The tension could be cut with a blade.
Zhao Xian's mercenaries slowly tightened their formation around Taixuan and Lian. Warships hovered in the background, ominous shadows looming like beasts ready to pounce. The Jin Clan's estate walls buzzed with energy shields activating, the alarm bells echoing across the cliffs.
Taixuan's gaze remained calm. His heartbeat was steady, and the Heavenhammer warship above responded to his rising fighting spirit, a low thrum building in its core.
He knew what Zhao Xian wanted: control. Not negotiation. Not alliance. Pure domination.
But Taixuan wasn't a child anymore.
Without a word, Taixuan lifted his hand. The air distorted around him as the Heavenhammer's systems synchronized with his spiritual core. Above, panels on the ship's underbelly slid open, revealing plasma railguns glowing with lethal blue light.
Zhao Xian's smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
"You dare?" he sneered.
Taixuan's lips curled slightly, his voice like cold iron. "You should've done your homework. I don't negotiate with trash."
In a flash, Taixuan's body flickered forward. His movement was so sudden that only a few caught it—the culmination of his Dao Forger cultivation and the enhancements from the Heavenhammer bond.
BOOM!
Taixuan's fist struck the lead mercenary in front of him, sending the armored warrior flying like a ragdoll, armor plates shattering mid-air.
"Attack!" Zhao Xian roared.
The mercenaries opened fire, plasma rounds cutting through the air. But Taixuan was already moving, weaving between beams with inhuman precision. Lian activated her own ship, a sleek Spectral Shuttle modified for speed and close-combat support, deploying drone shields that intercepted some of the blasts.
Above, the Heavenhammer unleashed hell.
Twin railguns fired, beams of condensed energy ripping into the ground forces. Explosions shook the rocky training grounds. Dirt and debris flew, and mercenaries scattered under the onslaught.
Zhao Xian cursed, activating a battle suit. His armor bulked up, generating a crimson energy shield around him. With a snarl, he lunged toward Taixuan, plasma blade crackling in his hand.
Clang!
Their weapons clashed, sending shockwaves through the area.
Zhao Xian had raw power. Years of mercenary battles and vicious survival had honed his instincts. But Taixuan's cultivation was purer, steadier—his every move deliberate and sharp, his energy seamless with his warship's support.
"You're strong," Zhao Xian grunted, blocking a follow-up strike. "But you're still green!"
"Maybe," Taixuan replied coolly, his aura intensifying. "But I don't need to be perfect to destroy you."
Without warning, a hidden compartment opened on Taixuan's left forearm—an enhancement secretly built into his personal combat suit from the Heavenhammer's workshop. A nano-blade, vibrating at atomic frequency, flicked out.
Zhao Xian's eyes widened—but too late.
Slice.
In a flash, Taixuan cut through Zhao Xian's left shoulder armor, drawing blood. The mercenary leader staggered back, growling like a wounded beast.
"You—!" Zhao Xian howled.
Before he could finish, the Heavenhammer's main cannon hummed ominously overhead, locking onto Zhao Xian's position.
The mercenary froze. He wasn't suicidal.
With a snarling curse, he retreated, signaling his forces to pull back. "This isn't over, brat! The Starfire Mercenaries don't forget grudges!"
Taixuan watched them retreat toward their battered warship. His hand lowered, signaling the Heavenhammer to stand down, though the weapon systems remained primed for another volley if necessary.
Minutes later, the estate's elders and guards rushed to the scene. Jin Wei himself arrived shortly after, his eyes widening at the wreckage.
Taixuan stood in the center of the battlefield, Lian beside him, both bruised but upright.
"Grandfather," Taixuan said, bowing respectfully despite the adrenaline still thrumming through his veins.
"You handled this well," Jin Wei said after a moment, his voice heavy with pride. "Very well."
Taixuan simply nodded, saying nothing of the internal fear he had quelled during the fight. Being strong wasn't about being fearless—it was about mastering fear.
The clan gathered around, their respect for Taixuan visibly deepening. Even the elders, who once viewed him as just another promising youth, now looked at him differently.
Whispers began to spread:
> "He faced the Starfire Mercenaries head-on."
"His control over his warship is unmatched."
"Maybe... maybe he really can lead us to join the Main Family."
Taixuan knew he had no time to bask in their admiration. Zhao Xian would not be the last threat they faced. Now, their existence was no longer under the radar. Their clan needed to be ready for even greater storms.
Later that night, in the Grand Hall, Jin Wei called a private meeting with Taixuan, the key elders, and trusted family heads.
A holographic map floated above the conference table, showing nearby star territories. Several red zones blinked ominously—hotbeds of rogue activity.
Jin Wei pointed at the map. "We must accelerate our preparations. With Taixuan's display today, enemies will see us as both a threat and a prize. We need to solidify alliances with neighboring clans... or prepare for war."
Taixuan listened quietly.
One elder hesitated before speaking, "Patriarch, what about... the advancement ceremony? Taixuan is nearing the Second Realm both as a cultivator and a warship master. If he succeeds, our clan's standing will double overnight."
Jin Wei nodded solemnly. "It's time."
The elders murmured in excitement. Advancement to the Void Core Realm for cultivators and Star Commander Level for warship masters was not a small feat. It would mark Taixuan as a true core figure even among the Main Family.
But it would not be without risks.
The ceremony involved fusing one's soul with the greater fragments of the Starry Sea, pulling power from the Shattered Star Crystals.
Failure meant crippling one's foundation—or worse
Over the next week, the Jin Clan moved like a machine under Taixuan's quiet but firm leadership. Fortifications were strengthened. Patrols doubled. Political envoys sent feelers to neighboring minor families for non-aggression pacts.
Taixuan secluded himself in cultivation, meditating beside a massive Shattered Star Crystal housed in the family vault.
Energy pulsed through the cavern like tides, and Taixuan's body drank it in greedily, refining his soul threads and merging them tighter with the Heavenhammer.
The two were evolving together.
As he sat cross-legged, a memory stirred deep in his mind—not from this world, but from his distant Earth life.
Patience. Persistence. Preparation.
He smiled faintly. Those old lessons served him still, even in a universe of gods and warships.
He would rise steadily.
No recklessness.
No arrogance.
Only the silent, burning ambition to forge an unbreakable legacy.
Standing alone on the highest balcony of the estate, Taixuan looked out at the stars.
Tomorrow would be the day he attempted the Advancement Ceremony.
Tomorrow, he would take the first true step into the vast, dangerous world beyond the boundaries of their small star system.
He clenched his fists tightly.
> "I will not fail."
Above him, the Heavenhammer shimmered quietly, as if echoing his resolve