On the western edge of the palace lay a forbidden region known as the Skeleton Forbidden Range.
The name alone was enough to keep ordinary people away.
It was not a place for soldiers, ministers, or even nobles.
Only royal blood could enter.
At the entrance stood two towering white stone pillars carved from ancient bone-colored rock. Across the top, bold characters were engraved.
SKELETON FORBIDDEN RANGE
Warning: Entry only with the King's permission.
Before the gate stood a middle-aged man in a refined Daoist robe. His posture was calm, but his eyes constantly scanned the horizon.
His name was Berlin Guldary, personal retainer to the Second Prince.
He had been waiting there for seven days.
Waiting for his master to return.
Inside the forbidden range—
The world was completely different.
It was not a normal forest or mountain.
It was a pocket world, governed by strange and distorted laws of reality.
Here, the moment someone entered, the world gave birth to beings formed from the intruder's six core emotions.
Joy.
Fear.
Sadness.
Anger.
Disgust.
Surprise.
They were not mere illusions.
They were manifestations of the heart.
To escape the range, one had to destroy them all.
At that moment—
A young man stood in the center of a battlefield soaked in blood.
The blood did not belong to beasts.
It belonged to the emotional manifestations he had just slaughtered.
His robes were torn.
His sword dripped red.
The youth was Prince Alexander Drake, the Second Prince.
Around him lay the shattered remains of dozens of bodies.
Every single one had worn a familiar face.
His mother.
His servants.
Friends.
Teachers.
People he trusted.
The first trial had been Happiness.
Those he loved appeared before him.
They spoke.
They smiled.
They begged him to stop his cultivation and live peacefully.
At first, Alexander had hesitated.
Because to his senses—
They were real.
Their breathing.
Their warmth.
Even the trembling of their voices.
Everything was perfect.
Perfect enough to deceive even a cultivator in the Second Layer of Qi Condensation.
But Alexander had cut them down anyway.
Without mercy.
Without hesitation.
"Emotion is weakness," he muttered quietly.
The corpses slowly dissolved into mist.
Only then did the next trial begin.
The second zone.
The zone of Fear.
This time, the enemies were not loved ones.
They were nightmares.
Creatures formed from his deepest fears crawled out from the darkness.
Each battle pushed him closer to death.
More than once, his heart had nearly stopped.
More than once, he had thought he would die inside the range.
But he survived.
And now—
The final manifestation collapsed before him. The final manifestation was the First Prince.
He'd a tough battle and finally managed to defeat and slay the opponent.
He spat out the last blood in his mouth and swallowed a handful of pills. Healing pills.
After beheading, the last emotional phantom burst apart like shattered glass.
He knew he was not ready for the Third Zone.
"I give up." Saying, he pulled out a wooden token and began to infuse his Qi into it.
The wooden token vibrated as if it was phased out into another dimension. Trying to vanish into another dimension.
The strange pocket world trembled.
A deep voice echoed across the range.
"Trial complete."
The blood-covered prince slowly lowered his sword.
His breathing was steady.
His eyes were calm.
Cold.
Completely emotionless.
Outside the gate—
Berlin Guldary suddenly opened his eyes.
The stone pillars trembled slightly.
A ripple passed across the air.
Then a figure stepped out of the forbidden range.
Alexander Drake.
His aura had changed.
Sharper.
Heavier.
More dangerous.
Berlin immediately bowed.
"Congratulations, Your Highness."
Alexander wiped the blood from his sword calmly.
"Seven days?"
"Yes."
Alexander nodded slightly.
"Good."
He walked past his retainer without another word.
But Berlin could feel it clearly.
The prince who entered the Skeleton Forbidden Range—
Was not the same one who came out.
Berlin Guldary almost stepped back.
Not because of Alexander's aura.
But because of his eyes.
They were empty.
Not calm.
Not cold.
Simply devoid of emotion.
And beneath that emptiness, Berlin sensed something unfamiliar.
Ruthlessness.
The kind that only appears after one has slaughtered something inside themselves.
Young master has changed, Berlin thought.
Then he smiled politely and clasped his hands.
"Many things have happened while you were inside the range," he said.
"I can see you have grown considerably."
Alexander did not reply.
Berlin continued, his voice carrying faint pride.
"But remember this, Your Highness."
"This kingdom is merely a remote corner of the world."
His eyes gleamed slightly.
"The land where your mother comes from… even a hundred kings of this place cannot compare."
He spoke those words often.
It was his duty.
Alexander had heard them since childhood.
His mother was not an ordinary woman.
Berlin had made sure he never forgot that.
From the time he was a toddler, he had been told one thing repeatedly—
You are destined for more.
Alexander finally spoke.
"This kingdom…"
He glanced briefly toward the distant palace.
"…is only a stepping stone."
His gaze lifted toward the sky.
"I have no interest in ruling a small throne."
Berlin's smile widened.
Alexander continued calmly,
"I will become the strongest cultivator."
His voice remained steady.
"I will conquer this land…"
"…and everything beneath this sky."
"If anyone stands in my way—"
His eyes flashed faintly green.
"Their heads will fall."
"Their limbs will scatter."
Berlin bowed deeply.
"Ambitious words, Your Highness."
Then he spoke carefully.
"However, several important developments occurred among the princes while you were inside the range."
"Would you like a report?"
Alexander shook his head.
"No."
"I will read them myself."
Without another word, he walked toward his estate.
Berlin followed silently.
Several hours later
Inside the Second Prince's residence.
The chamber was silent.
Alexander sat cross-legged on a woven mat.
Before him lay five piles of scrolls.
Reports.
Intelligence.
Spy communications.
Every movement of the royal family during the past week.
He opened the first scroll.
The characters glowed faintly as he read.
Seventh Prince William Drake.
Alexander's gaze sharpened slightly.
He continued reading.
And finally—
The dramatic death of Grecia.
His fingers tapped the scroll once.
Interesting.
(End of Volume One)