The Sun Within the Palace of the Soul
Kai Dawnsworn looked at his hand, still tingling with the strength of that last blow. The raw power behind his punch left him aghast—his arm felt as if it could rend the heavens themselves apart. A smile danced on his lips, but before he could even allow himself to luxuriate in the feeling, something awakened within him.
His expression shifted. He closed his eyes, sinking deep into the stillness of his War Soul Palace.
The vast, endless landscape opened before his inner sight once more. Beneath the towering World Tree, Kai's spirit form stood bathed in an ethereal glow. The tree's jade-green leaves shimmered faintly, their edges licked with soft, flickering flames that danced like whispers of sunlight.
But what truly stole his breath was what hung above.
A radiant sphere—a miniature sun—floated in the sky of his inner world, exuding a fierce, breathtaking flame. Though far gentler than the real sun, it pulsed with divine energy, flooding the entire realm with warmth and light.
Kai's heart thundered. A sun. in my War Soul Palace?
Every true cultivator's inner world contained a symbol—some bore rivers, others mountains. But he. had a sun.
It pulsed with power. It wasn't light, it was hunger, consumption, creation. Blazing with an inner fire, the sun drew the life from the universe to fuel it. Mana flowed to it and filled it in a never-ending cascade, rippling through his constellations and down through the World Tree's roots below.
Flame wrapped around the ancient bark. The tree burst with new vigor, its interior light blazing, and the light of the sun intensified its glow.
The fire took its toll on him.
"Oh… this burning ability…" Kai whispered softly. As if his whole body was plunged into the core of that sun. His bones popped, his muscles quivered, his veins were like running molten lava through them—yet between the pain was bliss. His body was being reforged, every joint and tendon strengthened by that heavenly fire.
My soul. it rests in my War Soul Palace.
It hit him like a lightning bolt. His lips curled involuntarily, speaking the truth out loud. He concentrated his mind, pulling his consciousness in tighter around the glowing sphere.
The sun answered.
Radiant light flashed from his forehead, filling the room with him. His face was near divine, shining with the same golden flame that burned within.
Boomer, who had been standing quietly nearby, stepped forward in awe. "Your War Soul… is it a sun?"
Kai's eyes snapped open. The glow vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced by his usual calm gold gaze.
"I think…" he murmured, a faint smile forming, "I might be able to create War Souls within the palace."
Boomer's jaw came close to hitting the floor. "Wait—you can make them? You mean, you can create actual War Souls at will?"
Kai smiled wryly under his breath, rubbing his temple. "It appears that way."
Boomer beamed with glee. "Then—make me one!"
Kai looked at him incredulously. "What?"
"You heard me," Boomer said, grinning. "Just one. I'll take good care of it."
Kai just looked at him blankly. ".Watch your imagination, buddy.
He spun on his heel.
"Where are you off to now?" Boomer asked in half-disbelief.
"Training," Kai replied, his smile broadening. "We're going to watch some demonic beasts."
He couldn't help but be restless—the rush of strength within himself was exhilarating. The fires of his inner sun had pushed him through planes so fast that the Unstoppable Plane was no more than a grasp away. There, he could integrate his mind, body, and War Soul—where every step, every blow, would hum with the power of creation itself.
And he was driven to achieve that.
The flanks of Skyfire Mountain lay before them, untamed and teeming with life. Even close to the border, there were demonic creatures stalking through the mist-shrouded pines.
Soon enough, Kai and Boomer encountered one—a swift, level-four Swift Demon Panther. Its fur shone like obsidian polish, and its eyes burned with keen, golden malice.
"Boomer," Kai said, his tone steady but his eyes bright, "cut her off at the flank. I'll chase her from behind."
"Got it."
Boomer moved like a fired arrow, his heavy frame somehow fast and fluid. The ground shuddered under his steps, echoing like thunder. The Panther hissed, sensing danger, and bolted in a blur of motion.
Kai's lips moved. His voice was a low murmur, almost chant-like.
"Soul creates mind… mind directs strength… Universe Maker, shatter your boundary—release all power."
The world came to a standstill.
While running, the Panther's every step resounded within his mind—the stretch of its muscles, the beat of its pace, the wave of wind at its rear. He was able to view the sequence of its movement playing out in his mind as if time had hung in suspension.
Naturally, his own body imitated it. His legs folded, his muscles wound and relaxed like the Panther's. When he jumped, his right leg tucked in just so to burst into the next stride.
His speed raged. His form blurred.
For a moment, he was the Panther—ferocious, lithe, unstopable.
But his mastery was still incomplete; the Panther remained faster. Just as it neared the edge of escape, Boomer appeared ahead, blocking the path like a living mountain.
Kai's mind sharpened. It's not just its strength—it's the wind.
He felt it now—the Panther didn't just run through the air, it merged with it. The wind-element Mana rippled around it, wrapping its body like a cloak.
The air stirred around Kai. His hair fluttered. His movements lightened. Gradually, the world's resistance faded until he was gliding forward, every step a whisper.
Half an hour later, Kai came to a stop. The Panther crouched low, panting, its eyes wide.
"Boomer," Kai said, raising a hand, "let her go. I'm done."
Boomer let the beast loose right away. "You're unbelievable," he stated in real admiration. "You mimicked her motions in half an hour."
Kai relaxed, a smile playing on his lips. "I've developed a feel for the wind-element's cadence. If I practice long enough, I'll be just as quick as she is." His gold eyes burned with smoldering fire. "Guess you'll be testing that out with me."
Boomer grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
Days went by.
Kai trained in the center of Skyfire Mountain, eyes alert and watchful. He learned from flowing motion of monkeys, raw strength of tigers, majestic stance of lions, and effortless flight of birds. All that he learned, he mastered, combined, and incorporated into his own emergent style of fighting.
Each morning found him more powerful. Each evening, quicker.
By the tenth day, he had entered the Unstoppable Plane. His spirit burned with constant and intense heat.
That morning, when he and Boomer pushed further into the forest, the ground throbbed lightly beneath their feet. Trees creaked. The air hummed with the throaty roar that echoed through the mountain range.
The two shared a look—half caution, half wonder—and advanced.
The shaking intensified. Branches cracked. Rocks tumbled down the slopes.
And then they saw it.
A giant creature loomed ahead, over five meters tall—a level-nine demonic beast, an Ape the Furious, black fur standing on end with rage, eyes burning with killer intent.
Boomer's breath caught. "That's a level-nine beast…" His fists compacted, excitement and tension in his voice. "A threat for real."
But what really caught their attention was the figure in front of the beast.
A girl.
She was in pure white, hair streaming like silk around her in the wind. Her skirt danced loosely over her legs, free of the destruction. Her face—perfect, delicate, but serene even before the beast—glowed with a soft, hypnotic loveliness.
Boomer blinked. "…Is she. human?"
Kai never replied. His golden eyes grew narrow, sparkling with wonder and a little awe.
For that girl—standing firm in the face of a raging monster—appeared less like prey, and more like a goddess who had descended to subdue it.