It took several days, but Cain's energy finally began to circulate in perfect rhythm with the principles of the Cosmic Anvil Scripture. There was no sudden leap in cultivation rank, but he could already feel the difference. His body thrummed with new vitality, his energy flowed faster and smoother than before.
Each pulse of his essence refined him further, transforming motion into strength, rhythm into power. Even without formal advancement, his combat ability and cultivation speed had both grown measurably.
"Now… it is time," he whispered.
A faint smile crossed his face as he vanished from the meditation chamber and reappeared high above the Scarlet Crown, the radiant capital of his kingdom.
The sky itself trembled under his presence.
Cain's aura flooded the firmament, spreading across the sky like a crimson dawn. Every eye in the city turned upward as the air shimmered, and an immense shadow began to coalesce above them, a being vast enough to eclipse the suns.
