The Return of Kaelen Viremont

Chapter 3: Second Young Miss

Right where he stood, the guard clutched his throat, trembling uncontrollably. His legs nearly gave way beneath him.

A moment more… and he would have died.

Beside him, the second guard exhaled in awe and muttered under his breath, "Even a stable boy in our House Hanwynn can crush us... Truly, talent blooms where you least expect it."

Inside the ancestral hall, the air hung heavy with reverence.

Hundreds of spirit tablets lined a towering sandalwood altar, each etched with the names of House Hanwynn ancestors. Candles flickered on stone pillars, casting dancing shadows that lent the space a sacred aura.

Kaelen strode in with unshaken calm, ignoring the ancestral tablets altogether. His path led straight to the inner courtyard.

There, at the edge of a massive martial training field, an old man dozed off at a wooden table—his head resting on folded arms.

Kaelen knocked gently on the table.

"Who's there…?" the elder groaned, eyes half-open. "Can't an old man even catch a nap?"

But as soon as he saw Kaelen, the old man sat bolt upright, blinking in disbelief. Without warning, he stepped forward and began patting Kaelen all over—pressing muscles, tapping joints.

"This is... impossible," the elder muttered.

Kaelen raised a brow and took two steps back.

“Senior… is this really how you verify someone’s cultivation level? By groping their bones?”

The elder blinked, then chuckled awkwardly. “Haha! No, no! Just curious, that's all. Your aura is unusual. And your body—it’s nearly flawless.”

Dressed in coarse linen robes, the elder examined Kaelen Viremont like a rare artifact, clicking his tongue repeatedly.

Kaelen squinted suspiciously.

Does this old geezer have... certain eccentric tastes?

Choosing not to linger, Kaelensilently unleashed the aura of a First Heaven True Martial Realm cultivator.

Moments later, he received his House Hanwynn identification token.

Without a word, he turned and sprinted out of the ancestral hall.

The old man remained behind, eyes gleaming faintly. A gentle smile tugged at his lips.

"So... the awakening has begun. At last..." he murmured to himself, his tone soft and distant—like a whisper from another lifetime.

Kaelen raced out of the hall.

“Brother! Wait!”

The frightened guard from earlier ran up, breathless, and shoved something into Kaelen’s hand.

Kaelen glanced down—a mid-grade spirit stone, warm to the touch and gleaming faintly.

“What’s this for?” he asked.

The guard laughed nervously. “About earlier… I didn’t recognize greatness when I saw it. Please accept this as a humble apology. It’s worth a hundred low-grade stones.”

Free resources?

Kaelen didn’t refuse.

He slipped the shimmering stone into his robe and continued on his way.

“Let me treat you to a meal sometime!” the guard called after him.

“No need.”

Kaelen waved without looking back and disappeared into the winding corridors of the House Hanwynn estate.

Half an hour later, at the edge of the estate—

Kaelen sat cross-legged inside a dilapidated little house. His eyes were shut, the spirit stone clutched tightly in his palm.

The spiritual energy within had already been fully drained.

Golden true vital energy surged quietly through his veins, more potent than before—but still far from reaching the Second Heaven.

He opened his eyes. A golden light shimmered faintly in his pupils.

“Cultivation is expensive,” he muttered, staring at the now-powdered stone. “Painfully expensive.”

The Creation Divine Technique granted rapid progress—dense true vital energy, a resilient physique—but the energy it demanded was staggering.

Where other cultivators could survive half a month on a single mid-grade spirit stone, Kaelen burned through one in less than thirty minutes.

And that golden divine pill inside his mind—so full of mysterious spiritual energy—remained silent.

Kaelen furrowed his brow.

I still haven’t figured out how to activate that thing. It only helped me once—during my first breakthrough. Will it only respond at critical moments?

He could still remember his father’s voice— Therion Viremont the Divine Emperor—echoing in his mind:

“This divine pill... it will allow you to live as long as the sun and moon, and exist alongside heaven and earth.”

How could he ever forget?

To live as long as the heavens lasted... not even a Divine Emperor had achieved such a fate.

That pill holds a secret... but I’m not strong enough yet to uncover it.

Pushing the thought aside, Kaelen resumed his meditation, channeling the Creation Divine Technique. Golden true vital energy circulated through his body—bones, muscles, blood—refining everything.

More than anything now, he yearned to push this technique to the next level.

“Only those of the Divine Morning royal bloodline can cultivate this technique… But I was reborn into a servant’s body in this life. Why can I use it?”

Strange… too strange.

But there was no time for answers. Only power mattered now.

Kaelen Viremont recalled something else his father had said:

“With every breakthrough of the Creation Divine Technique, you will awaken a unique and fearsome innate talent.”

His father had awakened the Heaven’s Tribulation Sword—a divine weapon that could cut through space and slay dragons.

What would Kaelen awaken?

He shivered in anticipation.

Meanwhile, at the center of the House Hanwynn estate—

In the inner garden courtyard, lush and vibrant beneath the summer sun…

Elira knelt in terror, his forehead pounding against the grass.

“Second Miss! Please, have mercy! I buried Mirelle without permission, I know—I know! But I was wrong! Please… don’t kill me!”

The truth had reached her ears.

And now, before him stood a girl draped in pink silk, her long black hair flowing like ink over snow-white shoulders. A red jewel adorned her forehead, glowing with elegance.

Aurelia Duskryn.

Second daughter of the House Hanwynn.

Beautiful.

Noble.

And dangerous.