After returning to the monastery, Cade headed straight for the Disciplinary Division, where he reported the matter of a guard working with an outsider to spy on another disciple. He mentioned his suspicion that the scarab had been planted on his robe while he was leaving the citadel. The law enforcement elders would review the records from the main security formation and act accordingly.

  There wasn’t much else he could do, and he had no intention of wasting precious time on a greedy outer court guard. After departing from the Disciplinary Division’s headquarters, he promptly returned to his small home in the inner court.

  As it was the middle of the day, Lucy was busy with her training, and the house stood empty. After taking a quick bath and putting the kettle on, Cade sat at the large, polished table downstairs and opened the Book of Life.

  He skimmed over the late stage of Flesh Fortification, immediately noticing a different version of qi ignition—called qi combustion. It could generate several times more energy, but at the cost of stability. Whereas ignited blood qi couldn’t explode unless condensed to an extreme degree—which wasn’t very practical—qi combustion appeared highly volatile. He would definitely need to be careful when using it in the future.

  However, this was merely a side dish. For the first time ever, his cultivation was high enough to allow him to catch a glimpse of what awaited him in the next chapter.

  The First Chapter of Asura cultivation was the Chapter of the Flesh, and it consisted of two realms—Blood Transformation and Flesh Fortification. Its purpose was to improve all core physical attributes.

  The second chapter was titled the Chapter of the Soul, and its first realm was called Wraith Formation. Cade couldn’t tell whether there were additional realms beyond it—he simply couldn’t see that far.

  The name immediately reminded him of Master Lao Ren’s warning not to attempt venturing into the Moon Continent before fully manifesting his soul wraith. From that, Cade assumed the ancient Asura had meant reaching the great circle of Wraith Formation—a very distant goal indeed.

  However, Master doesn’t know about the spherules, or how much stronger they make me. Maybe I won’t even need to go there. Who knows. This was a matter for the future.

  Cade returned to reading, though he couldn’t decipher most of the details due to the cultivation lock. The Wraith Formation realm was, in many ways, similar to the Soul Avatar realm, which focused on developing a secondary soul capable of manifesting in the physical world like a ghost.

  This reminded Cade of an ancient treatise he had read during his recent cultivation session—Soul Avatar: The Realm Analysis. It had been written nearly six thousand years ago by the elven Divine Transformation expert Sharian Gremyst, better known by his moniker, Daoist Greymist. The work had provided him with priceless insight.

  According to Daoist Greymist, an avatar was a secondary soul composed of spiritual qi, soul qi, and core laws. It could render itself incorporeal or fully enter the physical world, though doing so required a significant expenditure of soul energy.

  The avatar was crucial for soul cultivation—it granted qi cultivators access to soul qi and, by extension, the ability to manipulate the heavenly laws, assuming their comprehension was sufficient. Its form was drawn directly from the expert’s consciousness, and most of the time it appeared as a slightly improved version of the cultivator’s real appearance. Perhaps the avatar had broader shoulders and a narrower waist, or, in the case of many women, more refined and perfected features. Essentially, it resembled how an expert imagined themself to look.

  The wraith, however, was considered a manifestation of the Asura’s heart demon. Apparently, every Asura born of golden essence possessed one—a result of two clashing natures. Cade wasn’t entirely sure what a heart demon was, but it didn’t sound pleasant. Still, the Book of Life treated it as something completely natural.

  Shrugging helplessly, he continued reading.

  The wraith was formed from a tightly woven blend of blood qi and soul qi. Like the avatar, it allowed for manipulation of the heavenly laws, but with a unique focus on the Dao of Life. No one knew what shape their wraith would take. Cade’s eyes had already begun to ache as he tried to decipher text that clearly wasn’t meant to be read at his current level. Apparently, a wraith’s form was often shaped by a defining moment from the Asura’s past.

  One important detail he managed to extract from the partially obscured pages was that he would need a source of soul qi to break through into Wraith Formation. The required amount, however, remained a mystery.

  Sadly, that was all he could learn. The rest of the Second Chapter was a jumbled mess, and attempting to make sense of it only worsened his growing eyestrain. Once he reached the great circle of Flesh Fortification, he would be able to see much more.

  He sighed in resignation, closed the Book of Life, and channeled a spark of ignited blood qi into each eyeball to relieve the pain. It was time to shift his focus back to present matters. Taking out his sect token, he checked his messages.

  Oh, right. I nearly forgot about the fights.

  Next week was Brickwall’s inner court duel, and the week after that was King’s. Then, hopefully, they would be able to venture into the Life and Death Divine Realm together. Cade sent both of them a message, asking if they wanted to train. Since he had some free time, he might as well use it to help them prepare.

  Naturally, he also planned to continue his own training in the Feral Path, the Four Faces of War, and the Law Severing Art. Any further cultivation progress would have to wait until after the visit to the Life and Death Divine Realm, where he hoped to find a source of potent blood to help him advance.

  Finally, there was the matter of interrogating the Tyrant—something he intended to do shortly.

  Cade stood and began pacing around the room, scratching his chin. He still couldn’t decide how best to deal with Marius and Griswold. Was he currently strong enough to rampage through the Brightheart Empire? Probably not. He could handle an early—and possibly even a middle—third-tier cultivator, especially if he used War Form. But if several such experts banded together, the outcome would be grim.

  The Asura clenched his teeth. He needed certainty. He knew Marius had an early True Core bodyguard, and if the Baron forged any additional alliances, seeking revenge might become far more complicated than he liked.

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  Sitting down again, he carefully weighed his options, his fingers tapping idly against the table. He recalled Grandmaster Erendriel’s words—that revenge tasted best when it was unexpected and utterly ruinous. Thoughtfully, he took a sip of tea.

  There’s no other way. I can only return to the Empire once I’m powerful enough that even the Emperor won’t be able to stop me from leaving after I claim their lives.

  Since the Emperor was in the early Soul Avatar realm, and Cade could stand against an opponent one full realm above him—provided they weren’t a cultivation genius—the safest course was to advance into Wraith Formation, or at least reach the great circle of Flesh Fortification.

  That said, would the ruler of the Empire truly intervene in every skirmish? Probably not. As long as Cade didn’t cause a massive uproar, he might be able to act without drawing the Emperor’s attention.

  Still, caution was wiser than regret. The delay stung, but the fault was his own. He should have killed Griswold when he had the chance. The Baron and his son undoubtedly suspected a personal vendetta and would do everything possible to protect themselves.

  That’s what I would do. I can’t assume my enemies are idiots. Bah. No matter. What’s meant to hang won’t drown.

  What he had planned for both men would chill the blood of any cultivator, regardless of realm. He could afford to wait a little longer.

  For now, he was curious to hear what the Tyrant had to say. Knowledge, after all, was power.

  Cade walked upstairs, locked himself inside the mithril-plated cultivation chamber, and entered his realm of consciousness, positioning his mind avatar before the silver sword floating above the ocean of red mist.

  “Legion, how much have you recovered? Roughly.”

  “Master, I’m pleased to report that I’ve regained nearly two parts out of a hundred of my former power—and I’ve advanced to Rank 3! I can fly again!”

  “You can fly?!” Cade exclaimed.

  “Yes? Aren’t flying swords common?” the spirit asked, sounding genuinely confused.

  “Oh, they exist, but they’re incredibly rare. I never suspected you could do that.” Cade grinned, already imagining how Legion could strike from unexpected angles while he tied enemies down in close combat. In truth, having a second weapon would be invaluable—especially one with great reach.

  That aside, Rank 3 was nothing to scoff at, though it made it painfully clear just how far Legion still had to go. The sword was a powerful artifact forged by a highly accomplished Asura elder. Who knew what its original rank had been? Cade had always expected its recovery to be a long process.

  “Never mind. I’m glad you’ve made progress,” Cade said with a smile. “So. How can I speak with the Mirror Tyrant?”

  “Master, it’s quite simple. I can allow him to speak through my avatar within your realm of consciousness. Once more of my power is restored, I should be able to manifest an avatar for a contained soul, but for now I’m still too weak. That said, I’ve already refined roughly half of his soul qi, so he should be quite cooperative.” Legion released a quiet, metallic chuckle.

  “All right. Send him in.”

  The silver sword fell silent for a moment, then trembled faintly. A familiar, hateful voice echoed through the realm.

  “What… where am I?” The Tyrant sounded disoriented before erupting into a tragic wail. “Why are you doing this to me?!”

  “Shut up and answer my questions,” Cade snapped. “I’m only interested in the truth, and I’ll know when you lie. If you do, I’ll continue refining your soul until not a shred of your consciousness remains.”

  “Junior—” The elder’s soul clearly intended to argue, but his words dissolved into a torturous scream as Legion consumed a tiny fragment of his soul in response to Cade’s mental nudge.

  “Do you understand now?” Cade asked, his voice slow and utterly devoid of emotion.

  “Yes,” the Tyrant answered weakly, offering no further protest. He was far from foolish—and even farther from suicidal.

  “Let’s start with the Duke,” Cade said.

  Communicating within the realm of consciousness was far faster than speaking in the physical world, but it still took nearly half a day before Cade exhausted his long list of questions. By the end, his understanding of the Brightheart Empire had deepened significantly.

  Gervais—this being the Tyrant’s true name—was privy to information usually reserved for the highest political circles. This was not only due to his association with the Duke, but also because he had once been Var Du Long’s personal disciple.

  Through Gervais, Cade began to grasp the full complexity of the Empire’s political landscape.

  “So the Emperor is dying. Interesting…” Cade muttered after exiting his realm of consciousness. “And the Duke was plotting to replace him with Arthur. The second heir is a spoiled noble with no interest in ruling, or even working. I’d wager Richard chose him as a buffer between Jade and Arthur. Otherwise, Corwin’s son would have had a clear path to the throne the moment Jade was removed.”

  “Master, it seems the Duke won’t stop,” Legion commented. “With his strongest enforcer dead, he may decide to come here in person.”

  Cade stood and stretched his back and neck, stiff after sitting motionless for hours. “Yes. That’s a problem. His late True Core cultivation is beyond what I can currently contend with. I was worried about Massgrave before, but now there’s an even greater threat looming. Let’s hope whatever I find in the Life and Death Realm gives me an edge.”

  Fortunately, his enemies were hardly united. If Gervais’s information was accurate, the Duke’s pride would never allow him to cooperate with Massgrave to gang up on someone in Skeletal Reinforcement.

  It might be wishful thinking, Cade admitted, but I have a feeling the place I saw in my vision really is part of the Divine Realm.

  There were also the high-ranked beast carcasses Grandmaster Erendriel had mentioned.

  If I can obtain a preserved Rank 4 corpse, I can seclude myself in the monastery and cultivate into the late stage of Flesh Fortification. That would give me full confidence against Massgrave and enough assurance when dealing with the Duke. Even if I can’t kill him outright, I’ll be able to guarantee my survival.

  The Tyrant had claimed Corwin wasn’t a battle maniac, though he still trained regularly. If things came to the worst, Cade could always drastically increase his odds with War Form.

  Cade sighed, his thoughts drifting back to Lao Ren.

  Master warned me my life wouldn’t be peaceful. I thought as long as no one learned my origin, I’d be fine. Guess not.

  Taking out his sect token, he checked his messages again. Brickwall had already replied, eager to show off his progress, while King had yet to respond.

  A faint noise drifted in from the kitchen. Lucy, most likely, cleaning dust that didn’t exist. She probably had no idea he was home. With the interrogation complete, Cade left the cultivation chamber and went downstairs.

  “Senior Cade!” Lucy hurried over with a bright smile, nearly bowing at the waist before catching herself. She instead cupped her fist and offered a polite tilt of her head. During his seclusion in the Well, she had advanced again—breaking through to the ninth and final stage of Qi Saturation.

  “Congratulations on your breakthrough. You’re not far from the great circle now,” Cade said with a grin.

  “Thank you, Senior. It’s all thanks to your generosity,” Lucy replied earnestly. “I’ll repay your kindness, even if it’s the last thing I do.” Her voice was solemn, her gaze steady as she met his eyes.

  “There’s no need to be so serious,” Cade said, waving it off with a smile. “It was just some tea and a cultivation art I had no real use for. I’m glad they helped.”

  He was about to ask her to steep some leaves when his life sense picked up a familiar presence.

  It seemed Jade had moved into the inner court—and decided to pay him a visit.