The late afternoon sun bathed Jade City in gold and bronze as Alaric descended from the skies, his cloak rippling behind him, aura tightly suppressed but still dense enough to make the nearby trees bend as if in reverence. Six months had passed since he last stepped foot in the courtyard he and his brother shared, and in that time the air itself had changed.
The once faint presences that filled the yard now pulsed with strength — sharp, steady, disciplined. As he walked past the stone archway, several figures were training in the open field, their blades slicing arcs through the air that carried heat, lightning, and frost. The ground bore scars from repeated battles, and faint ripples of spiritual energy shimmered across the perimeter barrier.
A smile crept across Alaric's face. They've grown.
He stood quietly at the edge of the training field, watching. Liang Chen's spear spun in a silver blur, the man's movements sharper than ever; Yue Rong's eyes glowed faintly blue, her ethereal qi twisting like mist as she formed elegant but deadly arcs of energy; Gao Wei stood at the far corner, his axe blows leaving craters in the reinforced ground. Even the weakest of them, once barely at the peak of the Void Realm, now radiated the calm confidence of Desolate Lords.
When the squad finally noticed his presence, every movement ceased. Twenty-eight figures turned and knelt in unison.
"Commander!" they chorused, voices steady, faces hard.
Alaric raised a hand, his deep voice calm but heavy with power. "At ease."
He walked among them, inspecting their forms, sensing their cores, measuring their progress with an almost fatherly pride. "You've all done well," he said after a moment. "Better than I'd expected."
Liang Chen, now the squad's unofficial second-in-command, bowed slightly. "We've trained hard every day, Commander. The cores you provided pushed us further than we ever thought possible."
Alaric nodded approvingly, then turned toward the inner courtyard. "And Alex?"
Griffin stepped forward, wiping sweat from his brow. "He's been meditating in the training chamber, Commander. His energy… it's hard to describe. Heavy, but smooth — like a storm waiting for a reason to break."
As if summoned by their words, the air around the chamber trembled. A faint blue glow rippled outward, followed by a surge of oppressive energy that pressed down on the courtyard. Everyone froze as the aura of a Peak Origin Realm cultivator rolled across them like a tidal wave.
The doors opened, and Alex stepped out. His once soft features now carried the sharpness of tempered steel. His eyes burned with power — cold, clear, and frighteningly calm.
Alaric met his brother's gaze and smiled. "You've done well, Alex."
Alex exhaled, his aura fading like mist. "Not as well as you, brother. I can feel how deep your presence has become… it's like standing before a mountain."
Alaric chuckled softly. "Then it's settled. You'll go into the forest for the next three months — test that power, push your limits. I'll handle things here."
Alex grinned. "And what will you do?"
"I'll forge soldiers worthy of the Qin Empire's name," Alaric replied, turning to the assembled men. His gaze hardened, voice echoing like thunder. "It's time. You've cultivated. You've learned. Now I will see who among you deserves to lead, and who still hides behind fear."
The soldiers straightened immediately, the air growing thick with anticipation.
"Starting tomorrow," Alaric continued, "we hold a three-stage tournament. No mercy, no hesitation. You will fight to the limit — body, soul, and spirit. The weak will fall, the strong will rise. You've trained beside each other for months… now show me what you've become."
He walked toward the center of the courtyard and planted his sword in the ground. The blade hummed with contained energy, drawing fine cracks across the reinforced floor.
"The first round will be fourteen against fourteen," he said. "The second — seven against seven. The final round will pit each of the seven against one another until a single ranking is formed. Every fight will be watched. Every mistake remembered. Every victory earned."
He turned, his cloak sweeping behind him as the wind picked up. "Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, your real battle begins."
As the squad saluted and dispersed, Alaric looked toward the crimson sky, feeling Alex's energy vanish into the distant forest. The path ahead was clear — for both of them. He would forge warriors unbreakable in spirit, while Alex honed his power to the edge of divinity.
And when they reunited three months later, the world would tremble at the might of the brothers of Jade City.