For years, Aeron lived alone at the peak of Mount Longridge. His solitude, though chosen, was rarely complete—Elias, now a young disciple, often visited him.
Elias always brought news from the outside world and the Temple of the Guardians. His chatter had become something of a habit, and a quiet friendship had grown between them.
Occasionally, Elder Evergreen, a senior teacher from the temple, would visit as well. To him, Aeron was like a son. Whether or not Aeron had ever become a Guardian Lord, Elder Evergreen's guilt toward him never faded. If only he had arrived sooner, perhaps Oakridge Keep wouldn't have been destroyed... and Aeron's life might have been different.
One morning, Elias arrived, breathless from the climb.
> "A few days ago, the Grand Master ordered four of us to descend the mountain and gain real-world experience," he said.
The four he referred to were the disciples who had once been chosen by sacred weapons during the journey to the Sword Tomb. While none of them wielded the Blade of Balance, like Aeron, they were still the temple's hopes for the future.
The temple had decided they would descend one at a time—to avoid a single tragedy wiping out their last hope. If anything happened to all four while Aeron's path led nowhere, the Temple of the Guardians would collapse within a generation.
> "Going down the mountain?" Aeron raised an eyebrow.
Since his arrival in this world eighteen years ago, he'd only been outside on the day he was born. The rest of his life had been spent entirely on Mount Longridge.
Elias panicked slightly.
> "You're different, Senior Brother," he said quickly. "You're the chosen of the Blade of Balance. You can't just leave."
He was right. The Blade of Balance was bound to Aeron, and if he went down the mountain, so would the sword. If it were ever lost, the Temple of the Guardians might never recover.
If Aeron died and the blade returned to the Sword Tomb, the temple could rebuild. But if the blade was lost, their entire legacy would crumble.
> "Relax," Aeron chuckled. "I was only curious. I'm not going anywhere."
He wasn't really eighteen—not mentally. His true age, when you counted both lives, was well over fifty. With Heaven-Breaker Insight, he didn't need to go down the mountain to gain understanding. Everything he needed was here—food, shelter, safety, and silence.
> "That's good to hear," Elias exhaled in relief.
Then his expression shifted.
> "Senior Brother, lately, I've felt strange during cultivation."
Aeron asked a few questions and quickly understood the issue.
> "It's your mindset," he said. "You've chosen the Sun Path, the path of unstoppable force. But you're hesitating. You're second-guessing. That doesn't match the spirit of your path."
> "Sun Path means forging ahead like the midday sun—bold, blinding, and unshakable. If you're worried or indecisive, your training will feel off."
Elias's eyes widened in realization.
He had been hesitating. While eager to explore the world, fear of failure or danger had clouded his resolve.
Suddenly, his breathing shifted. His energy flowed freely, hot and alive. Power surged through his limbs like fire.
> Buzz.
Moments later, Elias opened his eyes—brimming with joy.
> "Third Grade!" he gasped. He had broken through another cultivation level.
In this world, strength was measured from Ninth Grade to First Grade, with First Grade being the strongest. To reach Third Grade placed him among the elite—especially on Mount Longridge.
> "Thank you, Senior Brother Aeron!" Elias bowed deeply.
> "It was nothing," Aeron said, brushing it off. For him, guiding someone below the Phenomenon Tier was effortless.
—
At the same time, in the True Martial Hall, High Lord Crestfall, the master of the Temple, rubbed his forehead. Lines of exhaustion marked his brow.
The Legion of Shadows had grown bolder. Their leader, now believed to be the inheritor of the Original Demon Sect, had sparked chaos across the realm.
Every battle between light and dark had ended in defeat for the righteous.
> "It's clear now," High Lord Crestfall said. "The Legion was never alone. The remnants of the Original Demon Sect have been supporting them all along."
> "The previous Guardian Lord noticed signs, but never found the source," added a chubby elder at his side.
The Temple's intelligence network had confirmed it. It was already too late to stop the tide—they needed to find a new way to turn the war.
At that moment, Elias burst into the hall.
> "Master, I've reached Third Grade!" he beamed.
High Lord Crestfall paused.
> "So soon?" he said cautiously.
It wasn't suspicion. It was concern.
Ordinarily, breaking into Third Grade took fifteen to twenty years—even for those chosen by sacred weapons. Elias had only been training for less than ten.
> "His foundation is stable," the chubby elder said after a quick inspection. "No signs of shortcuts."
High Lord Crestfall's expression softened.
> "How did this happen, Elias?"
> "It was all thanks to Senior Brother Aeron's guidance."
That answer froze the hall.
Over the years, Elias had often received guidance from Aeron, but his growth had remained normal—until now.
> "Did he really help you break through with just a few words?" High Lord Crestfall asked.
> "Yes! Every time he speaks, it's like my mind lights up. I understand everything. And then my strength just… increases."
The room went silent.
For seasoned elders, such breakthroughs were only possible from someone who had reached an incredibly high understanding of cultivation. Could Aeron be…?
> "When I'm with Senior Brother, it's like being with a master," Elias added.
That line hit harder than any explosion.
> "Like a master…" High Lord Crestfall echoed.
Was it possible?
Could Aeron have already reached the Phenomenon Tier? At less than twenty years old?
That had never happened in the history of the Guardians.
> "Is he truly an unmatched genius?" whispered the elder beside him.
High Lord Crestfall fell into deep thought.
If what Elias said was true, then Aeron was not just a genius—he was beyond imagination. But even so, his path was still doomed.
He had chosen to walk both the Moon Path and the Sun Path, a combination that had killed every Guardian who'd ever attempted it.
No matter how talented, no one had survived that fusion.
> "To understand power so clearly at such a young age..." the chubby elder began,
but stopped.
His next thought was a dagger to the heart.
> "Such a genius... why walk a doomed path?"
(End of Chapter)
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