Soft Breeze Zone was a flourishing zone, consistently ranked among the top ten zones within the Falling Star Region.
As the zone controlled by the Voltis Family, more than half of the family's elite members live here. Over the past six months, core members of the Voltis Family stationed across different zones had also begun returning in large numbers, drawn back one after another.
The Voltis Family had existed for hundreds of thousands of years. Its total population exceeded ten million, and even when counting only the core bloodline members, the number was staggering.
Not long ago, the Lord of Soft Breeze Zone had shattered his final restraints and successfully advanced to the Mortal Star Realm, an existence capable of opening and sustaining an independent world.
Such an event was enough to shake the entire Falling Star Region.
Speaking of the Mortal Star Realm, after the Earthen Soul Realm, where one comprehends a Domain, comes the Transcended Soul Realm, a stage in which the Domain undergoes refinement, sublimation, and consolidation, transforming from a crude projection of Law into a stable, self-sustaining structure bound to the cultivator's soul.
Only after completing this transformation can one step into the Mortal Star Realm, where a cultivator becomes capable of opening and maintaining an independent world. Of course, this does not mean that the world is alive or inhabited. It is merely an empty world framework, a personal cosmic space governed entirely by the cultivator's will and Law.
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Within the private spaceport reserved exclusively for the Voltis Family's direct lineage, Julian and his companions disembarked from their spacecraft and proceeded along the designated passageway without delay.
At that very moment, another spaceship descended smoothly onto a nearby berth.
As the hatch opened, a young man clad in dark armor flew out first. His facial features bore a faint resemblance to those of Julian. Behind him followed more than ten guards, each at the Awakening Realm.
"Well, if it isn't Little Julian!"
The young man's eyes brightened the instant he spotted Julian's group. He descended directly onto the same passageway, his gaze immediately shifting to the silver spacecraft parked behind them.
A smile of unclear intent curved his lips.
"Heh, Little Julian, you can afford an Elite Core-ranked spacecraft now? Looks like you've made quite the fortune in the Bright Bolt Zone."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone dripping with mock friendliness.
"Don't you think you should thank us? After all, we put in no small amount of effort to help you get sent to Bright Bolt Zone in the first place."
The moment Julian recognized him, his eyes narrowed instinctively.
This man was his second brother, born to another mother, someone from the same direct lineage, yet someone with whom he shared the relationship of nothing but anger and hatred.
Disputes were common even in ordinary families, let alone within a colossal cultivation family like the Voltis Family.
In such families, siblings turning against one another over resources, status, or authority was hardly unusual.
And between Julian and this second brother, there had already been more than a few such conflicts.
At that moment, seeing the "second brother" wearing such a smug, punch-worthy smile, Julian genuinely wanted to drive his fist straight into the man's face.
But this was a sensitive period, and with too many elders watching from the shadows. Any public conflict would only invite unnecessary trouble. So, he had no choice but to swallow the irritation, forcibly reining in the impulse to act.
Although he forcefully stopped himself from taking action, that didn't mean he was willing to lose in words.
"Thank you? I'll thank your mother! Get lost. Just looking at you ruins my mood."
With that, he didn't spare his second brother another glance, brushing past him as if he were nothing more than an obstacle in the road.
The woman in red armor snorted coldly and followed without hesitation. The chubby young man in black hurried after them, while Cedric and the rest of the guards moved in close formation.
"This Julian… he is still so arrogant even after being driven out of Soft Breeze Zone."
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, the young man in dark armor narrowed his eyes. His expression flickered several times before settling into a chilling smile.
"Hmph. Stay arrogant while you can. I heard you've reached the Advanced Stage of the Awakening Realm? I hope you can keep that attitude when the family trial begins."
Soft Breeze Zone itself was one of the breathtaking life zones in the entire Falling Star Region.
The largest city in the entire Soft Breeze Zone was Varn City.
As Cedric followed Julian and the others through its wide streets, his eyes couldn't help but wander, taking in everything around him with undisguised curiosity.
Compared to the harsh environment of the Bright Bolt Zone, where endless lightning storms tore across barren land, this place felt almost unreal in its beauty.
Colossal buildings pierced the clouds, their sleek structures wrapped in enormous, strangely shaped plants that clung to the walls like living decorations. Shops of every kind lined the streets, alongside entertainment halls, cultivation facilities, and countless establishments that Cedric couldn't even name at a glance.
The streets below were bustling with people, while hundreds of meters overhead, cultivators streaked through the sky, using flight as casually as walking.
Since leaving his homeworld, this was the first truly bustling life planet Cedric had ever set foot on. For a moment, the sheer scale and vitality of it all left him a little dazed.
"How is it?" Old Blue's voice sounded beside him. "Soft Breeze Zone is lively, isn't it?"
"It really is," Cedric replied honestly, nodding. "This is the first time I've seen something this prosperous."
After a brief pause, he asked again, "By the way, Old Blue, why did we come to Soft Breeze Zone? Are we just accompanying Young Master to visit his family?"
"It's not merely a family visit," Old Blue answered. "The real reason the Young Master returned this time is to attend his ancestor's Advancement Feast."
"Huh?" Cedric froze for a split second. "Advancement Feast?"
Old Blue fell silent for a moment before chuckling softly. "Right. I forgot, you're from the secluded zone of the Thunder Region. There are some things you haven't been exposed to yet…"