Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The capital of Riley State, once buzzing with anticipation, now throbbed with pressure. The day had come—the opening of the Scorch Realm. Cultivators from every corner of the Great Wave Continent and beyond had gathered at the Flame Meridian Grounds, where the realm's entrance would appear. The air shimmered with heat and ambition. Representatives from powerful sects, royal clans, and noble families stood shoulder to shoulder, each hoping to claim glory, treasure, or enlightenment from the realm said to favor flame-based cultivation.
Among them were the elites—those whose names carried weight across continents. The Crimson Vale Sect, the Azure Drift Alliance, the Raine Sect, and the Ember Crown Pavilion, just to name a few, had sent their finest. But none drew more attention than the arrival of Master Talia and her disciple, Rana Flare.
As the two descended from the sky on a flame-glide talisman, all eyes turned.
Master Talia radiated the calm authority of an Early Sage Realm expert. Her beauty was untouched by age, her presence commanding. Many of the "old monsters"—Sage Realm cultivators who had known her in their youth—watched with a mix of nostalgia and caution. She hadn't changed. Not in appearance. Not in power. And certainly not in temperament.
But it was Rana who stole the breath of the crowd.
Her long white hair flowed like moonlight, and her solar silk robe glowed with fire glyphs that pulsed in rhythm with her qi. At eighteen, she was already a Peak Moon Realm cultivator, and her aura was refined beyond her years. Cultivators under a thousand years old found themselves mesmerized. Her beauty was ethereal, her presence magnetic. Many wished to possess her—not just for her looks, but for her talent, her potential, and her lineage.
Yet none dared approach.
To openly express desire for Rana Flare was to court disaster. Master Talia's reputation alone was enough to silence even the boldest suitors. And Rana herself carried an air of quiet fire—untouchable, unyielding.
Among the crowd stood Lloyd of the Raine Sect. Though not a flame cultivator, his sect had allowed him to participate in the Scorch Realm to temper himself and seek treasures beyond what he had earned in the Tian Realm. He was strong, confident, and used to standing out.
But when he saw Rana, he blushed.
He had no clue who she was, but according to Master Alando and Patriarch Shanell, who were with him today, this angel was the flame princess of the Solar Clan.
Since Lloyd hadn't been given a name, he couldn't piece together that this was the same Rana—Jalen's fiancée—whom he'd heard about when he and Jalen visited the Flare Family a few years ago. And even if he did notice the name similarity, he'd probably assume this Rana was someone else entirely. After all, she was the princess of a powerful clan. Compared to the Flare Family, the difference was too great.
And now, standing among hundreds of cultivators, he realized just how far apart their worlds were.
Still, he couldn't look away.
As the crowd murmured and shifted, Sage Realm experts approached Master Talia. They greeted her with respectful nods and brief conversations—some genuine, others thinly veiled attempts to get closer to Rana. Talia entertained them with grace but kept her responses short. She knew their intentions. She had seen it all before.
After an hour of waiting, gossiping, and subtle posturing, the air changed.
A low hum vibrated through the ground. The sky above the Flame Meridian Grounds darkened, then split with a crack of crimson light. A tear in space opened—a jagged rift of flame and shadow. The entrance to the Scorch Realm had arrived.
The crowd fell silent.
The realm pulsed with ancient energy. Fire qi spilled out like smoke from a volcano, thick and potent. The temperature rose instantly, and even seasoned cultivators felt their skin prickle.
A voice rang out from the Flame Meridian altar. "All disciples under six hundred years of age—enter now!"
And they did.
Like a tide breaking against the shore, hundreds of cultivators surged forward. Disciples from every sect, clan, and school charged into the realm, their robes flaring, their weapons ready. The age restriction was absolute. Anyone older who tried to force their way in would be met with consequences—fatal ones. The realm itself rejected those beyond its threshold, and stories of cultivators being burned to ash for defying the rule were well known.
Rana stepped forward.
Her eyes were calm, her breath steady. She turned to Master Talia, who nodded once.
"Remember what I taught you," Talia said. "And trust your flame."
Rana bowed. "I will."
Then she walked toward the entrance, her steps light but deliberate. As she passed Lloyd, their eyes met for a brief moment. He felt his heart skip—but she didn't react. Her gaze was focused, her mind already inside the realm.
She didn't even glance at me. Of course she wouldn't. Someone like her… someone like me… different worlds.
Lloyd exhaled quietly, trying to steady his thoughts. He wasn't sure why the moment lingered—but it did.
She vanished into the rift.
The Scorch Realm swallowed her whole.
Inside, the world changed.
The realm was vast—an endless expanse of volcanic plains, molten rivers, and floating islands of obsidian. Flame beasts roamed the land, and ancient ruins pulsed with forgotten power. The air was thick with fire qi, and every breath felt like inhaling embers.
Rana landed on a ridge overlooking a valley of flame. She closed her eyes, centered her breath, and let her qi flow. Her flame responded instantly, dancing around her in a protective aura.
She was ready.
All around her, other disciples arrived—some cautiously, others with reckless excitement. The Scorch Realm was not a place for the faint-hearted. It tested not only strength but also will, clarity, and control. And Rana knew that the trials ahead would shape her future.
____
Outside the scorch realm, the atmosphere remained tense.
Elders and masters from top sects lingered at the Flame Meridian Grounds, watching the rift with patient eyes. They waited for signs—fluctuations in qi, echoes of battle, or the return of their disciples. Some had traveled from distant continents and would remain for weeks, monitoring the realm's progress.
Then it happened.
Something like a shooting star—fast, silent, and impossibly precise—streaked across the sky and vanished into the Scorch Realm's entrance before anyone could react.
Only those at the Peak Spirit Fusion Realm and above saw it clearly. The rest blinked, confused, annoyed, and curious. Who—or what—had just entered the realm ahead of everyone?
Speculation buzzed through the crowd.
Some whispered of hidden experts. Others spoke of forbidden techniques. A few even wondered if the realm itself had summoned someone.
But none knew the truth.