The crater was silent, save for the crackling of settling earth.
Kaelen sat cross-legged on the flattened corpse of Sect Master Han. The air around him was a chaotic mix of extreme heat and lingering frost.
Inside his body, a war was ending.
The **Frozen Soul Bead**—an artifact capable of freezing a city—was being broken down by the **Heaven-Devouring Scripture**.
It was like throwing an iceberg into a volcano.
> **[Digestion Complete]**
> **[Energy Source: Foundation Establishment Essence (Ice).]**
> **[Energy Source: Ancient Frost Artifact.]**
> **[Assimilating...]**
Kaelen exhaled. The breath wasn't steam. It was a cloud of blue glittering dust that froze the ground instantly upon contact.
> **[Attribute Acquired: Frostfire.]**
> **[Description: Your Qi now possesses the thermal properties of Absolute Zero while retaining the explosive force of heat.]**
> **[Cultivation Update: Demon Foundation Stage 2 (Mid).]**
"Frostfire," Kaelen tested it.
He ignited a ball of Qi in his hand. It looked like blue fire, but when he dropped it on a rock, the rock didn't melt. It shattered from thermal shock, freezing and burning simultaneously.
"Nasty," Kaelen grinned.
He stood up. His wings had retracted into tattoos on his back, leaving him looking mostly human, aside from the faint blue glow in his veins.
He looked down at Han's remains. Or rather, what was left of them.
He bent down and picked up the **Spatial Ring**.
Unlike Elder Frost's ring, this one was made of white gold and pulsed with a heavy, defensive aura.
"System. Crack it."
> **[Bypassing Blood Seal...]**
> **[Success.]**
Kaelen dumped the contents.
It was a hoard.
* **50,000 Spirit Stones (Mid-Grade).**
* **Three Earth-Tier Artifacts (A shield, a flying shuttle, and a dagger).**
* **Sect Treasury Key.**
* **A Map of the Azure Dragon Empire.**
Kaelen picked up the map.
Silver City was a tiny dot in the corner. The Frost Sect was marked as a "Mid-Tier Sect" located in the Northern Tundra.
But what caught Kaelen's eye was a red circle marked in the center of the Empire.
**The Divine Martial Academy.**
Next to it was a letter of recommendation, signed by the Frost Sect, intended for Jian Chen.
"So," Kaelen mused. "The upgrade was planning to go to school."
He pocketed the map and the stones. 50,000 Mid-Grade stones was enough to fuel his cultivation for months.
He sensed movement at the edge of the clearing.
He didn't draw his sword. He recognized the heartbeat.
"You can come out, Viper," Kaelen said without turning. "Unless you want to be frozen."
A shadow detached itself from a broken tree.
Viper walked into the light. She was trembling.
She looked at the crater. She looked at the unrecognizable paste that used to be a Foundation Establishment powerhouse.
Then she looked at Kaelen.
"You killed him," she whispered. "You actually killed him."
"He was soft," Kaelen shrugged. "For a master."
Viper swallowed hard. Her worldview was shattering. In the cultivation world, levels were absolute. A Mortal killing a Foundation Expert was like an ant killing an elephant. It shouldn't be possible.
"The Shadow Pavilion... my superiors..." Viper stammered. "They know. They saw the explosion from the city walls. Everyone knows."
"Good," Kaelen said. "Fame brings tribute."
"No, Kaelen! You don't understand!" Viper stepped forward urgently. "You didn't just kill a Sect Master. You destroyed the balance of power in the entire region! The **Iron-Blood Alliance**! The **Beast Tamer Sect**! They will all come to see who the new monster is. You have a target on your back the size of a mountain!"
Kaelen walked past her. He grabbed his **Nameless Slab** and strapped it to his back.
"Let them come," Kaelen said dismissively. "I need more XP."
He pulled out the key Jarek had given him.
"But first, I need a nap."
He looked at the map coordinates for the safehouse.
"Coming?" Kaelen asked.
Viper hesitated. She was an assassin. She should run. She should report this to her headquarters and never look back.
But she looked at the young man walking away—a monster who defied the heavens.
If she stayed with him, she would likely die.
But if she survived...
She ran to catch up.
***
**Two Hours Later.**
They reached the coordinates.
It wasn't a cabin. It was a cave hidden behind a waterfall deep in the Inner Zone.
Kaelen punched through the water curtain.
Inside, the cave was dry. Luminous moss lit the walls.
In the center of the cavern sat a massive stone door. It bore the crest of the Vane Family—a dragon coiled around a sword. But this crest was old. Ancient.
"The Vane family..." Viper whispered, looking at the door. "They are a third-rate merchant family. Why do they have an Ancient Era safehouse?"
"Jarek said they used to be something else," Kaelen said.
He inserted the key into the door.
*RUMBLE.*
Dust fell from the ceiling. The heavy stone gears ground against each other. The door slowly groaned open.
A stale, dry air rushed out.
They walked in.
It was a library. Or a laboratory.
Rows of stone tablets lined the walls. In the center was a podium with a single, glowing book.
But Kaelen didn't look at the book.
He looked at the statue behind the podium.
It was a statue of a man holding a slab-like sword. He looked remarkably like Kaelen.
And at the statue's feet lay a skeleton. It was wearing armor that radiated a faint, golden light.
> **[System Alert]**
> **[Resonance Detected.]**
> **[Bloodline Origin Found.]**
Kaelen walked up to the skeleton.
"Well," Kaelen smirked. "Looks like my ancestors weren't merchants."
He reached out to touch the golden armor.
*ZAP.*
A holographic projection shot out from the skeleton's skull.
It wasn't a message. It was a warning.
A voice, booming and ancient, filled the room.
**"WHOEVER ENTERS THIS TOMB... TURN BACK. THE SOVEREIGN IS WATCHING."**
Kaelen didn't flinch.
He looked the hologram in the eye.
"I know," Kaelen said.
"I'm him."