Two different sides of the battle. Eight Nascent Spirit cultivators, facing off against each other in the plain fields near the Chasm.

The people who would witness this battle would be unable to describe what they had just seen. It was a battle unfit for human eyes. Even Maugnetics who were already high up in cultivation would struggle to keep up with the speed and power exchanged throughout the skirmish.

Powerful attacks, one that could cleave the very face of the Earth just the way that the Chasm had been created, was being thrown around like it was nothing.

It was only thanks to their mutual agreement that they dared not to unleash their full strength. After all, if they destroy the chasm even further, it would only worsen the situation for everyone involved.

So, the Nascent Spirit cultivators from both sides simply tested their mettle through plain hand to hand combat.

Their Nascent Armors glistened with an otherworldly glow. Each strike of their weapons caused the ground and reality itself to shake. Yet despite that, the armors they wore barely even got a dent.

It was at this point that the human armies realized that they had absolutely no chance of ever joining a battle with Nascent Spirit cultivators.

They could barely even keep to their feet with the tremors created from their clash. What more if they were in the thick of it?

"So this is the power of Conglomerates."

As expected, only the top companies in the world could afford to bring up multiple Nascent Spirit cultivators under their midst. And one should even take into account that this wasn’t their full power. This was just the Nascent Spirit cultivators of the heirs!

According to most sources, Levi Vanderbilt had around 10 Nascent Spirit cultivators under his belt, including himself.

This kind of power was enough to rival even that of the best Upper Echelon companies!

This was the insurmountable difference between them and the Conglomerates.

Just a single branch of the Conglomerates could be equivalent to the elites!

And opposite him was Theresa Goldstone. She only had 5 Nascent Spirit cultivators with her. However, she had smartly asked for help from her allies, allowing her to reach a stalemate against Levi Vanderbilt.

The battle between the two didn’t last long. It was only a skirmish, after all. The Nascent Spirit cultivators didn’t use their true strength, simply treating this as a good warm up.

That was why there were only two options for most. Either curry favor with the Vanderbilts, or hitch a ride with the Goldstones. Their armies were mere fodder in front of the Nascent Spirit cultivators.

It’s why a lot of people were quite shocked to see that a completely different army had marched in from the Southern Horizon.

Early in the morning, scouts began to report back to their headquarters in the camps near the chasm.

"Miss Theresa! We’ve just seen the presence of a new army marching in our direction."

A woman with large, red curls going down to her waist listened to her scout’s report with a raised eyebrow. "How many?"

"15,000 is our estimate," the scout replied. "We have yet to determine whether they are Levi’s troops or not."

"How’s their quality?"

This was most important. Were they a threat or not?

"They seemed to be wearing full plate armor. No sign of wear and tear in their attires. And their weapons are all glistening under the sun.

According to our assessment, the strongest among them is in the 7th stage of the Body Formation realm. No signs of Nascent Spirit cultivators among them."

Teresa could conclude two things about this. One was that this group was well-off. If they could arm all 15,000 troops with full plate armor, they seemed to be on the same level as the Upper Echelons in terms of wealth.

And two, they were inexperienced. The fact that their weapons were brand new meant that they hadn’t had yet the experience needed to rust their blades with blood.

So, she could safely say that this army was probably from a new-ish company that was trying to cash in on the opportunities of the chasm.

"See if they’ll bite to an alliance with us.

Now, 15,000 soldiers wasn’t big. But it also wasn’t negligible. In a battle against the Vanderbilts, it was always better to be prepared and get as many allies as possible.

"They’re probably here because they heard that we’re rewarding people with money just for going against the Vanderbilts."

...

...

...

On the other side of the Chasm, the leader of the Vanderbilts was told basically the same thing.

"Hmph. Another one of Theresa’s spineless lackeys, I suppose. But it doesn’t matter. Only 15,000. And they don’t even have Nascent Spirit cultivators. As long as they don’t interfere with us, they’re inconsequential."

The Vanderbilts needed no allies. They were self-sufficient all on their own. But it helped to have willing volunteers who were going to weed out the fodder.

Perhaps, one of their supporters would deal with this new army if they chose to ally with the Goldstones.

...

...

...

Michael arrived on the battlefield. He stood atop the Chasm, looking down at everything under his feet.

It was like looking at giant lips. The chasm was oblong in shape, with sharp tips at the edges. And in the middle was the island where New Sparta was located.

Both camps of the Goldstones and Vanderbilts were positioned at the Western tip of the Chasm, at the very edge where the lips converged, where the abyss was at its shallowest. This place provided the best entrance deeper underground. Controlling this piece of land was pivotal on who would control the Chasm in the future.

At the upper part of the Chasm’s lips was the Vanderbilts. Their camps were austere. Militaristic. Everything was unified under one banner. All tents, all garrisons, all buildings were made with Vanderbilts, through Vanderbilts hands.

Despite having the smaller area, the Vanderbilts’ camp provided the best defense.

Michael peered down to the center of their camp where a middle-aged man stood commanding an entire army.

So that’s my uncle.