The City of Seven Sky-Pillars did not rest on soil, nor did it float on ordinary clouds. It was suspended across seven colossal, star-forged stone pillars that pierced the fog of the Boundary Sea, holding up the foundational floor of the Upper Realm. Each pillar was wide enough to house an entire mountain range, linked by wide, shimmering bridges of light and gravity-anchored stone.
The Azure Cloud void-cutter glided smoothly into the central docking plaza of the Third Pillar.
The moment Ren stepped off the gangplank, the raw, heavy pressure of the Central Realm hit his frame. The air here was dense, saturated with refined natural Qi that felt like a steady, physical weight pressing against every square inch of skin.
Disciples from various sects strode through the docks clad in radiant silks and glowing armor. Most carried heavy gravity-stabilizing talismans pinned to their lapels just to walk without steepling their posture.
Ren, however, didn't wear a single talisman. His Sovereign Frame effortlessly adjusted to the environment, drinking in the dense atmospheric drag to feed the singularity in his chest. Beside him, Lin Xiu held her icy posture steady, though her breath was slightly shorter than usual.
"The Upper Realm Conclave begins in two days at the Central Pavilion," Lin Xiu said, looking up toward the majestic white towers carved into the face of the nearest sky-pillar. "Every major sect has sent their young masters and elite heirs. This city belongs to no single faction—it is governed by the council of the Seven Astral Heavens."
"Which means law is enforced only by strength," Ren noted softly, walking through the crowded thoroughfare.
As they approached the central market plaza—a grand, open-air pavilion lined with high-grade spirit herb stalls and ancient artifact dealers—the crowd suddenly parted.
A group of ten cultivators clad in deep crimson robes embroidered with golden solar crowns marched down the center of the avenue. At their head walked a young man with long, fiery red hair held back by a crown of molten copper. His expression was cold, haughty, and steeped in unbridled arrogance.
His aura radiated outward like a burning furnace—a genuine early-stage Soul Assembly cultivation base.
Young Master Huo of the Crimson Solar Sect.
Huo stopped ten paces from Ren, his burning eyes sweeping over Ren's simple black-and-gold robes. Behind Huo, a dozen disciples sneered, eyeing the lone pair from the Azure Cloud Sect like scavengers eyeing fallen prey.
"So the outer trash actually survived the Boundary Sea," Huo said, his voice laced with crackling heat Qi that dried the air instantly. "I heard my vanguard was turned back by some low-level spatial trick on the floating peaks. Was that you, boy?"
Ren stopped, keeping his hands tucked inside his long, dark sleeves. His expression was completely blank.
"Your vanguard lacked weight," Ren said quietly. "Just like your words."
A sudden hush fell over the surrounding market. Dozens of onlookers from rival sects gasped, astonished that anyone from a minor outer branch dared address Young Master Huo in such a manner.
Huo’s eyes narrowed into slit-like embers. He took a heavy step forward, unleashing the full, suffocating weight of his Soul Assembly aura straight at Ren’s head. The flagstones beneath Huo’s boots cracked, red flames sweeping out in a ten-foot ring.
"In the City of Seven Sky-Pillars, a minor young master is no better than a dog," Huo snarled, intent on crushing Ren to his knees in front of the crowd.
Ren didn't raise his hands. He didn't unleash elemental Qi.
He simply shifted his local density by a fraction of a millimeter.
The Sovereign Frame.
When Huo’s oppressive Soul Assembly pressure slammed into Ren, it didn't force Ren down. It hit Ren's body as if slamming into an unyielding, infinite mountain of solid obsidian. The thermal wave and soul-pressure bounced off Ren’s shoulders, scattering uselessly into the surrounding air like thrown sand against a cliff face.
Ren didn't move an inch. His posture remained straight, his eyes dark and unblinking.
Huo’s smile froze. A flicker of genuine shock crossed his fiery eyes as he felt the recoil of his own pressure ripple back into his chest, making his breath catch.
Before Huo could escalate into a full duel, a clear, bell-like voice rang out from the upper balcony of the central pavilion.
"Save your flames for the Conclave, Young Master Huo."
A young woman clad in translucent green silks descended from above, landing gracefully on the stone floor without making a sound. Her eyes were bright, intelligent, and her aura hummed with the mysterious, serene law of life and wood.
Saintess Yao of the Jade Heavens.
"The Grand Council strictly forbids private battles inside the market plaza before the Pillar Trials begin," Yao stated smoothly, her gaze lingering on Ren with sharp curiosity. She had seen how effortlessly Ren had absorbed a Soul Assembly expert's aura without utilizing a shred of elemental Qi.
Huo pulled his aura back, snorting with cold disdain as he glared at Ren.
"Consider yourself lucky, scrap-sweeper," Huo spat, turning his back. "Tomorrow, at the Pillar of Absolute Mass, there are no council rules to shield you. Let us see if your iron skin can survive a hundredfold gravity."
Ren watched Huo walk away, his face unreadable.
Lin Xiu stepped up beside him. "The Pillar of Absolute Mass is where the Conclave separates true geniuses from pretenders."
Ren looked up at the colossal stone pillar towering into the clouds above them, feeling the ancient, heavy hum calling to the Godhead fragments deep inside his chest.
"A hundredfold gravity?" Ren whispered, a dark, quiet smile touching his lips. "That sounds like a light stroll."