The Immortal Realm did not remain still after the Equilibrium Vault summit. If anything, it began to move more carefully, as if the very fabric of reality had recognized a new, sharper edge in its weaving.
In the weeks following Vahn's return, the Eastern Continent entered an era historians would later call the Period of Quiet Expansion. It was a title born of paradox. Usually, the growth of a power in the Immortal Realm was heralded by the thunder of war-drums and the stench of scorched earth.
But under Vahn, the silence was deafening. No great wars erupted. No banners burned. No ancient sects collapsed in a single night of fire and betrayal. Instead, power shifted through subtler currents, redirected like rivers carved by patient, invisible hands.
