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Ken’s Secret Realm
Diyah supported Ken’s mortal shell as they navigated the desolate corridors of the palace. Their footsteps finally halted before the highest honor-guest pavilion—a majestic architecture upheld by pillars of pure ice crystal, its flooring paved with marble that radiated an oceanic blue luminescence. The copper-hued twilight sun pierced the transparent dome roof, refracting and conjuring a visual spectacle akin to thousands of diamonds dancing in the air.
Diyah pushed the carved doors wide open, then carefully assisted Ken in sitting upon a high-backed throne of honor situated precisely in the center of the pavilion.
Diyah then pulled up a small chair and sat near Ken. She rested her hands upon her lap, gazing at the youth’s visage beside her with eyes brimming with profound concern. “You must be exhausted to the absolute limit of your meridians, Brother Ken. Is there anything else I can do to ease your wounds?” she asked with an exceedingly gentle tone.
Ken exhaled a long breath, sweeping his flat gaze across the opulent pavilion. “Truthfully… I have no intention of restoring my power in an exposed domain such as this,” Ken stated.
Diyah’s brow furrowed faintly, her gaze reflecting subtle bewilderment. “Then… where else are we moving to?”
”I shall take you to a secret domain. Is the Princess willing to accompany me?” Ken offered, turning his head to lock his gaze intently upon the maiden’s eyes.
”Hmmm, yes… Naturally, I am willing,” Diyah answered without a microscopic shred of hesitation.
Ken rose slowly to his feet. He extended his large hand and grasped Diyah’s fingers warmly. “Stand,” Ken gently commanded. Diyah rose from her chair, obeying the youth’s directive.
”Now, close your eyes,” Ken instructed once more.
Aaa… Brother Ken, what kind of spatial magic do you intend to show me this time? Diyah wondered, harboring slight suspicion yet overflowing with profound curiosity. “Mm-hmm,” she murmured obediently, slowly sealing her eyelids shut.
The moment Diyah’s eyes closed, Ken concentrated his residual Qi energy. The void surrounding them distorted violently, folding dimensions and tearing asunder the absolute laws of the mortal realm. A fleeting sensation of a vacuum pull washed over them, before their feet finally touched down upon a solid surface.
”Now, you may open your eyes,” Ken’s tranquil voice echoed near her ear.
Diyah slowly parted her eyelids. A heartbeat later, the maiden’s breath caught in her throat.
”Wahh…” Diyah murmured, her voice nearly swallowed by an extraordinary, unfathomable awe. Her eyes widened in absolute disbelief.
At this precise moment, she was standing upon the soil of a colossal island levitating gracefully amidst an ocean of clouds. The floating island was encircled by spiritual waterfalls that cascaded endlessly, piercing through the dense mist into the abyssal clouds below. Right in the epicenter of the island stood a majestic palace exuding an aura of eternity, its spires towering arrogantly to pierce the horizon.
Diyah swallowed hard, entirely incapable of tearing her gaze away from the heavenly panorama. “Brother Ken… what is this place? I… I am even struggling to trust my own sanity. Are my eyes truly witnessing reality?”
Ken strode forward slowly, allowing the cool breeze bearing a pure fragrance to sweep his robes. “This… is my secret realm,” Ken stated softly, yet radiating the absolute authority of a supreme sovereign. “A concealed dimension completely unknown to any mortal being out there.”
Diyah turned her head swiftly, staring at Ken’s visage from the side. “A secret realm? You… you possess and conceal a realm as breathtaking as this all to yourself?!”
Ken nodded slowly, a faint smile heavily laden with the burdens of the past gracing his visage. “It is not purely to conceal it, but rather to protect it. This realm… is an eternal sanctuary where various races of Star Monsters—from the newly hatched to those hundreds of thousands of years old—can coexist in absolute peace.”
Diyah stepped forward as if hypnotized, her eyes anchored upon the silhouette of the majestic palace sprawling before her. The palace structures radiated a golden brilliance; its pillars and highest spires appeared as beautiful as a painting of the gods brought to life. She drew a deep breath, inhaling the astronomically dense spiritual essence.
”I… I truly do not know what to say, Brother Ken,” Diyah expressed, gazing at the youth beside her with eyes sparkling with overflowing awe. “This… this feels like a dream. Like stepping into a realm I have only ever read about within the myths of ancient legends.”
Ken stared at the maiden for a moment. He exhaled slowly, as if weighing the gravity of his own words before continuing. “From this exact second, Princess… you have officially become a part of this colossal secret.”
Hearing that affirmation, Diyah instinctively grasped Ken’s hand tightly, as if terrified that should her grip loosen, all the miracles before her eyes would merely evaporate as an illusion. “In that case… I swear I shall guard it with my very life, Brother Ken.”
Diyah’s gaze then drifted upward, anchoring upon a colossal stele engraved with luminous runes carved directly above the palace gates. “What is written there, Brother Ken? I cannot decipher the script,” she asked, furrowing her brow.
Ken cast a fleeting glance toward the gates, then answered tranquilly. “Those are ancient runic scripts. They are pronounced as ‘Kor-Zi-an’. It is from that very stele I adopted and bestowed the name for this dimensional realm.”
”Hmm… so the name of this sacred sanctuary is the Korzian Realm?” Diyah verified with a soft voice, spelling the name within her heart.
Ken nodded. He turned to gaze at the expanse of the island and the palace in the distance. The warm dimensional sunlight illuminated the waterfalls, causing the cascading water to glisten like thousands of silver threads unraveling from the heavens. A smile of absolute pride returned to Ken’s visage.
”To the sovereigns in the outside realm, this place would undoubtedly be revered as a heavenly treasure worthy of sparking a bloodbath,” Ken stated while gesturing to their surroundings. “The expanse of this secret realm stretches to encompass an area equivalent to half the landmass of the mortal continent we inhabit. And within this domain, Star Monsters can evolve naturally without the necessity of preying upon one another or endangering human civilization.”
Suddenly, an exceedingly long, shrill screech pierced the clouds in the sky, causing the hairs on the back of Diyah’s neck to stand on end instantaneously.
”Hah! That sound… Isn’t that Garu?!” she asked, her eyes widening as she searched for the source of the cry in the heavens.
Ken nodded in confirmation. “Yes… your deduction is absolutely correct. That is indeed Garu.”
Diyah looked up at the clear sky in awe, watching the silhouette of the colossal eagle soaring freely in the air. “Wah… so he has been residing and living in a place this beautiful all this time.”
Ken gently pulled Diyah’s hand, guiding the maiden up the steps of white stone leading to the palace courtyard. “Come here, Diyah. Over here is the primary training crucible. By placing yourself to cultivate here, the foundation of your power can skyrocket exponentially within an exceptionally brief period.”
Ken pointed toward three colossal cave maws whose doors were forged from pitch-black stone slabs as impenetrable as obsidian. “Cultivating within those chambers for a single hour yields an effect equivalent to sweating blood for an entire day in the normal realm. These facilities are absolute perfection for obliterating and reconstructing your physical endurance.”
”Hah?! A spatial manipulation of time and pressure exists like that?!” Diyah stared at Ken, her eyes wide as saucers. “One hour in there is equivalent to an entire day of training?”
Ken shook his head to correct her. “It is not time manipulation. It is gravitational load manipulation. Within those chambers, the gravitational pressure is multiplied to extreme degrees. The training rooms possess one hundred tiers of gravity that can be calibrated according to our physical tolerance limits. The amplification ratio from one level to the next is an exponential multiplier of your original weight. Therefore, every single footfall, every breath, and every swing of your weapon in there will genuinely torture and simultaneously temper your physical cells.”
Diyah nodded slowly, her brain attempting to process that unimaginable physical torment. “Meaning we are literally forced to temper our muscles and combat arts while bearing the weight of the earth, and the pressure continuously mounts alongside the chamber’s level.”
”Precisely,” Ken answered. “Engrave this theory into your mind: The mortal human shell is the vessel for Star Seal Energy. The sturdier the materials of your physical vessel, the greater the volume and explosive yield of cosmic energy you can harbor and command without the fear of detonating from within.”
Diyah swept her gaze, her eyes falling upon a fourth cavern whose maw was far more massive and sealed by a metallic gate engraved with lethal runes. “That colossal cave at the very end… does it possess an identical function, Brother Ken? Its aura feels astronomically more terrifying.”
”Your observation is sharp,” Ken explained with an exceedingly grave tone. “That is also a training crucible. However… that chamber can only be accessed after an individual successfully completes and survives level one hundred within the God Training Rooms (the first three caves). The gravitational magnitude within that massive cave exists entirely beyond mortal logic. Recklessly stepping inside before your physical vessel is primed… your bones and meridians will be pulverized into mush, resulting in a fatal demise.”
Diyah swallowed hard, her beautiful visage paling at the horrifying description. “A literal… chamber of death?”
Ken nodded, staring at Diyah with a gaze of absolute warning. “That is what I term the Star Training Room. Only entities who have successfully subjugated the one hundred tiers of tempering in the God Training Rooms possess the absolute right to enter it and emerge alive.”
Diyah fell silent, palpably feeling the crushing weight and terror of Ken’s words. Yet a heartbeat later, she clenched her fists and gave a firm nod. “I understand, Brother Ken. I swear I shall cultivate with every ounce of my might until I shatter my absolute limits.”
Ken flashed a faint smirk. He turned and stared at Diyah’s right hand. “Now, remove and hand your Spatial Ring to me for a moment, Princess.”
Without asking an abundance of questions, Diyah removed her heirloom ring and surrendered it with a gentle yet firm motion. “Here, Brother Ken.”
Ken concentrated a sliver of golden energy at his fingertip, then implanted a seal formation directly into the gem of Diyah’s ring. “From this exact second, as long as the Princess remains within the radius of my dimensional reach, the Princess possesses the absolute authority to open portals, traverse in and out of this Korzian Realm at your leisure, and utilize those training facilities whenever you desire.”
Diyah received her ring back and clutched it tightly against her chest. “Mm-hmm… I profoundly appreciate it, Brother Ken.”
”Now, let us step inside,” Ken invited, striding up the main stairs of the palace.
The interior of the palace they entered was truly a masterpiece defying all mortal logic. Its walls were forged from molten cosmic gold, tempered to absolute perfection, seamlessly fused with blocks of primordial stone whose hardness could rival the erosion of eras. The palace reflected the sunlight from within, generating a blinding, eternal luminescence.
Every supporting pillar and carved contour upon the walls seemingly harbored thousands of ancient secrets of the cosmos. The long marble corridors guided their steps through various sacred chambers: from the main hall bearing the crest of a dragon, its ceiling towering as high as the heavens and adorned with luminous galactic ornaments, to resting chambers plated with incalculably rare jewels, and a circular grand assembly hall whose vastness felt capable of accommodating the entirety of the universe. The echoes of their footfalls rang crystal clear, amplifying the magical sensation that this primordial palace was a living, breathing entity.
Diyah swiveled her head in every direction, her eyes sparkling with overflowing admiration. “Wah… the grandeur of this place… it has vastly transcended the concept of an emperor’s palace, Brother Ken. This is purely your own heavenly royal palace.”
Ken chuckled softly, looking at Diyah with profound warmth. “Very well. My residual energy is truly scraping the bottom. I must immediately enter healing meditation. The Princess is free to explore every corner of this domain to your heart’s content. I will likely lock myself away and require several hours to recover absolutely.”
They halted in a specialized chamber where the energy core was the densest. In the epicenter of the room sat a colossal block of Green Jade sculpted to resemble a sturdy bed. The stone’s surface naturally emitted a thin, smoky mist containing pure healing essence.
Ken stared at the spiritual bed for a moment, then climbed up and sat cross-legged upon it. He closed his eyes, centering his absolute focus to begin absorbing the natural Qi and restoring his sovereign power.
Diyah stepped to the corner of the room and sat upon a fragrant agarwood chair near an arched window. She propped her chin on her hand, staring at Ken’s tranquil visage with profound attention. Brother Ken… you are truly a man who shoulders thousands of the realm’s secrets. I am incredibly delighted and honored that you are willing to entrust this fragment of your greatest secret to me, Diyah thought, a small smile grazing her lips.
The twilight sun of the Korzian dimension pierced through the window panes, reflecting off the golden walls of the palace and casting warm, dancing patterns of light around them. That absolutely silent atmosphere bestowed profound peace upon Diyah’s soul. Yet simultaneously, her youthful blood churned, boiling with the martial spirit to immediately test the lunatic training facilities Ken had offered.
After the duration of one incense stick had passed, Ken slowly parted his eyelids. The energy luminescence encircling his mortal shell had stabilized, signifying his essence was gradually recovering.
Diyah immediately stood up and approached the jade bed with a broad smile. “I will continue to accompany you here, Brother Ken. Until your strength is restored to an absolute one hundred percent.”
Ken nodded, returning a faint smile. “Thank you for your loyalty, Princess.”
Diyah sat at the edge of the green jade bed. She brushed her fingers over its cool stone surface, then locked eyes with Ken. “I swear I wish to study and guard every single secret of this realm with my very life, Brother Ken. This Korzian Realm is far too miraculous to ever be destroyed…”
Ken stared deeply into the maiden’s eyes. His gaze pierced straight through her soul, as if telepathically transferring the unspoken decree that the burden of this secret was indeed astronomically heavy, yet it was also an exceedingly sacred responsibility. “I place my absolute highest trust upon your shoulders, Princess.”
The two sat together in a comfortable silence. Only the faint, rhythmic cascading of the spiritual waterfalls outside and the gentle sigh of the cloud-borne wind could be heard drifting in. The ambiance seemingly affirmed that this Korzian Realm was no mere inanimate sanctuary, but rather a colossal living entity waiting to be explored and shielded by the two of them.
Diyah continued to gaze at the profile of Ken’s visage as he rested, his eyes closed once more upon the jade bed. The contours of the youth’s face appeared phenomenally tranquil, as if the entire crushing weight of his vengeance and the filthy political intrigues of the outside world were melting away alongside the jade’s restorative energy currents.
Diyah remained silent for a moment, savoring the peace. However, her fighter’s instincts began to rebel. Her feet felt unbearably itchy; she harbored an intense, burning desire to discover the absolute limits of her capabilities within this realm, rather than merely sitting idle like a palace ornament.
Her mind drifted back to the three obsidian stone doors outside—the God Training Rooms. Diyah swallowed hard, her heart hammering wildly as it pumped adrenaline. If I just sneak out and test it for a moment… it shouldn’t be a massive issue, right? she whispered, coaxing herself.
However, the exact moment her feet crept backward to slip away, Ken’s exceedingly tranquil yet razor-sharp reprimand halted her in her tracks.
”Princess… it seems the blood of a warrior within you can no longer wait to be tortured, hm?”
Diyah flinched violently, her shoulders jumping from the sheer shock of having her intentions flawlessly read. She hurriedly snapped her head back and discovered Ken had already opened his eyes, staring at the maiden with an infuriatingly cynical smirk.
”I-I merely… I just wanted to test it a tiny bit! It feels as though every single muscle in my body is rebelling if I am merely ordered to sit idly here,” Diyah confessed honestly, wringing her fingers, her visage flushing a deep crimson from the embarrassment of being caught red-handed.
Ken rose slowly from the Jade Bed. Remnants of the emerald-green healing aura still billowed thinly from the pores of his mortal shell. “Very well. If that is your will, allow me to accompany you. But heed my warning, Diyah… even if you only intend to set foot upon the tiles of the first level, the laws of gravity within that chamber will harbor absolutely zero mercy for your bones.”
Diyah nodded firmly, swallowing the dread that had briefly crept into the pit of her stomach. “I am ready.”
They walked side-by-side, exiting the grandeur of the palace, descending the stairs toward the row of pitch-black stone doors. Upon arriving before the first cave, Ken placed his palm against the stone surface. Secret runic engravings that were previously invisible now flared brilliantly with a bluish luminescence. Accompanied by the thunderous grinding of primordial stone, the heavy door—as thick as a fortress wall—slid open, unveiling an extraordinarily vast, empty void within.
The moment Diyah stepped across the threshold, an expanse of white jade flooring stretched as far as the eye could see, resembling a gladiatorial combat arena completely devoid of pillars.
Ken stood at the control panel beside the door. “I shall activate the first-level gravitational pressure lever.”
WUMMM! The exact moment Diyah’s foot stepped over the red formation boundary line on the floor, her body felt as if it had been crushed by an invisible, colossal boulder. The pull of earth’s gravity instantaneously doubled, dragging the entire mass of her bones and internal organs toward the floor. Diyah’s knees immediately buckled, groaning under the burden, while her lungs instantaneously gasped, frantically fighting for oxygen.
”Ughh… i-it’s so heavy…” Diyah groaned, forcing her spine to remain straight lest she collapse.
”Yes,” Ken stated tranquilly, his arms crossed outside the red line. “That is the welcoming greeting from pure gravitational pressure. This is merely Level One. From the coordinates where you stand, every single cell in your mortal shell is violently forced to endure and resist a gravitational load twice as brutal as the natural laws in the mortal realm.”
Diyah ground her teeth, fighting to lock her martial stance to stand tall. Her thigh muscles trembled violently, yet her iron resolve absolutely refused to surrender. “If the burden… is only this much… ugh… I can definitely withstand it!”
Ken stared at the maiden with a gaze saturated with profound seriousness and evaluation. “Do not be so hasty in boasting. Enduring the burden while remaining stationary is effortless. Now, move your body, Princess. Attempt to run a lap around this arena.”
Diyah nodded stiffly. She concentrated Qi to her legs, then attempted to step forward quickly.
THUD!
Barely three forced steps in, her equilibrium shattered entirely. Her body swayed heavily forward, nearly crashing violently onto the unforgiving white jade floor had she not hastily braced her fall with both palms. Her visage instantaneously flushed crimson as her blood pressure spiked drastically to endure her own body weight.
”Princess,” Ken reprimanded, his voice echoing sharply and firmly across the training chamber. “Recall my theory: Your physical vessel is the container for the universe’s energy. If the walls of your container are brittle, then the spiritual energy you absorb will merely leak and violently rebound to annihilate your own internal organs. Tempering within this chamber is not solely to torture the physical… but to pulverize and reconstruct your mentality and soul until they are forged of cosmic steel!”
Diyah remained frozen on all fours. She stared at the reflection of her sweat-drenched visage upon the white jade floor. She could palpably feel every single muscle fiber and joint screaming in agony, begging for mercy. However, deep within the abyss of that torturous pain, a blazing inferno of spirit refused to be extinguished—an absolute drive to prove that she was worthy of standing by this man’s side.
”I… I refuse to surrender and halt right here, Brother Ken,” Diyah stated with ragged breaths, grinding her jaw. “If my mortal shell is weak, then the absolute sole path is to torture it until it becomes invincible! Otherwise, I will merely end up becoming a crippling burden that hinders your steps.”
Ken raised an eyebrow slightly, stunned by the explosive detonation of resolve from the noble maiden. He stared deeper at Diyah, and a smile of absolute pride finally dawned upon his lips. “You are truly an exceedingly stubborn woman, Princess. Very well… prove it to me. Resume your steps.”
Diyah pressed her hands against the floor, forcing her knees to stand entirely straight beneath the agonizing torture of gravity. She began taking steps, then forced herself into a light jog circling the arena. Every stomp of her foot felt akin to treading in quicksand that refused to let go; her body felt dragged to the earth’s core by thousands of steel chains. Her breathing turned harsh and rapid, sweat poured profusely, drenching the back of her robes, yet not once did she permit her legs to halt.
Ken remained standing at the edge of the arena, his unblinking eyes monitoring her every microscopic movement. Deep down, Ken was acutely aware that very few elite mortal warriors possessed the capability to maintain consciousness, let alone sprint, for even five minutes on this first level. But Diyah… this maiden was exhibiting the mental fortitude of an absolute god of war.
After fifteen minutes of that relentless torture, Diyah’s mortal physical limits finally shattered. She collapsed with a loud thud, dropping to her knees. Her chest heaved violently, brutally pumping air, while both her hands supported the residual weight of her body to prevent her face from slamming into the floor.
”Haa… haa… Brother Ken… grant me a moment… I… I can still continue,” Diyah whimpered weakly. Her beautiful visage had turned as red as a boiled crab, her breaths nearly severed from the extreme, agonizing exhaustion.
Ken strolled slowly, cleaving through the gravitational field without being affected in the slightest, then crouched right beside the maiden. “Your training session is sufficient for today. Do not annihilate your muscles on the very first day,” he decreed gently yet with absolute finality.
Diyah looked up at Ken with a pair of tear-filled eyes—a profound amalgamation of pure exhaustion, excruciating pain, and an overflowing, unyielding resolve. After a few seconds of attempting to argue, she finally exhaled a resigned sigh and nodded. “Very well… I comprehend my limits.”
Ken grasped Diyah’s arm, supporting the maiden to stand tall, and guided her out of that cavern of torture.
The exact moment they stepped across the threshold and exited the formation field, the torturous burden of the doubled gravity vanished instantaneously. Diyah’s body abruptly felt phenomenally light; her blood circulation flowed seamlessly once more. The rebound effect was so startling that she nearly stumbled forward before successfully regaining her equilibrium.
”Hah! It feels… my body feels as weightless as cotton, as if I could soar through the clouds!” Diyah exclaimed with a soft laugh, accompanied by a long, pacifying exhale to steady herself.
Ken smiled upon hearing that. “That is the true essence of this tempering. Every single movement you execute in the outside realm will feel exponentially lighter and as swift as lightning once your skeletal frame adapts to enduring the gravitational burden in there. And remember… that chamber was merely the first introductory level, Princess. There are still ninety-nine other tiers of hell awaiting you within.”
Diyah pivoted her body, staring back at the maw of the obsidian stone cave with a gaze blazing with absolute resolve. “I am not afraid. I swear I will conquer that chamber, Brother Ken. One day, I will undoubtedly ascend and clear level one hundred… and step inside to open the gates of that Star Training Room with my own two feet.”
Ken looked at the maiden. His visage appeared grave, yet the glint of absolute pride was unmistakably painted within his eyes. “If you truly harbor the lunatic ambition to climb to the absolute zenith of that suffering, then prepare your mentality starting now. You will confront physical torture capable of making your sanity beg for surrender a thousand times over.”
Diyah nodded firmly without a microscopic shred of hesitation, her gaze gleaming as sharp as diamonds. “I will swallow that agony and endure it, Brother Ken. I swear I will become strong… for the sake of my own destiny… and to serve as the absolute aegis that protects this realm.”
Ken patted Diyah’s shoulder exceedingly gently, conveying a wordless acknowledgment. He then cast a fleeting glance across the expanse of the Korzian dimension’s nature before strolling back toward the courtyard of the main palace. A genuine, faint smile never left his visage.
”In that case, your target for today has been achieved. Rest your mortal shell entirely. Tomorrow, once the chaotic uproar of the tournament concludes, the Princess may return to torture herself cultivating within this chamber whenever you desire,” Ken stated, charting out their future.
Diyah offered a small nod, an exhausted yet profoundly blissful smile carved beautifully upon her lips. “Naturally, I will absolutely return. Thank you, Brother Ken,” she replied. She then turned her gaze toward the majestic architecture of the golden palace, now slowly being draped in the twilight silhouettes of the dimension.
While walking side-by-side back to the palace, Diyah tilted her head and glanced at Ken’s visage with a gaze overflowing with profound curiosity. “So… have you always, every single day, spent your time entirely alone in a sanctuary this peaceful all this time, Brother Ken?” she asked softly. Her voice drifted like a whisper concealing immense awe and a slight tinge of pity.
Ken exhaled a brief sigh, his gaze remaining locked straight ahead at the golden palace gates before them. “Yes, your deduction is correct. This Korzian Realm… you could say it is my true first home; the absolute sole domain where I can close my eyes in absolute tranquility,” he answered with a melancholic peace.
Diyah nodded in comprehension, her heart synchronizing with the profound loneliness of the man beside her. She smiled faintly. “In that case… I am astronomically grateful to have discovered this home. But for now, I must return to rest in my own world first, at the Ice Palace. Brother Ken, do not push your limits. Get sufficient rest here, alright?” Diyah advised, her tone sounding so tender and pampering, as if her heart harbored a profound reluctance to truly part ways.
Ken merely stared at the maiden for a heartbeat, offering a tranquil nod of agreement, then resumed his steps up the marble stairs.
Diyah trailed behind him with a slow, deliberate rhythm. Beneath her skin, her muscles seemingly whimpered and shrieked, begging for the right to rest. Yet inexplicably, beneath the excruciating physical agony, something infinitely more powerful was blooming within her chest—her heart churned violently, and her spirit for life blazed exponentially brighter than ever before.
She realized with the absolute entirety of her soul that her cultivation journey had only just crossed the starting line, and every single drop of sweat shed within this secret realm would carry her one step closer to an epic destiny whose mysteries she had yet to fully comprehend.