The Rage Forest had not been kind—but over that month, it became something else: a crucible. Jalen, though exhausted, never truly rested. Each day, he guided Lloyd through precise light formations—glyph rotation, reflective anchor points, and combat applications of Flash Reversion. They trained until Lloyd collapsed from qi depletion and again when he rose. Jalen's instructions were few but sharp: a flick of the wrist, a nod when the form was right, and silence when it wasn't.
They foraged spirit-thorn groves and harvested lightning moss from dead ravines. Under Jalen's quiet supervision, Lloyd crafted qi infusion pills, learning how radiance and pressure interacted at the thread level. His injuries healed slowly, but his confidence grew faster.
At night, they camped beneath broken ridges. Jalen meditated—not just to recover, but to rethread what his fused escape had unraveled. His dantian pulsed faintly now, no longer empty but still fragile. Lloyd, meanwhile, began sketching saber formations in the dirt—ones he'd never dared attempt before.
Jalen recovered a day later than expected but chose to linger in the Rage Forest another week, relaxing with Lloyd and drinking before departing the Reign Continent. His destination: Emberfall City, Flare Family Estate, on the Ruona Continent.
It was Lloyd's first time leaving the Reign Continent.
He spoke little during the journey—not from fear, but reverence. The landscapes transformed with every mile: frozen cliffs gave way to amber valleys, then golden dune fields where light qi pulsed from the horizon like music. He had seen maps and heard stories, but they couldn't compare.
In the Ruona Continent, the air felt different—sure the qi here was not as dense as on the Reign continent, it was still a perfect place for cultivation.
Spirit beasts flew in formation through high winds. Mountains shimmered faintly with embedded cultivation arrays. Some cities floated atop elevated platforms forged from enchanted ore, their architecture defined by sweeping towers, radiant bridges, and arrays that glowed with rhythmic pulse. Others stretched gracefully across ridges and valleys, built to harmonize with the terrain, each one a testament to the region's mastery of radiant qi and structural artistry.
At one point, Lloyd turned to Jalen, silently watching him guide them forward with precise control—never overspending.
The journey took a full week—not merely due to distance, but because of Lloyd's cultivation level. Had Jalen traveled alone, it would've taken only three to four days.
The Flare Family Estate hadn't changed since Jalen had last seen it—though this was a reconstruction, raised from the ashes of the battle that once scarred its foundations. Jagged red jade towers loomed with authority. Phoenix-spined archways curled skyward like wings mid-flight. Heat simmered from the stonework like a warning etched in flame. It had been nearly a year. No—centuries, if he counted the time trapped in the shadow realm. He hadn't seen the Flares. He hadn't seen Rana.
And now, he looked forward to it more than he cared to admit.
Simon and Simar—draped in elegant robes, each carrying more pressure in silence than a dozen spirit storms—sensed Jalen's return and emerged like shadows from memory. Lloyd's breath stuttered beside him. His instincts screamed for reverence. These weren't men—they were walking cataclysms.
The greetings between them and Jalen were brief. Formal. Respectful.
Simon nodded to Lloyd afterwards, and Lloyd bowed deeply. "This junior greets you two seniors."
Simar, eyes glittering like polished ember steel, offered a thin smile. Acknowledgment—not kindness.
And then Jana arrived.
Hair flaring like golden sparks, aura thrumming with cultivated wit. She punched Jalen lightly on the shoulder. "You heartless son-in-law. Gone for months, and not one letter to your poor, sweet mother-in-law." Her voice cracked with mock scolding—laced with real emotion.
Mother-in-law? Lloyd thought. So master is married into this family? He would never have guessed that since this kid operates like a machine. Sure, there are a few rare moments, but for the most part it's like nothing can faze him. Not even love.
"I thought you'd disappeared forever." Jana continued. "My poor Rana's heart was wrecked. It broke her when you left without a word. But that girl is stubborn, acting all tough."
Jalen looked away, jaw tight. "Where is she?" Guilt churned beneath his composure. Maybe he should have told her.
"She left a month after you did," Jana said, folding her arms. "She's on the Great Ling Continent now—according to Ridge's last message."
"And the others?"
"Delra, Tian, Sion, and Kaelin—they're gone too. Chasing strength. I think seeing you as an anomaly sparked something."
"And my father? Is he well? You didn't give him a hard time, did you?"
"You make me sound like a tyrant," Jana sniffed. "I only asked where he got a monster for a son. Nothing else."
Jalen squinted. Yeah, right.
"Your little brother is a peach. Like his big brother," Jana chuckled. "Barely three and a half months old and already Peak Diamond Realm. That baby shattered my garden last week just by laughing."
Jalen didn't laugh. He just stared. A child born into power like that… What would the world look like when he grew up?
Lloyd blinked. Peak Diamond Realm... as a baby?Why even bother cultivating with creatures like that born into the world?
"I'll talk with you later," Jalen said to Simon and Simar, who nodded. Then to Jana: "Please see Lloyd is treated with the best hospitality."
He didn't wait for the ceremony; he just walked.
Through corridors scorched with phoenix flame. Past guards who recognized him but didn't dare speak. Down to the inner branch of the Flare estate—reserved for council elders, hidden archives, and legendary bloodlines.
There, in a sun-drenched courtyard shaped like an inverted flame, stood his father.
Tall. Quiet. Radiating power like a collapsed star. Beside him: his fiancée, warm but fierce. And between them, a toddler grinning wildly—qi crackling around his tiny frame like thunder around a mountain.
Jalen stopped.
And smiled.
His father was happy. And that—that made him happy.