Morning sunlight spilled lazily across the city, painting the rooftops gold. Dew still clung to the eaves, and for the first time in days, nothing was on fire, exploding, or screaming. It was a nice change.
Zeke leaned back in his chair on the balcony, one foot propped against the railing, a cup of tea steaming beside him. Below, citizens moved about their day, whispering about the enormous serpent floating above the clouds. Some called it a guardian spirit. Others thought it was an omen of disaster.
He yawned. "I'll take guardian spirit. Sounds cooler."
[Ding! Daily Sign-In Complete. Reward: Breakthrough Pill.]
A small white pill shimmered into existence above his palm, glowing like a pearl.
"Another pill, huh?" he said, rolling it between his fingers.
[Description: Allows an immediate breakthrough to the next cultivation stage. Side effects: minor body explosions if misused.]
"So… candy."
[Not candy.]
"Candy."
He looked down at the courtyard where Alora stood in her usual black leather, half shadow, half statue. "Hey, Alora!"
She tilted her head. "Yes, Young Master?"
He tossed the pill. "Try this. It's candy. Sweet and spicy."
She caught it effortlessly, examined the glow, then glanced up at him. "You're certain?"
"Would I ever lie to you?"
"…Yes."
He grinned. "Just try it."
Her gaze lingered, then she nodded once. "Very well."
The door to her quarters shut behind her.
Zeke leaned back again and called lazily toward the sky. "System, you really hand out random stuff."
[Correction: carefully calculated rewards designed to accelerate Host development.]
"Yeah, random stuff."
He sipped his tea. Minutes passed. Then the ground trembled faintly, and a wave of dense Qi surged through the courtyard. The tea rippled in its cup.
Zeke didn't even look up. "Ah. Candy works."
[Detected: Cultivation breakthrough to Nascent Soul Realm (Alora Cross).]
"Neat," he said, chewing on a rice cake.
A moment later, Alora stepped back into the courtyard. Her aura was calm but immeasurably heavier, the kind of quiet power that made the air hum. She bowed slightly. "I've advanced. Thank you, Young Master."
"Told you it was sweet and spicy."
"That was not candy."
"Depends how you chew."
She paused, then shook her head as if surrendering. "With this advancement, I can protect you far more effectively."
"Good," he said, picking up his chopsticks. "You're now about as strong as my old man."
"The Clan Leader?"
"Yeah."
Her tone cooled. "He's at the peak of Nascent Soul Realm, Young Master. I am far below him."
"Eh. He can't fly or burrow. Slither could probably flick him into next week."
Alora tilted her head slightly. "Actually, flight becomes possible upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm."
Zeke blinked. "Then why hasn't my father ever—"
"He's scared of heights."
He froze mid-bite. "…That explains a lot."
From the clouds above, Slither's deep laughter rumbled like thunder.
Alora looked up at him, voice softening. "Heavenly Beasts truly are terrifying. Their strength surpasses their cultivation by several stages. I've heard the heavens favor them—each one is destined to become a god."
"See?" Zeke said, gesturing upward with his chopsticks. "You hear that, Slither? You're basically divine with scales."
"Then where is my worship, mortal?" the serpent boomed.
"You already get free food and naps," Zeke replied. "That's divine treatment."
[Host's logic is unsound.]
"Still works."
[Debatable.]
Alora exhaled softly. "Young Master, you really aren't ordinary."
He smiled without looking up. "I get that a lot."
She turned away, her movements now effortlessly smooth, the mark of perfect cultivation stability. Above them, Slither drifted lazily, his shadow sweeping over the city like a moving eclipse. Below, people pointed skyward in awe and fear.
Zeke leaned back, balancing his chair on two legs. "Candy for everyone, then."
[Please refrain from distributing divine-grade treasures as candy.]
"I make no promises."
Alora sighed. "Heaven help us all."
"Already did. I'm right here."
From high above, Slither's laughter rolled through the clouds as the morning sun climbed higher, shining down on a city protected by a serpent, a masked warrior, and a lazy young master who kept accidentally rewriting the balance of the world.
The world shifted.
Far beyond Zeke's peaceful city, on the edge of the Golden Sun Domain, a boy ran for his life.
His lungs burned. His heart hammered against his ribs. The forest blurred around him in streaks of green and brown.
Eldren was only thirteen.
But even at that age, he was a monster in the making.
"Found him!" a voice roared behind him.
Three cultivators burst through the trees, their black-and-gold robes marking them as assassins of the Golden Sun royal family. Their killing intent pressed down on him like a wall.
"Seventh-stage Qi Refining," one mocked. "And you think you can outrun Foundation Establishment experts? Foolish child!"
Eldren gritted his teeth. "Try me."
The leader thrust his palm forward, sending a blast of flaming Qi that split the trees like a cannon shot.
Eldren's form shimmered—and vanished.
The blast tore through empty air.
He reappeared thirty meters away, panting, sweat running down his jaw. Space rippled faintly where he had been.
"Teleportation," one assassin snarled. "So the rumors were true. He awakened the Space Bloodline!"
Eldren's lips curved into a smirk despite the panic in his chest. "Smart guys, huh?"
He pressed his fingers together, warped forward again, and appeared behind them—kicking one assassin square in the back of the head. The man crashed face-first into the dirt.
"You little—!"
Before the others could react, Eldren blinked out of existence once more, reappearing on a high branch. "You really should work on your formation discipline."
He vanished again as another sword cleaved the trunk in two.
Every teleport burned through his Qi, but he kept at it—leaping short distances, weaving through trees, rebounding off rock faces. He was bleeding energy, but his movements were sharp, deliberate, annoyingly unpredictable.
A dagger grazed his cheek. He didn't even look back.
"Got you now!" another assassin shouted, slashing upward.
Eldren ducked, warped a few meters sideways, and reappeared behind a boulder. "Close one. You almost hit my pretty face."
Another explosion rocked the ground. He was flung forward, rolling across the dirt. He coughed blood, pushed himself up, and forced his shaking legs to move. "Almost… there…"
"Keep chasing!" the leader barked. "He's heading for the border!"
Eldren stumbled into open terrain. The forest thinned, giving way to jagged cliffs and a wide canyon below.
At the cliff's edge, he stopped. The river glimmered far beneath him, violent and deep.
Behind him came the sound of snapping branches and laughter.
"Nowhere to run, boy," the leader sneered, stepping out from the shadows.
Eldren wiped the blood from his mouth, smirking faintly. "That's what they all say."
He jumped.
The assassins cursed as his body fell from sight.
Wind roared in his ears, the world spinning as he plummeted. He clenched his teeth, gathered the last dregs of his Qi, and blinked—once, twice—each teleport slowing the fall.
He struck the river hard but alive, the cold shocking his system back to awareness.
"Still… not… dead," he gasped, pulling himself toward the shore.
High above, the assassins watched him resurface.
"There! He's alive!"
They leapt down after him, their Qi trails blazing through the air like meteors.
Eldren staggered onto the bank, coughing water, his entire body trembling.
He barely dodged as a blade cut through the space beside his face.
"Persistent bastards," he hissed, teleporting again—short range, just far enough to keep breathing. Another attack came from behind; he warped mid-fall, reappearing upside down on a tree branch and dropping knives toward them.
One assassin cursed as a blade nicked his arm. "You slippery little rat!"
Eldren grinned weakly. "Compliment taken."
His Qi was draining to fumes now. Each teleport blurred his vision, the air itself twisting as if rebelling against him.
The assassins spread out, circling. "End it already!"
Eldren gathered what little energy he had left, warped to the ridge's peak—and froze.
In the distance, nestled between mountain ridges, he saw walls.
A city.
Hope sparked in his chest. "Finally…"
The assassins followed his gaze and their eyes widened.
"That city belongs to the Blade Clan!" one shouted. "If he reaches their territory, we can't follow!"
"Then kill him now!" the leader roared.
Eldren didn't wait. He took off, leaping from the cliff again. The assassins dove after him, their blades cutting arcs of light through the air.
He hit the water, surfaced, and swam desperately. Each breath felt heavier than the last. Spells exploded around him, blades sliced through water, Qi waves boiled the river surface. He dodged them all by inches, teleporting short hops whenever death got too close.
One sword grazed his shoulder, another sliced through his sleeve, but he kept moving—bleeding, staggering, refusing to stop.
He dragged himself to shore, but before he could stand, the assassins landed around him in a semicircle.
"No more tricks, boy," the leader sneered. "You've run out of space."
Eldren smiled faintly through exhaustion. "If I'm dying… I'm dying stubborn."
The blade lifted—then the ground shook.
A shadow fell over them all.
The assassins looked up.
A colossal serpent glided overhead, scales glinting gold under the afternoon light. The pressure that descended next was suffocating—divine and ancient.
On the serpent's head stood a white-haired boy, arms crossed, expression flat.
"Let me guess," Zeke said. "Assassins?"
The leader's eyes narrowed. "We serve the royal family of the Golden Sun Domain! Interfere and you'll—"
Zeke frowned. "You're threatening me. In my region?"
Alora appeared beside him, her tone calm but edged. "Orders, Young Master?"
Zeke sighed. "I'm tired of people thinking borders are optional."
He gestured lazily. "Slither."
The serpent's eyes ignited. His aura burst outward like a storm, pressing the assassins to the dirt instantly. Even Eldren froze, unable to move beneath the sheer weight of power.
"Kill them," Zeke said.
"As you command."
A wave of golden energy swept through the air. The assassins didn't even have time to scream before they disintegrated into ash.
Silence followed, broken only by the hiss of fading Qi.
Zeke looked down at the soaked boy trembling on the riverbank. "You're a loud one."
Eldren tried to bow but wobbled. "Th… thank you…"
Zeke waved a hand dismissively. "Don't thank me. You were just in the way."
Slither's tail gently coiled around the boy and lifted him into the air.
"Bring him back," Zeke said. "We'll figure out who thought chasing people into my sky was a good idea."
"As you wish," Slither rumbled.
They ascended, the sunset casting long shadows across the mountains.
Zeke yawned. "If another assassin shows up tomorrow, I'm moving to another continent."
[Probability: 87%.]
He groaned. "I hate that number."
Alora folded her arms. "You attract trouble, Young Master."
He smirked faintly. "Nah. Trouble's just clingy."
Slither's deep laughter echoed through the clouds as they flew toward the glowing city, carrying one more stray—and another problem Zeke hadn't asked for.