"Would you be willing to succeed me on the throne, Nagada?" King Yomura asked unexpectedly.

They were discussing the critical matter of safeguarding the kingdom, and the three remaining advisors stood by in silent respect, not daring to interrupt their sovereign.

A reigning monarch possessed the absolute authority to abdicate if weary of his duties, appointing a chosen successor to carry the crown. Should Nagada accept, the council and royal guard were fully prepared to swear total fealty, pledging their lives to serve his decrees.

"I believe... Father remains best suited to rule Hanusan," Nagada replied, looking deeply at his father. "You have just broken through to a higher realm of martial power. The task of restoring prosperity and stability to our realm is safest in your hands. Besides..."

Nagada turned to his two squadmates, Sanjo and Yara. "I have forged bonds with extraordinary comrades in the Sky Squad. We have sworn a sacred vow to halt the Demon Lord Shura's invasion, and we will stand together until our mission to secure global peace is complete."

It was a noble ambition. Hearing his son's response, Yomura felt a quiet wave of humility wash over him, realizing his own focus had been confined merely to the borders of Hanusan. His son had chosen a far broader path—sacrificing personal comfort to safeguard the entire realm.

Yomura felt an overwhelming surge of pride. Nagada's choice brought immense honor to the Hanusan Kingdom and its people. A prince of Hanusan was serving in an elite global vanguard, tasked with eradicating a threat that risked destroying the world order.

Furthermore, Nagada was surrounded by exceptional peers who accelerated his growth, comrades whose collective deeds would soon resonate across all continents.

"I am immensely proud of you, my son!" Yomura said, a warm smile breaking across his features. "You have made the right choice. Sometime in the near future, bring your Sky Squad comrades to the palace. I wish to host the brave warriors who stand by your side!"

"Of course, Father. I will invite them to the capital when time permits," Nagada promised, returning his father's smile.

A profound sense of tranquility settled over the hall. With Yomura back on the throne, a bright new era for the kingdom had officially begun.

"Tell me, Nagada... who gave you that Soul Purifying Water?" Yomura asked, his tone turning serious.

Yomura was well aware that Soul Purifying Water was a rare manifestation of high-tier elemental magic, condensed directly from the purest energies of nature. Crafting such an elixir required a flawless, untainted internal core.

For a martial artist struggling against internal energy blockages or stagnant cultivation channels, Soul Purifying Water was the ultimate remedy. Beyond its incredible rarity, it possessed the unique property of completely neutralizing toxic curses introduced into the human vessel.

Indeed, Soul Purifying Water was a treasure money could not buy. Any high-tier master who truly understood its value would willingly forfeit entire fortunes and territorial estates just to obtain a single drop.

Yomura was certain that the clear liquid administered by his son had been genuine Soul Purifying Water. He had felt the fluid enter his internal energy reservoir like a single celestial drop splashing into a vast ocean, causing his core to detonate with refined power.

According to ancient martial texts, ordinary medicinal elixirs merely offered temporary physical relief without altering a cultivator's permanent parameters.

Dark water, in contrast, was consumed by followers of the Demon Lord to forcibly grant immense combat output at a steep price. If a user lacked the physical vessel or mental fortitude to contain dark water, the volatile dark magic would cause their internal organs to rupture violently.

Soul Purifying Water operated on the complete opposite principle. Upon consumption, it dissolved every energetic restriction and internal blockage within the vessel, granting the user the equivalent of decades of painstaking cultivation without a single adverse side effect.

The strength gained through absorbing Soul Purifying Water integrated seamlessly into the host's vessel, becoming a permanent, unyielding foundation within their internal core.

"To be honest, Father, I didn't fully understand what the liquid was," Nagada admitted, scratching his head. "A comrade handed it to me before I left headquarters and asked me to give it to you. I was hesitant at first, but I trusted him enough to try."

"Is that elixir truly so extraordinary, Father?" Nagada asked, his curiosity thoroughly piqued.

King Yomura rose from his seat, taking several measured steps across the polished floor. He paused, turning his back to his son and the two attending Sky Squad members.

"That single vial was capable of elevating my cultivation from the peak of 8th-realm Swordsmanship straight through the bottleneck into the absolute pinnacle of the 9th realm," Yomura revealed, his voice echoing in the quiet hall. "It is worth more than the entire Hanusan Kingdom!"

All three Sky Squad members gasped in absolute shock. A legendary elixir worth more than an entire sovereign kingdom?! A substance capable of forcing a breakthrough to the absolute apex of martial power?! It sounded utterly mythical.

"That is the absolute truth," Yomura continued, his tone filled with reverence. "Soul Purifying Water is forged through absolute spiritual purity and exhaustive internal discipline. The creator must align their vessel with every natural element in existence, achieving total resonance with the world itself. To condense such a liquid, one must completely discard worldly desires and attain a state of higher spiritual purity!"

Listening to the King's explanation, the three young warriors felt even more bewildered. A realm of power beyond the highest recognized cultivation ranks? A state of total unity with the earth's natural elements?

"Forgive me, King Yomura," Sanjo spoke up, unable to contain his skepticism. "Is it truly possible for a human being to synthesize such a substance? It sounds like a bedtime fairy tale."

Nagada and Yara nodded in agreement. Could such a feat truly be possible in the physical world?

Yomura gazed up at the high ceiling, a wistful look in his eyes. "You have never encountered the Three Legends in person. They were individuals who surpassed humanity's collective understanding of martial arts. We view the 9th realm as the absolute ceiling of power, but I witnessed the true capabilities of the Three Legends with my own eyes.

They were grandmasters who could not be measured by conventional standards. They transcended the boundaries of this world. Looking upon their power was like staring up at an infinite, unreachable sky."

Sanjo, Yara, and Nagada absorbed the King's words in solemn silence. In popular folklore, the Three Legends were always depicted as the ultimate paragons of martial strength, grandmasters who had sacrificed their lives to hold off thousands of dark army combatants single-handedly.

Yet hearing it directly from a veteran who had witnessed their power firsthand made the young warriors feel small by comparison. They realized their current accomplishments were merely the first steps on a long, arduous road. Still, the revelation ignited a fierce determination within their hearts to push past their limits through relentless discipline.

"The person who gave me the vial is our fellow Sky Squad member," Nagada revealed softly. "Many within our ranks believe he is the true successor to the Three Legends—the final, closing disciple of all three grandmasters."

Nagada's final revelation left King Yomura completely thunderstruck. A direct disciple of the Three Legends whose name had never been spoken, suddenly emerging as a member of the Sky Squad?!

If word of this reached the martial world, it would trigger a global earthquake.

Above all, it was common knowledge among elder grandmasters that one of the Three Legends—the Thunder Striker—had adamantly refused to take a single disciple throughout his entire lifetime. Yomura's mind burned with intense curiosity regarding the mysterious youth Nagada had described—a warrior who possessed Soul Purifying Water and claimed the legacy of the Three Legends.

"I must meet this young man in person," Yomura murmured, the words slipping out instinctively.

The legacy of the Three Legends embodied in a single youth who had newly emerged into the world was a prospect he found utterly fascinating.