Chapter 5488

Jared raised a quiet hand. The jubilant storm fell instantly to a reverent hush.

The simple motion was calm, almost lyrical, as though every heartbeat in the courtyard flowed from a script only he could read.

“There’s no need for ceremony,” he said, voice soft yet unbreakable. “I merely did what was right.”

With that, he turned toward Twin Ridge Stronghold’s storehouse.

Each deliberate step thrummed like a plucked string inside the watchers’ chests.

He knew-felt it deep in his marrow-that mountains of celestial gems waited beyond those doors, and that he would need every last shard for the trials ahead.

The great doors creaked open to reveal a blinding trove-celestial gems stacked higher than a man could reach, their pure celestial energy brighter than anything he had seen even in the celestial realm.