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Cang Yue stood up slowly. She felt the heavy, peaceful energy settling deep inside her body.
"What level am I at, Senior Sam?"
Cang Yue asked, looking at her hands.
"In my path, it is called the Foundation Establishment Stage,"
Sam answered.
"But in your world's terms, your power is now equal to the Sky Profound Realm."
Cang Yue gasped, covering her mouth.
The Sky Profound Realm! In the entire Blue Wind Empire, only the absolute strongest elders and sect leaders ever reached this level. And she had achieved it in a single night.
"That is more than enough power to solve your current problems,"
Sam smiled, stepping back toward the corner of the room with Jean and the others.
On the grand bed, Emperor Cang Wanhe slowly sat up.
He looked at his daughter in pure amazement.
"Yue'er,"
The Emperor said, his voice weak but clear.
"Your aura... it feels like a massive, unbreakable mountain."
Cang Yue quickly sat on the edge of the bed and held her father's warm hands.
"I am strong now, Father,"
Cang Yue said softly, but her voice was completely firm.
"You do not have to worry anymore. And do not have to be afraid of the greedy sects. I will protect you. I will protect our home."
The Emperor smiled, tears forming in his old, tired eyes.
"I am so proud of you, my sweet daughter,"
He whispered.
"But this palace is full of hidden snakes. Your brothers... they will not stop until they have the throne."
Suddenly, loud voices echoed in the hallway outside the bedroom.
"Move out of the way! We are going to see our father!"
An arrogant voice shouted from behind the door.
"They are here,"
Cang Yue whispered, her eyes narrowing.
Sam quickly tapped a small metal device on his wrist. It was a piece of Stark camouflage technology from his universe.
Instantly, a silent wave of light washed over Sam, Jean, Jasmine, Chu Yueli, Chu Yuechan, and Xia Qingyue.
They turned completely invisible, hiding in plain sight in the corner of the room.
They watched quietly as the event unfolded.
The heavy bedroom doors were violently pushed open.
Two young men walked into the room.
They wore expensive, golden robes.
They were Cang Yue's older brothers, the ambitious princes who wanted to steal the throne.
They were the ones who had secretly worked with dark sects to poison their own father.
They walked in expecting to see the Emperor taking his last breath.
Instead, they saw him sitting up, looking completely healthy.
The First Prince stopped walking. He frowned deeply.
"Father? You look... better,"
He said. His voice actually sounded very disappointed.
"Are you sad that I am not dead yet?"
The Emperor asked, his voice filled with deep pain and anger.
"Of course not, Father,"
The Third Prince lied smoothly, forcing a completely fake smile.
"We just came to talk about the future of the empire. Since you are so old and sick, you really should hand the throne over to us today. It is for the best."
Cang Yue stood up from the bed.
She walked forward and completely blocked their path to her father. Her eyes were as cold as ice.
"Get out of this room,"
Cang Yue said simply.
The First Prince laughed loudly. He looked at her like she was just a foolish, weak little girl.
"Listen to me, little sister,"
He said arrogantly, pointing a finger at her face.
"You have absolutely no power here. The palace guards follow my orders. The major sects support us. You are just a girl. Step aside before I force you out of this room."
Cang Yue didn't shout. She didn't argue. She didn't even draw a weapon.
She just took one single step forward.
She released her brand new energy.
*BOOM.*
A massive, terrifying wave of pure pressure exploded from her body.
It slammed into the two arrogant princes like a solid wall of iron.
The princes choked. Their fake smiles instantly vanished.
Their knees completely buckled, and they crashed down hard onto the stone floor.
They were instantly pinned to the ground by her heavy aura, completely unable to stand up.
"W-what is this?!"
The First Prince gasped, his face turning purple as he struggled to breathe.
"What kind of power is this! How is this possible?!"
The Third Prince cried out in pure terror.
Cang Yue looked down at her brothers.
She was no longer the tired, hopeless girl hiding behind a veil in a tea house. She was a true ruler.
"I said,"
Cang Yue repeated, her voice echoing with absolute authority.
"Get out."
The heavy, crushing pressure of Cang Yue's aura was too much for the two princes to handle.
They scrambled to their feet, completely terrified.
They didn't dare say another arrogant word.
Stumbling over their own expensive robes, they turned around and ran out of the bedroom as fast as they could, slamming the heavy doors behind them.
The room finally fell silent.
Sam pressed the small metal device on his wrist.
The silent wave of light faded away.
He, Jean, Jasmine, Chu Yueli, Chu Yuechan, and Xia Qingyue slowly became visible again in the corner of the room.
Sam walked forward and gave Cang Yue a slow, proud nod.
"You have gained a strong backbone, Cang Yue,"
Sam said.
"That is very good. A true ruler must know when to be gentle, and when to be completely immovable."
Cang Yue turned to face him. She put her hands together and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Senior Sam,"
Cang Yue said, her voice full of deep emotion.
"Thank you for giving me this power, and the courage to use it. I swear I will not waste it. I will use it for a great cause. I will protect my family and my people."
Sam looked at her, feeling the invisible strings of the universe shift.
By helping Cang Yue take control, he had fixed a large piece of the broken Karma in the Blue Wind Empire.
But the heavy feeling in his chest told him the job was not completely done.
"You have taken the first big step,"
Sam told her.
"Fixing the royal family is a good start. But gaining control of your palace is only the beginning. There are still many things we must do to prevent the empire from being destroyed."
Cang Yue frowned. The Emperor also looked worried.
"My brothers are no longer a threat,"
Cang Yue said softly.
"And with my new power, the major sects inside the empire will not dare to attack us. What else is coming?"
Sam walked over to the large window.
He looked out at the vast, peaceful city under the morning sun.
"Internal greed is only half the problem,"
Sam explained, his voice turning deep and serious.
"The real crisis is coming from the outside. The Blue Wind Empire is the smallest and weakest of all the empires on this continent. For a very long time, your neighbors have been watching your lands with hungry eyes."
Sam turned around to look at her.
"The Divine Phoenix Empire,"
Sam said simply.
Cang Yue and Emperor Cang Wanhe both grew incredibly pale.
The Divine Phoenix Empire was a massive, terrifying superpower.
Their sect alone had more powerful fighters than the entire Blue Wind Empire combined.
"They want your land, your resources, and your complete submission,"
Sam continued to explain.
"In the original destiny of this world, they would have used the upcoming Seven Nation Ranking Tournament as a fake excuse. They planned to completely invade and crush your home. If that happened, millions of innocent people would die in a brutal, bloody war."
Chu Yuechan and Xia Qingyue listened quietly.
As cultivators, they knew exactly how cruel the strong sects could be to the weak.
"I changed the fate of the hero who was supposed to stop that war,"
Sam said, looking at his own hands.
"Because of that, the heavy Karma falls on me. I must fix it before I can move forward in my cultivation. We are going to stop that invasion before it even starts."
"How?"
Cang Yue asked, her voice steady but full of absolute awe.
"They have an army of millions. They have a sect full of legendary Phoenix masters who control sacred fire."
Sam smiled easily.
Jean stepped up right beside him. A warm, beautiful golden fire began to glow softly in her deep green eyes.
It was a fire so pure and ancient that it made the air in the room feel perfectly safe.
"We are going to go straight to their home,"
Sam answered calmly.
"And my wife is going to teach those little Phoenixes what true fire really looks like."
"Actually, we don't even need to go to their main empire yet,"
Sam said, suddenly remembering a hidden secret of this world.
He looked at Jean with a soft smile.
"There is a small, hidden place called the Phoenix Village not far from here. The people there carry the true Phoenix bloodline, but they are cursed. Jean, you can go there and help them. You will find the little daughters of the Phoenix Force there."
Jean smiled and nodded.
"I will go,"
Jean agreed.
"I can easily handle it alone."
Chu Yuechan, Chu Yueli, and Xia Qingyue looked at each other.
They had spent their entire lives studying ice.
The thought of seeing a true cosmic fire being in action was incredibly exciting to them.
Chu Yuechan stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully to Sam.
"Senior Sam,"
Chu Yuechan asked politely.
"Since you are the leader of our group, we must ask for your permission. May we travel with Senior Jean to this village? We want to see the true power of the Phoenix."
Sam chuckled and waved his hand freely.
"Of course you can,"
Sam smiled.
"You do not need to ask me for permission to explore the world. Go with Jean. Learn as much as you can. I will stay right here in the palace to protect the Emperor and help Cang Yue secure her throne."
"Thank you, Senior,"
The three women said together.
Jean gave Sam a quick, loving kiss on the cheek.
Then, she led the three beautiful ice cultivators out of the room, leaving Sam alone with Princess Cang Yue, the Emperor, and little Jasmine.
Jasmine didn't want to go anywhere.
She quietly walked over and stood right next to Sam's leg.
She felt a deep, safe attachment to him.
Being near his peaceful energy made her feel like a normal, happy child instead of a cursed Star God.
Sam gently rubbed her red hair, making her smile.
Then, he slowly walked out onto the grand balcony of the bedroom.
He rested his hands on the stone railing and looked up at the endless blue sky.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He knew a secret.
Ever since he had used the pink lotus to cure the women in the Frozen Cloud Asgard, someone had been watching him from high above the clouds.
Someone from a much higher, distant realm.
He knew exactly who she was. She was an incredibly powerful ice cultivator, but she was suffering from a terrible, freezing poison.
She was very ill.
Jasmine walked out onto the balcony and stood next to him.
She looked up at the exact same spot in the empty sky.
"She is still watching us,"
Jasmine muttered, crossing her small arms.
"She has a very strong icy aura. She is completely poisoned, but she is still dangerous. When are you going to call her down here, big brother?"
Sam shook his head slowly.
"Not yet,"
Sam answered, keeping his eyes on the clouds.
"It is not the right time. If I call her down now, her poisoned energy might cause too much damage to this mortal world. I will wait until I successfully break through to the Nascent Soul Stage."
Jasmine looked up at him, her eyes full of deep curiosity.
"How strong will you be when you reach that stage?"
Jasmine asked.
"In my cultivation path, the Nascent Soul Stage is a massive leap,"
Sam explained calmly.
"In your universe's terms, that stage is perfectly equal to the Divine Spirit Realm."
Jasmine gasped. Her jaw dropped open.
"The Divine Spirit Realm?!"
Jasmine practically yelled.
"But that means you will skip three whole major stages of cultivation in a single breath! That is completely impossible!"
"My path does not follow your rules, Jasmine,"
Sam smiled, raising his hand. The Infinity Stones on his hand glowed with a faint, terrifying light.
"And my raw cultivation is only half of my strength. When I reach the Nascent Soul Stage, my mind and soul will be incredibly strong. I will be able to control the true, infinite power of these stones without hurting myself."
Sam looked back up at the sky, his eyes completely fearless.
"Once that happens,"
Sam said softly, but his voice carried a heavy, absolute truth.
"Even if a legendary Divine Sovereign comes down from the Realm of the Gods to fight me... I will be a deadly threat to them."
Far away from the Imperial City, Jean was walking through a dense, quiet forest.
Chu Yuechan, Chu Yueli, and Xia Qingyue followed closely behind her.
The three ice cultivators were completely silent, watching the way Jean moved.
She didn't use profound energy like they did, yet she seemed completely connected to nature itself.
Suddenly, Jean stopped walking.
She closed her eyes, and a soft, beautiful golden light began to glow around her body.
"Yes. I hear you,"
Jean whispered gently to the empty air.
"Who are you talking to, Senior Jean?"
Xia Qingyue asked softly, looking around the quiet trees.
"I am talking to the Phoenix Force,"
Jean smiled, opening her bright green eyes.
"She is guiding me directly to them. We are very close to the village now. The spark of the Phoenix here is very dim. It is like a tiny candle in the dark. But I can still sense them."
Jean led them to the edge of a high cliff. They looked down into a hidden, rocky valley.
There was a small, poor village at the bottom.
But right now, thick black smoke was rising into the sky.
Dozens of cruel, ugly bandits were riding horses through the small dirt roads.
They were laughing loudly, waving rusty swords, and kicking down the doors of the terrified villagers.
Women and children were crying in fear.
"Filthy thieves,"
Chu Yueli said, her voice turning completely cold.
She immediately pulled out her shining ice sword. The air around her instantly dropped to a freezing temperature.
"I will go down there and freeze their wicked hearts,"
Chu Yueli promised, her eyes flashing with deadly intent.
Before Chu Yueli could jump off the cliff, Jean reached out and touched her arm.
The warm touch instantly melted Chu Yueli's cold anger.
"Wait,"
Jean said, pushing the ice sword back down.
"But they are hurting innocent people,"
Chu Yueli frowned, looking completely confused.
"I know,"
Jean smiled, stepping forward to the very edge of the cliff.
"But you do not need to dirty your hands with their blood. You three asked Sam if you could come with me because you wanted to see the true power of the Phoenix."
Jean looked back at them with a bright, playful spark in her eyes.
"Step back, and look at the sky,"
Jean told them.
"I am going to show you some beautiful fireworks."
Jean took a deep breath. Her bright red hair began to float around her face.
Suddenly, a massive, overwhelming wave of pure golden fire exploded from her body.
Chu Yuechan and the others gasped.
They had fought fire cultivators before.
Normal fire was angry, wild, and wanted to burn everything into black ash.
But Jean's fire was completely different.
It did not feel destructive. It felt warm, ancient, and completely majestic.
It felt like the comforting light of the morning sun.
With a graceful wave of her hand, thousands of tiny, glowing golden firebirds shot out from her palms.
They flew high into the sky, lighting up the dark clouds.
Then, they swept down into the valley like a brilliant, singing shower of shooting stars.
Down in the village, the bandits stopped laughing. They looked up at the sky in pure terror.
"What is that?!"
The bandit leader screamed, pointing his sword at the sky.
The golden fireworks rained down on them.
But the pure fire was incredibly smart. It did not burn the wooden houses. It did not hurt a single innocent villager.
It only touched the wicked bandits.
In flashes of beautiful, blinding light, the bandits and their weapons were instantly turned into harmless, glowing dust that floated away in the wind.
There was no blood, no screaming, and no pain. Just a beautiful, cosmic cleansing.
In just a few seconds, the entire bandit army was gone.
The village was completely quiet and safe again.
On top of the cliff, Chu Yuechan, Chu Yueli, and Xia Qingyue stood totally speechless.
They had never seen a fire that was so incredibly powerful, yet so perfectly gentle.
"Let's go meet the villagers."
Jean told them, watching the last golden sparks fade into the air.