Evening settled over Dragonspire Mountain like a heavy cloak of silence. The forest whispered in the wind, and shadows danced between ancient stones and gnarled roots.
At the edge of a weathered cliff, Cliff Jensen—formerly known as Lin Yuan—stood quietly, wrapped in a simple gray robe. Before him sat an ancient boulder, its surface weathered smooth by time.
"Ten years…"
Cliff sat on the stone and let the words float into the cool mountain air.
In that decade, he had come to learn much about this world—and himself.
Here, the Body Refinement system was structured into Ninth Grade to First Grade, with First Grade being the peak of mortal cultivation. Above it stood the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, a stage where the cultivator becomes one with the heavens, able to move rivers and shatter mountains with ease.
Celestial Phenomenon experts were considered Rank Two by Universal Human Alliance standards.
That alone told Cliff everything he needed: this world was a higher-level realm than the first martial world he had visited.
He glanced slightly to the corner of his vision, where a soft glow displayed his internal system:
> [Name: Cliff Jensen (Aeron)]
[Role: Wielder of the Myriad Worlds Gate]
[Innate Talent: Heaven-Defying Comprehension]
[State: Consciousness Projection]
[Residency Duration: 80 years]
"Seventy years left." Cliff gave a quiet nod.
Compared to the first journey, where he had stayed only twenty years, this was a significant upgrade. Likely a reflection of his increased strength and the greater complexity of the world he was now inhabiting.
And he would not waste it.
In just three years, Cliff had broken through to First Grade, equivalent to his former Unfettered Realm.
By his eighth year, he had achieved Celestial Phenomenon Realm—a level that marked him as one of the strongest beings in the entire world.
But no one on Dragonspire Mountain knew.
Cliff had kept a low profile, meditating quietly, avoiding any show of strength. Even the other disciples and elders believed him to be a particularly calm and polite child, nothing more.
"There are stronger forces here than I thought."
Cliff had sensed it—hidden presences far beyond even the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, buried deep within the mountain's sacred grounds.
With so much time remaining, there was no need to rush. He would wait and uncover the secrets of this world slowly.
Eventually, he rose from the boulder and made his way to a modest Taoist temple halfway up the mountain.
This was one of the eight residence halls for the youth disciples.
By the time he arrived, a crowd of Taoist boys had gathered around an old priest in tattered robes.
"That's Elder Pine."
To most, he was just a harmless eccentric who wandered Dragonspire, telling stories and drinking old wine. But Cliff knew better.
Elder Pine was a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert—one of only three such guardians known to reside in the sacred sect.
To the unknowing, he was just a kind old priest.
To Cliff, he was a hidden dragon.
At that moment, a young Taoist boy asked innocently:
"Elder Pine, who's the strongest person in the world?"
The old man smiled, eyes twinkling with mischief and memory.
"Strongest? Hah! Why, of course it's the Heavenly Master of our own Dragonspire Sect!" he said proudly. "For 6,800 years, our sect has trained thirty-six Heavenly Masters—each of them peerless, unmatched by gods or devils."
The boys around him clapped and cheered, their eyes shining.
"Is there a Heavenly Master now?" another boy asked, hopeful.
Elder Pine's smile faltered. He paused.
"…There isn't," he admitted quietly. "It has been five hundred years since the last one."
A silence fell.
Cliff, standing in the back, narrowed his eyes.
He had long suspected the Celestial Phenomenon Realm wasn't the true peak.
According to his research, Heavenly Masters transcended the limits of normal cultivation, existing in a realm beyond Celestial Phenomenon. But no one knew how to reach that level.
Only a few—likely the current guardian elders—knew the test required to ascend.
Even Cliff's Heaven-Defying Comprehension had stalled at the threshold. He estimated it would take him fifty years to break through, even with his divine-level talent.
"Something is missing…" he thought. "There must be a shortcut. A test. A key."
He subtly glanced toward the five sealed caves hidden in the mountain's depths. They pulsed faintly with energy—power beyond anything he had touched.
Perhaps the secret lay there.
"Ah," Elder Pine suddenly turned, eyes meeting Cliff's.
"Young Cliff." His voice carried easily. "You're not daydreaming again, are you?"
Cliff bowed respectfully. "No, Elder."
Elder Pine chuckled, then turned back to the gathered disciples.
"In just two weeks, we'll make our pilgrimage to the Sword Tomb."
"It's a rare opportunity. Behave well, boys. Show discipline, and you may gain fortune beyond measure."
Sword Tomb.
Cliff's mind immediately sharpened.
He had heard of it before—a place only opened once every twenty years. A graveyard of ancient weapons, said to hold secrets from lost eras. Some believed it was created by a fallen Heavenly Master. Others said it was a trap for spirits of war.
If Elder Pine mentioned it by name—and gave him a meaningful glance—then it meant one thing.
There was more to this trip than met the eye.
Cliff nodded.
"Thank you for the guidance, Elder Pine."
The old priest smiled and tapped his staff twice on the stone floor. "You'll do well, boy. You always do."
Cliff bowed again, but his thoughts were already racing.
"Sword Tomb… I need to prepare."
He had ten years of strength, wisdom, and comprehension behind him. But if there was a way beyond Celestial Phenomenon, it might be found among the forgotten blades buried beneath that mountain tomb.
And this time—he wouldn't just watch from the sidel
ines.
He was ready to rise.
---
(End of Chapter)
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