Fluffy clouds graced the beautiful skies, filling it with awe and mystery that were unheard of White heaven-bound birds flapped their wings with great fervour, racing through the purple firmament. It was a beautiful day in the Lantis Republic, widely renowned for being the land of water and the enclave of the oceans. However, the peace that was held down was quite hard-fought.

Two weeks had passed since the Day of Spirits and the mayhem that unfolded in the Lantis Republic. The twins awakening two unique Spirits outside of the Eight Scions of Water was one thing, but Errol finally acknowledging his own heritage had sent tremors all around Shin’s mansion. Everyone surrounding Shin were on edge as they knew that Errol might possibly leave the manor once the truth was revealed. Alas, everyone underestimated the maturity of the young boy.

Errol didn’t grow to hate Shin, and neither did he throw a tantrum, running away from home in the process. The young ten-year-old decided to stick with the family that raised him with love and care. From then on, Errol had truly taken his spot as the Iofiel family’s eldest son and more importantly… He had solidified his position in Shin’s heart as his successor.

Little did Errol know that his father had been agonising about the decision to tell him about Junius for the past few years now. There had always been a mental burden weighing down on Shin and a mental demon that he was forever unable to conquer. Shin had experienced what it was like to be hated by someone he loved. He had also felt the loss of many family members throughout his growing life.

Hence, Errol’s willingness to forgive the man had really lifted up Shin’s spirits. Shin now had no blockades barring his cultivation and was able to steamroll straight ahead and funnily enough…

“...”

A sombre silence hung over Shin’s manor. The Lantis Republic’s Prince’s palace was usually a rowdy place. Four children often trained or played in the courtyard while guests would enter by the droves. Officials from both the Lantis Republic and Guardian Sword would frequent Shin’s office, either wanting him to sign documents or give relevant advice, particularly when Shin was present at home.

Shin’s job frequently required him to travel the world, either under the capacity of Guardian Sword’s Master or the Prince of the Lantis Republic. So the times where Shin could stay happily within the compounds of the Lantis Republic were few and far between.

Yet, on this day… There was not a single soul that came to disturb the Prince. The calming breeze was able to brush its way into the training facilities of the expansive mansion, unfettered by the movements of servants cleaning or children playing. The radiant sunlight beamed down warmly from the heavens, bringing a plethora of elements in its wake. It was a utopia for people to go outside and play, but there was one being that sat entirely still.

Black haired and marginally bearded, a man who looked no older than thirty was meditating in silence. His wrists were facing the gorgeous firmament above, and a cerulean aura encircled around his head. A breathtakingly beautiful array of lights embellished the surroundings as all the elements danced around in pure euphoria. Water-elements turned the atmosphere humid while Time-elements dilated the man’s silhouette. Mind-elements made the seated Buddha seem ethereal while Space-elements completely shrouded the man from any divine senses. Finally, the most prevalent element of them all… The Light-element that was absorbed by the sun made the man, who already seem mighty and lofty, enveloped his entire being, making the black-haired specimen a being that didn’t seem worthy to be touching mortal soil.

That man was obviously the master of the mansion… Shin Iofiel.

Once his familial matters were settled, Shin took the opportunity to bond with his eldest son Errol through a host of father-son bonding activities. Naturally, he included the three misfits that came out of Kanari’s tummy as well. They went fishing, hiking and even played random games such as chess. It was rare for Shin to have some free time, so he had decided to spend it wisely… With his family.

However, as his heart’s demons were slowly coming unravelled, Shin started to see the world in a far different light. The world that seemed so dark and murky… Was actually so radiant.

Shin had travelled the planet, and he had come across all sorts of scoundrels and atrocities. In the chaos following the Worldquake, there was no shortage of mayhem. He’d seen women forced into slavery for other men’s pleasure. He’d seen families destroyed by the greed of men who wanted to supersede from the three superpowers. And worst of all… Shin had seen the darkness that the Allfather wished to spread.

Umbras continued to terrorise innocent lives, displacing thousands of homes and massacring countless of people. Every single day, there were at least a thousand lives lost to Umbras, and there was no feasible way that Shin and Guardian Sword could save them all.

Shin had seen the darkness that the Allfather wanted to spread, and he was completely appalled. One could say that he was disgusted by everything that he saw. Shin was called a Hero because he’d saved everyone, regardless if they were poor or rich. Paupers or wealthy nobles. However… Being a hero was tiring. Particularly since he had to watch the darkness encroach on everyone’s lives, eroding his humanity bit by bit.

It was so fucking tiring...

So… When Errol had chosen to forgive him and to truly become Shin’s eldest son. Shin’s felt like his entire soul had been purified by the waters of Lake Minnetonka. There was a load lifted off his chest and Shin could feel his mana vessels widening up with every given moment.

Now… There was a warm light in his life. One that could never be outshone, even if he was embraced by the coldest of darkness.

“Ah… That’s refreshing...” After six full hours of silent meditation, Shin pulled his arms out and gave a simple stretch. The Celestial Aura that emerged out from each one of Shin’s pores was stronger than ever as the five major elements that the Celestial Dragon was proficient in danced around in harmony.

“Father? Are you done with your closed-door cultivation?” A refreshing voice echoed out from the other side of the courtyard, bringing Shin’s attention right to the young voice. A viridian-haired boy leapt joyfully down bearing the gift of a wet, rinsed towel.

Lovingly caressing Errol’s innocent face, Shin let out a cry of victory: “Yeah and I succeeded!”

“You did?! Father, are you a Spirit Venerate already?!”

“No, not quite yet...” Shin chuckled bitterly. “I’m now at Rank 79 and have finally reached the bottleneck before shedding my second barrier of mortality.”

“That’s awesome!!!” Errol looked at his father with starry eyes. In his mind, Shin had always been the man amongst men. For him to reach Rank 79, at thirty-three-years-old no less… It really filled Errol with a chest full of pride. “Would you be the youngest Spirit Venerate in history if you reached the Spirit Venerate realm next?”

“Haha, you flatter me too much!” Shin laughed at his son’s innocence. “Unfortunately, that record still belongs to Spirit Immortal Dream. No matter how hard I try, I probably wouldn’t break through the bottleneck of the second barrier of mortality for the next two to three years. By then, I’ll be thirty-six. Spirit Immortal Dream had entered the Spirit Venerate realm when she was just thirty-two. I’m definitely trailing far behind...”

It was true. Crossing the second barrier of mortality was exponentially harder than simply gaining cultivation levels. Should one succeed, their lifespan would double and breach the four-hundred-year mark, making them one of the few in history to earn a second lease of life. It didn’t matter how talented a cultivator was. Crossing the second barrier of mortality required a healthy dose of comprehension, luck and most importantly… timing.

Those weren’t factors that Shin could easily rush to enter the Spirit Venerate realm. If Shin didn’t want to rely on the use of a hereditary opuscule and wanted to create his own ability, he needed ample time to prepare. One had to remember, Lady Seph was widely considered to be one of the most talented figures of her generation, and yet, it took her many years to take that final step.

“Ah, no matter! Father is still much stronger than Spirit Immortal Dream!”

“Haha, you little brat!” Shin gently rubbed on Errol’s crown, happily enjoying the young boy’s company in this joyous moment. The more he looked at this son of his, the more Shin found him likeable. Shin was confident that in future, Errol’s flowery use of words would certainly get him into trouble with the ladies.

“Shin, you succeeded?” At that moment, a mature woman scooted over with a refreshing smile on her face.

Kanari had no doubts that Shin would pass the Rank 78 bottleneck and enter into Rank 79. She had even been casually reading a good book while her children worried excessively over his father’s closed-door cultivation. By her side, Luciel and Cassiel rushed over, their faces beaming with reverence much like Errol was. Only Uriel, the four-year-old was still dazed by the glaring sun and could care less about her father’s accomplishment.

“Mmmm, it wasn’t much.” Shin bragged.

“Look at you, becoming more and more powerful by the day…” Kanari winked at her husband’s response. Before long, the ethereal beauty leaned in on Shin and whispered into his ears, careful not to let her children eavesdrop: “Hey, could you match up with Spirit Saints now?”

“... Quite possibly.”

“Wow,” Kanari made her first gasp of the day. Shin was a calculative individual and wouldn’t make such a bold statement without the evidence to back it up.

“It all depends on my Rank 80 Spirit Venerate ability… If I’m able to create a powerful one, I wouldn’t need to fear anyone of the Spirit Saints living today, barring the weird ones like Aunt Tian. However, for the most part, I’m confident about my ability to spar with any other Spirit Saints.”

“Wao… My husband is now a peak-level power!” Kanari’s ruby eyes sparkled. Who wouldn’t be happy when they saw their spouse gain power that was unachievable for many in the world? At such a young age as well!

“Hehe, I’m not quite there yet, but I’m close!” Shin tried to water down his achievements, but even he was grinning from ear-to-ear. Now, the number of people who could threaten him was reduced to the fingers of one hand. How couldn’t he be excited?

“Ah… Now that I’ve reached this threshold, I think that it would be wise to bring the children out for some real-life combat experience.” Shin looked down at the three mongrels that caused a stir in the Lantis Republic during the Day of Spirits. They’d all begun the first step of their cultivation and were starting their period of exponential growth. It was best that they experienced combat in the outside world, beyond the sheltered environment that they were raised in, to supplement that growth.

“Will it be safe?” However, Kanari’s motherly attribute was swinging in full effect. She couldn’t help but be worried about her children’s safety.

“As you said, I’m now a peak-level power… There are few in the world that can challenge me.”

“I know that, but...”

“Haha, if you’re really that worried, let’s bring Bingbing and Zishen along! Then we’ll have one expert per child.” Shin suggested bringing the snowy white gerbil who had been lazily fattening up in Lady Seph’s lab and the domineering Azure Dragon Lord who had broken into the Primordial Beast realm during the ten years he’d joined Guardian Sword.

“Hah… If you’re really that insistent… Fine.” Kanari finally acquiesced, all while the three children were oblivious to the fact that they were about to enter their rite of passage.