Inside the True Martial Dao Hall, Elder Caden's furious voice echoed off the walls.
The four younger disciples nearby all paled in fear. They had never seen the usually composed palace master this angry before. Caden had always been stern, but he never lost control—not even when someone failed to grasp the basics of Lunar Infinity or Solar Infinity.
Now, however, he was genuinely furious.
"Cliff Jensen, you were chosen by the True Martial Sword. You're blessed beyond any of us," Caden said, his voice low and trembling with emotion. "Even I dared not teach you directly. That's why I asked you to study the insights carved by generations of Heavenly Masters. In all their records, did any of them mention practicing both Lunar and Solar paths together?"
Cliff nodded calmly. "No, they didn't."
It was true.
Each Heavenly Master in the history of the Dragonspire Order had walked either the path of Lunar Infinity or Solar Infinity. Not both.
"Then why did you make this choice on your own?" Caden's tone was a mix of frustration and heartbreak. "The path of cultivation demands caution. What you've done… is reckless. Our ancestors gave their lives forging these paths, and you think you can just forge your own?"
"You were chosen by the True Martial Sword," Caden continued, voice heavy with grief. "If you had simply followed tradition, either Lunar or Solar, you would become a Heavenly Master in ten years—maybe even less. You are the hope of Dragonspire, of the world. And now—look what you've done."
Caden's disappointment was overwhelming.
Even Quinn, the young disciple closest to Cliff, was now trembling. The others exchanged worried glances.
They had believed Cliff had gone far in his training. Now it seemed he'd gone… wrong.
"Lunar Infinity and Solar Infinity are opposites. Merging them affects your core. If something happens, you won't be able to start over. There will be no second chance."
Caden felt regret rising within him.
He should have warned Cliff from the beginning. But who could have expected him to go beyond even what the greatest masters had tried?
He had assumed, like any teacher would, that mastering even one path would take years. Cliff had done both in less than one.
Even the third Heavenly Master of Dragonspire had once attempted to merge both energies. And he, a fully realized master, had died from the attempt.
"How could you think this is the way forward?" Caden asked, voice cracking.
Cliff didn't flinch. "Because I believe it is."
"I've experienced it. I've felt it," he continued, his voice steady. "When I train in both Lunar and Solar Infinity, I feel balance. This is the path forward. I'm certain of it."
"You're certain?" Caden laughed bitterly. "Do you think certainty is enough? History, lineage, thirty-six generations of invincible Heavenly Masters—none of them took this route. You would throw it away on a guess?"
"Even if it is possible," Caden added, "someone has to pay the price to open that path. Someone will fail, bleed, and die. Our third Heavenly Master tried—he exploded from within."
"But you?" Caden stared at him with narrowed eyes. "You had a guaranteed future. You could have succeeded. And now… you've gambled everything on a path no one dares walk."
The chamber fell silent.
Finally, Caden let out a long breath.
"Then I have no choice."
"From today onward, you will train under me directly."
"I will use my True Qi to rebuild your body over time—ten years if needed. We will slowly erase the effects of the Lunar and Solar energies. Once your foundation is stable, you'll begin again."
Everyone around was stunned.
Even Elder Royce, the chubby Taoist beside him, widened his eyes. "Brother, if you do that… your own cultivation will be ruined."
Indeed, using one's own Celestial Phenomenon-level energy to heal another for years on end was incredibly taxing.
Doing so could drop Caden's strength drastically—and cut decades off his life.
Even Master Ping, the messy-robed guardian of Dragonspire, looked heartbroken. "Caden… don't do this."
But Caden only shook his head. "He is the first chosen in five hundred years. I cannot watch him fall."
Everyone knew how much this meant to Caden.
Still, Cliff stood still.
"Master," he said quietly. "I appreciate your concern, but I believe you're wrong. I won't change my path."
"If you force me, I'll lose all interest in continuing."
Cliff had no intention of allowing his core to be rebuilt.
Not only would it reveal his secret—his ability of Heaven-Defying Comprehension—but it would also destroy everything he had gained.
He was certain of his path. This wasn't arrogance. This was certainty.
Caden froze.
A moment later, he looked away and sighed.
"Then so be it. If this is your choice… I pray you won't regret it."
Without another word, the three elders turned and left the Dao Hall.
---
Back beneath the stone wall, Cliff sat down again, focused and calm.
He wasn't shaken by the argument.
This was just his consciousness, after all—not his true body. Even if it exploded, it wouldn't harm his real self in the main world.
And more importantly, he knew he was different from the third Heavenly Master who had failed.
That master had spent nearly a hundred years building pure Solar power, then recklessly tried to inject raw Lunar energy.
No wonder he exploded.
But Cliff wasn't doing that.
Thanks to his Heaven-Defying Comprehension, he was cultivating both from the beginning, building them in perfect balance.
He was walking a new path—not blindly, but with clarity.
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