Iron Sky Sect — Inner Valley, Fifth Week of Seclusion
The courtyard was strangely quiet without him.
No footsteps at dawn.
No system-activated training fields.
No Kaelen watching over them from the rooftop.
And yet—
something lingered.
A pressure.
A pulse.
As if his presence was somehow still watching… waiting.
And in truth—
it was.
Within the Secluded Chamber
Kaelen sat in total stillness.
His qi flowed like molten steel through his veins.
His breath controlled the surrounding air pressure.
His aura — now awakened by the Dominator trait — distorted light subtly around him.
[Status: Core Formed (Mid)]
[Refinement: 82% toward High Stage]
[Sovereign Bloodline Sync: Evolving]
[New Trait Detected: Dominion Pulse — Aura-pressure scales with willpower]
He opened his palm — and a single crimson-gold flame danced across it.
He stared at it, not with pride… but calm hunger.
"Still too far from the peak."
POV: Aria Valen — Progress and Weight
Her training with Elder Suzan had accelerated.
She now fought using dual-phase swordplay — light and fire in tandem.
Her control had grown sharper.
Her presence in sparring halls… dominant.
And yet—
"You seem distracted," Elder Suzan said one day.
Aria didn't lie.
"I am."
"He's not just our protector anymore."
"He's our reason."
POV: Mira Nightshade
Mira now walked through shadows like a phantom.
Her techniques made Inner Disciples nervous.
But her thoughts kept drifting back—
To the time Kaelen crushed lilies from Fei Yuzen's hand.
To the way his gaze burned only when others looked at them.
And the way he said nothing after.
It drove her insane.
Just say something, you stubborn, beautiful idiot.
POV: Selina, Lyra, Lyanna, Valessia
Each girl, in her own corner of the sect, was growing stronger:
Selina had begun reverse-healing — using pain to empower regeneration
Lyra could now fly through spirit-storms
Lyanna's dual-core resonance made her a prodigy under Elder Vess
Valessia shattered a sparring dummy crafted from spiritsteel
But all of them…
In quiet moments…
Stared toward the chamber Kaelen had sealed shut.
Waiting.
The Global Sect Duel — Selection Begins
The Sect Masters began gathering names.
Every elder was required to nominate two disciples.
One Inner. One Outer.
Whispers flew.
Aria was the first name listed.
Mira followed.
Valessia stunned them with her sparring trial and was approved.
Even Lyanna and Selina were placed under watch.
Kaelen?
Not a single word.
"He's forgotten," someone muttered.
"Probably afraid."
"Why would the girls even follow someone like that?"
The Chamber Trembles
That night—
a sudden quake tore through the earth around Chamber #7.
Everyone looked up.
Elders frowned.
"What was that?"
"Did the formation fail?"
But the system chimed once more.
[Congratulations: Core Formed (High)]
[Sovereign Energy Compression at 92%]
[One Step Away from Cultivation Breakthrough: Soul Manifest Realm]
[Authority Awakening Threshold: Approaching]
Kaelen opened his eyes.
His aura expanded silently.
Disciples hundreds of feet away stumbled mid-movement.
Beasts in pens howled.
Qi pools rippled unnaturally.
And still, no one knew why.
Final Line
In the silence of midnight,
Kaelen rose to his feet.
His robe flowed like liquid flame.
His hair trailed behind him like a Sovereign mantle.
And his voice — spoken only to himself — was calm.
"Time to make them remember."