Perfect. In Chapter 10, I'll continue the cultivation journey, gradually leading toward the hidden plane, while also shifting perspective briefly to the main character's
Chapter 10: Roots in the Sky, Chains in the Soil
Far beyond the grayed hills of Glassvale, past the outer domains of the lower worlds, and nestled within the middle-tier realm of Serethian Skyhold, there stood a lone mountain carved with symbols older than time.
It was the Thirnvale Legacy Peak, home to one of the most feared and respected high families of the cultivation world.
Riven's family.
In the deep chambers of the ancestral hall, five people sat in silence before a long obsidian table.
Above them, a painted mural shimmered, showing five elemental beasts coiled in an eternal dance: Phoenix, Leviathan, Behemoth, Thunderbird, and Sky Serpent.
At the center of the room sat Lord Atrius, Riven's father.
Power radiated from him not like flame or lightning—but like the presence of a storm held barely in check.
He had reached the Fifth Stage of Spirit Ascension, known as Soul Spiral, where one's will could affect the weather, shift terrain, and command armies without speaking.
Beside him sat Lady Veyra, his wife—and Riven's mother.
She was quiet, robed in black silk, her eyes like sharpened crystal. Her cultivation stood at Fourth Stage: Inner Flame, specializing in soul restriction and mental discipline. She was infamous among noble houses as the Silent Thorn, whose pressure alone could bend the knees of lesser warriors.
They had two other sons.
Vaelen, the eldest, already in the Seventh Stage of Spirit Ascension—Qi Dominion, known for commanding a battalion of spiritual knights. Stoic and honorable, yet distant.
And Cael, second-born, sharp-tongued and charming. He walked the path of the Mind Blade, having reached the Sixth Stage: Core Manifestation, where his weapon was not steel but thought.
Finally, there was Grandfather Arkan, the true pillar of the family. A transcendent at the First Stage of the Heaven Crossing Realm—a level beyond most of the cultivation world's reach. He was seldom seen, always meditating in the high sanctum, preparing to challenge the Gate of Origin—a mythical door said to lead to the next plane of existence.
But when news came of Riven's awakening… and the activation of the Fivefold Root…
Even Arkan opened his eyes.
"He lives," said Atrius, breaking the silence.
Cael scoffed. "After all these years hiding him in a backwater realm? Of course he lives. That root inside him wouldn't let him die so easily."
Vaelen's gaze narrowed. "We should've brought him back sooner."
"No," Veyra said, her voice low and exact. "Not until it awakened. Bringing him home before then would've made him a target too early. He had to grow… in hardship. In hunger."
Cael frowned. "And now?"
"Now…" Atrius stood, pacing to the ancestral mural. "The Fivefold Root lives in him. We've confirmed its elemental pulse. If he survives what comes next—"
"He won't just belong to us," Veyra finished. "He'll become the family's claim to the Origin Throne."
All three sons bowed their heads.
Only Arkan remained silent.
Then finally, the old man's voice echoed from the shadows.
"Bring him back… but do not interfere yet. The tree must reach the secret plane alone, or the soil will reject it."
Back in Glassvale, Riven stood at the mouth of a collapsed valley.
The group had followed the child's strange clues to an ancient ruin, half-swallowed by time. The stones were etched in elemental glyphs—five to be exact. One for each root.
Wind didn't blow here. Sound barely carried. Even Kara, who could read spirit threads, felt disoriented.
"This place… it doesn't belong in the lower realms," she whispered.
Yen touched the glyphs and narrowed her eyes. "These are markers for a root-bound plane. A hidden sanctuary tied to a legacy."
Elysia glanced at Riven. "And you're the key, aren't you?"
He said nothing.
But the roots inside him trembled.
The secret plane was near.