The Immortal Realm greeted newcomers without ceremony or kindness.

Beyond the Ascension Pavilion, the sky was vast and layered, not a single dome but many overlapping firmaments, each glowing with different hues of astral light. Rivers of spirit energy flowed visibly through the air like translucent currents, bending around mountains that floated upside down, cities suspended on discs of stone, and distant stars that felt uncomfortably close.

Vahn walked beside Zutian along a wide jade-paved road that led away from the Pavilion. Around them, immortals moved with purpose. Some rode spirit beasts shaped like lions or serpents, others traveled within flying palanquins, while many simply walked, their robes fluttering as if gravity was optional.

Vahn kept his gaze curious but restrained. Every sense told him this place was dangerous. Not openly hostile, but merciless to the weak.

Zutian noticed his silence and laughed.

"First time seeing the Immortal Realm properly?" he asked. "You look calm, but your eyes keep moving. That is good. Means you are not stupid."

Vahn smiled faintly. "I am observing. Everything here feels… layered."

"That is because it is," Zutian replied proudly. "This world is only one fragment. You ascended into the Astralis Empire's outer territory. A border world, you could say. Still dangerous, but safer than the core worlds."

Vahn slowed his steps slightly. "Astralis Empire?"

Zutian nodded. "You really are fresh. Alright, listen carefully, brother. The Immortal Realm is not a single world. It is a higher universe. Countless worlds exist here, layered across dimensions, ruled by empires, federations, sect alliances, and ancient clans."

He pointed toward the sky where several massive celestial bodies rotated slowly.

"Each of those lights you see is a world. Some are cultivation worlds. Some are forge worlds. Some are purely spiritual domains where laws behave differently. Astralis controls thousands of them."

Vahn absorbed this quietly. His internal Void Core pulsed with interest.

"So this world belongs to Astralis," Vahn said.

"Yes. Officially called Astralis Border World Seven," Zutian replied. "People just call it Border Seven. Crimson Hawk is based here."

As they traveled, the environment shifted. The clean jade roads gave way to reinforced stone mixed with metal veins. Defensive formations were carved into the ground and walls. Towers bristling with ballista-like spirit weapons rose at intervals.

Ahead stood a fortified compound built into the side of a floating plateau. Crimson banners fluttered proudly, each marked with a stylized hawk clutching a blade.

Zutian spread his arms. "Welcome to Crimson Hawk."

The gate guards snapped to attention when they saw him.

"Brother Zutian!"

"You are back early."

Zutian waved casually. "Found fresh blood."

Their eyes turned to Vahn, scanning him openly. Vahn allowed a thin layer of aura to surface. Enough to register as Earth Immortal Stage Two. Nothing more.

The guards looked mildly interested, then nodded.

"Another newcomer," one said. "Hope he survives."

Vahn did not react.

Inside the compound, activity was constant. Groups of mercenaries sparred in open courtyards. Others sharpened weapons, repaired armor, or argued loudly over mission rewards. The air smelled of metal, sweat, alcohol, and raw ambition.

Zutian led Vahn toward a central hall built from dark stone.

"This is the Hawk Nest," Zutian explained. "Command hall, briefing area, drinking hall, and sometimes infirmary when things go wrong."

They entered.

Inside, a dozen mercenaries were gathered around a large crystal table displaying a shifting map of terrain. A woman with short silver hair and sharp eyes stood at the head. Her aura was heavy and disciplined.

She looked up as Zutian entered.

"You are late," she said flatly.

Zutian scratched his head. "Found someone interesting on the way back."

Her gaze shifted to Vahn. It was sharp, professional, and probing.

"Name," she said.

"Vahn," he replied calmly.

Cultivation?" she asked.

"Earth Immortal Stage Two."

One of the mercenaries snorted. "Another low-stage. We are taking riskier contracts lately."

Zutian frowned. "He has good instincts."

The silver-haired woman studied Vahn for a moment longer, then nodded once.

"I am Renka. Vice-Captain of Crimson Hawk. If Zutian brought you, you start as a probationary member."

She gestured to the others.

"This is not a sect. We do not shelter the weak. You contribute, you earn resources. You fail, you die."

Vahn inclined his head. "Understood."

Renka turned back to the table. "Good timing. We are assigning tasks."

She tapped the crystal map, zooming in on a mountainous region.

"Astralis has issued a regional request. Spirit beast overpopulation near the mining routes. We clear them, we get paid. Simple, but dangerous."

A burly mercenary laughed. "Everything is dangerous."

Renka continued. "Three squads. Zutian, you lead Squad Two."

Zutian grinned. "As always."

She glanced at Vahn. "You go with him. Consider this your test."

Vahn nodded again.

The meeting dispersed quickly. Mercenaries began preparing.

As they walked toward the armory, Zutian leaned closer.

"Do not mind Renka. She is harsh, but fair. She keeps us alive."

"I can see that," Vahn replied.

Inside the armory, racks of weapons gleamed with spirit-forged steel. Zutian picked up a heavy spear, checking its balance.

"You fight with what?" Zutian asked.

Vahn paused briefly. He could not reveal his true methods.

"A blade," he said. "If available."

Zutian tossed him a simple but well-maintained longsword.

"Standard issue. Do not break it."

Vahn accepted it, feeling its weight. Inferior to anything he once wielded, but adequate.

As the squad assembled, Vahn quietly observed his teammates. Five in total. All Earth Immortal Stage Three or Four. Experienced, but not exceptional.

During the journey toward the mission site, Vahn listened more than he spoke.

From their conversations, he gathered valuable information.

Astralis Empire was vast. Ruled by Immortal Sovereigns far beyond Earth Immortal. Sects here were tools, mercenary groups were expendable assets, and worlds rose and fell based on resource value.

Cultivation here required obscene amounts of resources. Spirit stones, essence cores, law fragments, divine metals.

Earth Immortal truly was only the beginning.

As they traveled through rugged terrain, Zutian chatted casually.

"You seem calm for someone so new," he said.

"I have wandered before," Vahn replied truthfully.

Zutian laughed. "Good. Because Crimson Hawk is not a place for dreamers."

They reached the target zone by dusk. A ravine filled with thick fog and distorted spirit energy.

Renka's voice echoed through the communication talisman.

"Beasts are burrowed deep. Expect ambush."

The fight began violently.

Spirit beasts erupted from the ground. Hulking creatures with crystal-plated hides and serrated limbs.

Vahn moved with controlled precision. He did not unleash overwhelming power. Instead, he fought efficiently. Minimal movement. Perfect timing.

One beast lunged at him. He sidestepped and drove the blade through its core.

Zutian noticed.

"That was clean," he muttered.

The battle ended within an hour. Squad Two suffered only minor injuries.

As they collected the cores, Zutian clapped Vahn on the back.

"You did well. No hesitation. No wasted effort."

Vahn smiled faintly. "Survival encourages efficiency."

Back at Crimson Hawk, the reward was distributed. Vahn received his first cut. A small pouch of spirit stones and a minor beast core.

Insignificant to him.

But it was a start.

That night, Vahn sat alone on the edge of the compound, overlooking the floating terrain.

He finally allowed his thoughts to expand.

"So this is the Immortal Realm," he thought. "A higher universe divided into empires. Astralis is only one."

His goal crystallized clearly.

He was not here to scrape by as a mercenary.

He would need resources. Vast quantities.

Crimson Hawk was a foothold. A tool.

But right now, he was too weak.

Even suppressed, his cultivation was behind true elites here.

He clenched his hand slowly.

"I will start here. Gather information. Accumulate resources. Build influence."

His eyes darkened slightly.

"And when the time is right… Crimson Hawk will be mine."

The wind howled softly through the floating stones.

Above him, the stars of Astralis turned silently.

The Immortal Realm had no idea what had just begun.

---

The following days passed quickly, each blending into a rhythm of blood, movement, and measured restraint.

Vahn did not rush.

He accepted every assignment Zutian's squad received. Escort missions through unstable astral zones. Cleansing corrupted ruins where remnant wills lashed out at intruders. Guarding caravans transporting spirit ores destined for Astralis-controlled forge worlds. None of the missions were glorious, but each provided something far more valuable than reputation.

Information.

Around campfires and in noisy mess halls, mercenaries talked. They always did. Complaints about unfair contracts. Gossip about sect wars in distant core worlds. Rumors of cultivators who rose too fast and vanished just as quickly.

Vahn listened quietly, committing everything to memory.

He learned that Astralis was governed by a layered hierarchy. At the top were Immortal Sovereigns who ruled entire galactic clusters. Beneath them were Imperial Dukes and World Governors who managed groups of worlds like Border Seven. Sects operated under imperial permission, paying tribute in resources and talent.

Mercenary organizations like Crimson Hawk existed in a gray zone. Useful, tolerated, but expendable.

Power here did not merely protect. It entitled.

Resources flowed upward. The weak labored, the strong harvested.

Vahn also learned why Crimson Hawk had survived as long as it had.

Renka was ruthless but intelligent. Zutian inspired loyalty. The group avoided direct conflict with sects and never took contracts beyond their means. They grew slowly, carefully.

That restraint amused Vahn.

Because he could see the ceiling above them.

During sparring sessions, Vahn revealed just enough to stand out. Never dominating. Never failing. He lost occasionally, deliberately, allowing others to believe they understood his limits.

Renka watched him closely.

One evening, after a successful mission, she approached him while others drank loudly inside the Hawk Nest.

"You fight like someone who has seen real war," she said.

Vahn met her gaze evenly. "War has many forms."

She studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Stay alive. Crimson Hawk rewards those who endure."

That night, Vahn sat cross-legged in his assigned quarters. The spirit stones he had accumulated were piled neatly before him. By Immortal Realm standards, it was a pitiful amount.

But when he placed his hand over them and activated his Void Core, the stones dissolved silently, their energy refined to absolute purity.

His cultivation rose a fraction.

Enough.

Vahn opened his eyes, calm and focused.

"Step by step," he murmured.

First, Earth Immortal stability.

Then influence within Crimson Hawk.

Then control of supply routes.

Then expansion.

Astralis was vast, arrogant, and resource-rich.

And he had all the time in the world.

Outside, Crimson Hawk slept under drifting astral lights, unaware that within their ranks walked a being who did not intend to remain a mercenary.

He intended to become a sovereign.

And this was only the first quiet step upward.

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