The Sovereign Chronicles novel Chapter 2

Kaelen had long grown accustomed to the stares of The Azure Sky Sanctum's disciples. Whether it was pity or mockery, he accepted it all with calm indifference. Having lived here for eight years, Kaelen always felt like a passing traveler. He had never integrated into this place, and The Azure Sky Sanctum had zero desire to accept him either.

Dragging his exhausted and battered body, he returned to the Sanctum's sundry storage warehouse.

This was the place he had lived in for the past eight years, situated on a low hill near the main peak of the Sanctum. The warehouse was massive. There used to be five people managing it, but now there were only two.

One was the unyielding Kaelen, and the other was a decrepit old man.

They belonged to the absolute bottom rung of The Azure Sky Sanctum, relying on each other for survival for many years.

Kaelen arrived back at the warehouse, rubbed his face hard in front of the iron gates, and forced a faint smile, just like he always did.

"Old Man, I'm back."

Kaelen pushed open the iron gates and snapped his fingers, acting as if nothing had happened.

The white-haired old man sat silently in the distance beneath an ancient tree. Beside it was a lone grave. The old man would sit there every single day, quietly mourning the departed.

One was lonely and desolate, the other stubborn and resilient. Two completely different personalities, yet they had lived together harmoniously in this place for many years. It was quite a strange phenomenon, all things considered.

Humming a small tune, Kaelen went into the warehouse and changed into clean clothes. No frustration, no sense of defeat, and no resentment toward anyone. It wasn't so much that he was used to it, but rather that he was striving to remain optimistic—an optimism forged through sheer grit and perseverance. For eight years, it had always been like this.

By the lone grave in the distance, The Old Man sat quietly, as if he hadn't even noticed Kaelen's injuries. His attention was entirely focused on that grave and the magnolia flowers swaying gently beside it. This was basically how he lived every day. Aside from doing some simple organizing in the warehouse and eating a bit of food, he just sat there keeping the grave company.

"Dinner will be a bit late today. I need to train for a while first."

Kaelen called out a greeting, sat cross-legged on a stone stool, and remained as still as a bell. His breathing steadied as he began to draw in the subtle Vitality of the world, using it to mend his battered body.

What he was circulating now wasn't a standard Martial Arts technique, but rather a wondrous method of absorbing energy—The Genesis Mantra!

Generally speaking, the ultimate pursuit of all martial practitioners was to absorb the energy of the world, condense it into Aether within their bodies, and manifest devastating combat power through specific Martial Arts. It was universally acknowledged that the world's energy was the 'wild state' or 'source state' of Aether.

But what Kaelen was capturing right now wasn't generic energy. It was Vitality, the absolute essence of life!

This miraculous and exceptionally rare breathing technique came from the old man sitting in the distance.

From the moment Kaelen was imprisoned in The Azure Sky Sanctum as a standard Initiate and assigned to the warehouse as a Servitor, The Old Man had already been there. No one seemed to know his origins, nor did anyone care about such a wretched old fool. The Old Man had an eccentric temper and rarely spoke to Kaelen, let alone anyone else. But on a rainy night five years ago, when Kaelen had crawled back covered in blood, the old man had unexpectedly spoken an incantation, which Kaelen had firmly etched into his memory.

"The Essence of Vitality is ethereal, drifting between heaven and earth, without beginning or end."

"The Astral Crown rides the ether, shaping the four seasons, dictating The Mortal Sphere. When heaven and earth intersect, all things are born and transformed; there is a beginning and an end, a cycle that forever returns."

"Born of the seasons, forged by day and night."

"Vitality takes physical form, while the wandering spirit dictates change."

"Trace its path, observe its flow. If one can understand its coming and going, one can skillfully harness it, drawing fortune and evading decay."

Kaelen spent a full three years fumbling and analyzing it, finally understanding it completely and achieving flawless mastery.

It was precisely because of this wondrous breathing technique that Kaelen's injuries could heal in the shortest possible time. It was the only reason he had managed to stubbornly survive until now amidst the persecution and oppression of The Azure Sky Sanctum.

What was the origin of this incantation? The Old Man never said, and Kaelen never asked.

After a day of recovery, Kaelen's Aether flow and injuries had mostly healed, and the pain had essentially vanished.

The effects of The Genesis Mantra were truly miraculous.

By evening, seeing that it was getting late, Kaelen paused his meditation, went into the warehouse to cook some food, and set it out on a crude wooden table outside. "Old Man, time to eat."

It was just ordinary wild vegetables, pretty much the same every day, but Kaelen still managed to cook them up in a few different styles, laying out four dishes.

The Old Man turned his head and glanced at the food. Perhaps the color and presentation looked appetizing, or perhaps he was genuinely hungry after not eating all day. He patted the dust off his clothes, sat down, and began eating slowly without saying a word.

"You go ahead and eat. I'm going to train a bit more." Kaelen hastily shoved two mouthfuls into his mouth with his fork, then sat back cross-legged on the stone stool to continue absorbing the Essence of Vitality.

He needed to completely clear out his injuries as quickly as possible. He couldn't afford to leave any hidden lingering damage.

The Old Man tasted each dish one by one, found the flavor to his liking, and pulled all four plates in front of him, eating at his own unhurried pace.

He seemed to have quite an appetite today.

"Lordling Kaelen?" A pretty, fair-skinned young girl knocked on the iron gate and walked in.

"Celine." Kaelen chuckled softly in greeting. "Haven't seen you in a few months. You've gotten even prettier."

"Haven't seen you in a few months, and you've stirred up trouble again. You never give anyone peace of mind. Senior Lyra asked me to bring you some medicine." The girl waved the small woven basket in her hand, casually greeting The Old Man as well. Naturally, she was ignored. The old man just minded his own business and kept eating. Celine didn't mind. She walked briskly over to Kaelen, her steps light and airy. "Let me see how badly you're hurt."

"It's nothing. I'm much better. Don't worry about it."

"Honestly, why do you put yourself through this? You knew they wouldn't let you pass." Celine placed the small basket next to Kaelen. She had a pure, flawless beauty, fresh and bright, like a delicate lotus blooming from the water. She seemed lively and cheerful, but seeing Kaelen's pale face filled her expression with worry as she scolded him for his recklessness.

"The opportunity was right there. If I don't try, how would I know if it works or not?"

"Is this your house?" Jaden flashed a wicked grin, and his lackeys chuckled unapologetically.

"You..."

Kaelen didn't even bother standing up from his stone stool. He just kept eating his pastry. "No need to get angry over a few pieces of trash."

"Thrall Kaelen, what did you just say? Do you have the guts to say it again?" Jaden marched toward them.

"I've said it plenty of times over the years. What, you addicted to hearing it?"

Celine hastily warned, "Kaelen, he isn't the same Jaden from before."

"And I'm not the same me." Kaelen had bided his time for over two months, achieving consecutive breakthroughs. Although he had been humiliated by Elder Cyra today, his power was no longer trapped in The Spirit Forging Realm.

"Is that so?" Jaden gestured for his lackeys to shut the iron gates tightly. He let out a dark chuckle, standing in front of Kaelen, looking down at him with half-lidded eyes.

Kaelen raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, and stood up from the stone stool. He was a full head taller than Jaden, and now it was his turn to look down with half-lidded eyes. "Something you need?"

The imposing aura Jaden had just built up instantly withered. He flared with anger. "Kaelen, I just don't understand where a filthy Thrall like you gets his sense of superiority!"

"If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost."

"I challenge you to a duel!" Jaden was done wasting words. He just wanted to ruthlessly beat Kaelen to a pulp and vent his anger. His aura solidified, and flames suddenly surged from both of his hands, burning fiercely.

External Aether manifestation—The Spirit Warrior Tier!

"Haven't seen you in two months. Which Phase of The Spirit Warrior Tier are you at?" Kaelen glanced at the flames on Jaden's hands without any trace of surprise.

"The Spirit Warrior Tier! Third Phase!" Jaden puffed out his chest with pride. The real reason he had disappeared for so long was that Elder Cyra had taken him away for private tutoring. It was an opportunity his sister had secured for him. By training bitterly under Elder Cyra's meticulous guidance, he had jumped two entire phases, leaping from a newly advanced Spirit Warrior straight to the Third Phase.

His lackeys were all brimming with pride for him.

"Listen well, Kaelen! Our Senior Jaden passed today's trial taking first place! Elder Cyra even rewarded him with a stalk of Glimmerpearl Herb!"

"Do you even know what a Glimmerpearl Herb is? That's a Lesser Aether-flora!"

"In ten days, Senior Jaden will step into The Vanguard Vault and inherit an even more powerful Martial Codex. In the future, he won't just be a Prime Initiate, he might even rise to become a Gold-Crest Paragon! And you? Keep sweeping the floors in this warehouse, hahaha."

"From now on, you'll only be fit to look at the back of Senior Jaden's head, hahaha."

Kaelen's expression finally showed a ripple of reaction. Glimmerpearl Herb? His gaze drifted toward the Embroidered Satchel hanging at Jaden's waist.