Six months passed in the blink of an eye.
Unlike every period that had preceded it...
William did not spend these months chasing breakthroughs.
Nor did he isolate himself within endless cultivation.
Instead...
He remained in the Evergreen Family.
He was Still Living in this peace
Not as the strongest genius of his generation.
But simply...
As Angela's husband.
Their days were surprisingly ordinary.
They shared breakfast almost every morning.
Occasionally wandered through the forests surrounding the Evergreen Family.
Sometimes they sparred in the family's training grounds.
Angela's cultivation steadily improved under William's guidance.
William, in turn, found himself learning something entirely different.
Patience.
He had always believed strength was measured through battle.
Angela quietly proved otherwise.
Sometimes...
Strength meant listening.
Sometimes...
Remaining beside someone without speaking.
Sometimes...
Simply being present.
Those lessons did not increase his cultivation.
Yet...
They changed him in ways no technique ever could.
The elders often smiled whenever they saw the two together.
"They complement each other."
"Lady Angela softens Lord William."
"And Lord William gives Lady Angela confidence."
Even Victoria noticed the difference.
Her brother still trained relentlessly.
Still sought greater heights.
But...
The emptiness that had once consumed him no longer dominated every expression.
For the first time since the deaths of Jack and Maria...
He genuinely smiled.
Not often.
But sincerely.
One evening...
William and Angela stood together beneath the ancient tree overlooking the Evergreen valley.
The sunset painted the mountains in shades of gold.
Angela quietly leaned against the wooden railing.
"So..."
"You've decided."
William nodded slowly.
"My time here is coming to an end."
Angela smiled gently.
"I knew it would."
She turned toward him.
"I won't ask you to stay."
"Because if I did..."
"...you wouldn't be the William I chose."
William looked at her silently.
Angela reached out and straightened the collar of his robe.
"Just promise me one thing."
William smiled faintly.
"Another promise?"
She laughed softly.
"Yes."
"When you become the strongest..."
"...come home."
William gently held her hand.
"I will."
The following morning...
Before sunrise...
William quietly left the residence he and Angela had shared.
He did not wish to make his departure dramatic.
Angela already knew.
Victoria already knew.
Andrew and Manuel had known for weeks.
The servants bowed respectfully as he passed.
The gates of the Evergreen Family slowly opened before him.
William stopped just beyond them.
For a brief moment...
He looked back.
At the home he had finally found.
Then...
He remembered Andrew's words from months ago.
"Many of the greatest geniuses of this era have already sealed themselves away."
"Some sleep beneath ancient mountains."
"Others remain hidden within independent dimensions."
"Some have willingly erased every trace of their existence."
"All for one reason."
William slowly lifted his eyes toward the endless sky.
The Golden Era.
A period that appeared only once after unimaginably long cycles.
Not because time itself demanded it.
But because the universe waited.
Waited for its greatest pieces to gather.
Andrew's explanation echoed once more within William's mind.
"The Golden Era cannot begin until most of the distinguished bodies awaken."
"That alone is not enough."
"There is another absolute condition."
"Every Eternal Body must have an active successor."
William remembered the old man's calm expression.
"Exactly one year ago..."
"...the final Eternal Body chose its successor."
"For the first time in countless generations..."
"Every Eternal Body walks the universe once again."
William slowly closed his eyes.
Seven Eternal Bodies.
Seven successors.
All alive.
All growing stronger.
All destined to collide.
Andrew's final words returned.
"The next Cosmic Tournament..."
"...will be held six years from now."
"It will not merely determine rankings."
"It will announce to the entire universe..."
"...that the Golden Era has officially begun."
A cold breeze swept across the mountains.
William slowly opened his eyes again.
Six years.
To ordinary cultivators...
Such a period was insignificant.
To monsters like those preparing in secret...
Every single day mattered.
Some had already entered seclusion decades ago.
Others had disappeared before William was even born.
Every one of them was sharpening themselves for the same moment.
The moment when the universe itself would gather its greatest generation together.
William smiled.
Not from excitement.
From anticipation.
"The strongest..."
"...are already preparing."
His voice disappeared into the morning wind.
"Then I can't afford to waste another day."
Without another glance behind him...
William stepped forward.
The space beneath his feet rippled.
His figure disappeared beyond the horizon.
Behind him...
The Evergreen Family remained peaceful.
Ahead of him...
The vast universe awaited.
And somewhere...
Hidden within forgotten worlds...
Ancient geniuses slowly opened their eyes.
The countdown to the Golden Era...
Had already begun.