As the immediate aftermath of the continental crisis settled into an uneasy quiet, Ethan found himself standing in the secure chamber beneath the Starfall estate, his hand hovering over a communication crystal that pulsed with soft blue light.
Three times he had reached for it. Three times he had pulled back, his fingers trembling with more than just spiritual exhaustion.
The crystal would activate Clone Twenty-Four with a single touch. Another perfect duplicate to add to his network, another extension of his will across the continent. But every fiber of his being recoiled from the thought.
The memory of his spiritual foundation fragmenting under the strain of twenty-three simultaneous manifestations remained fresh—a warning written in agony across his cultivation channels.
He stepped back from the crystal, his breath catching before he could speak. "Not yet."
