The realm they entered was unlike anything they had seen before.
After crossing the river that marked the boundary of the accelerated time zone, Jalen, Jael, and Calen emerged into a sprawling city—Viritan. The air shimmered with qi. Floating towers pierced the sky, and cultivators soared between platforms on streams of elemental energy. The streets were wide, paved with spirit stone, and lined with vendors selling rare herbs, beast cores, and formation scrolls.
It was a city of power. A city of pride.
Jalen kept his aura suppressed. Calen followed close behind, his Enlightened Realm presence muted but unmistakable. Jael walked ahead, next to Jalen, his eyes sharp and unreadable.
They were scouting the city when a man approached Jael.
Or rather, a dragon in humanoid form.
He was tall, young, and broad-shouldered, with crimson eyes and hair and a faint glow around his skin. His aura was fiery—refined, ancient, and unmistakably royal. Jael and Jalen could sense something else too: a strange familiarity. A kinship of sorts.
"You're so young," the man said, "but you're this strong. And your bloodline… it's royal. Two beast cores—flame and ice. Good. Would you join my Flame Clan?"
"No," Jael replied instantly.
"At least think about it, kid."
"I did. It's still no."
"How about cultivation tools? Spirit stones tailored to your affinity?"
"No."
The man chuckled, then turned his gaze to Jalen and Calen. He studied Calen first, noting the Enlightened Realm signature. Impressive for his age. Then he looked at Jalen—the mortal who resembled the young dragon he'd taken interest in—and paused.
He couldn't read Jalen's cultivation. But he could feel the danger.
"I figure you three are new around here," the man said. "Why don't you come stay at my sect?"
"If this is another attempt to recruit me," Jael said, "it's still a no."
"You're one tough cookie, you know that?" The young man laughed. "By the way, my name is Elijah."
"I never asked," Jael replied.
"You really know how to hurt a guy's feelings. But I get it. You're strong—for a dragon who's only existed a couple of years."
"Dad, can we leave?" Jael turned to Jalen. "This old dragon is annoying."
Elijah blinked. "This human is your father?"
"Well, now that I look closer, the humanoid form you've taken does resemble him."
He turned to Jalen. "So you're the one who raised this fine boy. How about handing him over to me? I promise I'll guide him to the realm his bloodline deserves."
"No, thank you," Jael said.
"You heard the kid," Jalen added.
They turned to leave, but Elijah was persistent.
"Look," he said, "I'm an elder of the Flame Clan. I'm not trying to steal him. I just think he'd benefit from being around his own kind. You're new here. Why not come stay at my clan for a while? You might learn something."
Jalen paused.
He did plan to spend a thousand years in this realm to reach the Sky Limit Realm—or higher. And he was new here. Learning the local cultivation systems wouldn't hurt.
"Fine," Jalen said. "We'll come."
—
An hour later, they arrived at the Flame Clan's mountain stronghold.
They passed through massive gates carved from volcanic stone. Disciples bowed as Elijah walked by. Some whispered. Others stared at Jael and Calen with wide eyes.
Elijah led them to the guest quarters—spacious, fortified, and layered with protective formations.
Jalen sensed several powerful cultivators scanning them with spirit sense. He ignored them.
Inside, he began lecturing Calen and Jael on cultivation—refining qi flow, balancing elemental resonance, and anchoring their spirit seas. The boys listened intently. When they left to meditate, Jalen stepped outside and found Elijah waiting.
"Apologies for the spying," Elijah said. "You're a mystery—and those two kids with you? Let's just say they're cultivation phenomena. Even some of the old monsters in the clan are curious."
"I understand," Jalen replied. "So what brought you here?"
"I felt like having a chat, if that's alright."
"Then start by telling me—why are you so interested in Jael?"
"So that's the boy's name," Elijah nodded. "As I said, he carries a rare royal dragon bloodline. Of course I'd want him as a disciple—to pass on my legacy. But there's more. His essence is tied to yours. He obeys your every command. And shockingly, you—a human—treat him like a son, not a pet."
"That's because he is my son," Jalen said. "And I won't let anyone take advantage of him even if they seem sincere and have a destiny with us."
"So you noticed it as well."
"From the moment we met," Jalen assured him. "That is one of the reasons why I agreed to follow you here."
"Then you know I mean no harm. I just think he should engage more with his own kind. I figure he's never met another dragon before, has he?"
"No," Jalen said. "His mother died. I hatched him from an egg—five hundred years earlier than he was supposed to come into existence. He took on my form the moment he entered the world."
Elijah froze.
"What?"
"Is there a problem?" Jalen asked.
"Yes. No dragon can be born before the age of maturity—over a thousand years—or take humanoid form until they reach the Enlightened Realm, which itself takes centuries. And you're telling me he not only hatched prematurely but also assumed human form at birth?"
"What can I say?" Jalen shrugged. "Jael was born different. His strength was already Enlightened Realm the moment he opened his eyes."
"What?!" Elijah staggered, heat flaring uncontrollably from his aura. "Impossible… and yet—he is indeed extraordinary. Now I have no choice. I must take him as my disciple."
"From the moment I decided to come here, I decided to let Jael become your disciple. You will be able to teach him techniques that will take him to a level even I'm not able to."
"Do you really mean that?" Elijah's voice held a flicker of excitement—controlled, but unmistakable.
"Consider it a payment for what your relative has done for us." Jalen didn't know the exact relationship between the flaming beast core he carried and the same royal flame dragon blood that had fused with Jael—but he could feel it. There was family in it.
Elijah studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
So he noticed the bond, Elijah thought. Even without knowing the truth.
This was why he had approached Jael—not out of curiosity, but because the blood had called.
Jalen gave a quiet nod.
Elijah turned. "Then I'll make preparations." And with a ripple of heat trailing behind him, he left.
—
Minutes after Elijah stepped into his private quarters—an obsidian chamber carved into the heart of the Flame Clan's mountain. The walls pulsed faintly with heat, lined with ancient scrolls and dragonbone relics. He had barely crossed the threshold when a ripple of flame shimmered before him.
A figure emerged from the blaze.
A young man, perhaps nineteen, with flaming red hair and a crimson robe that shimmered with restrained heat. His aura was sharp, compressed, and unmistakably dominant.
Ricard, Patriarch of the Flame Clan.
"Are you certain you want to pass on your cultivation method to an outsider dragon?" Ricard asked, voice low and measured.
Elijah didn't flinch. "He's the perfect candidate. He carries the exact royal flame bloodline as mine. In fact, his bloodline was transformed by my brother—the one who vanished thousands of years ago. Which means… my brother is dead. And he chose this boy as his successor."
Ricard's eyes narrowed. "If you teach him, he'll be bound to our clan. That's the law."
"You really think you can force him?" Elijah scoffed. "The boy's stubborn. And his father—if provoked—would raze this entire clan to ash. You felt it too, didn't you? That mortal carries my brother's flaming core and yet lives. That alone makes him… unnatural."
He paused, then added, "He also possesses the ice beast core of a royal bloodline. Two opposing cores, perfectly balanced. And his cultivation… I can't see through it. Either he's using a technique that masks his realm from even peak Sky Limit cultivators like us… or he's already on our level. The latter shouldn't be possible—not for someone so young."
Ricard exhaled slowly. "He raised a dragon as his own. That speaks to his character. Most humans would've turned him into a weapon."
"That's why I chose diplomacy over war," Elijah said. "If he were mistreating that boy, I'd be taking a very different approach."
Ricard nodded. "Tomorrow is the International Tournament. The elders sent me to ask you to represent the clan. Lead our disciples."
Elijah sighed. "Can I refuse this time around?"
"No."
"…Fine. I'll be there."
Ricard gave a curt nod and vanished into flame.