Kranos felt everything slow down vividly. He could clearly see the cunning glint in Eric's eyes—like a viper, those eyes flickered with calculation, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Eric approached slowly; he could feel Eric raise his hand to pat his head. Instinctively, he dodged; he felt that there was everything wrong with this.
As soon as he dodged, he realized that time seemed to resume its normal pace.
"Huh, what's the problem, son?" Raphael asked Kranos in surprise, not expecting him to dodge. After all, it was just a pat on the head.
"It's nothing," Kranos said quickly. He immediately decided that he would use the previous 'danger sensing' talent he lied about to tell his father about the intense sense of danger he felt.
"You have a good son, Sixth Brother," Eric said from the side, following which he chuckled at Kranos before vanishing. After that, the other princes came forward, but Kranos couldn't shake the unease he felt towards Eric. I feel like I need to kill him!
Although I have never killed anyone in my two lifetimes, the urge to eliminate him is almost irresistible. Kranos shook his head to get rid of his thoughts; he felt that it was a certain impulse taking over so he didn't mind.
After the congratulations from the princes, the elders followed suit. When the ceremony was over, Kranos and his father returned home to a splendid feast prepared by Anna.
…
In the blink of an eye, more than two years passed. During this time, Kranos's days were peaceful. He spent his time comprehending the way of the sword, his time techniques, and improving his cultivation. His routine was simple: eat, practice, sleep—repeated day after day.
His strength had improved tremendously. He had already reached the second stage of the Time Establishment Realm and the fourth stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. The breakthrough took around three months, mainly because it involved shattering all his orbs and condensing them into a foundation.
Since Kranos feared something might go wrong, he first attempted the process with his Qi cultivation before applying it to the Time Path. Advancing to the next stage in the Time Condensation Realm required condensing another 12 time orbs and forging them into a second foundation.
While doing this, naturally the foundations would merge, causing one's strength to soar. Besides, he also discovered that with the foundation establishment path he created, a secret technique came along. By burning his foundation, he could temporarily transform it into a source of pure mana, doubling his strength for a short duration.
Of course, Kranos had no intention of using it recklessly—burning the foundation would mean losing all his cultivation. As for the Time Establishment Realm, he noticed no such secret technique yet. The only change was that time seemed to leave fewer marks on him as he grew. Still, he suspected that there must be another secret technique when he stepped into the next realm.
…
The next day, after his morning cultivation, Raphael called Kranos to speak with him.
"Son, according to tradition, all children must descend to the Lower Realm at the age of twelve for two years of trials before returning. Over the past years, you've done your best to grow strong while maintaining a stable foundation which is naturally for the best."
After a few minutes of explanation, Kranos understood. At the age of fourteen, all cultivators would enroll in the Royal Cultivators Academy. But before that, they were required to undergo a two-year trial.
Their performance would be judged based on how many demonic beasts or dark creatures they defeated. The more points they earned, the greater the rewards they would receive upon enrolling.
"Go and prepare. The descent to the Lower Realm begins in six months," Raphael said, waving him off.
…
Heeding his father's advice, Kranos began training his space-element spells to further strengthen himself. Due to his rapid progress in the past, his parents had previously stopped him from cultivating, forcing him to focus solely on his time cultivation.
Now, Kranos practiced spatial techniques during the day and cultivated his time abilities at night. This went on for three days until a sudden idea struck him: Why don't I try integrating time into my swordsmanship? The thought took root and refused to leave.
He started practicing immediately. At first, it was too difficult to be integrated into anything so he started practicing with the space element, integrating his space element into his swordsmanship. For a whole month, he persisted, struggling to merge space with his sword techniques. Eventually, he succeeded—just barely.
He realized he needed to improve his realm further to gain deeper insight into the laws of space and properly integrate them into his swordsmanship. Hitting a wall, Kranos returned to cultivating and deepening his comprehension of the laws of time.
Three months after the awakening ceremony, his parents finally allowed him to resume full cultivation. Over the past six months, Kranos gave everything to improving his realm. Though time remained difficult to merge with his swordsmanship, he focused on mastering its essence through cultivation and study.
In that time, his time points had risen to a terrifying level:
[Current Time Points – 35,040]
…
Soon, the day arrived. Kranos, his siblings, and other young geniuses were to descend into the Lower Realm for their trials. That morning, after enjoying a sumptuous breakfast with his mother, Raphael prepared to escort Kranos.
Anna was hesitant to let him go. She handed him every possible form of protection—talismans, healing pills, defense seals, arrays—until she was finally reassured.
Kranos could only click his tongue in amazement. Then, at Anna's insistence, he sparred once more with his father. When they finished, Raphael led Kranos toward the academy portal. The journey took only a day.
Author's Note…
Hey everyone! I was in a bit of a rush wrapping up this arc because I felt the home segment was dragging on, even though it was necessary for the story's development. But now, things are about to ramp up—an emotional rollercoaster awaits!
What do you all think? Will the Lower Realm arc be fun? Should I follow it directly with the academy arc or take the story in a different direction?
Let me know your thoughts!