"Elder, where did you go just now?"
"That's right, Barrett! Why did you suddenly vanish into thin air?"
When the three of them reappeared in the courtyard of Gear-Heart Manor, the surrounding family members and guards swarmed them, their faces a mix of terror and awe.
"Elder, I'll leave the explaining to you,"
Barrett Gear-Heart said, looking at the old man. He still felt a bit dazed by the sheer scale of the world he had just seen.
The old man, Viktor Gear-Heart, stepped forward with a renewed spark in his eyes. He gathered the clan, his voice booming with authority as he began to explain the salvation Julian had offered the family.
Meanwhile, Barrett turned to Julian, looking a bit sheepish. "My Lord... about those mana techniques you mentioned. Is it truly possible for someone like me to learn them?"
"Take this," Julian replied with a faint smile. He reached into his storage pouch and handed over a small, leather-bound manual.
On the cover were the words: Way of the Pure Mind.
It was the very technique Julian had used during his early days at the Academy. While it wasn't a top-tier art, it was the perfect primer for laying a solid foundation and clearing the impurities of the body.
"You can share this mental cultivation technique with the rest of the family later," Julian added.
Barrett's eyes widened as he clutched the book. "My Lord, you would allow everyone in the Gear-Heart clan to cultivate this? Are you sure?"
"Of course. It's the basic building block," Julian said, his voice dropping to a low, charismatic tone. "In time, if you master the higher tiers, you won't just be strong—you'll be able to fly through the clouds."
Julian hadn't reached the stage of flight himself yet, but he knew the value of giving his new followers a grand vision to strive for.
Shortly after, Elder Viktor returned. "My Lord, I've informed the family. Given the state of the world and the monsters outside, no one objected. We are ready to move."
The corpses of the Skittering Shadows still lay rotting in the sun nearby; the threat was a powerful motivator. Most of the 381 members of the clan had already packed their meager belongings into heavy bags.
"Elder, tell them to put their bags down," Julian said, amused. "I'm taking the whole manor with us."
Julian focused his mind on the Hallowed Realm imprint between his eyebrows. An invisible, rippling force expanded from him, enveloping the entirety of Gear-Heart Manor. In a sudden distortion of space, the buildings, the livestock, the families, and even the ancient oak tree at the gate vanished.
When they reappeared inside the Lotus Sanctum, the Gear-Heart clan gasped.
"Is this... the paradise of the gods?"
"Look at that palace! It's like a mountain made of gold!"
"Elder Viktor, I'll leave the logistics to you," Julian said. "Ensure everyone is settled."
"As you command, my Lord," Viktor replied, his voice trembling with reverence.
"Barrett, stay here for now. Focus on the Way of the Pure Mind," Julian instructed before exiting the Sanctum and returning to the empty, cratered earth where the manor once stood.
Suddenly, Julian's holographic interface flickered to life.
Name: Julian Thorne
Race: Human
Realm: Mortal Rank 9 (Peak)
Technique: Solar Flare Meditation (+)
Architecture: * Lotus Sanctum (Rank 8): 0/10,000
Ember-Fall Manor (Rank 9): 0/1,000
Gear-Heart Manor (Unranked): +
Destiny Points: 4,810
Julian's face lit up. "4,810 points? Just for subduing the Gear-Hearts?"
His first move was to finish the upgrade he had started. He funneled 500 points into the Lotus Sanctum, officially pushing it to Rank 8.
The effect was instantaneous. The Sanctum, which was already massive, doubled in size. New mountain peaks erupted from the dark soil, and a gentle, spiritual rain began to fall, accelerating the growth of local flora and revitalizing the air.
"Rank 8 Blessed Land," Julian whispered, feeling the surge of mana.
He then turned his attention to his technique. There was a small (+) icon next to his Solar Flare Meditation. He poured 100 points into it, and the text shifted:
Solar Flare Meditation (100/3,000)
Julian realized he could manually evolve his cultivation art. Without hesitation, he dumped another 2,900 points into it. His mind exploded with new insights—formulas for compressing solar energy and pathways for mana flow he hadn't even imagined.
The text blurred and reformed:
Nova Sovereign Technique (0/30,000)
"The Nova Sovereign Technique!" Julian exhaled, feeling the raw power thrumming in his veins. He no longer needed to find rare supplements to boost his Solar Flare; he had evolved it into a superior art. However, the next jump required 30,000 points—a staggering amount that reminded him he was still at the start of his journey.