The Heaven's Sea stretched out like a massive mirror, perfectly still under the pale light. Xuan Tian Jian stood up as the Heavenly Lord commanded him to walk forward. His white robe was spotless, sword steady at his side.
The Heavenly Lord's voice rolled across the sky.
"Make it useful. Show the Six Realms why you are Heaven's chosen Crown Prince. Why your birth awakened Xuan Tian Jian. Why your arrival shook the Nine Heavens and Six Realms."
Xuan Tian Jian did not speak. He simply brushed a bit of imaginary dust off his robe, calm and precise, making sure not a single mark or stain was on him.
Slowly he raised his right hand toward the sea. He curled his fingers together, palm facing the water.
A single breath, a single action, and the Heaven's Sea reacted immediately. The water trembled, deep and heavy, as if something ancient had been woken up.
He twisted his wrist once, twice, folding two fingers and leaving three pointed toward the sea. The moment he aimed that hand toward the water, divine force burst outward. The sea erupted with a deafening roar as a towering column of water shot into the sky. It was like the ocean itself had been punched from beneath. A massive, white explosion rose higher and higher, dwarfing everything around it. Waves scattered in every direction as the shockwave rippled outward. The sky was briefly swallowed by the blinding spray. For a moment, it did not look like water. It looked like a mountain made of mist and power, torn straight out of nature's fury. So fierce, even the Heavenly Lord stepped back half a pace.
Waves rose like mountains.
Xuan Tian Jian lifted both hands, forming a rapid seal. The Heaven's Sea erupted again, this time more massive and powerful than the first. From its depths surged three colossal water dragons, each roaring as they spiraled into the sky. Their bodies were made of pure water but gleamed like silver metal. The dragons' cries shook the clouds.
Xuan Tian Jian ascended, hovering above the storm he had created. White robes fluttered, feet leaving the ground as he rose into the sky. He stood on the air, balancing firmly as if it were solid ground.
Far below, the Heavenly Lord watched him with satisfaction and curiosity, almost awe. His white-and-gold robe floated softly, but the weight of his gaze was heavier than mountains.
High above, still balancing in the air, Xuan Tian Jian extended a hand. His sword, the sacred Xuan Tian Jian, flew into his palm with a resonant hum that split the air. He stretched it forward, creating a mighty formation and sending it into the spiraling water dragons. The dragons absorbed the light, their bodies glowing from within.
He pressed his fingertip against the blade. A single drop of blood slid down the sword's edge and fell into the sea.
The moment it touched the Heaven's Sea, the entire sea turned red, boiling and steaming. A pillar of golden radiance shot straight into the sky. The light touched the clouds, then shattered into millions of fragments before sinking back into the dragons, and finally into the Sea itself.
The formation changed. The waters calmed. The water dragons' roars subsided, dissolving back into the water. Yet beneath the surface simmered a terrifying mixture of cold silence and burning ferocity.
Xuan Tian Jian descended slowly. His feet touched dry land. His body trembled for a moment, and he coughed a splash of blood into his palm but quickly wiped it away in a hurry and walked toward the Heavenly Lord. Behind him, the Heaven's Sea glowed with golden rays of qi.
Xuan Tian Jian bowed deeply to the Heavenly Lord.
"From now on, this is no longer just the Heaven's Sea," he said. "It may look the same, but it will expose any demon hiding among the immortals. Anyone using magic or artifacts to hide their nature, anyone suppressing an inner demon, will, once thrown inside, be forced to reveal their true form through unbearable pain."
The Heavenly Lord's voice thundered.
"Good."
Not gentle, not praising, just direct and heavy.
"Very good," he said again. "This is what a Crown Prince chosen by Heaven should be able to do. Purifying something is easy. Creating something new is difficult. And creating something that protects the realms, something no one has done before, is what sets you above all others."
Xuan Tian Jian knelt.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Heavenly Lord placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Do not mistake my words for indulgence. You carry the weight of the Nine Heavens and Six Realms. You must be flawless, perfect, mysterious, and great. Others are allowed to make little mistakes. You are not. Not in your entire lifetime. Everything you do must be different and right."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Heavenly Lord raised his hand.
"Rise."
Xuan Tian Jian began to stand.
Before he could get up, a streak of blue light tore across the sky, sharp enough to split clouds, and a celestial messenger dropped from it, stumbling as he landed. His knees hit the marble floor so hard the sound echoed through the hall.
"Your Majesty!" His voice cracked. "A critical emergency at the Eastern Celestial Gate!"
"What is happening?" the Heavenly Lord demanded, his voice sharp and urgent.
The messenger struggled to his feet. "It looks like the Celestial Reactor can't hold any longer. The cracks are widening, and the flow of primordial energy is unstable."
A deadly silence fell.
The Heavenly Lord's ancient eyes narrowed, his aura condensing like a gathering storm. "Summon the High Council, the lords of all Six Realms, and the high gods and immortals immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the guard replied, bowing and hurrying off.
The Heavenly Lord's gaze shifted to the Crown Prince, standing poised in his white robes beside him. "Xuan Tian Jian, come with me. The heavenly Crown Prince must witness how the Six Realms are protected."
With a sweep of his sleeve, he soared upward. Xuan Tian Jian followed, calm and precise, his sword vanishing into thin air, his white robes billowing like moonlit clouds.