Deep within the Tel Mistveil Forest, Jalen sat beneath a silverleaf tree, its leaves shimmering like moonlit glass. Beside him, Tian knelt shirtless, sweat glistening across his back as he refined the Wind Gale Technique—a second wind cultivation method he practiced apart from the Hewitt clan's Gallant Wind Blade.
This technique wasn't inherited. Tian discovered it after stumbling into a pocket realm—an ancient, sealed dimension hidden within a collapsing spatial rift two months after arriving on the Rale continent, while fleeing from a spirit beast that almost claimed his life.
Inside, time moved differently.
Though only seven months passed in the real world, Tian spent over two hundred years inside.
And that's how he achieved the Early Star Realm in such a short time.
But cultivation wasn't the only thing that happened there.
Tian lived. He struggled. He loved. He built a life in a realm that tried to break him.
He married five separate times. Each marriage marked a new chapter—years apart, forged in different trials. Each wife was a beacon in a different storm, a light in the darkness, a partner forged in fire. Together, they carved out sanctuaries in the chaos, raised children, and defied the realm's cruelty.
Tian fathered over thirty children throughout the centuries. They grew up learning to fight, to cultivate, and to survive.
But sadly, even with these life lessons, it wasn't enough.
Five of his children belonging to his fifth wife died—three after reaching adulthood and two in their early teens. Each loss carved a deeper wound into Tian's soul. Yet none hurt as much as the death of Ilana, his first wife.
Ilana was an Enlightened Realm expert, radiant and fierce. Tian was just twenty-one when they met—young, uncertain, still finding his footing in the realm. She was his anchor, his guide, and the mother of his firstborn, Tavares.
He remembered holding his son for the first time—hands trembling, heart aching with awe. He swore then to protect him with everything he had. And he swore to protect Ilana.
But he failed.
She died two years after Tavares' birth, shielding Tian and their son from an Enlightened Realm spirit beast. Tian wanted to die with her. But when he looked into his son's eyes—eyes that mirrored hers, full of fire and stubbornness—he knew he had to live.
He had no choice.
Over the decades, Tian buried all five of his wives. Each death was a story of sacrifice—some slain by monstrous spirit beasts, others consumed by trials designed to break the soul. He dug their graves with his own hands, marked them with runes, and wept until the realm itself seemed to mourn with him.
Yet life continued.
By the time Tian escaped the realm, his family had grown exponentially:
120 grandchildren.
100 great-grandchildren.
130 great-great-grandchildren.
50 great-great-great-grandchildren.
Generations born in a world that was never meant to be home.
As for how they all escaped that wretched place.
For centuries, Tian, his descendants, and other cultivators trapped with them tried everything to break free. They studied the realm's laws, deciphered ancient formations, and challenged its guardians. Each attempt ended in failure. Again and again.
Until Tyrian Hewitt was born.
Tyrian, his great-great-great-grandson—descended from Tavares' line—was different. Quiet, observant, and brilliant. At just fourteen, Tyrian solved the realm's puzzle. He deciphered the inheritance left behind by the realm's original creator, unlocked its ancient relic, and ascended to Moon Realm, surpassing generations before him.
Then, with the relic in hand, Tyrian shattered the realm's final seal.
And that's how everyone trapped inside was freed.
The exodus was chaotic. Tian's children and descendants scattered across the real world, each seeking purpose. Some journeyed to Vernon, hoping to meet the Hewitt clan and form a familial bond. Others disappeared into the continents, chasing dreams long denied.
But Tyrian, ever the seeker, chose to stay in Rale. He was determined to grow stronger, to understand the relic's true power, and to protect the legacy of those who had lived and died in the realm.
Tian shared all of this with Jalen of his own accord.
Jalen didn't ask. He barely reacted.
But he listened.
He was mildly intrigued by Tyrian. Nothing more.
When Jalen asked why Tian hadn't returned to Vernon with his children, Tian's answer was simple: "I want to grow stronger. To protect them."
Tian was curious about Jalen's rise—how he'd reached such power in so little time. But Jalen didn't offer, and Tian didn't press.
By noon, Tian had polished five variations of the Wind Gale Technique. The breakthrough was immediate—he jumped to the Mid Star Realm.
He wasn't surprised by this, though.
After all, Jalen was a cultivation genius. It was thanks to his guidance in the past that Tian had come this far.
As Tian lay back to rest, the forest shifted.
Jalen's eyes narrowed. "We've got company."
Three figures emerged from the fog—Shae and two Sage Realm cultivators. One radiated lightning qi, the other metal qi. Shae walked ahead, her white robes untouched by the forest's breath, her expression serene and lethal.
Tian's body tensed. Every hair stood on end.
Jalen remained calm.
"So you came after all," he said, rising.
Last night, he had promised Tian that he wouldn't get involved until Weylan uncovered this sly fox's deception for himself. But Jalen also knew there was a possibility Weylan would fold—share their conversation with Shae, blinded by loyalty. And if that happened, Shae wouldn't stand idly by. She would come for him and Tian.
He'd deduced that she didn't want the truth about Weylan's second spirit core getting out. She'd do whatever it took to bury it.
Now that it had come to pass, Jalen had no choice but to act. To bring this charade to an swift end.
Shae snorted. "You knew I was coming, yet you stayed. You're either brave or idiotic."
Jalen didn't answer.
He activated Flash Reversion to warp Tian to the hidden underground sanctuary cloaked in layered formations he prepared last night after the encounter with Weylan.
Then, with Luminal Edge in hand and Luminous Veil Step activated, he appeared in front of the metal qi cultivator and slashed.
The man barely dodged—but not without a gash across his chest. It wasn't deep, but it was humiliating.
Shae and the lightning qi cultivator exchanged glances. Jalen's cultivation revealed he was in the Mid Sage Realm. But his aura… it felt like Peak Sage Realm.
Still, they didn't hesitate.
Shae and the lightning cultivator attacked together—Shae wielding spatial qi, the other a lightning blade. Their goal: erase Jalen from existence.
But Jalen was too fast.
He wasn't just using Luminous Veil Step. He layered it with Light Flicker, a movement technique that let him shift like a chess piece—precise, unpredictable, untouchable.
He countered with Luminal Edge, each strike a blur of radiant destruction.
Even outnumbered, Jalen suppressed all three.
And he hadn't even begun to fight.