For two days, the flame formation raged with unrelenting fury.
Jalen and Zakai endured the inferno, their bodies now scorched beyond recognition, their dantians, meridians, and spirit cores strained, and their eternal-grade spirit tools, light and the origin shard, glowing with urgency within them to keep them alive. The Flame Domain was not merely a trial of doom—it was a forge. Every moment within it refined their resistance, tempered their qi, and pushed their cultivation to the brink. The beasts of molten lava, the serpents of burning qi, and the spiritual fire that clawed at their essence—all of it served a singular purpose: to prepare them for what lay ahead.
On the dawn of the third day, the formation cracked.
A tremor shook the domain. The sky pulsed crimson one final time before the flames receded, revealing a circular platform at its heart. Five pedestals stood in a perfect arc, each radiating a distinct elemental aura. Flame. Ice. Wind. Shadow. And Light.
At the center of the light pedestal hovered a treasure unlike any other.
It was shaped like a miniature sun—an orb of condensed light qi, burning with heat so intense it warped the air around it. Its brilliance was blinding, its presence overwhelming. Even the flame domain bowed to its radiance.
Jalen and Zakai stood at the edge of the platform, their breath shallow, their bodies trembling. The heat was still unbearable—but not lethal. The flame formation had done its work. Without its tempering, they would have been incinerated the moment they approached the treasure.
The Origin Shard within Jalen surged.
Light within Zakai pulsed.
Both spirit tools reacted instantly, charging their wielders toward the treasure with blinding speed. The air split as they raced, their energies colliding in a burst of brilliance and chaos.
Light reached the treasure first.
He exited Zakia's body, hovering before the miniature sun, its aura resonating with the treasure's own. For a moment, the two glowed in harmony. Then, without warning, the treasure activated a hidden formation—an ancient mechanism designed to transport its wielder into a separate realm of light.
A vortex of radiant energy erupted, attempting to drag both Jalen and Zakai into its depths.
But Light was ready.
With a thunderous crack, he shattered the formation, dispersing the vortex in a cascade of luminous shards. The treasure trembled, its light dimming slightly. Jalen, protected by the Luminal Heart within him, remained unaffected. The heart pulsed once, shielding his spirit from the realm's pull.
Then came the clash.
Light and the Origin Shard faced each other above the pedestal, their energies flaring violently. The treasure hovered between them, its light qi swirling in chaotic patterns. Each spirit tool sought to claim it, to absorb its power, to become one with its essence.
Zakai, as Light's vessel, stood firm. His cultivation, his physique, and his affinity—all aligned with the treasure. The Origin Shard, though powerful, lacked the same harmony. It struggled, its chaotic energy clashing with Light and the treasure's energies.
The battle raged for hours.
Light unleashed waves of radiant qi, enveloping the treasure in protective brilliance. The Origin Shard retaliated with metallic energy with a hue of blue light, attempting to destabilize the pedestal and seize control. But Zakai's strength proved decisive. His body, refined by millennia of cultivation, channeled Light's power with unmatched precision.
Eventually, the Origin Shard relented.
It pulsed once, then withdrew, its energy dimming. It had failed to claim the treasure—and to continue would risk harming Jalen more than he already was. Normally it would have taken this treasure by any means necessary, but the shard, despite its ambition, was bound to its wielder's survival. It could not afford to be too reckless.
But as it retreated, the Luminal Heart within Jalen stirred.
It reached out to the treasure. The treasure responded, its light qi flowing gently toward the heart. Light, of course, did not resist the luminal heart, a former part of itself, from acquiring energy for its wielder and, as a result, the selfish origin shard. It allowed the Luminal Heart to share in the treasure's energy.
A pact was formed.
The treasure split its essence, granting a portion to Light and another to the Luminal Heart. The pedestal glowed with renewed brilliance, then dimmed as the miniature sun dissolved into radiant streams that flowed into the two spirit tools.
Jalen and Zakai collapsed to their knees.
The infusion began.
For three days, they remained on the platform, their bodies that had now been restored, flawless and without blemish, surrounded by halos of light. The qi surged through them, refining Jalen's primary spirit core and Zakia's spirit core, strengthening their physiques, and elevating their cultivation. The transformation was profound.
Zakai's body glowed with solar brilliance. His light physique evolved, becoming more refined, more potent. The treasure's energy resonated with his very soul, unlocking dormant potential that had lain hidden for centuries.
Jalen's Luminal Heart pulsed with radiant rhythm. Though his body struggled to contain the power, the heart with the origin shard aid absorbed and regulated the qi, preventing overload.
When the refinement ended, they rose.
Zakai's aura had changed.
He had ascended.
With the treasure's energy, he broke through his realm barriers. In a day and a half, he reached the mid Sky Limit Realm. In another day and a half, he achieved the peak.
His presence was overwhelming.
The air shimmered around him. His eyes glowed with radiant clarity. His every movement carried the weight of a true peak Sky Limit cultivator.
Jalen, however, remained at the mid Sage Realm.
Despite the exponential growth of his qi, his body could not withstand a breakthrough. He was too young—only twenty-one in the real world, though he's been cultivating for over three hundred and fifty years. A breakthrough now could kill him.
His rapid growth in his cultivation also has only been possible due to the Origin Shard and his second spirit core. Without those, he would have remained far below.
Still, his power had grown.
His qi was denser, his control sharper, and his resonance stronger. The Luminal Heart had evolved, and with it, his potential.
As the light qi settled, the platform trembled once more.
The Origin Shard stirred once more.
It turned its attention to the next treasure.
Two feet from the light pedestal stood another—this one radiating icy brilliance, looking like a snowflake. The treasure of ice awaited, its aura cold and ancient.
The shard pulsed with anticipation.
It had failed to claim the light treasure—but the others remained. And it would not be denied again.
Jalen and Zakai exchanged glances.
Their journey was far from over.