Sirina looked at Jaya with clear annoyance.
There was even a hint of contempt in her gaze.
Jaya gave a stiff, helpless smile and continued begging her with his eyes like a child asking for help after refusing advice. He looked so pitiful that Sirina finally let out a silent sigh.
She stood up slowly from her kneeling position. Her legs were stiff, but she straightened herself right away and lowered her head respectfully. She forced her expression into a humble and polite look before walking toward Aksai.
Each step was steady and careful, showing her respect. When she reached a proper distance, she clasped her hands and bowed deeply.
"Lord Aksai," she said softly, "I’m glad I could see you today. Congratulations on reaching the Core Formation realm. I wanted to—"
She couldn’t finish.
A sudden pressure washed over the area, heavy and sharp, like a blade cutting through the air. Sirina froze mid-sentence. Her heart skipped a beat. This presence was strong, overwhelming, and very familiar.
Another Core Formation Lord.
She looked up instinctively and recognized who it was imditely.
In the distance, a man was approaching on a flying sword, his long robe fluttering in the wind. His figure was thin and his face pale, showing signs of his weakened health, yet his aura still carried the weight of a true powerhouse.
Sirina’s master.
Haan Di Lord.
He was moving fast, almost faster than the wind, heading straight toward Aksai. Even in his fragile state, he had personally co the mont he sensed the presence of another Core Formation Lord.
Sirina’s eyes widened.
Aksai had barely revealed his aura, yet her master had reacted instantly. It showed how much importance a Core Formation Lord placed on another of his kind.
And now, Haan Di Lord was coming directly to greet Aksai himself, not even sparing a single glance at any of his direct disciples who had gathered at one place.
Haan Di Lord’s flying sword slowed as it neared the street, then stopped in the air with a soft hum. A mont later, he stepped off it lightly, as if he were stepping down from a small stair instead of floating dozens of tres above the ground. The old man was still as elegant as a young adventurer despite his poor health.
His robe fluttered once as he landed on the cobblestone floor, quiet and steady. The sword behind him dissolved into thin air like mist blown away by the wind.
He stood only a short distance from Aksai.
Haan Di Lord lifted his eyes and looked at the young man standing calmly in the middle of the street. The mont their gazes t, a faint spark of recognition flashed in the old Lord’s dim, tired eyes.
He rembered.
It was not a mory from White Mountain City. Aksai had never been important enough to et him there in those days. No drifting cultivator with a low background could casually et Haan Di Lord in the neutral state Haan Di that welcod talents from the five kingdoms.
No... the eting had happened elsewhere and was much more recent. The Blackblood Sect.
Haan Di Lord narrowed his eyes slightly as the mories lined up in his mind, clear despite his fading strength. He had t Aksai there during a grand event the Blackblood Lord had hosted—an event celebrating his son, Haitin Blackblood, and his marriage with the Sun Ocean Lord’s daughter.
The Blackblood Lord had chosen that day to make two announcents: Haitin would be his heir, and Aksai would be his honorary disciple.
Haan Di Lord rembered the shock he had felt at that ti. Aksai had been the one who played a crucial role in freeing the three Core Formation Lords of the demonic faction from Holy Land Torel’s isolated dinsion—a place that everyone believed had sealed them forever.
That release had changed everything.
Because of it, the demonic faction had regained its full strength even though it was for a little bit of ti. Holy Land Torel had turned into a battleground of danger and traps among the existing Lords and their direct subordinates.
The righteous faction’s chances of getting inside and taking benefits had dropped sharply after the demonic faction Lords had returned to the Wild Devil Lands.
Haan Di Lord himself had tried forcing his way in not long after that event. He had pushed too hard, hoping to grab one last opportunity before his old age caught up to him.
But he had failed. Worse, he had severely injured himself during the attempt. His already failing health had taken an even deeper hit.
After that, he stopped trying altogether. He had accepted that his path had ended, and no miracle would change that.
And a part of that entire shift... connected back to Aksai. So yes, Haan Di Lord rembered him clearly.
Even now, seeing Aksai standing tall with the aura of a Core Formation Lord, the old man felt sothing complicated rise in his chest. Not hatred. Not anger. Sothing tired, mixed with understanding, mixed with a faint sting of regret.
He slowly straightened his back despite the pain and spoke, his voice rough with age but steady.
"It’s you...Aksai."
He said the na as if he were acknowledging an equal he had once seen from a distance.
Haan Di Lord stared at Aksai for a long mont, unable to hide the shock that flashed across his old, tired eyes. The last ti he had seen this young man, Aksai had been nothing more than a mid-stage Foundation Establishnt cultivator— a bit promising, yes, but still far from touching the Core Formation realm.
Yet here he stood now, steady and calm, with a true Core Formation Lord’s aura surrounding him like a quiet storm.
It made no sense at first glance. The speed was too fast. Too unbelievable. Plus, there were no signs of the Celestial Wrath taking place in the recent past.
How did Aksai beco a Lord so fast? And where did he go through the Celestial Wrath test?
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