Tianhen stood on the highest balcony of the imperial palace, looking out over the thriving expanse of Crimson Nebula World. The floating islands glowed with spirit light, cities hummed with activity, and distant training fields echoed with the sounds of young cultivators pushing their limits. His people continued to worship him as a living god — shrines multiplied, children played at being the Sovereign, and prosperity flowed like never before.
But from this moment forward, he made a silent vow.
The God Rock would no longer be shown openly.
Only during private training sessions or when crafting artifacts would he bring it out. To the outside world, his power would appear to come from pure talent, hard work, and the famous Tianhen Void Anchors he created. The God Rock itself would remain his most closely guarded secret — a hidden blade that no one else could covet or steal.
He slipped the black stone deep into his Spatial Storage Ring and sealed it with a personal void array only he could open. From now on, when he fought or appeared in public, he would rely on the techniques and Daos he had already mastered.
That decision proved wise almost immediately.
A delegation from the distant Aurora Star Alliance arrived the next morning, seeking an audience. Their leader, a graceful woman at late-stage Nascent Soul, bowed respectfully.
"Sovereign Tianhen, your reputation as the creator of the life-saving Void Anchors has spread far. We wish to commission two hundred bracelets for our elite explorers. In return, we offer a permanent trade route through our alliance territory and a seat on the Aurora Council."
Tianhen accepted the commission without revealing the God Rock. He crafted the bracelets in a closed hall using only the techniques he had already fused publicly — Space, Time, Star, and Lightning Daos. The delegation left deeply impressed, calling his craftsmanship "divine" even without seeing the source.
Meanwhile, inside the private family training ground, Tianhen allowed the God Rock to emerge.
Lin Hao and Lin Mei trained with him every morning now, calling him "Father" with growing ease and affection. Today he guided them through advanced fusion drills.
"Watch carefully," he said, holding the God Rock only for them to see. The stone pulsed as he demonstrated a new move — a spatial blade strike slowed by time strands, infused with starlight.
Lin Hao's eyes widened. "Father… that movement… I felt the space bend like it was alive."
Lin Mei clapped her hands. "And time listened to you! Can we try?"
Tianhen nodded, letting them feel the God Rock's presence briefly so they could sense the Dao flows more clearly. Their improvement remained explosive. By the end of the session, Lin Hao could chain five spatial blinks with a time-slowed strike, and Lin Mei could hold a twelve-second time lock while moving.
"You're both growing faster than I expected," Tianhen said proudly, ruffling their hair. "Soon you'll be able to protect your younger siblings without me."
Lin Mei hugged his leg. "We'll protect everyone, Father!"
Lin Hao stood taller, a determined fire in his eyes. "We won't be weak anymore."
That evening, after putting all the children to bed, Tianhen and Li Qing retreated to their chambers. She sensed the change in him immediately.
"You're hiding the God Rock again," she said softly as she undressed him.
"Only from the world," he replied, pulling her close. "Our family and a few trusted people may know, but the rest will see only my strength and the bracelets I craft. It's safer this way."
Li Qing smiled, her phoenix eyes full of understanding and desire. "Wise as always, my sovereign."
Their lovemaking was deep and passionate — slow, intimate movements that built into fierce, desperate climaxes. Li Qing rode him with fiery grace, moaning his name as waves of pleasure washed over them both, reaffirming their unbreakable bond.
The next morning brought new challenges.
Shadowveil Kingdom had gone quiet after Tianhen's warning raid, but intelligence reports showed they were secretly gathering allies among smaller star realms, spreading rumors that Tianhen's prosperity was "unnatural" and his bracelets "cursed."
Tianhen smiled coldly when he read the reports.
"Let them talk," he said. "They fear what they cannot understand. We will continue to grow stronger — openly through training and crafting, secretly through the God Rock."
In the Star Hall, he began recruiting even more young talents, including several promising children from border families displaced by Shadowveil's schemes. Lin Hao and Lin Mei helped teach the beginners, earning respect as "Young Master" and "Young Miss" of the family.
Crimson Nebula World continued to flourish. New spirit veins were discovered and stabilized. Cities expanded. The people's worship deepened — they now built larger shrines and told stories of the Sovereign who protected them while hiding his greatest treasure from the jealous eyes of the universe.
Tianhen trained in secret every night, the God Rock guiding him toward the Nascent Soul breakthrough. He could feel it approaching — the moment his golden core would shatter and reform into a powerful Nascent Soul infused with multiple Grand Daos.
The empire was secure for now.
His family was thriving — blood and chosen children alike.
And the God Rock remained hidden, a silent, ever-growing source of power that only he fully controlled.
But in the vast Starry Sky, greater eyes were beginning to turn toward the rising sovereign who crafted miracles without ever showing his true source.