Amidst the roar of a thunderous rainstorm, Ming sat leaning against the wall of a small cave deep within the forest—damp but safe from lightning and wind.
"This body's cultivation level is lower than even an infant from the Holy Eden... Juejun, Stage Three," Ming murmured, his expression tinged with surprise. "Yet it managed to take down three Stage Seven Juejun cultivators in one go…"
'Calling it a victory wouldn't be quite right—because in the end, the boy didn't survive either.'
Ming gave a faint smile, his eyes filled with curiosity. "There must be some secret technique or unique martial art involved... otherwise, the outcome wouldn't have turned out like this."
He touched his spatial ring with a finger. A blue light flared, and several items appeared before him.
"Shifting Stone... Grade Two Elixir... a scroll... and twenty high-grade spirit stones."
But what made Ming smile most was a bluish fang encircled by faint silver lightning.
"Stormfang... a rare treasure, truly born of a lightning beast."
A cold breeze drifted into the cave. The rhythm of rain striking the ground remained constant. Ming huddled slightly, but his focus remained fixed on the items before him.
"With rain falling this hard, the Ruo Yang clan probably escaped without much resistance…"
He took a deep breath and picked up the Grade Two Elixir. A strong, pungent scent touched his nose—the scent of transformation.
Without hesitation, he swallowed the elixir. A bitter, acrid taste spread through his mouth before turning into a rising warmth that spread rapidly through his body.
The cave fell silent. The once-loud rain now sounded distant as Ming entered meditation. The elixir's power surged like a rushing current through the twelve meridian points in his body.
His body trembled slightly. Veins bulged beneath his skin as the elixir's energy slowly transformed into spiritual power.
'More than half of the meridians are blocked… I'll have to force them open, one by one…'
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, but Ming didn't utter a single complaint. He closed his eyes, steeled his mind, and picked up one of the spirit stones. Crushing it in his hand, the stone dissolved into a glowing mist, merging with the circulating elixir energy.
A soft blue light began to radiate from his body. The cave's damp cold was gradually replaced by a warm heat, like the first sunlight of spring.
Time passed quietly. The rain still fell steadily, as if trying to wash the world clean.
But in that silence, at the heart of the small cave, the body of a young man was undergoing transformation.
From someone nearly without a path… to one more step toward power—not through talent, nor luck, but through sheer endurance and sacrifice.
The night stretched on...
The first light of dawn had yet to touch the horizon, but inside that small cave, Ming slowly opened his eyes.
His body felt lighter than ever before. Spiritual energy flowed through every fiber of his being like a stream nourishing each cell. All twelve meridian points, once sealed, were now fully open.
"Finally…" Ming murmured, a faint smile on his face. "Even if I've only reached Juejun, Stage Four... it's better than having no path forward at all."
He stretched his body. His joints cracked softly as he inspected himself. The once-pale skin now had a healthy flush, and the muscles that were weak before had grown stronger.
'And this is merely from restoring the meridians and absorbing the elixir... If I get a chance to cultivate a proper technique—how far could I go?'
His gaze turned toward the Stormfang still lying on the stone floor. The bluish fang shimmered faintly, even in the dim light of dawn.
"This treasure might just bring me some luck."
He picked up the fang. His spatial ring was nearly empty, save for the remaining nineteen spirit stones. Taking a moment, he assessed his belongings.
'It's time to move on.'
The rain had long faded, leaving only droplets clinging to leaves and the earthy scent of wet soil carried on the wind.
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