The months following his parents' successful B-rank ascension passed in a gentle yet purposeful rhythm within the manor at Luminara Reach. The 3rd Heaven continued to shower the family with its grandeur — floating isles drifting lazily across the sapphire-and-gold sky, sleek flying constructs streaking past at speeds no peak S-ranker could match, and the rich, invigorating essence that made every breath feel ten percent more alive than in the lower realms.
Joshua maintained his public persona whenever servants, automatons, or outsiders were near. He moved with regal composure, spoke with measured refinement, and carried the quiet authority of a young Earl. Only the faint spark of youth in his eyes hinted at the energetic young man beneath.
But the moment the doors closed and it was just family, the mask vanished completely.
One bright twilight evening, Joshua burst into the family dining hall with unrestrained energy, a wide mischievous grin on his face. "Guess what your big brother just finished calculating!"
The twins, now fifteen and brimming with the same mischievous spark they had clearly inherited from him, immediately perked up.
"What? What?" Kai demanded, leaning forward with bright eyes.
Mia grinned mischievously. "Did you finally figure out how to sneak us into the restricted reserves without anyone noticing?"
Joshua laughed — a bright, boyish sound — and dropped into his chair with zero regal restraint. "Even better. After converting the latest batch from the Starfall Site at the 1:10 high-grade ratio, our hidden reserves just crossed 4,800,000 physical star shards. That's on top of the 3,024,000 digital star shards we already have from earlier conversions. If I play this right, we'll have more than enough to fund your ascension trials in one and a half years without even touching the main accounts."
His mother smiled warmly, watching her son's playful side with quiet affection. "You've been working so hard behind the scenes."
His father nodded, pride evident. "Just don't push yourself too much, son."
"Me? Push myself?" Joshua feigned innocence, eyes twinkling with cunning mischief. "Never. I'm just… strategically planning our domination of the stairway." He winked at the twins. "And teaching these two troublemakers a few tricks so they don't embarrass me when their turn comes."
Kai and Mia burst into laughter, already plotting their own mischievous ideas for training.
In the following one and a half years, Joshua balanced his public regal image with intense private preparation. When directing the household staff or interacting with the occasional noble inquiry, he remained reserved and refined — every word measured, every action elegant. "The family is focused on personal cultivation," he would say calmly. "We have no interest in local power struggles."
But alone or with family, he was a whirlwind of cunning energy. He would sneak the twins into private training sessions, teaching them basic control over essence while cracking jokes and setting up playful challenges. "If you can tag me using only [Fire] and [Lightning] principles I showed you, I'll let you ride the Aetherial Eclipse at half speed," he'd tease, dodging their attempts with exaggerated flair.
He continued refining his own powers in secret. In the private cultivation chamber beside the manor's star mine, he pushed [Fire] to new heights — nurturing flames that could heal deep wounds in moments, then shifting instantly into scorching, incinerating fury that could melt high-grade ore. [Lightning] grew even more dominating and assertive, striking with consuming precision that left no room for resistance.
And [The Glitch]… he practiced it relentlessly. The invisible field that distorted enemy essence became sharper, more controllable. He tested it on training constructs until he could make techniques flicker and fail with just a thought.
One quiet afternoon, while the twins were training with Lira in the floating gardens, Joshua slipped into his private chamber. He activated his S-rank Ascendant Jade and asked in a low voice, "Aether, give me the current total balance across all accounts and reserves. Also, how long until the high-grade Starfall Site is fully mined, and what's the estimated total yield in digital star shards?"
Aether's response was sharp, curt, and completely without emotion, as always.
Joshua's eyes lit up with a cunning, almost boyish gleam. He leaned back, rubbing his hands together with unrestrained mischief. "One billion… now that's the kind of number I like to hear. Keep the mining steady and quiet. No leaks."
The family's life upgrades continued smoothly. They visited more natural reserves — the Eternal Bloom Gardens where flowers bloomed and withered in seconds, and the Mirror Veil Lakes that showed fleeting glimpses of possible futures. The twins trained diligently with Lira and Elara, their mischievous personalities shining through in creative (and sometimes chaotic) training methods they learned from Joshua.
As the one-and-a-half-year mark approached, Joshua gathered the family on the balcony under the starlit sky. In front of the servants he spoke with refined composure. "The time is drawing near. In six months, Mia and Kai will be ready to attempt their first stairway challenge."
The moment the staff withdrew, he dropped the mask. Leaning back with unrestrained energy, he grinned at the twins. "You two better not hold back. I've been saving the best training tricks for when you're officially old enough. We're going to make our family ascension the talk of the entire 3rd Heaven — and they won't even know how we did it."
Kai pumped his fist with a matching mischievous grin. "We'll make you proud, big brother!"
Mia's eyes sparkled with the same cunning spark. "And we'll bring even more chaos to the stairway than you did!"
Joshua laughed brightly, the youthful, playful side fully alive. "That's my troublemakers. One and a half years of preparation almost done… and the real fun is just beginning."
Deep down, his cunning mind was already several steps ahead — calculating resources, mapping potential risks, and weaving quiet plans to ensure the entire family could keep climbing together, no matter what the nobles of the 3rd Heaven thought of the "passer-by" and his ambitious household.
The stairway to heaven waited.
And the family was more ready than ever.