Elsewhere.
Far from Windy City. Far from the Blue Sky Kingdom. Deep in the heart of the Central Continent—hidden behind folds of reality, protected by ancient arrays and spatial seals—a dimension untouchable by the outside world pulsed silently.
This was the last sanctuary of the Valerion bloodline.
Inside, beneath eternal starlight and a sunless sky, a young boy trained alone.
His white hair shimmered under the light of floating crystals, his blue eyes sharp with frustration. Lucian Valerion. Luke, for short. Age: 12.
His sword slashed through the wind.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But his steps were still shaky. His stance… unstable. His cultivation—barely there.
Once hailed as the heir to the greatest bloodline in the Central Continent… now known as the cripple of the Valerion Clan.
Once, he had been a shining hope.
Until the day of the ambush… the day his spiritual root shattered.
He trained harder than any of the younger generation. Yet, he was years behind. While others his age—cousins, disciples, even servants—were reaching Rank 4 and 5, the geniuses already stepping into Rank 6, Luke struggled to reach Rank 1.
On the balcony above, a graceful woman with silver hair and tired eyes watched him.
Michelle Valerion.
His mother.
She clutched the railing, trembling. Her voice a whisper no one could hear.
"I lost one son already… Please, not again…"
But every time she tried to stop him, Luke only trained harder. She no longer had the strength to intervene. Only to pray.
In the depths of the Hidden Dimension, the Supreme Elders lay in seclusion, tending to wounds from the cataclysm that shattered their clan. None could help him.
Luke had only himself. And a sword.
Until that one night.
A night when a star far beyond this dimension burned with intent—a soul was reborn.
Kaiser Valerion returned to the world.
His wish… echoing through existence, reached this place.
And in that moment, a Being of the Unknown stirred. A force that could not intervene—but was given permission, a thread of possibility by Kai's wish.
So, without fanfare or thunder, Lucian's fate shifted.
His shattered spiritual root healed.
His soul awakened with the Gift of Swordsmanship.
And the next morning…
Everything changed.
He picked up the same sword.
His stance—perfect.
His breathing—flawless.
His movements—divine.
[Rank 1 → Rank 3 – Core Realm: Achieved in Days]
Now the clan began to whisper:
"What happened to Lucian?"
His cousin Mike, the boastful son of the second uncle, frowned.
His cousin Lydia, the serious one, the daughter of the third elder, narrowed her eyes.
Even Fatty Jack, his chubby childhood friend, gawked. "Bro, you okay?!"
Luke simply smiled, sword resting on his back.
"I don't know… Ever since that night… I've just been different."