The morning of the ascension trial dawned with the same eternal twilight glow that defined the 3rd Heaven. Joshua stood on the grand threshold of the stairway alongside his parents, the air thick with dense, invigorating essence that felt ten percent richer than anything below. The Aetherial Eclipse had been docked safely at the manor, its cargo of high-grade star shards already partially converted into a staggering 3,024,000 digital star shards at the 1:10 ratio, with the remaining physical reserves carefully guarded for future needs.
In front of the tower attendants and any curious onlookers, Joshua wore his regal mask perfectly — posture straight, voice calm and measured, every gesture refined. "Mother, Father… the path ahead is yours to walk. I will be waiting on the other side."
Only when the attendants stepped back did the real Joshua peek through for a brief, private moment. He flashed his parents a quick, mischievous grin — the same playful spark the twins had inherited — and whispered, "Give it everything. I've got your backs, just like always."
His mother smiled warmly, while his father gave a steady nod. "We know, son."
The trial began.
Joshua waited outside for the full six months it took, spending the time in quiet, calculated preparation. He reviewed the remaining high-grade shards from the Starfall Site, already envisioning how the additional wealth would secure the family's long-term path. When alone, he allowed himself moments of unrestrained excitement, pacing with boyish energy and muttering cunning plans under his breath. "With Mother gaining noble status… and the extra shards… we'll have options no one expects."
When the tower finally released them, the results were clear.
His mother emerged first, radiant and transformed. The stairway had recognized her strengthened foundation. She stepped out carrying the unmistakable aura of nobility — a subtle golden mantle of status that marked her as a noble of the 3rd Heaven. Her B-rank jade now bore the refined insignia of her new station. She moved with quiet grace, but when she saw Joshua waiting, her eyes lit up with the same warmth that had carried their family through every hardship.
"Joshua…" she said softly, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I did it. I'm a noble now."
Joshua hugged her back, his public composure cracking just enough for a genuine, youthful smile to break through. "I knew you would, Mother. You've always been the heart of this family."
His father emerged shortly after. His foundation had been greatly strengthened by the ascendant elixir and the long trial — skin, bones, blood, and organs all tempered to a solid new level — but the stairway had not granted him noble status. He walked out steady and proud, though a flicker of disappointment crossed his face for only a moment.
Joshua clasped his father's shoulder with measured respect in public, then pulled him into a firm hug when they were alone. "Your foundation is rock-solid now, Father. That's what matters most. We're one step closer to the Divine Heavens together. Noble title or not, you're still the man who taught me how to keep going."
The family returned to the manor that evening under the starlit skies. The twins — now fifteen and buzzing with energy — bombarded their parents with questions.
"Mom! You're a noble now?" Kai exclaimed, eyes wide with that familiar mischievous glint he had inherited from Joshua. "Does that mean we get even cooler training gear?"
Mia grinned beside him. "And Dad, your foundation looks stronger than ever! When we turn sixteen in one and a half years, we'll all climb together!"
Joshua watched the scene with quiet pride, switching seamlessly between his regal public demeanor when servants were nearby and his true playful self when it was just family. Alone in his private cultivation chamber later that night, he allowed the cunning, energetic side to surface fully.
He paced the room with unrestrained steps, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Mother as a noble… Father's foundation secured… and the Starfall Site still pumping out high-grade shards in secret. Those jealous nobles back in Luminara Reach have no idea how much further ahead we are."
He raised one hand, letting (Fire) bloom gently across his palm — warm, nurturing, embracing. The flames danced affectionately before he twisted his will and turned them scorching and incinerating, carving a small training mark into the chamber wall with precise control. Then (Lightning) crackled into existence — dominating, assertive, and consuming — striking the mark with unrelenting force and erasing it completely.
"(The Glitch)" hummed beneath it all, his Anomaly ability ready to distort any enemy essence the moment it was needed.
Joshua's eyes gleamed with sharp, youthful cunning. "One and a half years until the twins are ready. By then, we'll have even more resources, stronger foundations, and plans they won't see coming. The stairway keeps calling… and we're answering louder than ever."
He allowed himself one bright, mischievous laugh — the same sound that echoed in the twins' own playful energy — before composing himself again as a soft knock sounded at the door.
The family was rising together.
And Joshua, with his dual nature hidden beneath the refined exterior, was already several steps ahead, weaving the next part of their ascent with careful, cunning precision.