MONARCH

After the unexpected encounter with the mysterious old man, King Aurelius proceeded directly to his training room. He informed his guards that he would be engaged in training and should not be disturbed unless the matter was of utmost importance. Inside the room, he closed the door, plunging it into a fiery reddish glow emanating from the energy stones. Seating himself in the center, he began to meditate with a deep determination, harboring a strong desire to advance to the next level, feeling a sense of powerlessness that he sought to overcome in the days to come.

King Aurelius immersed himself in meditation, tapping into the energy source within the room. Slowly, he guided the energy through his body, allowing it to flow into every vein and reach the dormant orbs. The continuous circulation aimed at breaking through to the next realm, a feat challenging with nine orbs compared to the relative ease if there were only one.

As time elapsed into the next day, the energy continued to course through his body, growing more refined and purer with each cycle. This process, typically reserved for practitioners at a higher level, was unprecedented at the novice stage. King Aurelius's body underwent a refining transformation, his muscles and nerves becoming honed and purified.

After two more days passed, King Aurelius sensed that if he persisted, he could potentially unlock all the orbs with a few more energy circulations. Unbeknownst to him, the body refinement had gone exceptionally well, leaving his skin radiant like jade and enhancing his overall appearance. He remained focused, harnessing the purest energy around the nine orbs. Gradually, two dormant orbs, positioned near the Fire orb, cracked open and emitted a faint blue and greenish glow. Time continued its steady march forward.

In the royal capital, a man cloaked in a green dress made his way into the city. To his surprise, the atmosphere seemed unusually carefree, and the heightened security he expected after the assassination attempt against the king was notably absent. Puzzled by this, he blended into the crowd, slipping through without drawing attention, and headed towards the nearest market squares.

Upon entering the market squares, he sought information about the attempted assassination, but to his disappointment, the patrons seemed oblivious to recent events. Feeling somewhat alarmed and clueless, he left the market squares and found an inn to stay. The only piece of information he managed to gather was that the king had been in closed-door cultivation for the past few days. Recognizing the need to bide his time, he settled in to wait for an opportune moment.

In the grandeur of the Aqualuna Empire,The Queen found herself in a contemplative moment upon receiving a marriage proposal from King Aurelius of the phoenix Empire. Unlike previous proposals involving princes or high-ranking figures from royal clans, this one carried a unique weight—it was a request for the hand of her daughter, the first princess.

The queen, caught in a delicate dilemma, couldn't outright refuse the king. The news swiftly disseminated throughout the aquiline capital, creating a buzz of speculation. The revelation also reached the ears of the peerless beauty and first princess, who, upon hearing the news during a leisurely stroll through the castle, maintained an air of unsurprised composure, Choosing to keep her thoughts private, the princess dismissed the maids who brought the news. The princess harbored no immediate intentions of marriage and harbored reservations about King Aurelius. Her enigmatic silence left an air of intrigue within the royal corridors.

Caught in the tumult of indecision, the Queen of the Aqualuna Empire grappled with the delicate matter of King Aurelius' marriage proposal for her daughter. Aware of her daughter's staunch aversion to marriage, the queen faced the daunting prospect of navigating this proposal.

While pondering the intricacies of the proposal, she suddenly heard the uproar of thunder and noticed the darkening sky. Intrigued and concerned, she slowly walked outside to assess the unfolding situation, questioning herself, "What's happening?"

King Aurelius remained deeply immersed in his cultivation. As he entered a state of dejavu, all nine orbs simultaneously emitted a radiant glow, merging into a single, resplendent golden orb within his body. Unbeknownst to him, his entire being shimmered with golden energy for a whole minute, creating a spectacular display.

Simultaneously, the merging of the orbs triggered a marvelous event in the world. Divine tribulation lightning streaked across the darkened skies, and the clouds took on an ominous, sinister appearance. Monsters howled in fear, running in frenzied panic. The entire world trembled in response to this extraordinary phenomenon, impacting every empire and even the two unknown lands.

In every corner of the world, closed-door old cultivators who had survived for thousands of years suddenly opened their eyes, their bodies trembling with a mix of awe and fear. Whispers echoed through the realms, "He is back... The Monarch."

Within the ethereal realm where spirits exist and thrive, a sudden frenzy gripped every spirit, inducing a chaotic run fueled by an unexplained fear. Higher intellect spirits sought refuge in the deepest recesses, unprecedentedly concealing themselves. The expansive spirit world, comparable in vastness to the physical realm, became a tumultuous scene within a brief span. This hidden realm, unseen by all, serves as the birthplace and refuge for spirits. In this unprecedented moment, an enigmatic occurrence unfolded, disrupting the normally serene fabric of the spirit world. A profound awakening unfolded. The Nine Spirit Lords, who ruled the ethereal realm of spirits and had been immersed in a profound slumber spanning thousands of years, stirred as if roused by a cosmic resonance. Their eyes, accustomed to the veiled darkness of their rest, opened simultaneously. This synchronized awakening occurred in response to an extraordinary event echoing across the world—the birth of the Eternal Monarch. Every Spirit Lord, irrespective of element, shared in this collective revelation, sensing the dawn of a momentous era.