Mira remained silent, noticing her master's eyes trembling intensely. A deep dissatisfaction and anger emanated from those eyes, making her extremely nervous in the situation.
However, it didn't take long to notice the focus returning to Zane's deep black eyes. He stared at her firmly and, after a few seconds of silence, uttered, "Being realistic, you will hinder more than help us." Zane's words made Mira tremble.
"But there are always unpleasant tasks to be done, and with support, it will be easier," Zane concluded, and suddenly, the air became dense enough to make Mira's skin burn. "I've told you before: I don't tolerate uselessness. And above all, I don't deal well with betrayals."
Mira swallowed hard, clearly understanding the message. She knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, perhaps even the chance that her entire people received from the heavens. "I will do everything possible not to be useless. And I will never betray Lord Denil, I swear on my life!" she stated firmly.
Zane nodded slightly. "You will never sleep in a comfortable bed again or have a day of rest in your entire life. If you thought the previous training was difficult, now you will live in true hell. Just feeling pain will be something good during your days. Are you sure about this?"
"Yes! I will do everything to meet your expectations!" She spoke without trembling or hesitation.
Then, Gael took over. "Firstly, Denil no longer exists. Just call me Zane, and you are no longer a servant."
"Yes, Master Zane." She lowered her head, trying to hide the smile on her face. He finally accepted her.
Gael pondered for a moment and explained calmly: "We will quietly cultivate with the runes we stole from the formation. Then, we will head to the East. However, you are not fully physically developed yet and won't be able to advance much in cultivation for a while. Your age is a problem."
She lifted her head in frustration, aware of this problem. Gael then continued explaining, "The eastern region is known as the 'Eastern Mountains,' its name coming from the vast mountain range that extends so high it obstructs the view of the opposite horizon. Nearby, a vast and dangerous desert houses various corrupt clans and sects. The largest of them will be our target and temporary home."
Mira nodded, but the doubt of how she would fit in naturally arose. She then looked at Gael with pure and expectant eyes. Gael sighed and felt compelled to reveal what should be the main type of cultivation for such a corrupt clan.
She began to think of strange things and mutter something, and Gael quickly cut off those thoughts. "Of course, you will be a furnace in name only. I don't need those kinds of techniques for cultivation. Returning to the focus... as you cannot elevate your cultivation much, we will start a meridian tempering training."
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Mira sighed in relief, and at that moment, Gael took a few steps toward the spot where a small grave was dug for her, and earth runes emerged from it. The cave trembled a bit, and rocks and soil were moved. Quickly, a hole ten meters wide and five meters deep emerged.
With a gesture, a dozen pulsating runes appeared from the spatial inventory above the hole, starting to tremble fervently. Mira watched as the runes transformed into the purest Qi and fell slowly into the large hole, creating a pool that seemed to be made of a red liquid, but it wasn't really liquid.
"This is a refining method similar to what the Divinestone clan offers to its young elites. The difference is that the level of this Qi is at least a thousand times denser and more efficient," Gael commented calmly.
Mira was shocked by the information. She knew the three main youths of the clan well. They were always praised for being on a level much higher in every way than others, and she already knew that this was due to the underground formation. Now, this pool before her was a thousand times better? It was hard for her to accept.
"The level of physical and mental torment that the young members of the clan undergo for refinement is proportional to the benefit. Now, you will experience something far beyond that, as it won't be your body but your meridians that will be affected; I assure you, the pain will not be less for it," Gael said, looking firmly at her.
Mira's eyes trembled slightly, but soon, the firmness settled in.
He nodded and continued, "Great. Despite being young and unable to cultivate much, in the divine realm, this is the key moment to maximize your meridians and the cultivator's future. Of course, there, this is done in the safest and gentlest way possible, but you don't have that luxury. It will be torture that you can't conceive, but your future will be boundless."
Mira clenched her fists tightly and took a determined step forward, jumping into the pool.
It didn't take long for her small eyes to be tinged with a sinister red. Her gaze met Gael's, who stood watching her. She breathed frantically, almost like a spasm, but in the end, she didn't scream and stood firm.
"The Qi is only penetrating your skin. This is not even ten percent of the pain you will feel when it reaches your meridians. Don't worry. If you're on the verge of death, it means you're on the right path."
After these sadistic words, Gael turned away, leaving Mira stunned and frightened. But soon, she realized that he was not lying at all. And her world was filled only with that infernal training.
***
A week passed, and a muffled boom emerged from inside the cave. Zane and Gael opened their eyes, feeling their bodies pulsating with power. They had officially reached the ninth level of the Qi Gathering Realm.
"Finally... we used all the hundreds of small runes from the formation," Gael said emotionlessly.
"We also used all the medium ones and couldn't advance in physical cultivation... this is just the first level, and Flesh Training is as difficult as reaching the sky; it's even hard to imagine the other levels," Zane added.
Gael looked into the inventory and sighed. There were a few runes there still. "Our bodies can't handle using the seventeen higher-level runes that remained either. Let alone that main bloody rune. It is impossible in the short term. It seems we've reached the current limit; we should leave."
Zane also sighed, and both heard a loud rumble. It took them a few seconds to realize that the rumbling came from their stomachs.
Suddenly, an irresistible aroma wafted to their noses, and light footsteps echoed through the caves.
"Master, the food is ready! And congratulations on the breakthrough," Mira said, a sweet smile blossoming on her face.
Zane and Gael felt awkward but nodded in satisfaction. She refused to stop serving them, as she did in the past. They expected a lot and achieved very little in cultivation, which left them frustrated. However, after seeing that smile, all worries were swept away by a gentle and refreshing breeze.
"Well, she gained the most in the end. She didn't level up, but internally, her potential multiplied," Gael said as they ascended the cave alongside Mira, who was cheerfully humming.
Zane said nothing, but he felt that something was changing profoundly within them. They no longer felt that frightening rush to cultivate but rather wished to savor the entire journey slowly. Above all, they wanted to see how far this little girl would go.