An entire year had passed since Jane last visited the two imprisoned princes. In that time, the war on Neyru had only escalated, its flames spreading across the world. Yet, despite the chaos and bloodshed ravaging the land, there remained one place untouched by the war's grasp—a place where time moved differently, and power was nurtured without the interruption of conflict.
This place was the Capital, but more specifically, it existed within a separate realm—a realm created by the very first Emperor of the Neyru Empire. Over generations, this realm had been passed down, reserved exclusively for the most elite talents of the empire. It was a place of intense training and progression—designed to accelerate the cultivation of the strongest individuals.
The realm had a unique and powerful property: time dilation. Inside this space, time moved twice as fast as outside. For every year that passed in the outside world, two years passed in the training realm. While the outside world grappled with the effects of war, within the confines of this realm, time worked to the advantage of those training.
However, there was a significant drawback. This realm could only be used by those who had reached the Early Spiritual Foundation Realm. If a cultivator stronger than that stepped foot inside, they would be immediately teleported outside. The realm was designed for cultivation at the early stages, a place to grow before advancing further.
Inside the vast field of this special realm, six individuals could be seen, their eyes closed as they sat cross-legged in deep cultivation. These were the elite talents who had awakened Supreme or Transcendent talents, each one having entered the Body Tempering Realm seven and a half years ago.
In the time since, their progress had been extraordinary.
The first among them was Lina Velshore, a young woman who had awakened a Supreme Talent. Over the years of cultivation, she had reached the Late Core Formation Realm, an achievement that far outstripped the usual growth of cultivators at her level. Alongside her were Mara, Joren, and Ria, all of whom had similarly awakened Supreme Talents. They were impressive in their own right, with each having achieved the Core Formation Realm as well.
But aside from these four, there were two others who stood apart—their progress far surpassing the rest. These two were Toran and Kail, both of whom had already reached the Perfect Core Formation Realm. They were just a step away from breaking through to the Spiritual Foundation Realm—a threshold that few could reach in such a short time.
None of these talents had focused on combat or skills. Instead, they had dedicated themselves entirely to pure cultivation, using the time dilation of the realm to gain an incredible edge in their growth. With only two years left before the deadline set by the Emperor, their breakthrough to the Spiritual Foundation Realm seemed inevitable.
The Emperor had given these six a 10-year deadline: they must reach the Spiritual Foundation Realm within that time, or they would lose their chance to serve the empire. It was a rare and valuable opportunity—one that would shape their future roles in the empire's hierarchy.
But while these cultivators trained and progressed, outside, the war continued to consume Neyru