Chapter 57 –Arrays and Robbery
A faint pulse of essence swirled gently in the chamber, settling into patterns only Jin could perceive now. His eyes, half-lidded in meditation, suddenly snapped open. The world before him shimmered—not in some illusion or breakthrough of realm—but in understanding.
Runes.
He had been studying them for decades, but this moment felt different. Jin's gaze fell upon the large essence gathering formation beneath him—the same formation he had relied on for years. It wasn't just a technique anymore. It was a message. A beacon. And suddenly, Jin saw it.
"These… these aren't just markings."
Each rune was a word in a language he was just beginning to understand. Individually, they were mere sparks. But together—when arranged in a precise formation—they didn't just gather essence. They pulled it. Commanded it. They became conduits, drawing energy not only from the chamber but from the very world outside.
It wasn't just a formation anymore. It was an array.
Jin's lips curled upward, his heart pounding like thunder. With trembling hands, he reached for the ground and began etching another formation. Then another. Three new arrays were birthed beneath his fingertips in quick succession. The first was crude—rough lines and uneven patterns. But the second had structure. The third... it sang.
He sat within the center of all four arrays. Essence flooded toward him from every corner of the chamber, spiraling around him like a living storm.
"Hahahahahaha!" Jin couldn't hold back his laughter. It echoed wildly through the time chamber, bouncing from wall to wall. "After forty years, your grandfather has finally become an array master!"
His voice boomed triumphantly, but after a moment, silence returned. Jin blinked and looked around.
"...I'm still alone, huh."
Scratching the side of his nose awkwardly, he let out a sheepish chuckle and returned to his cultivation. The essence was rushing in faster than ever. The foundation was solid. His mind and soul were in harmony. He could feel the walls of his realm shifting—he was about to breakthrough again. Mid-stage Adept Realm was in sight.
---
Meanwhile, in a completely different part of the Grand Ascension Realm, Gorr yawned as he stretched his arms above his head, having just awakened from his four-year nap. He blinked once, bored out of his mind. He hadn't broken through, but he was done waiting.
"Ugh, nothing to do around here," he muttered. Then he remembered something—his hair. The one Jin gave to Lyra for emergency teleportation.
"Guess I'll go find her," he grinned. "Might as well make this journey fun."
He used his space element to lock onto the strand's aura and flashed forward. But as he arrived, the scene that greeted him made his eyes narrow.
Lyra was in the middle of a brutal fight. Bloodied and panting, her twin elements—fire and light—lashed out desperately. But her opponent, a muscular male cultivator with a jagged stone gauntlet and wild eyes, was pressing her hard. His earth element allowed him to parry and absorb her attacks far too easily.
"Where the hell did this guy come from?" Gorr muttered, watching from the shadows.
The man had clearly had a lucky encounter. Even though he was only at the late-stage Initiate Realm, he was powerful—easily stronger than most at his level.
But Gorr had seen enough.
He stepped forward and said casually, "Scram."
The word hit the cultivator like a mountain.
The man froze, eyes widening in horror. The voice didn't carry killing intent. It didn't need to. It carried certainty—and that was worse. Without even turning to see who had spoken, he knew. He knew.
He activated a forbidden technique on the spot, burning his life force to escape at blinding speed. Sweat poured down his back. His instincts screamed at him—he'd just provoked someone whose mere presence warped the battlefield.
He didn't even look back.
Lyra fell to one knee, coughing. She looked up and gasped, "Gorr… you saved me."
He gave her a lazy shrug. "It's nothing."
Lyra stood, brushing blood off her chin. "Why are you here?"
Gorr grinned. "I got bored. Figured we might as well group up and have some fun."
She raised a brow. "What kind of fun?"
"Oh, the easy kind," Gorr said with a wicked smile. "We loot people. Going to runes that might be empty is a pain. Easier to take from cultivators who've already found treasures."
Lyra gave him a long look, then sighed. "I hate how jealous I am of that space element of yours…"
He chuckled. "Just stay close."
And thus began a spree unlike anything the Grand Ascension Realm had seen in recent memory. For the next six years, Gorr and Lyra carved a path of robbery and humiliation through the realm. Dozens of proud cultivators were left speechless—robbed of eighty percent of their storage contents, if not more. Some had just found rare treasures. Others were ambushed mid-battle. It didn't matter. No one could escape the duo.
By the time their reign of inconvenience ended, the phrase "If you see them, run" had become common advice.
And yet, Gorr wasn't entirely satisfied.
"Where the hell is that brat?" he muttered one evening, staring at the horizon. "He said the last two years in this realm would be exciting… I better not miss it."
He cracked his knuckles, eager to catch up.