"I didn't call them back! I contacted them directly and told them to run—why are they all here!?"

  The Patriarch of House Sterling watched in horror as thousands of his kinsmen scrambled off their transport ships.

  The arriving relatives were equally bewildered to find the main estate in such a state.

  "What's going on? Patriarch, you're fine!"

  "Elder brother, you said Grandfather was on his deathbed! Was that some kind of sick joke?"

  "What is the meaning of this? Patriarch, you can't play pranks like this!"

  "Isn't it a good thing he's okay? But what are you all doing? Why does it look like you're evacuating?"

  The members of House Sterling were in total chaos. However, from their confused chatter, the Patriarch and the elders realized something was terribly wrong. In that moment, the Patriarch remembered Lance’s chilling promise delivered through Alaric: He was going to wipe out the entire Sterling bloodline.

  "Something's wrong! Move! Everyone back on the ships! Leave Planet Silvermoon immediately!!" the Patriarch roared, his face contorting with terror.

  The members of the main house, who knew the severity of the threat, acted like madmen, charging toward the vessels. The newly arrived relatives, though confused, sensed the impending doom and tried to follow.

  Vroom!

  In that exact moment, a blinding golden light erupted in the sky. It was so brilliant that it illuminated the entire Imperial Hub as if a second sun had been born. Every citizen in the capital looked up in confusion. Every member of House Sterling froze, their faces bathed in gold.

  A golden fireball, no larger than a human fist, hurtled toward House Sterling at a speed that defied physical laws.

  The Patriarch’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. The speed of the projectile was absolute; even as a Gold Tier powerhouse, he knew in the instant he saw it that there was no possibility of evasion.

  A second later, the fireball impacted the center of the Sterling Estate.

  BOOM!

  A world-shaking explosion followed. The force of the blast sent tremors through the entire Imperial Hub. The expanding sphere of golden fire was mathematically precise, expanding until it perfectly covered every square inch of the Sterling property.

  A noble estate is never a perfect circle; it has jagged corners, alleyways, and irregular boundaries. Yet, this explosion respected those borders with supernatural accuracy. Everything within the estate was instantly reduced to ash, the flames spiraling thousands of meters into the atmosphere.

  But outside the property line—not even a single millimeter beyond the border—there wasn't so much as a scorched leaf or a hint of heat.

  Such terrifying control of energy was unheard of. Even a fool could see that House Sterling had provoked a supreme being they should never have crossed. In that single heartbeat, House Sterling was erased from existence. Not a single member of the clan survived.

  "His precision in energy manipulation is so profound that even I might not be able to match it," Guardian Aether whispered, his eyes narrowing as he watched the destruction from the void.

  The sheer accuracy Lance had displayed made the Stellar Class Guardian's heart hammer with unease. Precise energy control of that level implied a skill rank far beyond the norm. Aether himself was a [Master - Initial] in terms of technique. As a Stellar Class powerhouse, his control over Grandmaster-level energy should theoretically reach the [Master - High] level.

  Yet, Lance’s display had surpassed him. This meant Lance’s technique rank was at the very least [Master - Peak].

  The thought left Aether deeply unsettled. In the entire human race, fewer than a thousand people had reached the Master rank in their chosen arts, and almost all of them were high-tier Grandmasters.

  If Lance had already reached [Master - Peak], it meant his technical mastery led the entire human race. He had reached a height perhaps only the Martial Paragon could claim.

  Guardian Aether’s expression grew increasingly solemn. The higher a genius's talent, the greater their future potential—but also the more devastating the loss to humanity if they were to fall.

  "The Martial Paragon’s limit is approaching," Aether murmured grimly. "If we do not cultivate a successor before he passes, the four alien races will erase humanity from the star charts in a heartbeat. Lance is our last hope."

  It was a cold, hard truth. While the Martial Paragon was vastly more powerful than any High Guardian, his cultivation had plateaued at the Stellar Class; he had never reached the Galactic Realm. His lifespan was capped at a hundred thousand years.

  The Paragon had risen to power over ninety thousand years ago. He was living on borrowed time.

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  This was why human expansion had stalled over the last ten millennia, and why the other four major races had become increasingly bold in their provocations. Once the Paragon fell and his deterrent was gone, they would move in unison to exterminate a race whose potential terrified them. After all, humans had achieved in a hundred thousand years what had taken the other races millions.

  Lance, oblivious to Guardian Aether’s existential dread, stood in the courtyard of the Lorraine manor.

  "What was that little fireball you threw just now?" Lillian asked, looking at him with wide, curious eyes.

  "Nothing special," Lance replied with a faint smile. "Just taking out the trash."

  Night had fallen. After tonight, he would be leaving Planet Silvermoon. He had lived here for over a decade in this life; with his memories fully integrated, those years felt as real as any other. He felt a genuine connection to this world—it was his second home. Before leaving, he wanted to take one last look at it.

  "Are you really leaving tomorrow morning?" Lorraine asked, stepping up beside him. She finally voiced the question that had been eating at her. "Will you ever come back?"

  Lance turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course I'll come back. This is my home. Besides..." He looked her directly in the eye. "You're still here."

  Lorraine’s face flushed a soft pink. Her heart finally found peace; whether Lance was just being kind or not, she decided she would wait for him forever. Lillian, watching from the side, took the hint and stayed quiet for once.

  "By the way, I have something for you," Lance said, remembering something.

  "What is it? A token of your love?" Lillian squealed, sounding more excited than if the gift were for her.

  Lorraine looked on with quiet expectation. Lance reached his hand out toward the void, his fingers closing as if grasping the air itself.

  Vroom!

  In an instant, a flickering golden flame condensed in Lance’s palm.

  "Is that... a flame ability? Why is it gold? The aura is terrifying!" Lorraine felt the overwhelming power pulsating from within the Solar Stellar Flame the moment it appeared.

  "This is the Solar Stellar Flame, an S-Rank exotic fire. It’s the flame that has fought by my side the longest," Lance said with a gentle smile. He gave his hand a light upward nudge, and the golden flame drifted into the air, slowly floating toward Lorraine. "From this day forward, you are its master."

  Lorraine’s expression paled. "No, I can't take this! This is the source of your power!" An S-Rank flame given away so easily? What about Lance? His talent couldn't possibly function without the boost of an S-Rank trait!

  Vroom!

  Before Lorraine could utter another word of protest, the Solar Stellar Flame dived into her body. In a heartbeat, it merged with her soul, becoming an inseparable part of her being. Under normal circumstances, there was only one way to separate an exotic fire: kill the host and refine their soul. That was exactly how The Solaris Emperor had stolen his Solar Stellar Flame.

  However, for someone like Lance—who could split his own soul at will—separating a mere flame was child’s play.

  Furthermore, because this Solar Stellar Flame had only reached S-Rank through system enhancement, its potential was limited. Lance didn't want to waste his precious Reconstruction Quota on it. He could use those uses to upgrade his Dark Magic Flame instead. Besides, he still had the Solar Stellar Flame from the Emperor in his possession; once he reconstructed that, it would reach SSS-Rank or higher. A mere S-Rank trait was no longer of much use to him.

  "Wow, brother... that’s one hell of a betrothal gift!" Lillian’s jaw dropped as she watched the flame vanish into Lorraine.

  "Lance, take it back, quickly! Your talent is going to plummet because of this!" Lorraine was truly frantic now, clutching at her chest as if she could pull the fire back out.

  Lance chuckled at their panic. "Don't worry about me. I have other flames, and their ranks are far beyond the Solar Stellar Flame. My talent isn't just limited to the SS-Rank. Put it this way—even the SSS-Rank doesn't quite define what I’m capable of."

  He closed his right hand into a fist.

  Vroom!

  A pitch-black flame ignited in his palm. The moment it appeared, the space around it began to warp and ripple. Lorraine could feel the Solar Stellar Flame inside her trembling violently, as if it had encountered its supreme overlord.

  "Holy sh*t... Brother, so even SSS-Rank isn't enough to describe you? Just how strong are you right now!?" Lillian blurted out. She couldn't feel the exact power level of the black flame, but she knew Lance wouldn't lie to them.

  Lance smiled. It was the first time he was being truly honest about his capabilities. "My cultivation rank is [Grandmaster - Rank 1]. Many people know that, and I’m not hiding it. But as for my actual combat strength... if my estimate is correct, ten [Great Grandmaster - Rank 1] powerhouses wouldn't be able to last a single exchange against me.

  "But keep this between the three of us. If word gets out, the leaders of the alien races might come out of hiding just to assassinate me. Though, honestly, if you told anyone, they probably wouldn't believe you anyway."

  The two girls stared at him, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. A fifteen-year-old who could slaughter ten Great Grandmasters with a single blow? It was madness.

  Later that night, Lance sat cross-legged in the air within his room, circulating the Eternal Soul Protocol. Simultaneously, his physical body was undergoing a massive "sacrifice" process, converting his latent potential into raw power.

  [System Alert]

  CON increased to 20,000.

  Cultivation Rank Up: [Grandmaster - Rank 2]!

  Soul Reserves: 200,000.

  Forty minutes into the first hour, he hit his first breakthrough.

  [System Alert]

  CON increased to 40,000.

  Cultivation Rank Up: [Grandmaster - Rank 3]!

  Soul Reserves: 220,000.

  Less than two hours later, he leveled up again.

  [System Alert]

  It is now 12:00 AM. Reconstruction Quota reset: 0/5.

  Lance ignored the notification and pushed forward.

  [System Alert]

  CON increased to 80,000.

  Cultivation Rank Up: [Grandmaster - Rank 4]!

  Soul Reserves: 260,000.

  Four hours later, another chime. He was now a Rank 4 Grandmaster. He didn't pause for a second. Finally, as the clock hit 8:00 AM the following morning, his soul reserves reached the target of 300,000.

  "Phew. Finally. Soul reserves are a pain to grind, but they’re the foundation of everything," Lance sighed. Soul cultivation was arguably a hundred times more important than martial arts. His encounter with Sovereign Glacia had proven that a destroyed body didn't mean death, but a destroyed soul was the end of the line. A powerful soul was the ultimate insurance policy. Moreover, if his soul was too weak, he wouldn't be able to break through to higher realms even with the system's help.

  The most stable path was to advance both in tandem.

  "System, raise my [Soul Shift] to Level 10," Lance commanded.

  A brilliance only he could see enveloped him. He felt his soul begin to compress with agonizing intensity. Just like before, the more his soul was compressed, the more powerful it became. As time passed, Lance felt the purity of his soul increase tenfold. He had reached the Level 10 [Soul Shift].

  [System Alert]

  Soul Shift: Level 10 reached.

  You are now eligible to break through to [Grandmaster - Rank 1] in Soul Cultivation!

  System Notification: A massive stockpile has been detected!

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