Refining the Heavens 2 (炼天二)

The polished wooden table in Kairos’s new manor seemed to hum with unspoken urgency. Two letters lay upon it, stark against the dark grain. One, an invitation from Jim, his friend, was written with a formality that chilled him to the bone. It was a plea, disguised as politeness, hinting at trouble within the opulent walls of the Hope mansion.

The second, from Yi Jian, Jones’s godfather and the Disciplinarian Head Instructor of the Solitary Blades clan, spoke of a powerful immortal seeking Jones, and a terrifying silence that followed his friend’s last sighting. Jones was gone.

A storm brewed in Kairos’s heart. His brothers needed him. He chose Jim first; the Hope mansion was closer, and the cold trail of Jones's disappearance offered no immediate direction. Leaving a hasty note for his father, Vouno, who was in closed-door cultivation, Kairos rushed out.

But as he stepped into the crisp morning air, a subtle shift in the shadows caught his Soul Perception. Several presences, hidden until now, had been waiting. Without hesitation, Kairos calmly strode towards a cluster of colossal, natural boulders near his manor – a stone forest perfect for concealment and illusion. There, amidst the confusing array of nature's design, he waited. The game had already begun.