Chapter 56: Chapter 56
"Before the breakthrough, the system assessed my combat strength as late-stage Soul Formation. Now, after ascending to the peak of the third level, I’ve stepped right into the middle Void Amalgamation Realm—that’s almost a full major realm leap." Ethan’s eyes glimmered with satisfaction.
This wasn’t some flimsy, unstable jump either; his foundation was solid as an iron wall, each layer of improvement earned through blood, sweat, and will.
He flexed his hands, letting the gentle hum of power roll through his bone and skin.
"People say you can’t become strong with just physical cultivation—that it all pales next to the spiritual path. But after today, who would dare believe that old prejudice?"
"There are three thousand roads to walk, and as long as you find the right one—and truly persist—you’ll have the chance to reach the summit." He let the words echo in his own heart, deeper than ever before.
Ethan took out a gleaming steel knife. No spiritual tricks, no techniques—just a simple, ruthless test.
He slashed at his forearm.
The crisp clang rang out as steel struck flesh, but it was Ethan’s arm that stopped the blade. Not a drop of blood, not a dent—just a faint scratch, white as chalk on marble flesh.
A swing that could hack a Soul Formation cultivator’s bones to pieces had left his own skin nearly unmarred. He could truly face swords empty-handed now.
Yet, for all that accomplishment, an unfamiliar tightness lingered under his skin.
He felt vaguely... shackled. Like some invisible chain was coiling around the heart of his body, refusing to give way.
So this is what a bottleneck truly feels like, he thought.
A subtle barrier—no visible line to cross, but the sense that further growth needed something different, something deeper.
He’d never hit this sensation before, not in ten years of relentless struggle up the path of body cultivation.
For the first time, he was forced to admit that maybe, just maybe, his current body had reached the limits of what persistence could buy.
No point brooding. The system’s mission rewards and panels were helpful, but not oracular. The system didn’t answer his questions—only rewarded effort.
But now, armed with the Purple Dragon Order, Ethan had free rein across the entire Azure Origin Dao Sect.
If there were insights to gain—perhaps in the legendary sect library—they would reveal themselves to those with the right status and determination.
He shook off the tightness in his heart and focused on his next goal.
"Alright, let’s see how far you’ve come, little one." Ethan freed the cold jade bottle from his robe.
The blue flame responded instantly, spinning out of the bottle, shifting and twisting before forming into the pocket-sized blue phoenix bird—a spiritual essence condensed and alive.
The heat in the supposedly "exhausted" eighteenth level immediately started to rise anew as the blue flame danced circles in the air.
Ethan grinned.
"No wonder the demon flame ranks at the apex. The aftertaste alone pushed the blue Flame Fire Seed past its larval stage."
Now, the blue flame had entered the developmental stage—a true innate spiritual fire, not just bestial origin.
To keep growing, though, it would require dozens, maybe hundreds, times more flame energy than even this session had provided.
But for Divine Flame Body Building, it was at last a proper fit.
Let it continue to grow, Ethan resolved.
There was no rush.
When it matured and transformed again, it would touch perfection—and be a flame worthy of shaking the world.
He glanced at his reflection in a piece of polished stone. His hair was longer, a wild edge to his look. In all the isolation, months had quietly slipped by.
Time to move, he thought, and turned his Heaven-Piercing Mind Eye upon the sealed stone room behind.
His Master’s aura was no longer present—a sign that Master Burn’s deep seclusion was complete.
No sense disturbing his master in retreat. Instead, Ethan gave his shoulders a roll, feeling every muscle ripple and tighten with new life.
Then he glanced down—there it was. The aura of Azraeth V’khorath was still dense below, shrouded in gloom and the scent of old fire.
He reached out with his mind. Instantly, the demon’s eyes snapped open in the pitch-black dungeon below.
"It’s you, boy!" Azraeth spat, rage and venom in equal measure.
If his gaze could pierce the earth, Ethan would already be ash.
Ethan just laughed.
"Old demon, thanks for the feeding. Thanks to your flames, I went up a whole step. If you have any more, send it up—I’ll put it to good use!"
Every word was a barb to the demon’s pride, and Ethan made sure they landed.
Azraeth bared his fangs. "So what if you’ve ascended, brat? If you can’t ignite the divine fire, you’ll always be beneath me!"
Ethan scoffed.
"What do I need divine fire for? That’s a crutch for spiritual types. Body cultivators don’t need that sort of thing, right? Wouldn’t an immortal old-timer like you know that?"
The demon sneered. "Naive fool. Stay snug in your cave. When you crawl out, there’ll be endless assassins waiting—my Black Demon Sect never forgets."
Ethan shrugged. "Please. You’re locked up here. And Blackshire Mountain is thousands of miles away. How would they even know I exist?"
Azraeth just let out a low, menacing laugh and fell silent.
Ethan smirked, letting the blue flame coil around his arm with mesmerizing heat, a visible show of his new power.
"My flame’s entered the real growth stages, by the way. Just wait, old man. When it’s full-grown, we’ll see whose fire is king."
Azraeth’s face spasmed, a flicker of jealousy and anxiety stretching across his blue-gray skin. But the demon said nothing more—only closing his eyes to plunge into recuperation and stealth.
Even so, Ethan understood a little more. For all his bravado, Azraeth saw the truth: physical cultivation and spiritual cultivation ultimately converged.
Qi and blood for the body, spiritual energy for the world—but both anchored in soul and will.
The void Amalgamation Realm is the realm of soul cultivation, and the Body integration Realm is the realm of sublimating spiritual power.
These two realms, physical cultivation and spiritual cultivation are connected.
These two realms are like shackles, trapping all practitioners in the world.
Therefore, the void Amalgamation realm is a watershed for all cultivators.
No one, spiritual or physical, could simply grind their way through the soul and body bottleneck. It was the gatekeeper of all cultivation—a fact that locked countless experts at their peak, unable to take a final step.
A/N:
Extra Chapters
100 power stones - 1 Extra Chapters
200 power stones - 2 Extra Chapters
Capsule - 1 Extra Chapters
Massage Chair - 3 Extra Chapters
Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters
Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters