floyd protested.
"Just go get them."
Even alone, Jalen couldn't be touched. Not without risking war with the Light Clan. The emperor knew this very well.
Tyrian exhaled. His ancestor wasn't just brave—he was untouchable.
"While Floyd fetches them, how about we talk?" Jack offered.
"If it's a verbal clash, I'll pass," Jalen said.
"I'm curious. What's your name?"
"Jalen. But that's not what you want to know."
"You're right," Jack said with a thin smile. "I'm curious about the miraculous cultivation method you and the young lad use to reach your realms. He's barely two years old in real-world time and already at the Moon Realm. And you—what, twenty-two? Yet you've stepped into the Sage Realm."
Tyrian nearly staggered.
Sage Realm?
His ancestor was at the Sage Realm?
The weight of it hit him like a falling star.
He thought back to their first meeting—how he'd raised his blade, how he'd braced to fight.
Foolish didn't begin to cover it.
"If I tell you," Jalen said, "I might have to kill you."
Jack chuckled. "You know, if you hadn't killed my son, I could see us being friends."
"Should I have let him kill me instead?"
"You were stronger. You could've shown mercy."
"Mercy?" Jalen's voice dropped. "You sent assassins. If I hadn't been strong, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Jack's smile thinned. "Have you heard it's wise to make friends, not enemies?"
"I don't make friends with snakes. I crush them."
"Well, Elder, it was fun talking."
"I can't say the same."
At that moment, Floyd returned with Jaya and Walford.
Jaya looked weary but intact. Walford looked like he'd been through hell.
They froze when they saw Jalen.
Alive. Unbound. Standing before the emperor.
"Now that you've seen them," Jack said, "you may leave."
"I'm taking them with me," Jalen said.
"You're overstepping."
Jack slammed his throne. His late Sage Realm aura burst forth, forcing Tyrian, Jaya, and Walford to their knees.
Jalen's aura flared in response.
For a moment, Jack and Floyd were stunned.
This boy's energy… It felt like a half-step into the Sky Limit Realm. Yet he was only mid-Sage Realm.
Frightening didn't begin to describe it.
Everyone in the palace felt it.
Jack laughed nervously. "Why so serious, Elder? I was just lightening the mood."
Jalen said nothing. He activated Flash Reverse.
In an instant, he, Tyrian, Jaya, and Walford vanished—despite the palace's sealing formations.
Jack and Floyd were stunned.
"Should I pursue him?" Floyd asked.
"No," Jack sighed. "He's untouchable now. He knows it."
"He disrespected His Majesty."
"You know the way of cultivation, Floyd. Strength is law. We can't suppress him anymore. Even without the Light Clan, he's a monster."