Three months had passed since Jael's epic battle, and Alina was no longer the same.
Where once stood modest homes and worn paths now rose reinforced roads, cultivation towers, and qi-infused infrastructure. Jalen had transformed the settlement into a thriving sect—one built not on prestige, but on resilience. The intruders who had once threatened the town now served it, forced to surrender their spirit stones, rare herbs, and cultivation tools. They worked tirelessly, constructing training halls, refining cultivation zones, and offering their knowledge to the very people they once sought to conscript.
The most profound change lay beneath the earth. Jalen had discovered a dormant spirit vein deep below the town's foundation. With careful excavation and formation layering, he turned it into a cultivation sanctuary—its qi flow nourishing the entire region. The result was staggering.
In these few months, the fifteen hundred cultivators from Alaina advanced. those from eight to their later twenties were now Peak Ruby to early sapphire. Those in their thirties and beyond reached Peak Sapphire to peak Pearl Realm. A handful even brushing the Amethyst Realm.
In the broader cultivation world, such progress would be considered modest. But the timeline was what shattered expectations. These weren't prodigies born into elite clans—they were ordinary people who had achieved years of progress in mere months.
It was thanks to Jalen's cultivation methods—refined, optimized, and tailored to each individual. He had always possessed an uncanny ability to improve techniques, seeing flaws others missed and restructuring flows others accepted. As a child, he never questioned it. But now, with the revelation of his second spirit core—an eternal-grade spirit—he began to wonder. What was he, truly? How could someone born to mortal parents possess such mythic depth?
He didn't have answers. But he knew the truth would come. Eventually.
Calen had grown too. Without a formal cultivation method, he had broken into the Diamond Realm—a phenomenon unheard of. Born with a golden spirit root that transformed into a spirit core at the diamond realm, which normally forms at the gold realm, he had always been an anomaly. But now, his golden spirit core pulsed with quiet power, and Jalen suspected there was more to Calen than even he understood. He also needs to find a suitable and powerful cultivation technique for the kid soon.
Throughout these months Jalen left Alaina for hours at least a day or two in a week to explore the Ron State, searching for hidden realms where time flowed differently. He found no such place. But his journeys yielded rare materials, formation keys, and cultivation relics—each one used to strengthen the town.
His thoughts also drifted often. To Nate, his first disciple. The two-year deadline had passed. Nate should be back in the Flare State by now. Jalen could locate him—his spirit sense was strong enough to trace the boy's qi signature across continents. But he didn't. Nate was nearing seventeen now. A cultivator. A man. Jalen respected his growth too much to spy.
His second disciple, Calista, remained at the Light Clan—the safest place in the world. He worried less about her. She was protected. Sheltered. But still, her name lingered in his thoughts.
And then there was his family. Rana, his wife. Raja and Jala, his children. He missed them deeply. But he knew the cost of peace. If he wanted to keep them safe, he had to grow stronger. That was the sacrifice. That was the vow.
—
Jalen stood at the edge of the training courtyard, watching Jael and Calen spar. Their movements were sharper now—Calen's footwork grounded, Jael's strikes fluid. The clash of frost and solar qi echoed through the air, a dance of contrast and harmony.
Then a whisper brushed past Jalen's ear.
A voice. Unfamiliar but patient.
"I'd like to meet."
Jalen vanished, reappearing at the northern border of the town. There stood a young man—appearing no older than Jalen, but carrying the weight of centuries. His aura was Sage Realm.
"Fellow Daoist," the man nodded. "I am Will. May I ask your name?"
Jalen didn't answer the question. "You're here to recruit," he said. "For the war."
Will smiled faintly. "So you're aware of the situation my kingdom faces."
"I'm aware you've already taken cultivators from this region. Most died. Now you've come for their families—barely cultivators themselves. What could they possibly offer in a war of that scale?"
Will's expression didn't change. "You know the rules. When war erupts, mortals fight mortals. Cultivators fight cultivators. These people can serve in the regular army."
"If you're trying to convince me to hand them over," Jalen said. "You're doing a poor job."
Will's gaze sharpened. "You're strong. But are these people worth it? Do you plan to stay here forever? Protect them until the end?"
Jalen didn't answer immediately. He'd asked himself that same question when he first chose to help these people. He knew he couldn't stay forever. He knew the Royal Kingdom's wrath would reach Alina the moment he left. At first, it felt pointless. They couldn't grow fast enough. They can't resist the royal family on their own. So why give them hope?
But he couldn't stop. He had already started. And he would see it through.
In fact, he had already set a plan in motion to secure them once and for all. All he needed was time—and the right opportunity.
"I could flatten the capital," Jalen said quietly. "That would solve the problem."
Will laughed. "Don't joke, fellow Daoist."
"Who said I'm joking?"
"You might be strong," Will said, "but even you can't take on the might of the royal capital."
"Maybe not," Jalen replied. "But I can take you. And the five Sage Realm experts you brought as backup."
Will's eyes widened slightly. "You noticed?"
Jalen raised his hand.
Shadow Domain Compression activated.
Darkness spilled outward—silent, absolute. One and a half miles of space folded into dusk. Will and his colleagues vanished into the void. So did the neighboring city. And several villages.
Inside the domain, light fled. Sound crumbled. Qi bent. Direction collapsed.
Jalen didn't speak. He didn't need to.
This wasn't a battle.
It was a statement.