The clearing slowly returned to silence.
Broken trees leaned against one another.
Dust drifted through the air like thin fog.
The violent shockwave from Kael's breakthrough had reshaped the battlefield entirely.
Kael stood in the center of it all.
Golden energy flickered around him like faint flames before slowly settling beneath his skin.
Origin Realm — Stage 2.
Even breathing felt different now.
The world around him felt… clearer.
Kael could hear the quiet flow of water from a nearby stream nearly half a kilometer away.
He could feel tiny energy currents moving through the forest floor.
Even the faint life force of insects beneath the soil reached his senses.
This was the true power of the Origin Sense after evolution.
But Kael's attention quickly returned to the battlefield.
One enemy remained.
Enemy
Marn — Crimson Talon Sect Disciple
Realm: Mortal Body Stage 1
Marn stood frozen.
His weapon had already fallen from his hand.
Fear completely consumed him.
He had watched everything.
Felo defeated instantly.
Torran crushed by a single strike.
Kalen destroyed without resistance.
And even Commander Veyran, the strongest among them, had been thrown across the battlefield like a rag doll.
Then Kael had broken through to a higher stage in the middle of combat.
That kind of thing simply didn't happen.
Not to ordinary cultivators.
Marn slowly stepped backward.
"You… you're a monster…"
Kael looked at him calmly.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"Just stronger."
Marn suddenly turned and ran.
He dashed into the forest, pushing his body to the limit.
Branches snapped as he forced his way through the trees.
His breathing became ragged as panic drove him forward.
But only a few seconds later.
A golden blur appeared in front of him.
Kael.
He hadn't even heard the movement.
Marn froze again.
"How…" he whispered.
Kael's Origin Flash had already brought him ahead of the fleeing disciple.
Stage 2 had increased his speed to a terrifying level.
To someone like Marn, Kael might as well have been teleporting.
The disciple collapsed to his knees.
"Please… spare me."
Kael watched him silently.
The forest wind passed through the trees above them.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then Kael raised his hand.
A faint golden glow gathered around his palm.
Origin Pulse.
One strike.
The energy wave pushed Marn backward across the ground before he fell unconscious beside a shattered tree.
The battle was over.
Kael slowly lowered his hand.
The forest finally relaxed.
Birds cautiously returned to nearby branches.
The wind moved gently again through the leaves.
Kael exhaled slowly.
Inside his body, the Origin Core had stabilized after the breakthrough.
Its energy rotated smoothly, producing a steady golden glow deep within his chest.
But something else caught his attention.
A presence.
Far away.
Hidden.
Watching.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
His evolved Origin Sense stretched across the forest.
For a brief moment, he felt it clearly.
Someone strong.
Very strong.
Much stronger than the Crimson Talon disciples.
But the presence disappeared instantly, retreating beyond the range of his perception.
Kael frowned.
"So… someone else was observing."
That meant one thing.
News of this battle would spread.
And if stronger cultivators learned about a young man capable of breaking through realms mid-combat, they would inevitably become interested.
Some out of curiosity.
Others out of greed.
Kael turned toward the deeper forest.
Beyond these mountains lay the wider world.
New sects.
Ancient ruins.
Powerful enemies.
And perhaps… answers about the mysterious Origin Core growing inside him.
A faint smile appeared on Kael's face.
"Good."
He stepped forward, leaving the battlefield behind.
His journey had only just begun.