Four hundred and fifty years had passed since Jalen mastered the High Voltage Technique in the storm‑wracked subrealm. In that time, a realm Jalen and Calen stumbled across—known as the Battle Realm—became their crucible. Decades blurred into centuries, each marked by trials, discoveries, and bonds that shaped them both.
Calen had now risen to the peak of the Imperial Realm, mastering fifteen of the twenty techniques of the Radiant Solar Method. His solar qi grew denser and more refined. His body looked seventeen now, but his eyes carried the calm of an elder.
But Calen's growth was not achieved by his own efforts alone. His master remained the guiding force he would always be grateful to, yet along this weary and difficult cultivation journey, others also played their part whenever he and Jalen went their separate ways.
These were the faithful companions he met across the centuries—comrades who stood with him in trials of life and death.
Tobias, once his fiercest rival, became his closest friend.
Jeremiah and Joshua sparred with him in beast hunts.
Ruth—quiet, steadfast, her admiration for Calen unspoken but constant, a silent affection that never wavered.
Layla—bold and teasing, her playful challenges masking the fact that she too admired him deeply.
Sania and Mira trained alongside him, their bond forged in shared struggle.
With them, Calen faced the realm's most intricate trials: labyrinths that shifted with every step, ruins that whispered forgotten names, and storms that lasted decades. One puzzle reset whenever qi was used, forcing them to combine wits. Another demanded they surrender cultivation to pass through a gate, reclaiming it later through teamwork. These ordeals taught Calen patience, logic, and trust—tempering him as surely as his duels with Jalen.
And beside him, always, was Ria. His eternal‑grade spirit tool had awakened fully, able to take on a humanoid form. She sometimes wandered the realm on her own, seeking flaming spirit veins or pockets of intense heat to cultivate, but she always returned to Calen. Their bond deepened beyond weapon and wielder. She was part of him. And he was part of her.
Jalen also climbed his own mountain to reach the peak of the Sage Realm. The path, however, was not smooth. There were stretches where he meditated for decades, unmoving, his spirit cores rotating in perfect silence. He became stone, shadow, flame, and silence. Beasts prowled near him but bowed and fled, sensing a sovereign in stillness. At other times, he fought beasts that had slumbered for millennia—guardians of forgotten altars, remnants of ancient sects who sought his death.
He was not alone. Over the centuries he befriended Chad, Shania, and Yuan—fellow peak Sage Realm experts who fought beside him.
Elias and Maren—explorers of ruins, seekers of forgotten treasures.
Kael and Sorin—philosophers of cultivation, debating qi and destiny beneath shattered altars.
Darius, Helena, and Vaira—warriors who stood with him against ancient beasts.
Theresa and Riya—who harbor feelings for him. And though Jalen turned them down, they chose to remain close as friends, hoping that one day he might choose them.
Each bond was a thread in the tapestry of his centuries, proof that even a sovereign could find kinship in the endless storm.
His second spirit core also played a part in his rise. It guided him to crimson marrow stones, thunder‑forged lotus seeds, and shards of celestial bone. These treasures didn't just boost his qi—they strengthened his body, preparing it for the realm it had long yearned to break into. And yet, through it all, the Origin Shard remained silent. Dormant. It had promised to recover in a year of the origin world's time. That was centuries ago here and more than three years in the real world. Still, it slept.
Jalen wasn't discouraged. He knew the shard. It did what it pleased. It always had. He would wait.
And so, once again, he and Calen met. Without hesitation, they clashed.
Calen ducked beneath a sweeping kick, flame spiraling around his arms. He countered with a rising palm strike, his qi compressed into a crescent of golden fire. Jalen blocked it with his forearm, sliding back a step. Calen didn't smile. He didn't gloat. He simply reset his stance, eyes calm, movements precise.
Jalen had lowered his cultivation to match Calen's realm. It was the only way their duels could continue—otherwise, the gap between them would have been too vast. Calen's strikes landed, sharp and disciplined, but they could not pierce Jalen's defenses. Still, each blow carried meaning, sharpening Calen's edge against an opponent he could never truly harm.
Jalen exhaled. "You're getting sharper."
Calen nodded. "You're getting slower."
Jalen smirked. "Let's see if that's the case."
They clashed again, flame and lightning colliding in arcs that lit the sky.
Then came the five hundredth year in the Battle Realm.
Jalen sat atop a floating cliff, his body wrapped in wind, flame, ice, lightning, shadow, and light qi. His cores aligned, and his dantian expanded. He broke through. Sky Limit Realm.
But that wasn't the only good news. The Origin Shard had awakened.
And it didn't hesitate. It took control of his body.
In a beam of light Jalen shot across the realm, tearing through space. He was flung from the Battle Realm, hurled through a rift that hadn't existed a moment before. He crashed into a new domain—one he didn't recognize. He hit the ground hard, carving a trench through stone and soil.
"Damn shard," he muttered. "You could've warned me."
The shard pulsed in his chest. Jalen sat up, brushing dust from his arms.
"I guess you brought me here because there is some rare treasure, correct?"
The shard didn't respond. But Jalen understood. It had sensed something. Something important. Something that would be greatly beneficial to his cultivation.
He stood, stretched, and looked around. The air here was different—thicker, older. The sky was a deep violet, streaked with rivers of light. The ground shimmered with latent qi, each stone humming like a buried spirit tool. Trees grew with crystalline leaves, and beasts prowled with eyes of flame and shadow. This wasn't just another layer of the Battle Realm. This was something else entirely. A hidden domain.
Jalen walked forward, senses sharp. The shard pulsed again, guiding him. He didn't know what he would find. But he trusted it. Even if it annoyed him.
And so he stepped into the unknown, silver‑blue light flickering in his chest, the shard's rhythm beating like a second heart.