The next morning dawned bright, but tension already hung heavy in the air. Outside Kai's residence, a crowd had gathered — disciples wearing the insignia of the Bai and Ava households, along with servants and onlookers eager for scandal. Their voices rose in waves of accusation and mockery, shouting demands for Kai to come out and apologize, some even calling for his expulsion from the capital.
Kai stood at the gate, arms crossed, his expression calm and unreadable. The sunlight glinted off his sword hilt, but he made no move toward it. Beside him, Leon stood like a stone pillar — quiet, steady, eyes scanning the crowd for the first sign of hostility. The faint hum of spiritual power gathered around him, subtle but sharp, a warning to anyone foolish enough to step closer.
One of the louder men in front sneered, "So this is where the coward hides after attacking the Prime Minister's son! You think the General's name will protect you?"
Kai didn't answer. His gaze drifted lazily over the faces before him, unbothered by their jeers. "If you've come to talk," he said finally, his voice level and clear, "then talk. If you've come to fight…" He glanced briefly at Leon. "Then step forward."
The murmurs faltered. Even the most eager troublemakers hesitated, remembering how the previous night ended — with Huang Lin buried in a wall and Leon's array sealing a Bodiless-level blast. The air grew still, charged with silent challenge.
A slow, deliberate clap broke the tense silence. The crowd parted instinctively as a deep, mocking voice rolled through the air.
"Nicely said, brother. Truly, nicely said."
The speaker emerged from the crowd, tall and sharp-featured, his dark robes embroidered with silver lines of the Ava family crest. The air around him rippled with power. Jan Ava. The General's second son — a Bodiless Realm cultivator whose reputation in the capital was as bright as it was ruthless.
Jan's smile didn't reach his eyes. "How about I take this challenge instead? Let's see if the General's other son can stand on his own merit… or if you're still hiding behind servants and luck."
As he spoke, his aura flared — a wave of oppressive spiritual might that pressed against the ground, shaking the nearby lantern poles and causing weaker cultivators to stagger backward. The air grew heavy, and the cobblestones beneath Kai's feet began to crack.
Kai's expression hardened. He stepped forward, his hand resting on his sword hilt. A sharp whistle of energy cut through the wind as his own power surged — his Pseudo Sword Intent erupting in response, slicing through Jan's aura like a blade through mist. Sparks of light danced between them, their energies colliding with a high, ringing hum.
The sky above darkened. Clouds swirled unnaturally, drawn to the clash of intent. Lightning shimmered faintly within their depths.
Then, another force entered the mix — colder, quieter, but far more deliberate. Leon's eyes glowed gold, runes faintly swirling within his pupils as he raised one hand slightly. The ground beneath the Ava residence shimmered, revealing a complex lattice of sigils and lines.
The Dominion Formation.
Kai's residence was its heart, and Leon, its master. The air trembled as faint streams of energy began converging toward the barrier that surrounded the property. The crowd felt it instantly — that pressure, that invisible warning of annihilation.
Jan's expression faltered. He turned his head slightly, sensing the currents of spiritual power wrapping tightly around him and his men. His cultivation was superior, but he wasn't foolish. A Bodiless cultivator might withstand a few strikes, but the force of a triggered Dominion Formation could decimate even him if caught unprepared.
He slowly withdrew his aura, the tension easing slightly though his eyes remained sharp. "You've learned some tricks," he said coldly, gaze flicking between Kai and Leon. "It seems the capital has been… entertaining since I last visited."
Kai didn't move, his sword still half-drawn. "If you came here to fight, you'll find we're not as easy to crush as before."
Jan chuckled lowly. "Not today, little brother. But soon."
As he turned away, the storm clouds above began to drift apart, and Leon's golden eyes dimmed — though the faint hum of the formation remained, a silent reminder that the next confrontation would not be so easily contained.
Leon's instincts screamed. Jan's tone, his confident retreat — none of it sat right. This wasn't finished. The way he said soon carried the promise of future blood.
His eyes flared gold again. "Inside. Now."
Kai hesitated for a heartbeat, but the authority in Leon's voice cut through the noise. He turned and stepped through the gates of the residence. The moment his feet crossed the threshold, the Dominion Formation beneath the property came alive. Lines of light flared to life across the stone, and the air thickened with dense spiritual energy.
Kai staggered slightly, then froze as a rush of raw power coursed through his meridians. His spiritual core trembled violently — the bottleneck that had restrained him for months shattering all at once. He dropped into a cross-legged position instinctively, steadying his breathing as the formation's energy converged around him.
Above, the sky darkened once more. But this time, the storm that gathered was unlike the earlier one. It pulsed with divine rhythm — thunder rolling like drums of judgment, lightning veins spreading like cracks across the heavens.
Jan's eyes widened in disbelief. "This… this is a tribulation storm," he whispered. His aura flared again in reflexive fear. "You dare summon heavenly lightning in the capital?"
The onlookers gasped as the first thunderclap shook the city walls. The oppressive power of the heavens pressed down on everyone present, forcing most to their knees.
Leon stood at the center of it, calm yet unyielding. He had seen this before — in Master Yun's scrolls, etched in secret ink. The Tribulation Formation Art — a branch of the Dominion Formation, designed not only to protect but to induce tribulation, forcing breakthroughs by syncing a cultivator's essence with the will of heaven.
Kai's aura flared violently, his sword intent bursting upward like a pillar of light. The sky answered with a strike of golden lightning that tore through the clouds and met him head-on.
"Madness!" Jan roared, stepping forward, summoning his weapon. "You'll destroy half this district!"
Leon raised his hand. The sealed talisman from the previous night appeared before him — the one that had nearly killed Kai. He had contained its energy in an array, and now he released just enough for its presence to fill the air.
The dense, fiery power of a Bodiless cultivator's strike hovered between them, thrumming like a caged beast. Leon's gaze hardened. "Take one more step," he warned, his voice low but resolute, "and this talisman's energy will meet your face before heaven's lightning does."
Jan froze mid-step, his jaw clenched tight, fury warring with caution. He could sense it — Leon wasn't bluffing.
Above them, the storm split open fully. Blinding bolts of light poured down as Kai roared, his aura tearing through the barrier of his current realm. The pressure of his breakthrough rolled through the streets, scattering the crowd like leaves in the wind.
By the time the final thunder faded, the only ones left standing near the gate were Leon, Kai, and Jan — the latter staring in awe and rage at the sight before him: Kai rising slowly from the ground, his spiritual power now vast and steady, his aura carrying the clear mark of the Bodiless Realm.
Leon finally exhaled, the talisman's glow fading between his fingers. "You said it yourself," he said quietly, looking at Jan. "Soon. But not today."
Just as Leon's words left his lips, his knees buckled — the brilliance in his golden pupils dimming before he collapsed. His energy was completely spent, drained by the immense toll of commanding the Dominion Formation. Reacting swiftly, Kai extended his hand, spiritual energy flowing like a soft current as Leon's unconscious body was lifted from the ground. "Take him to his quarters. Let no one disturb him," Kai instructed the servants, his tone calm.
Jan let out a derisive snort. "Fool," he spat, glaring back at the residence one last time before turning to leave, his robe snapping with each step. Kai's eyes narrowed—cold, unwavering. His gaze swept the gathered onlookers, and though he spoke no words, the pressure that rolled from him was enough to drive them away in fear. Moments later, silence reclaimed the courtyard.
Far beyond the Kai residence, however, ripples of spiritual energy carried through the capital. Cultivators, ministers, and masters alike turned their eyes toward the source. Within the hour, a golden decree shot into the sky from the Imperial Palace, its light spreading across the capital. The voice of the Imperial Messenger rang through the heavens:
"All ministers are to assemble before the Emperor at once."