In the year 30,334, Lucas Veloria, the 17th prince of the Kingdom of Veloria, had reached the 9th layer of the Energy Accumulation Realm.
His journey through cultivation had been difficult, but thanks to the mysterious powers of his Nine Simulation System, he had begun to make real progress, albeit in secret.
His mother's influence and the aid of the system allowed him to cultivate quietly, away from the prying eyes of the royal family.
After his latest divination, performed using the Heaven's Secrets Technique, Lucas discovered that he had a period of 26 years of safety while remaining within the royal castle.
Without hesitation, he made the bold decision to go into closed-door cultivation, dedicating himself entirely to strengthening his abilities.
His cultivation strategy became an obsession. He avoided all royal events, choosing seclusion in his chambers, where he practiced tirelessly, refining his body and mind.
By 30,359, at the age of 45, Lucas had become a shadow in the royal family.
Known for his disinterest in politics and royal affairs, he was viewed as a recluse.
His official cultivation level was still at the 4th layer of Core Building, and his lack of ambition for the throne earned him respect from his brothers and sisters. They saw him as a non-threat, someone who had no desire for power or prestige.
What they didn't know was that Lucas was hiding his true cultivation level.
Thanks to the Heaven's Secrets Technique, he had successfully masked his power and was now at the 9th layer of Core Building. In secret, he had comprehended attack, defense, and movement techniques from the Emperor's Sword, which lay dormant within his energy core.
His skills had advanced to such an extent that he could battle against a cultivator of the 3rd layer of the Spiritual Condensation Realm.
While his family saw him as weak, Lucas was preparing for the future, biding his time and waiting for the moment when he would reveal his strength.
Through divination, Lucas foresaw a coming disaster. A wave of bad luck was destined to strike the royal family during the New Year of 30,360.
The vision was clear—a calamity would befall the entire Human Empire. Knowing that he had no power to stop it, Lucas made plans to leave. He gave cryptic instructions to his mother, urging her to be cautious, and under the pretense of continuing his closed-door cultivation, he slipped away from the royal castle.
His absence aroused no suspicion, as he had long been known for his obsessive dedication to cultivation.
On the eve of the New Year in 30,360, the calamity Lucas had foreseen struck.
A demonic cult known as Ashura launched a coordinated attack on the royal families across the nine kingdoms and the capital, Veridonia, of the Human Empire.
It was a massacre, with the cult members using deadly magic and martial arts to wipe out large portions of the royal bloodlines.
The Kingdom of Veloria, being closest to the Demon Empire, bore the brunt of the assault. The kingdom's defenses were overwhelmed, and countless members of the royal family were slain. Among them were many princes, princesses, and even key officials.
In response, the Human Emperor was enraged.
He issued a decree, calling for an immediate alliance of all the kingdoms to pursue and exterminate the Ashura cult members.
The kingdoms of the Human Empire came together, sending their strongest warriors and cultivators to track the demonic cult to the borders of the Demon Empire.
The pursuit culminated in a fierce battle in which two Spirit Fusion Realm demons were killed, a blow significant enough to force the cult into retreat.
Satisfied, the Human Emperor called off the pursuit and disbanded the alliance.
When the dust settled, the royal family of Veloria was in shambles.
The casualties had been severe, with most of the royal bloodline wiped out.
Only the Crown Prince, the 3rd Prince, and the 2nd Princess survived, owing to their status as Soul Embryo Realm cultivators. Lucas, who had remained in hiding, returned to the castle shortly after the attack. His mid-Core Building cultivation level was far below that of the surviving royals, but his disappearance during the massacre and his subsequent reappearance were attributed to sheer luck.
The Kingdom of Veloria had suffered the greatest losses of all the Human Empire's kingdoms.
While the capital city of Veridonia and many other regions had sustained minimal casualties, Veloria's close proximity to the Demon Empire had made it the primary target.
The deaths of so many royals left the kingdom in turmoil.
The blame for this disaster fell squarely on the shoulders of the reigning King, Vincent Veloria.
It was deemed his negligence in maintaining proper defenses that had allowed the cult to infiltrate the kingdom so easily.
The Human Emperor decreed that King Vincent was to be stripped of his title and imprisoned in the 3rd level of the Dark Prison for 100 years as punishment for his failure. The Dark Prison was a dreaded place, a realm of endless suffering where cultivators of high standing were sent when their crimes were deemed unforgivable.
To be condemned to the 3rd level was a fate worse than death, where one's cultivation would be forcibly suppressed, and torture was a daily occurrence.
With the king's imprisonment, a new ruler was needed to ascend the throne of Veloria. The surviving royals, including the Crown Prince and the 3rd Prince, began vying for the throne. Political intrigue filled the royal court, and alliances were formed and broken as the remaining princes and princesses maneuvered to claim the kingdom for themselves.
However, Lucas remained on the sidelines, content to let the power struggle unfold without his involvement.
His mask of mediocrity remained firmly in place, and none suspected the depth of his true abilities.
As the royal family scrambled to rebuild itself and the rest of the Human Empire licked its wounds, Lucas continued his cultivation in secret. His path to power was far from over, and the next stage of his journey was about to begin.