Beyond the Heaven-Step Gate, the twelve travelers emerged onto a bridge of condensed starlight. The cedar palanquin swayed on its carrying poles as four of the eight veterans took Kaelen’s weight; Sera led the column, while Claire and Mina kept watch beside it.
Below, Barnaby, Sterling, Linnea, and Deacon Vane remained at the lower gate. To hold its anchor stable, Vane paid five thousand Sovereign Jade Cores into the foundation hopper. Five thousand cores from the day’s collection replaced that expenditure, leaving combined cash at 414,656.
Kaelen settled deeper into the goose-feather cushion. Walking the void-steep path might force his dantian to resist the pressure, and he had no intention of sacrificing his unsealed alchemy time to exercise.
[The Fallow Slate (Stage 6: Sovereign’s Fallow Domain)] [Track 1 (Cultivation Vessel): 240h 00m -> 241x (Milestone Sealed)] [Track 2 (Martial Combat): 240h 00m -> 241x (Milestone Sealed)] [Track 3 (Alchemy & Comprehension): 210h 05m -> 211x (Active Accumulation)] [Track 4 (Dao & Array Comprehension): 240h 00m -> 241x (Milestone Sealed)] [Current State: True Fallow State (Zero Active Fluctuations)]
“All clear,” Claire said, checking the bearers and the shimmering path ahead.
“Move out,” Sera commanded.
The vanguard continued along the Heaven-Step Bridge.
