Azrael woke to golden sunlight streaming through the window of his newly expanded bedroom. For a moment, he simply lay there, enjoying the sensation of being truly rested for the first time in months.
His body felt incredible. The foundation consolidation at Layer 50 had refined every aspect of his being. His muscles and cells were denser, his bones harder, his meridians clearer. Even his breathing felt effortless, each inhale drawing in refined qi from his Grand Spirit Convergence Array.
He sat up and checked his jade phone out of habit from his previous life.
The screen lit up with notifications.
[Sect Announcement: All Secret Realm Qualifiers - Mandatory Briefing Tomorrow, Mission Hall, 9 AM]
Azrael noted the time and dismissed it. That gave him today to prepare.
Scrolling through his messages, most were automated sect notifications or spam from cultivation goods merchants. But one message caught his attention.
[Unknown Number]: "Hope you enjoyed the food. Let me know if you'd like to eat again sometime 😊"
Azrael smiled behind his mask. Fairy Yue. He'd recognize that polite-but-interested tone anywhere.
He composed a reply: "The food was exceptional. I'd love to eat your cooking again. Perhaps after we return from the secret realm? I suspect we'll both be busy for the next month."
He hit send before he could overthink it.
His phone buzzed almost immediately with her response: "That sounds perfect! Stay safe in the realm. Looking forward to it 🙂"
Satisfied, Azrael set the phone aside and opened the cultivation internet browser. He'd barely explored the jade phone's capabilities yesterday, but now seemed like a good time.
The homepage showed trending topics in the cultivation world. His eyes widened slightly as he scanned the list.
#1 Trending: "Masked Legend Dominates Outer Sect Competition"
Oh no.
He clicked on the topic and found dozens of forum posts, discussion threads, and even video recordings from spectators.
[User: SwordDemon47]
"Did anyone else see that masked outer disciple ELIMINATE EIGHT THOUSAND PEOPLE?! I've been cultivating for 30 years and I've never seen anything like it!"
[User: PhoenixRising]
"Forget the eliminations. He broke through to the 15TH LAYER while eating spirit food. FIFTEENTH. Most people don't even know layers past 10 exist!"
[User: InnersectGossip]
"My cousin works at Celestial Harmony Restaurant. She said he ate FIVE FULL PLATES of Fairy Yue's Stage 7 cooking and didn't explode. His qi control and physique must be insane."
[User: BettingMaster]
"I lost 50,000 spirit stones betting against him. Worth it just to witness that display. New betting pool: Will he survive the secret realm? Odds currently 3:1 in favor."
Azrael scrolled through dozens more posts. Videos showed his sword techniques from the competition, slowed down and analyzed frame by frame. Speculation about his identity ran wild—reincarnated expert, sect master's secret son, ancient monster possessing a disciple's body.
I really should have held back more, Azrael thought ruefully.
But what was done was done. No point worrying about it now.
He closed the browser and stood up, stretching. Time to focus on practical preparations.
His jade phone buzzed again—Fairy Yue replying to something he'd said. He smiled and set it to silent. They could chat more later. Women would only delay his sword drawing.
For now, he had work to do.
Meanwhile: Sect Master's Hall
The grand council chamber of the Celestial Peak Sect was rarely used for emergency meetings. But today, every elder in the sect had been summoned.
The circular room was enormous, with tiered seating rising up around a central platform. Formation arrays lined the walls, providing privacy and security. Spiritual pressure hung thick in the air as dozens of Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation realm elders gathered.
At the highest seat, Sect Master Feng Tian sat with an expression of deep contemplation. He was a man who appeared to be in his forties but was actually over two thousand years old. His aura was restrained but unmistakable—early Void Integration realm, the peak power on this dying planet or so he thought.
Elder Han stood on the central platform, looking uncomfortable under the scrutiny of so many powerful cultivators. In a corner, Elder Feng—the man who oversaw the sect's copying scribes—wore an expression of complete bewilderment.
"Let me ensure I understand correctly," Sect Master Feng Tian said, his voice calm but carrying absolute authority. "During the qualification competition, a masked outer disciple eliminated eight thousand participants single-handedly?"
"Yes, Sect Master," Elder Han confirmed.
"And this same disciple then went to Celestial Harmony Restaurant, consumed enough Stage 7 spirit food to kill a normal cultivator ten times over, and broke through to the 15th layer of Qi Condensation?"
"Correct, Sect Master."
"Without exploding."
"Without exploding," Elder Han agreed.
Murmurs rippled through the assembled elders.
"Impossible," one Soul Transformation elder muttered. "The 15th layer is theoretical. I've never heard of anyone actually reaching it."
"His qi control must be perfect," another elder said. "Only the Sect Master has that level of control.(The sect master is also a genius that can fight a Star Convergence Realm Cultivator.)"
Sect Master Feng Tian raised a hand, and the chamber fell silent.
"Elder Han, you verified his identity token personally?"
"I did, Sect Master." Elder Han produced a jade slip and infused it with qi. A projection appeared in the air—an exact copy of Azrael's sect identity information.
[Name: Azrael Voss]
[Status: Outer Sect Disciple]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Layer 3](Note: Information outdated)
[Position: Script Copyist]
[Specialty: Calligraphy]
"Azrael Voss..." Elder Feng the scribe master stood up abruptly, his face showing shock. "There's only one Azrael Voss in the outer sect, and he's a disciple under my branch!"
All eyes turned to him.
"You know this disciple?" Sect Master Feng Tian asked.
"I... yes and no, Sect Master." Elder Feng looked genuinely confused. "Azrael Voss was assigned to me as a script copyist about four months ago. Trash-tier spiritual roots, barely adequate calligraphy. I gave him copying assignments to earn contribution points."
He pulled out his own jade slip. "But I haven't seen him in three months. He completed his last assignment and then... disappeared into closed-door cultivation, I assumed."
Another elder produced visual records, he was the CCTV guy—spiritual imprints captured during the competition. Two images appeared side by side.
On the left: Azrael Voss from three months ago. Thin, malnourished, unremarkable features, dull eyes. An average outer disciple who looked like he'd never amount to anything.
On the right: The masked cultivator from the competition. Mask removed during his meal at the restaurant. Perfect features, jade-like skin, eyes that held depth and power. An immortal descended to the mortal realm.
The resemblance was... minimal. You could maybe see some similarity in the bone structure if you squinted, but they looked like completely different people.
"Same person?" an elder asked skeptically.
"The identity token doesn't lie," Elder Han said. "I checked it three times. No forgery, no deception. That's Azrael Voss."
Silence fell over the chamber as everyone processed this.
Finally, a white-haired elder in the back spoke up. "Could he be possessed? A powerful soul taking over a weak body?"
"Unlikely," Sect Master Feng Tian said. "A possession would trigger the sect's soul protective formations. We would have detected it."
"Reincarnation, then?" another elder suggested.
That got more thoughtful nods.
"Reincarnation is common enough," Elder Feng the scribe master said slowly. "Especially on this planet. The Nexus Innovation Sect is full of reincarnated beings from other worlds. They've been quite open about it."
"A reincarnated expert would explain the sudden transformation," a Soul Transformation elder agreed. "And the impossible cultivation speed."
"It would also explain why he kept such a low profile for three months," another added. "He was probably adapting to his new body and circumstances."
Sect Master Feng Tian stroked his beard thoughtfully. "A reincarnated soul retaining knowledge from a previous life... that would be valuable. Very valuable. Most of them quickly run off to Nexus Innovation Sect."
"Should we summon him for questioning?" Elder Han asked.
"No."
The Sect Master's voice was firm, brooking no argument.
"If he is indeed a reincarnated expert, forcing him to reveal himself would be counterproductive. Such individuals often have their own reasons for maintaining secrecy. And frankly..." He looked at the projection showing Azrael's combat performance. "His power is unknown. His origins are unknown. His true combat power may be far higher than Qi Condensation Layer."
Murmurs of agreement.
"Furthermore," the Sect Master continued, "he has shown no hostile intent. He participated in the competition fairly, paid for his meals, and caused no trouble beyond attracting attention. He may even prove to be an asset in the secret realm."
"What are your orders, Sect Master?" Elder Han asked.
"Observe, but do not interfere. Let him believe his identity remains secret if that's what he wishes. Treat him with the respect due to a hidden expert. And..." Feng Tian smiled slightly. "Make sure the other sects don't learn about him. A trump card is only useful if your opponents don't know it exists."
The elders nodded in understanding.
"One more thing," Elder Feng the scribe master said hesitantly. "About three months ago, I promoted him to top-tier scribe for exceptional calligraphy. He completed a massive copying assignment—over three thousand technique manuals. Perfect quality, impossible speed."
He pulled up records showing Azrael's contribution point balance and purchases.
Several elders' eyes widened.
"He earned over two million contribution points?" someone whispered.
"And spent most of it on formation materials, alchemy ingredients, and spirit food supplies," Elder Feng confirmed.
"A reincarnated formation master and alchemist," the Sect Master mused. "Interesting. Very interesting."
He stood, and everyone in the chamber immediately rose and bowed.
"This matter is classified. No one speaks of it outside this chamber. Let Azrael Voss participate in the secret realm as planned. We'll see what he's truly capable of when the stakes are high."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
The meeting adjourned, elders filing out and immediately activating silencing formations to prevent themselves from accidentally revealing what they'd learned.
Sect Master Feng Tian remained behind, staring at the projection of Azrael's masked face.
"A reincarnated expert with perfect qi control, impossible cultivation speed, and enough resources to rival inner sect elders," he murmured to himself. "And he's kept it hidden for three months."
He smiled.
"This secret realm expedition just became much more interesting."
Azrael's Cave: Evening
Azrael sat in his training area, surrounded by the twelve flying knives he'd purchased from the trading hall.
Each knife floated in the air before him, suspended by his telekinesis—not cultivation-based qi manipulation, but pure psychic force projection born from his soul's strength.
The knives were beautiful weapons. S-shaped blades with a sleek, almost sci-fi aesthetic. Grade 7 quality but surprisingly affordable. The formations inscribed on them were excellent for flight control and durability.
But Azrael could make them better.
His consciousness was working overtime.
60% of his mind focused on designing flying knife formations—both individual attack patterns and large-scale coordinated strikes.
30% analyzed secret realm information he'd gathered from the cultivation internet.
10% handled daily activities.
The flying knife formation design was progressing rapidly. His Heaven-Defying Comprehension broke down existing techniques from his Myriad Spiritual Library and synthesized them with his own innovations.
A single knife can pierce, slash, or defend. But twelve knives working in coordination become something greater.
He began testing patterns.
Pattern One: Spiral Cage - The knives formed a rotating spiral around a target, each blade angled to intercept escape routes. Perfect for trapping fast-moving opponents.
Pattern Two: Phantom Steps - The knives moved in synchronized pairs, creating the illusion of twenty-four blades through rapid repositioning. Psychological warfare combined with actual threat.
Pattern Three: Void Severance - All twelve knives converged on a single point simultaneously from different angles. The coordinated strike created spatial distortions at the impact point, making it nearly impossible to defend against.
Pattern Four: Flowing River - The knives moved in a continuous flowing pattern, each blade covering the gap left by another. Endless offense with no openings.
For larger-scale attacks, Azrael designed more complex formations:
Grand Pattern: Thousand Blade Illusion - Using spatial law principles and precise qi control, he could make each knife project dozens of illusory copies while the real blades hid among them. Enemies would face an overwhelming swarm where only twelve blades were actually lethal, but they couldn't tell which ones.
Grand Pattern: Stellar Orbit - The knives formed a miniature solar system formation around him, rotating at different speeds and distances. This provided both offense and defense, with the rotating pattern making it nearly impossible to predict attack angles.
Grand Pattern: Dimensional Pierce - All twelve knives synchronized with his Space Law comprehension, allowing them to briefly shift through dimensions. They could pass through defenses by existing slightly out of phase with normal space.
As he practiced, his telekinetic control became more refined. The psychic force required to move the blades decreased as he found more efficient methods. His spiritual sense expanded to track all twelve simultaneously without conscious effort.
By evening, he'd mastered the basic patterns and could execute the grand formations with reasonable accuracy.
This will be useful in the secret realm, Azrael thought with satisfaction.
He stored the knives in his space ring and pulled out his jade phone to check the time.
One more day until the briefing. Then one more day until the secret realm opened.
Azrael reviewed his preparation checklist mentally:
✓ Cultivation advanced to Layer 50
✓ Millions of pills stored
✓ Spirit food supplies packed
✓ Flying knife formations mastered
✓ Dimensional Shift movement technique perfected
✓ Combat techniques comprehended
✓ Space ring filled with resources
Everything was ready.
Azrael pulled up the secret realm information on his phone one more time, reading through forum posts and historical records.
The Ancient Formation Sect had been destroyed 100,000 years ago. Their inheritance had been sealed ever since. Previous attempts to crack the central treasury formation had all failed.
But those attempts had been made by normal cultivators with normal comprehension.
Azrael had Heaven-Defying Comprehension, Grade 8 formation mastery, and 79% Space Law understanding.
I wonder if I can crack it, he thought. Not by breaking the formation, but by going around it.
Space Law allowed for some creative solutions. Like drilling a dimensional tunnel through reality itself, bypassing the formation entirely instead of confronting it head-on.
It would require careful planning and probably days of work. But it was theoretically possible.
"Something to consider once I'm inside," Azrael decided.
He set an alarm for tomorrow morning and prepared for sleep. His consciousness needed rest after the intensive formation design work.
As he lay down, his last thought was of Fairy Yue's message.
After the secret realm, I'll take her up on that meal. If I survive.
Then he smiled.
Who am I kidding? I can fight Peak Solar Dominion cultivators. The secret realm should be easy.
Sleep claimed him quickly, and his cave fell silent except for the gentle hum of the Grand Spirit Convergence Array continuing its endless work.
Tomorrow would bring the briefing.
The day after, the secret realm.
And Azrael Void was ready for whatever came next.
[END CHAPTER 15]