“Like my brother told Kyoku earlier, we are from the Lunaris Sect… and that is the absolute truth of the matter,” Vesta answered the Master without hesitation, his tone calm yet firm, as though there was nothing more to add and nothing more to hide.A brief silence followed his words.The wind drifted softly across the training grounds, brushing past the garments of those present, yet within that silence, the Master’s mind was anything but still.“…mmh.”"It seems they are not lying," he thought quietly to himself, his sharp gaze lingering on Vesta for a moment longer than necessary. "Yet… I have never heard of this Lunaris Sect."His thoughts deepened, layering suspicion with curiosity."There is too much mystery surrounding this child. His aura is cyan in color… yet he claims to be a fire mage. That alone is strange. Fire cultivators—whether martial artists or mages—usually carry hues of orange, crimson, or deep red within their aura."His eyes narrowed slightly."Could it be a spec

Kaito’s face flushed dark, his hand gripping the edge of his seat until the wood groaned under the pressure."You take responsibility? That is a grand word for someone who spends his days on the high peak, isolated from the daily bloodletting of our borders! We are not dealing with a simple hunting party, Soma. What if they are scouts for the Thirsty Bramble Fold? What if they are the vanguard of the demonic cultivators from the low plains? or just our enemies.""I said what I said, and I am not saying anymore on the matter," Soma replied, his voice flat and absolute. He leaned forward, his gaze locking with Kaito's."If you have a problem with my judgment, if you feel your position as an elder gives you the right to dictate who I bring into my family’s domain, we can resolve it the old way. Step into the arena, Kaito. Let us test who has the greater right to speak on the defense of this mountain."The challenge hung in the air, heavy and sharp. The "old way" was not a debate of words

For a moment, all of them were stunned by what had just happened with the barrier.The atmosphere around the runic belt turned strangely silent, as if even the air itself had paused in confusion. The glowing runes embedded within the invisible boundary flickered faintly like streams of living silver light, humming with an power that neither welcomed nor rejected lightly.Yet what had just occurred was undeniable. Venak, Daku, and Delvan had been completely rejected.Even Vesta himself stood still for a brief moment as he perceived the scene unfolding before him. His golden eyes narrowed slightly, and the playful look that usually lingered on his face vanished almost instantly.His expression alone revealed that he already understood the gravity of what had happened.His companions had not simply failed to cross.They had been denied access.At that moment, memories rapidly reeled through Vesta’s mind. He repeatedly replayed the exact moment when he and Shiye had crossed into Hespera,

Three… Two… One…Then it happened.The Hayate who had been standing there in a complete daze suddenly shifted his gaze seamlessly toward Delvan, as though nothing strange had happened at all. The transition was so smooth, so perfectly natural, that it was impossible to notice where illusion ended and reality began.A warm smile spread across Hayate’s face as the breeze swept through the endless plains around them, causing his loose tunic and dark hair to flutter gently.“And you, little brother… who might you be? Don’t be shy,” Hayate said to Delvan with an inviting grin.At the same time, within his thoughts, curiosity surged.“Mmh… this young brother looks exactly the same age as Vesta. Even their height and body structure are nearly identical. Is it possible that he is also as strong as Vesta?”The thought alone made Hayate inwardly sigh.Before him, Delvan stood with his small frame half-hidden by the tall swaying grass that reached close to his waist. His youthful eyes sparkled w

As much as Venak had agreed with what Daku had suggested earlier, now that they were steadily moving toward Master Soma’s manor, another problem surfaced within his mind.How exactly were they supposed to contact Oasis?That single thought lingered heavily within Venak’s mind as he walked through the lively streets of Nodoka Village.After all, they had already spent several months inside the Celestial Garden Sphere without any form of contact from Oasis whatsoever. The separation had been absolute. No mana transmission. No spiritual connection. No sign of the Young Master.And now, despite both Daku and Venak believing that contacting Oasis was the wisest course of action, neither of them actually knew how they would accomplish it.At this point, Daku, despite still being a young man in his early twenties, had already experienced enough of the cultivation world to understand one important truth.Not everything was ever as it seemed.Especially in the cultivation world.The cultivation