The violent lurch of spatial energy subsided, replaced by the familiar feel of the southern continent's spiritual Qi. Li Yu opened his eyes. He was back in the barren southern wastes, standing on the dusty ground just outside the ancient demarcation line where the tent cities had been.

Around Li Yu, cultivators materialized in a chaotic instantaneous flood. Only the two original groups that were here before appeared. The Human Realm group and the cultist. The Demons and the Primal Beasts were gone. They had been spat back out, presumably, to their own realms just as the humans and cultists had been returned here. The inter-planar merge had been a temporary one that was confined only to the ruins.

For a tense heart-stopping moment absolute silence reigned between the two remaining factions. Every eye was on the enemy, hands instinctively moving towards weapons. No one was quite sure what the terms were now that they were out of the ruins.

The fragile peace of the Ruins, the shared experience of facing demons and primal beasts evaporated instantly. Old hatreds resurfaced and the surrounding was about to ignite. The memory of the war before the truce, the losses on both sides surged back. A single stray spark, a single hostile move would ignite a devastating battle between the two core factions of this continent.

But the spark never came.

Before any lower-level disciple could react on instinct, the immense suppressive auras of the Soul Formation leaders flared once more, blanketing the area.

"Hold your positions!" Grand Elder Theron's voice rang out. It was firm and was commanding across the allied forces. "Cultists! Stand down!" High Priest Vrak's oily voice hissed, enforcing order on his own side.

The Armored General, the Red-Eyed Mistress, Korgath and Caelia all flared their power, not in aggression but in control, forcing their respective troops to halt. They had anticipated this exact moment. An immediate battle here, with everyone exhausted, injured, and disorganized from the Ruins, would be mutually destructive. Both sides needed time to recover and consolidate.

As the initial tension eased, the cultivators began checking their surroundings and assessing their own conditions. Li Yu glanced at a simple time-keeping artifact that was set up around the encampment. The exit from the Ruins occurred precisely three weeks after they had entered. The time dilation had held true to what was said.

With a semblance of order re-established, the Human Realm leaders and the Cultist leaders convened briefly near the demarcation line. A few minutes later, Grand Elder Theron flew back to the alliance group.

"Attention!" he announced. "An accord has been reached with the Cultist leadership. Both sides are allowed safe passage back to their respective territories, the Continental Truce will be extended for three additional days."

Three days. Enough time for the massive armies to disperse, to travel far enough away that an all out war breaking out wasn’t possible. Both sides still do not want a full on slaughter fest to break out.

Li Yu realized it was another unwritten rule of warfare. Even in total war between bitter enemies, there were still rules and pragmatic cessations to follow. Moments of enforced peace dictated by mutual self-interest. It was survival.

This world, for all its brutality, seemed to possess an underlying structure, hidden guidelines born perhaps from countless cycles of war and temporary peace. To break these unwritten rules, to attack during an agreed-upon truce might bring short-term gain but could also invite continent-wide condemnation. It was a complex web he was only beginning to understand.

Even in war there were rules to follow and those that were found breaking them constantly were destroyed by the entire world. With the extended truce announced, the vast encampments began to break apart rapidly. Cultivators, weary but clutching their gains formed travelling parties, eager to return home.

Li Yu found Jian Xuan near the Forest of the Radiant Dawn's area. Jian looked sad and tired.

"Brother Li," he sighed dramatically. "Politics. Truces. It drains the very soul of a warrior! The Crab God surely weeps at such... bureaucracy."

"Come on and let's head back, Jian," Li Yu said simply. "And we have our own gains from all of this."

Just then, Grand Elder Theron approached them, his usual grim expression softened slightly. "Commanders. Your contributions before the ruins and within the Ruins were invaluable. Especially yours, Little Crab."

He produced two lists. "The standard merit point exchange catalog is available should you wish to use the points you've accumulated. Look through it and let me know if you want anything on there. Your points should now be shown as you view the list."

Li Yu and Jian both took a list and scanned it. It detailed various pills, artifacts, formation materials and even rare intelligence reports, all assigned a merit point value.

Li Yu looked for high-level cultivation resources or body refinement materials exceeding what he'd already obtained. There were some potent pills and natural treasures but the truly exceptional items, things that could directly aid a breakthrough to Soul Formation, required astronomical point totals, far beyond what he or Jian had earned.

"Anything catches your eye, Brother Li?" Jian asked, unimpressed by the list. He had obtained more from the rings of those he’s killed than the merit points he received for them.

"Nothing essential," Li Yu replied. "We acquired significant resources within the Ruins and from... previous encounters. Better to save the points for something truly necessary later."

Jian nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly. My blade sings best with freedom, not trinkets!"

They returned the lists to Theron. "We will hold onto our points for now, Grand Elder," Li Yu stated.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Theron nodded, unsurprised. "Wise. Many disciples are doing the same. It seems there will be a lull in the fighting across the continent now. Both sides need time to integrate their gains from the Ruins, heal their injured and allow their geniuses to absorb new techniques. Expect the front lines to be relatively quiet for at least a month, perhaps longer. Whatever their original plan was, it seemed the ruins showing up had made them change them. I can tell from talking with them, there is no urgency anymore."

"What are your orders for us, Grand Elder?" Li Yu asked.

"Your original deployment stands," Theron replied. "Return to Aethelgard. Maintain the defensive perimeter with Khaos. His assignment there lasts roughly another month from our deal. You can rest there for the time or if the fighting starts back up again."

"Understood," Li Yu said. It suited his plans perfectly. A quiet month of cultivation was exactly what he needed.

They took their leave of Theron and the rapidly dispersing Human Realm forces. Li Yu summoned Tempest, the Skyshroud Leviathan, from the Koi Sanctuary. The massive sky-beast let out a low roar. Li Yu and Jian mounted and Tempest launched into the sky, heading back towards the distant city of Aethelgard.

The journey was uneventful. The three-day truce held firm with no fighting from either side. Each group was much too absorbed into integrating their new found techniques and resources into their strength to fight. They saw groups of Cultists travelling in different directions, both sides pointedly ignoring each other.

They arrived back at Aethelgard to find the city unchanged. Khaos still resided within the central spire. He didn’t even acknowledge their return and continued on doing whatever it was he was doing. His task currently was to guard here and he was probably too interested in the crystal he was given.

Li Yu immediately claimed a secluded courtyard within the city lord's manor, placing additional protective formations around it. He had no interest in exploring the city or interacting with the garrison at the moment.

His mind was focused entirely on his gains from the Ruins. Seeing the raw power of the demons, the specialized techniques of the Cultists and the sheer physical might of the Primal Beasts had lit a fire under him. He needed to get stronger. While he was immensely strong for his age and generation, he was still far behind top fighters.

This world was a bigger place than he had ever thought. It would also seem like more and more disruptions would come from other places beyond this world as well. He needed to get stronger.

His first action, however, was communication. He retrieved a simple communication token linked to Fengliu. He channeled his Qi into it, sending a direct message to wherever it was Fengliu was at on this continent.

"Fengliu. I encountered a faction here, it belonged to the ones behind this joint Beast, Human and Demon factions. I don’t know if it was all of them or if there was another group leading them. They utilize blood curses and soul-poisons. One technique I witnessed was named 'Parasitic Soul-Rot Curse.' The effects of the curses they used seemed similar to what you described happened to your sister that day. The faction appears widespread on this continent, serving 'True Gods.' This may be a lead for your investigation."

He waited. Several hours later, the token pulsed faintly. Fengliu's reply came through, brief and to the point.

"Understood. Thank you, young master. This is... significant. I have a direction now instead of just a guess."

Li Yu put the token away. He had fulfilled his promise. Now, he could focus entirely on himself.

He sat in the center of his courtyard, arrays shimmering around him. He didn't just lay out his treasures from the Ruins; he emptied the spoils from countless storage rings accumulated over the past weeks.

Piles of spirit stones of varying grades glittered beside stacks of pills looted from Garo, Vespertine and others he had killed during his time here. Herbs gathered both inside and outside the ancient realm added to the hoard. His resources were immense.

He had entered the Ruins at the 7th Stage of Core Formation, already feeling the cusp of the 8th. The sheer quality and quantity of everything combined, especially the Nine-Cycle Soul Grass known to aid Soul Formation breakthroughs and strengthen the soul were far beyond anything he could have easily acquired otherwise.

He began his cultivation assault. He absorbed high-grade spirit stones like candy and ingested potent cultivation pills one after another. He supplemented this with the pure energy of the Soul Grass, its essence flooding his meridians.

It was helping to nourish his ocean of qi and nascent soul, pushing his cultivation base upwards at an accelerated rate. Days blurred into nights as he circulated his Koi Qi, absorbing everything, refining it and compressing it. The breakthrough to the 8th Stage came smoothly and naturally, like a river cresting its banks.

But he didn't stop. His resources were vast, the Soul Grass's potency immense. He continued the relentless absorption, pushing onwards. Spirit stones turned to dust, pills vanished, rare natural treasures dissolved into pure energy within him. His foundation, already monstrously deep, churned, expanding and refining. His Nascent Soul within his Sea of Consciousness seemed to grow brighter, more solid, absorbing spiritual nourishment from the herb.

After nearly three weeks of non-stop, resource-intensive cultivation, he felt the barrier again. The peak of the 8th Stage. He pushed. The remaining energy from the Soul Grass, combined with the last dregs of his looted pills and a mountain of various grades of spirit stones surged, battering against the bottleneck. With a final silent crack resonating deep within his soul the barrier shattered.

He had reached the 9th Stage of Core Formation. The final stage before the Soul Formation where one’s soul would start to take physical form. He already had a nascent soul so he was expecting an easy break through to that realm. It should just come simply to him once he had enough qi and foundation. The ambient spiritual Qi of the world seemed to rush towards him, celebrating his advancement and replenishing his depleted reserves.

With his cultivation base solidified, he turned his attention to his body. He took out the silver-blue herbs. He crushed the herbs and mixed it with other herbs he had collected. From the information he has gotten, they all should be for body refining. He made a bath for himself with all the herbs crushed out.

He slowly went into the bath, this was the first time he had made himself an herbal medicine bath. The cold was instantaneous, agonizing. It wasn't just skin-deep; it seeped into his muscles, his bones, even his marrow. It was a chilling refining fire. He gritted his teeth, circulating his Qi according to his Abyssal leviathan Physique, enduring the excruciating process and pushing his physical limits.

His bones absorbed the icy energy, becoming harder and more resilient. His blood flowed sluggishly but with more density, purified by the extreme cold. The process was incredibly painful but undeniably effective.

After another week, the bath’s energy was fully absorbed. His physical body was significantly stronger, tougher and more resistant to both heat and cold. He felt a definite advancement in his body refining path, pushing it further along its current stage. However, he had not achieved a full breakthrough to the next major realm of physical cultivation.

His physical limits had been pushed but not fundamentally transcended. That would require more time, more specific resources or perhaps a different kind of tempering opportunity. He stood, testing his newfound strength. His cultivation was at the peak of Core Formation. His body was stronger than ever. He had new technique concepts ready to be refined.

He looked up at the sky, thinking about what his next move would be. Khaos's guard duty would be ending soon. The continental truce was long over but with no one coming to look for him, the fighting probably didn’t even resume yet. The lull in the fighting would not last forever though.

He needed to prepare for Soul Formation. And he needed to master his new arts before the true storm broke.