By the following morning, the story of Skyreach had already travelled far beyond its walls.Merchant caravans carried it east. Travelling cultivators carried it north. Message crystals and military reports pushed it toward the Central Capital before Envoy Valerius’s miserable little life dinghy had even completed half its journey. Everywhere the details changed slightly with each retelling, but the important parts remained the same... a catastrophic Beast Tide containing tens of thousands of monsters had descended on Skyreach, three Level Three Beast Kings had led the charge, Mira Voss had wiped out a huge section of the vanguard with frost and flame, and Jayden Jian had ended the disaster without drawing a sword. He had released some mysterious pressure, brought the Beast Kings to their bellies and forced the entire horde to bow.Then, as though that alone were not outrageous enough, he had chased the fleeing Imperial Envoy into the sky, shattered Valerius’s cultivation and returned

For several seconds after Mira finished speaking, no one outside the villa said a word.The old Voss patriarch sat stiffly in his wheelchair, his carefully prepared tears drying uselessly on his cheeks, while Sera leaned heavily against her cane with humiliation burning through her face. Even the servant behind them had lowered his head, clearly wishing he could disappear. The entire journey had been built around the belief that wealth and success would soften old resentment, that Mira would eventually decide blood mattered more than what House Voss had done to her and Nia.Instead, she had looked at them as though they were strangers begging outside someone else’s home.Sera could not endure it.“You ungrateful wretch!”Her shriek carried far enough down the quiet street that two City Guards stationed near the outer road turned immediately. Mira’s expression did not change, but Sera had already lost whatever sense had brought her there pretending to seek reconciliation. She stepped f

The Central Capital appeared beneath them shortly after noon, sprawling across the land like an entire kingdom contained inside one set of walls.Even Mira, who had heard stories about the place since childhood, could not hide a flicker of surprise as the Guardian Covenant Dragon broke through the clouds. The Capital was enormous compared to Skyreach. Golden-roofed districts stretched in every direction, divided by wide stone avenues, artificial rivers and elevated bridges that connected towers hundreds of feet high. Imperial formation lights glowed faintly beneath the city walls even in daylight, while airships of different sizes moved between designated aerial lanes around the outer districts.Nia had been staring downward for nearly twenty minutes.“Daddy, that building is bigger than our whole street.”Jayden followed her finger toward a palace-like merchant complex covered in silver glass. “Probably compensating for something.”Mira turned toward him. “Can we enter one city witho

The next afternoon, the weather over the Central Capital was mild enough that Jayden decided not to waste it indoors.Mira remained at the Grand Celestial Palace to continue refining the balance between her frost and blue-flame affinities, so Jayden took Nia out alone to explore the city. The little girl had been excited about the Capital since the moment they arrived, and now that she was free from registration halls, nobles, and adults speaking about politics she did not care about, she became impossible to slow down. She dragged Jayden through one market street after another, stopping to stare at glowing trinkets, painted beast figurines, tiny formation lamps shaped like flowers, and sweets she insisted looked different from the ones in Skyreach even when they clearly did not.Jayden let her wander.He did not hover over her or hold her hand every second, but she never left the range of his sight or perception. Even when crowds moved between them, he knew exactly where she was, wh

The Kingdom’s Elite Zenith Tournament opened the following morning beneath a roar loud enough to shake the upper arches of the Royal Grand Colosseum.More than two hundred thousand spectators packed the enormous structure from the lowest public terraces to the private noble galleries suspended high above the arena. Banners representing military houses, cultivation factions, royal branches and regional territories hung from every level, while giant crystal projection screens floated above the stadium so even people seated at the farthest end could see the competitors clearly. Formation arrays built into the walls carried every announcement across the entire colosseum, amplifying the voices of the officials until they rolled over the crowd like thunder.At the highest point of the eastern side stood the royal pavilion.The King sat beneath a golden canopy surrounded by senior members of the Royal Court, military commanders, ancient clan representatives and several powerful cultivators w