Meanwhile, the Abode of the Sky fortress was preparing to leave the solar system.
All planets within the system had been explored—every moon, every asteroid belt, every hidden corner mapped and claimed. There was nothing left to discover here.
Now Captain Sanya stood at the command deck, eyes fixed on the starfield beyond the viewport. The decision had been made: the fortress would move outward, toward the unknown reaches of the galaxy.
Inside the fortress, progress never stopped.
Ankit's family had advanced steadily. They had all reached Stage 1, Substage 3. But the differences were already clear.
Kamal, with the lowest talent among them, had only just entered Substage 3.
Neelam, with higher talent, had nearly completed it.
Sanya sat comfortably between the two—progressing faster than her father, slower than her mother.
Their physical appearances had changed greatly after the cleansing. Skin clearer, bodies stronger, postures straighter. Their strength far surpassed Ankit's at the same stage.
First, because they had practiced the Mortal Foundation Sutra diligently.
Second, because they had consumed many foundational pills.
Third—and most importantly—because their root cores were larger than Ankit's had been when he started.
These reasons combined made their foundation deeper, their reserves greater, their bodies tougher than their son's at the equivalent level.
Rudra is also practicing mortal foundation scripture diligently. He is now almost 4 years old. But his looks and height matches a 15 year old boy. His strength rivaling even xinxuan, who had previously practiced breathing technique.
Ankit's disciples had been practicing the Mortal Foundation Sutra for months now. Soon they would earn the title of "genius" among mortals. Even with strong innate talent, raw talent alone was useless without a strong mind and will. But the talent earned through discipline and consistency from the Mortal Foundation Sutra was different—it forged not just talent, but unbreakable resolve, clarity of purpose, and a Heart that refused to break.
On the other side, the disciples' families had started to complain a little.
They didn't dare speak directly to Ankit or his family. Instead, they whispered their grievances to their own family members—the disciples.
The disciples, awkward and torn, eventually went to their master—Heart Clone.
Heart Clone had returned from the Beast Continent not long ago. He had his fill of bullying the beast disciples there and decided to stop. He was back in the fortress, quietly overseeing everything.
He had already noticed the families' complaints long before the disciples came forward—every word, every sigh, every quiet conversation.
One complaint came up more often than the others, though it was never said loudly: no internet.
They were literally in space—far beyond where humanity had extended its networks. No streaming, no social feeds, no endless videos or news from Earth. The silence felt heavier than the space outside.
Even though Ether Clone had created the ring-like device, he hadn't given those rings to anyone outside the island people. He was planning to distribute them only after he got his fill of Eternal Ascendancy—when the game was stable, the system secure, and he got time.
There were also other complaints. But heart clone doesn't move forward to solve them.
He waited.
He waited until the disciples themselves approached him.
He didn't want to scare the families by revealing he had been listening all along. If they knew their master heard every whisper, they would fear to speak freely in the future—even about small things. Ankit was not the type to force silence or suppress feelings. Especially not from his disciples' families.
And the complaints weren't serious anyway—just the natural discomfort of people adjusting to an isolated life.
Today, Xinxuan, Vera, and more than ten red-talent disciples gathered in the cafeteria hall to meet with Heart Clone.
Heart Clone had just finished eating with his family. He was about to leave and meet Solar Clone—Solar Clone needed his help with something urgent.
Then he saw his disciples approaching. He pretended not to know why they had come, turning toward them with a calm expression.
"What happened?"
Xinxuan and the others exchanged glances, silently signaling each other to speak first. No one stepped forward.
Finally, Heart Clone spoke again, voice gentle.
"Vera, you tell me. What happened?"
Vera, hearing her name, awkwardly greeted him with a small bow. Her voice was hesitant.
"Master… our family members stay all day here and there… they feel like they've retired in their young age… so they want to…"
Gyu—a female disciple—finished the sentence for her.
"They want to find some work."
Then a middle-aged disciple spoke up, voice low but earnest.
"And master, I have a son—10 years old. Even though my wife and I taught him everything we know, it's still not… good. There are more children like my son who should get proper education. Even though we taught them the Mortal Foundation Scripture, their mentality is above average, but the knowledge of the world and other things… we can't teach them that properly."
The disciples had already taught their families the Mortal Foundation Scripture. They had also asked their instructor puppets for more foundational pills, allowing their families to grow stronger. Whenever needed, they used vyuhas to quickly heal injuries or fatigue.
Heart Clone felt nothing special when he learned his disciples were sharing the Mortal Foundation Scripture with their families. He was not an insecure person. He didn't worry that they would surpass him or his family, or that they would betray him.
He was also not foolish enough to believe no one would ever betray him. He knew the risk existed.
So why did he allow it?