Yuelan smiles weakly at the baby in her arms and whispers, "Kong An Quimei," her voice soft as if afraid the name itself might wake the world.
The room settles into quiet as exhaustion claims her, and soon both mother and child fall asleep, breath slow and steady.
Kaelan steps out carefully, closing the door without a sound, leaving behind warmth, blood, and the fragile beginning of a new life.
Li Xueyao waits in the corridor, arms folded, eyes sharp despite the calm of the palace.
She looks at him and speaks first, her tone flat.
"After how many years did you return here?"
Kaelan understands the question beneath the words.
He knows she is angry that he spent years in the Chen Kingdom, then took Yuelan as his lover, and that the wound only deepened when he sent a pregnant Yuelan here and stayed away.
He smiles sheepishly, the expression unguarded and rare.
"I am sorry for my absence and neglect."
Li Xueyao turns away and begins walking, her steps light but firm.
"What is there to be sorry for?" she says, "Our marriage was a contract marriage, and I was the one who asked for it."
Kaelan follows slowly, his pace unhurried, voice low.
"After more than half a decade of marriage, it no longer remains just a contract."
She stops and turns to face him, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Then what should we call our marriage?"
Kaelan steps closer, standing in front of her, leaving no distance between them.
"A marriage between friends."
His hand reaches out and rests on her waist, gentle rather than possessive.
Li Xueyao shakes her head immediately.
"No… no."
She steps back, creating space again, and her voice hardens.
"I haven't forgiven you."
Kaelan nods, accepting it without resistance.
"You should also understand that I trusted you," he says, "so I didn't feel the need to return, because I knew you would handle everything here."
He pauses before continuing.
"In the Chen Kingdom, I don't trust anyone enough to give them the responsibility of managing the kingdom."
Li Xueyao's expression softens for just a moment.
"It feels nice to hear that you trust me," she admits, then shakes her head again, "but I still haven't forgiven you."
She steps back once more.
"So don't follow me."
She turns and walks away, her back straight, her steps steady.
Kaelan exhales quietly, watching her leave, understanding that if their positions were reversed, he would not forgive so easily either.
He returns to Yuelan's room and takes a seat beside the bed, resting in a chair as moonlight filters through the window.
While Yuelan and the baby sleep, he reconstructs his new magic circuit within his mind, dismantling old pathways and reorganising flow, layer by layer, without urgency.
By morning, sunlight fills the palace gardens, and the world resumes its rhythm.
At midday, Kaelan walks toward a pavilion hidden among trees and stone paths.
Tang Luyan rises immediately when he sees Kaelan approaching.
A genuine smile appears on Kaelan's face as he senses the aura surrounding Tang Luyan.
It is the aura of a Spiritual Wizard.
Tang Luyan is not the first to reach this realm after Kaelan, as Veena achieved it earlier.
However, Veena's case is different.
Before turning toward the Wizard path, Veena's cultivation already stood at the Divine Mind Realm, half a realm above the Spiritual Wizard Realm.
Tang Luyan is different.
Before advancement, his realm was the Ultimate Master Art Realm, only half a realm below Spiritual Wizard.
His transformation is clean, stable, and representative.
As Kaelan reaches the pavilion, Tang Luyan bows deeply.
"Lord."
Kaelan waves a hand and takes a seat.
"Sit."
Tang Luyan obeys and sits opposite him, posture respectful but not stiff.
Kaelan observes him carefully, spiritual perception tracing the structure of his soul and mana flow.
After a moment, Kaelan speaks.
"What changes did you experience after advancing to the Spiritual Wizard Realm?"
He asks because the Void Monster blood within his own body masks many changes that would otherwise be obvious.
Veena's experience cannot be used as a reference either, as her foundation was already far beyond this realm.
Tang Luyan is the first normal cultivator to step into Spiritual Wizardhood.
His experience is a benchmark.
Tang Luyan thinks carefully before answering.
"The most obvious change is stability," he says, "mana no longer feels like something I control, but something that exists as part of me."
He continues slowly.
"My perception expanded inward rather than outward, as if my mind gained weight, not pressure."
Kaelan nods slightly.
Tang Luyan clenches his fist.
"Casting spells feels less like constructing something and more like allowing it to happen."
He hesitates, then adds.
"And my body feels… reinforced, as if mana has seeped into every part of it naturally."
Kaelan listens intently, committing every word to memory.
This is what the realm should feel like.
This is what others will experience.
Kaelan nods once more, satisfied, and then asks the more important question, his tone calm but intent.
"How much did your lifespan increase?"
This is the key point, because once he hears the answer, he must decide whether to modify the Spiritual Wizard cultivation path or leave it unchanged and let cultivators rely purely on Law comprehension to advance.
In the official Wizard system, a Bronze Wizard lives around one hundred and twenty years, a Silver Wizard one hundred and fifty, and even a peak Golden Wizard reaches only two hundred and forty years.
On paper, it looks impressive, but Kaelan knows the truth.
Not everyone is like him.
For the vast majority of cultivators, that lifespan is simply not enough.
Tang Luyan had already reached the Ultimate Martial Art Master Realm, only half a realm below Spiritual Wizard, and even then, it took him nearly six years to break through.
Many like him, who were Ultimate Realm Martial Art masters that remain stuck at the Golden Wizard Realm, and most of them will never advance further in their entire lives.
If the Spiritual Wizard's lifespan is not long enough, the Wizard path will bottleneck and stagnate.
Tang Luyan answers immediately, without hesitation.
"Lord, roughly three hundred years."
Kaelan's eyes narrow slightly as he calculates.
"So an increase of about sixty years."
Sixty years is not insignificant, but it is far from enough.
For ninety per cent of talented cultivators, reaching the Divine Mind Realm still requires fully comprehending at least one minor Law path, and that process alone can consume decades.
Tang Luyan nods slowly.
"It feels similar to Qi Refiners at equivalent realms."
Kaelan nods in agreement, already forming possibilities in his mind.
Then his gaze sharpens as he looks directly at Tang Luyan.
"I have a task for you."
Tang Luyan straightens instantly.
"Lord, please give your order."
Kaelan speaks without hesitation.
"The time has come for you to take responsibility for advancing the Wizard path."
His actions over the past years have already shaken the foundations of the Qi Refiner world.
He alone defeated twenty Divine Mind Qi Refiners, an event that dealt a devastating blow to their authority.
Later, he defeated seven more Divine-level cultivators.
Ren Qing and Ren Anlan chose death over humiliation, killing themselves when they saw the outcome.
Five others abandoned their humanity and became members of the Twilight Race.
Six surrendered to Kaelan and converted to the Wizard path.
Each of those six held leadership positions within their respective factions, and when they returned as Wizards, they spread the Wizard way throughout their forces.
Yet resistance remains.
The Nine Gang Qi Martial Art Sects and several Qi Refiner factions continue to oppose the Wizard path stubbornly, blocking it from becoming the orthodox cultivation system of the human race.
The Nine Gang Qi Martial Art Sects lie within the territory of the Silver Treasure House.
Kaelan looks at Tang Luyan and says,
"I want you to take a team to the Wizard Academy on the island near the Silver Treasure House."
The goal is simple.
He needs to prove that the Spiritual Wizard Realm is not a myth.
Until now, only Kaelan and Veena have reached it, and both of them are anomalies that others cannot compare themselves to.
Tang Luyan is different.
His advancement proves that a normal cultivator can also step into the Spiritual Wizard Realm.
Tang Luyan bows deeply.
"Yes, Lord."
Then he hesitates and asks the question that has been weighing on his mind.
"Lord, how should one cultivate while in the Spiritual Wizard Realm?"
Kaelan answers honestly.
"For now, continue comprehending a Law."
He pauses before continuing.
"When more people advance to the Spiritual Wizard Realm, and I have sufficient data, I will create a dedicated cultivation method."
One example cannot reveal all shortcomings.
Cultivation techniques exist to erase weaknesses, not ignore them.
From Tang Luyan alone, Kaelan can already see that lifespan is a major flaw, but he cannot yet be sure whether this issue affects everyone equally.
Tang Luyan nods with understanding.
"Lord, I will take my leave."
Kaelan nods as Tang Luyan stands and turns to leave.
Then Kaelan speaks again.
"Luyan, wait."
Tang Luyan stops and turns back.
Kaelan rises to his feet.
"Before you go, arrange a celebration banquet for your advancement to the Spiritual Wizard Realm."
This is not mere formality.
Such a banquet will serve as open proof and a declaration.
The advertisement is needed not only for the Silver Treasure House but also here, to boost confidence and silence doubt.
Tang Luyan does not question the decision.
"Yes, Lord."
Kaelan continues.
"And take three of my original twelve students with you."
Each of those twelve has already reached the Bronze Wizard Realm and understands the Wizard path far more deeply than Tang Luyan does.
They will serve as anchors, examples, and guides.
Tang Luyan nods once more and leaves without further delay.
Kaelan watches him go, then turns toward the palace.
He walks with purpose, heading to meet Li Xueyao.
From his clones, he already knows the changes that have taken place within the kingdom.
But that is not enough.
He needs to hear it from her.
And perhaps, through understanding and honesty, shorten the distance needed for forgiveness.