Decades passed. The City of Dawn flourished.
But Ren faced an enemy he could not punch. Time.
Ren was sixty. His iron skin was rusting at the joints. His hollow bones ached. His Ambition was growing tired. He looked in the mirror. He saw an old man.
"I defeated the Giants," Ren thought. "I defeated the Spirits. Why must I be defeated by the calendar?"
He summoned his best cultivators. "Find me the Aspect of Youth," Ren commanded.
They brought him flowers that bloomed at night. They brought him the blood of turtles. Ren ate them all. Nothing worked. The wrinkles deepened. The rust spread.
Ren realized the truth. Life is a loan. Noax gave humans life, but he charges interest every day.
"I will not pay," Ren decided. "I will steal the principal."