The Demon Fang headquarters stood on the edge of the settlement, in a corner that had very few neighboring buildings because the neighbors who once lived nearby had long since decided that distance was preferable to proximity.The building itself was larger than the others, its walls thicker, its doors made from wood that was anything but cheap. Inside, music from instruments unknown to the people of Earth drifted through corridors that had witnessed countless conversations never meant for outsiders to hear.In the innermost chamber, Krul Ashgor sat on a leather sofa nearly the size of a small bed.He was large in a way that made ordinary furniture incapable of conveying his true size. His long black hair was neatly combed back, contrasting with a jawline that was never completely clean-shaven. A half-finished cigar rested between his fingers. Leaning against the side of the sofa was a massive sword whose blade was as wide as an adult man's back, waiting with the silent confidence of

Ryn continued his explanation."Each Realm has ten levels. Level One is the lowest, and Level Ten is the highest. People here usually refer to Level Ten as the Peak Level." He traced an imaginary diagram in the air with his finger, not because it was necessary, but because he was used to explaining things that way. "So if someone is at the Peak Star Realm, it means they've reached the highest limit of the Star Realm before advancing to the Sky Realm."Lein nodded."What about the creatures living in this forest?""They're called demon beasts. And this is something you need to understand clearly." Ryn leaned forward slightly. "Demon beasts have the same hierarchy as humans. Seed Realm, Warrior Realm, Spirit Realm, Star Realm, Sky Realm, and God Realm. But never assume that a Star Realm demon beast is equal to a Star Realm cultivator."His expression grew serious."They're far stronger.""How much stronger?""To kill a single Star Realm demon beast, it usually takes three cultivators of

Lein looked at the four bodies around him.One by one, he examined the lingering auras they had left behind.The three men who had attacked him possessed auras equivalent to the Soul Realm on Earth. Dren Skarr, the man known as one of Devil Fang's Three Elites, was equivalent to the Immortal Realm.Lein calculated quietly in his mind.Their auras matched the Soul Realm and the Immortal Realm. Yet when he compared what he sensed from these four men to the cultivators he had faced on Earth, there was a noticeable difference.They were... weaker.Despite living in a world overflowing with spiritual energy, they did not utilize it properly. They merely absorbed it without truly refining or controlling it.That was why their auras felt powerful, yet they seemed weak in actual combat.Even Gareth Mourne, without using a single artifact he had brought to the Varek battlefield, would have been capable of defeating Dren Skarr and the other three by himself.It was not a conclusion born from ar

Night atop the Ironcrown tree was different from night on the forest floor.The wind moved more freely at this height, carrying the scent of the forest—a scent that was never quite the same from one hour to the next. Below, the sounds of Varkaan Forest filled the darkness, movements that did not need to be seen to be known.Inside the branch-house, Ryn and Sael were already asleep.Lein knew from the sound of their breathing—steady and uninterrupted, with none of the pauses that suggested someone was only half asleep. They had fallen asleep faster than he expected, the way people did when their bodies had gone too long without the chance to rest somewhere safe enough to truly let down their guard.Lein moved to a branch farther from the house's entrance.The branch was not much narrower than a two-lane road, wide enough for him to sit cross-legged without worrying about balance.He sat down.Closed his eyes.And allowed his awareness to expand outward, sensing everything around him.T

Lein placed the spirit stone in the palm of his hand.Its weight was disproportionate to its size, far heavier than something that large should have been. Perhaps twenty to thirty kilograms. Beneath its bluish-violet surface, energy drifted slowly within like small clouds unable to find an escape.He did not need to ask anyone how to absorb it.The moment his hand made direct contact, his body already knew. It was like two things designed to connect, requiring only one side to open itself for the other to flow through.Lein closed his eyes.His entire focus narrowed to a single point—to his palm, to the stone resting there.He opened the pathways within himself, just as he had done earlier while meditating. But this time, he was not drawing energy from the air.This was something far more concentrated.And the instant those pathways opened, the spirit stone began to work.The energy did not flow gently like a stream. It was more like a dam whose gates had been thrown wide open in a si