The Leonhart Clan wasn't the largest in Blazecity, nor the smallest. It stood somewhere in between—a quiet power, respected but not feared.
That was changing now.
Not because of numbers, nor because of wealth.
But because of one man.
Ancestor Leo.
In the days since his return from seclusion, Leo had walked the clan grounds in silence, cloaked in subtle energy. His steps were light, his presence veiled, yet his eyes—those eyes—missed nothing.
Behind them, the Eye of Fate turned slowly, reading the hidden threads of destiny that wrapped around each soul.
He searched not for loyalty or obedience—but for potential.
"There must be at least one," he murmured. "One seed worth cultivating."
Hours passed. He moved from training yards to courtyards, from the inner hall to the alchemists' quarters.
And when the search ended…
He sighed.
"No top-tier talents. Not a single one."
He had hoped. But hope was not a strategy.
Still, three names caught his attention. Not perfect, but promising. Their potential sat just below the threshold of greatness—enough to mold, if given time and the right tools.
◾ Felix Leonhart
Age: 16
Aptitude: High
Cultivation: Skin Stage – Level 9
Notes: Exchanged clan merit for a Bone Refinement Pill just yesterday. Preparing to break through to the Bone Stage.
◾ Fynn Leonhart
Age: 17
Aptitude: High
Cultivation: Bone Stage – Level 3
Notes: Received a premium Bone Pill from his grandfather, the Third Elder. Currently in seclusion, aiming for Muscle Stage.
◾ Lyra Leonhart
Age: 15
Aptitude: High
Cultivation: Skin Stage – Level 8
Notes: Recently obtained a jade talisman from the market. Hidden within is a slumbering soul—belonging to a Soul Stage – Level 9 expert.
Leo's gaze lingered on Lyra.
"Wait…"
He focused again. Threads of golden fate curled tightly around her figure.
The Eye of Fate shimmered, pulling deeper.
There it was—a soul bound within the talisman, invisible to most, but laid bare to Leo's vision. Old, ancient even, and powerful beyond belief.
"A Soul Stage Nine spirit… dormant, but intact."
That kind of existence could crush nations. Even the legendary founder of the Dusk Empire was only Soul Stage Three, according to most records.
This… was far beyond that.
The soul matched Lyra's energy perfectly. Their karmic threads intertwined with uncanny precision, as if they were meant to find each other.
"She didn't earn it through skill or strategy," Leo muttered. "She was simply... chosen."
He looked upward.
Above the Leonhart estate, invisible to mortal eyes, stretched a vast lake of white-gold mist—the clan's fate energy.
But something had changed.
Now, faint blue hues flickered at its edges, swirling gently like tides preparing to rise.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
"So the clan's fortune is rising. Almost at blue-grade already…"
Fate Energy: A Hidden Power
In the Great World, every being, sect, and clan had a fate level—a measure of their luck, destiny, and unseen momentum.
The grades were simple in color, but immense in meaning:
Black – Cursed, chaotic
White – Normal, mundane
Blue – Fortunate, rising
Purple – Legendary
Gold – Divine, untouchable
Most clans, especially those without Transcendent warriors, sat firmly in white.
But the Leonhart Clan?
Its fate lake stretched over a thousand meters. That size alone rivaled seventh-tier factions.
And now it shimmered faintly blue.
"No wonder she stumbled into such a fortune," Leo said quietly. "The clan is being blessed."
He returned his focus to the jade talisman, peering inside.
There, dormant within, was the soul.
Name: KaelaClass: Grade-7 AlchemistOrigin: Ling Province, Northern RegionRealm: Soul Stage – Level 9
Leo blinked slowly.
"Ling Province…"
Compared to Redridge Province, Ling Province was like a towering mountain next to a quiet hill. Richer in spiritual energy, resources, sects—everything.
In Redridge, even a single Nirvana Stage expert could shake the land. But in Ling Province? Dozens of Nirvana cultivators stood guard over cities.
That wasn't the most shocking part.
What stunned Leo was Kaela's memory—fragments that remained in the soul.
One of those fragments held something… monumental.
A scroll. Ancient. Half-destroyed. Containing only three words…
"Divine. Eternal. Undying."
Even reading them in his mind, Leo felt a pressure settle on his chest. As if those words weren't just titles—but truths etched into the bones of the world.
"A being who bore that name… shattered this world once."
Kaela's memories, though faint, told of an age long before the current era. A time when the Great World was whole. One land. One sky.
Until it broke.
"A war… or a catastrophe…" Leo whispered. "Something tore the world apart, fragmenting it into continents like the one we're on now."
His heart beat heavier in his chest.
"And that thing… still exists."
Even with the Legacy System, even with the Eye of Fate—he knew he couldn't glimpse the full truth.
Not yet.
Leo turned from the talisman and stood at the edge of a high balcony, overlooking the Sovereign Flame Citadel.
The wind stirred his robes.
This city—this world—was far, far larger than anything he had ever imagined when he first arrived.
A "small" city like Blazecity held millions, yet it was considered minor in the Dusk Empire. The Empire itself ruled over dozens of territories, each filled with cities just as large.
And beyond the Empire? Other kingdoms. Other provinces. Some were hundreds of times larger. Some were ruled by Tier-3 sects capable of flattening the entire Redridge Province in a day.
"I'm not even a drop in the ocean yet."
But that didn't unsettle him.
It excited him.
"Even in this tiny corner of the world, fate has begun to move. All I have to do... is rise fast enough to meet it."
His gaze swept across the horizon, then back toward the clan courtyard.
Lyra stood there, watching a first-grade alchemist practice pill refinement.
Her face was calm, patient.
The jade talisman glowed faintly at her side, pulsing in rhythm with her breath.
Leo's lips curled into a rare smile.
"Let's see where your fate takes you, Lyra."
He turned and vanished into the wind.