River and Pearl experienced something extremely unusual after defeating the wyvern. The lands, which had once been so perilous for most of their lives, suddenly became so... mundane. They ran into Abyssals, and defeated them effortlessly. In fact, it almost seemed like the Abyssals were afraid of them for some reason they couldn’t figure out.

If only they knew that it wasn’t them that the Abyssals feared, but the aura from the necklace.

Regardless, that wasn’t all. Since they both emitted the aura of Foundation realm cultivators, they were basically treated like nobility. Even other nobles would treat them with great care and etiquette, with only the royal family having the authority to actually order them around.

Moreover, they were stronger than even those who had higher cultivation levels, which made them feel like there wasn’t much left in this land for them. At that point, Cliff did not even need to encourage them - they did their best to grow stronger and leave.

Before that, there were a couple of things they needed to do. Go to Mount Decius and claim their bounty, as well as search for the remnant of the Sunborne family. Oh, and visit River’s family once while they were at it. River would not miss the chance to show off in front of his parents.

Since they were in a rush, it took them only two weeks to go from the battlefield to the small village of Butterscotch, where a small family lived in a thatched hut and tended to cattle. As unusual as it was, the family had a son-in-law who, despite being able to afford his own housing, decided to renovate their house to make it slightly bigger before moving in.

He claimed that he wanted to live in a big family, and wanted his kids to grow up surrounded by family. Considering he was honest, hard working and made his own money, they did not have any objections.

Soon his dream came true, and his three children filled the house with both laughter and crying, adding a liveliness only children could add.

When River and Pearl reached that place they watched from afar, and only Pearl recognized the distant cousin who used to once live in the same mansion as her. The Sunborne family all used to live together, and though they had a big house, due to the closeness of the family, the building was always filled with activity and energy.

The small thatched hut was even smaller than the bedroom and walk-in closet Pearl used to have back in the mansion, yet from it she could sense a feeling reminiscent of all that she had lost.

She did not allow herself to tear up, though the extent of the emotions she suppressed in her chest was known only to her.

They eventually walked up to the hut and met the son-in-law, who was equally stunned to find Pearl. They recognized each other instantly.

The reunion was long and emotional, but in the end Pearl was up front with her cousin about why she had come to find him. She offered to help him increase his cultivation, help him find resources, and rebuild his life.

That’s when he simply gave her the ring, and allowed her to bond with it. When she did, she was stunned to find that it was a spatial ring, and it was filled with all kinds of unbelievable treasures!

For all these years, he had never touched more than a few coins from the treasure because he knew that he had neither the temperament to cultivate, nor the talent to achieve great success. The only thing he longed for - the feeling of a family - the treasures in the ring could not grant him.

It was not that there was no greed in his heart - it was just that the ring held nothing that could entice him.

Even the ever reclusive Cliff emerged from the necklace to take a look at the man. Contrary to what the man himself felt like, Cliff thought highly of the man, and predicted that he could reach incredibly far in the field of cultivation if he were to embark on it seriously.

It was for that reason, unbeknownst to River and Pearl, that Cliff left behind a few different legacies within that thatched hut. Should he ever need them, or want them, the appropriate one would reveal itself to him.

Then they left. The man sought neither revenge, nor power or fame. His heart, despite what he showed up front, was thoroughly broken by the loss he suffered. Perhaps only time, and the love of his new family, could repair it.

River and pearl looked through the ring, but could not find the actual immortal legacy. All they found were countless resources and treasures. Yet when they tried to bring them out, the treasures would dissolve and fade, as if they were mere illusion. Yet the resources they took out would magically repappear within the ring.

When they asked Cliff, he explained that the resources were useless to them unless they gained recognition from the Immortal legacy. Ironically, the one man capable of taking things out from the ring without problem wasn’t interested in them at all. Cliff also did not tell them how to claim the legacy - mainly because the ring was actually a very high leveled treasure, and looking through its secrets would cost Lex more energy than he was willing to spend at the moment.

With a very unexpected end to that quest, they headed towards Mount Decius, completing more of Cliff’s quests along the way. They had a feeling that they would not be able to do those for much longer, one way or another.

Two more years passed. They took their rewards, faced great trouble at times, encountered a few conspiracies involving the bounty promised by the mountain, and clashed with assassins.

The journey was neither simple nor straightforward, but at its end it led to a single destination: the peak of the Foundation realm.

Pearl was now ready to attempt to enter the Golden Core realm - something she never believed she would have been able to do.