Crack! A crisp fracture rang through the quiet hall. The runes dimmed at once, and hair-thin cracks raced across the metal like spider silk.
Boom! A muffled blast followed the crack. The Binding Collar that had strangled Jared’s power burst apart, tumbled from his neck onto the cold tiles, and scattered into useless scrap iron.
In the moment it shattered, Jared felt his entire body lighten. The clinging, leech-like restraint evaporated without a trace. Every meridian opened wide, dormant spiritual power rushed like floodwater, and his Golden Dragon Bloodline hummed in joyous vibration.
He rolled his neck, stretched his arms, and let a long breath flow out. A relaxed smile finally lifted his cheeks. “Chief, thank you for clearing that hazard.”
Roland withdrew his hand, waved the thanks aside, and kept his tone respectful. “Safeguarding the Dragon Emperor is my duty, nothing more.”
He turned his wrist. Several Draconian maids filed in from the doorway, each carrying a shimmering jade coffer.
When the lids lifted, rich spirit mist poured out. The boxes brimmed with Millennial Dragonheart Fruit, Eon Dragonblood Fungus, Pure Dragonmarrow Essence, Bonewash Elixir, Essencegather Elixir, and other treasures that would start a riot outside these walls.
“Your Majesty has travelled hard these past days and carries hidden injuries. Please accept these humble offerings from our Sky Dragon Lineage to restore your strength and spirit.”
Jared took in the treasure mound and could not help a private breath.
Legends claimed the Draconians were richer than kingdoms, today’s display proved the tales conservative. In the outside world, one of these items could catapult a small Moonridge Sect to dominance; here, they were no more than casual tonics.
Jared saw no reason for false restraint. Power was the one thing he needed most. He nodded, swung his hand, and swept every box into his Storage Ring. “Then I’ll accept with thanks.”
Without delay he began channeling the resources to mend his cultivation. Deep inside Sky Dragon Valley, behind layers of seals and in an air thick with essence, a hidden cultivation chamber awaited him.
In the silent chamber, Jared sat cross-legged on a cushion carved from solid Ten- Millennia Drakeshard Jade. Gold light coiled around him while his aura sank inward, deep and still as the ocean floor.
He wasted no time. With the mountain of resources the Draconians had laid before him, plus the secret treasures he brought back from the Primeval Dragonmere, he dove straight into cultivation and drove his power upward without restraint.
A Dragon Essence Elixir melted the instant it touched his tongue, turning into pure spirit power that poured straight into his energy center. Refined Bloodwyrm Ganoderma seeped through his flesh, bolstering muscle and bone and rousing the Golden Dragon Bloodline.
Drake Marrow Essence threaded through every meridian, rinsing his marrow clean and locking his foundation in place. Ancient Drakeshard Jade and the Heart of the Dragon Vein kept releasing pristine energy in an endless stream.
Treasure after treasure disappeared into his core, each one stripped to nothing and remade as the finest spirit power and draconic essence. The food washed through limbs and bones and swelled the seaside his energy center.
His presence climbed at a pace visible to the naked eye, the rise outright shocking.
Top Level High Immortal Realm Level Two…
His aura shuddered, the bottleneck cracked and fell away.
High Immortal Realm Level Three…
Power surged again, and the pressure around him rose another notch. High Immortal Realm Level Three-Middle Phase… Top Level High Immortal Realm Level Three!
Boom!
A savage wave of power burst from Jared, sweeping across the chamber like a tidal bore and hammering every ward with rolling thunder.
Jared slowly opened his eyes. Two gold streaks flashed past his pupils like twin miniature suns, sharp enough to make the air quiver.
Yes! Top Level High Immortal Realm Level Three!
In only three days he had rocketed from the peak of Level Two to the peak of Level Three, now a single step short of Level Four.
He rose and curled his fists tight. The force roaring inside him, as wild as floodwater, gave his stance solid weight.
Breaking several stages in three days, if word leaked, the whole Fourteenth Firmament would be left staring, every so-called prodigy slack-jawed. Yet Jared knew the climb was still far from finished.
Pursuers from the Celestial Palace hid on every side, each one deadly. The Demon Dragon Clan watched like wolves, ready to rip his bloodline from his veins. And the buried, peril-laced laws beneath the Fourteenth Firmament waited to spring. He had to grow strong enough to smash every enemy defend every person he meant to guard, and flatten every barrier that dared rise in front of him.
Drawing in his aura, Jared pushed open the chamber door and stepped outside. Hadrian stood waiting. The moment Jared emerged, he bowed low, his voice lifting with energy. “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your cultivation has surged!”
Jared waved it off, tone level. “It was only a breakthrough powered by outside help. Hadrian, where is the Draconian Chief? I have something important to ask him.”
Hadrian nodded quickly. “He expected you today, Your Majesty. The Chief is in Dragon Hall, awaiting your summons.”
