[You have defeated [Error - Non-System Entity detected - Quantifying…]
[Quantification Accepted.]
[You have defeated level 0̴̰͈͖̊͋0̴͎̟̣̈́̐0̵̠͉̥̔̊̈0̴̰͈͖̊͋0̴͎̟̣̈́̐ Proto Sapien - T̴̛̹̹͖̩̰͍͙̅͆h̸̠̞͍̚e̴̞ ̸͎̤͔͒̽͛͆̿̇L̷͇̄i̵̖̓t̸͚͠t̸̟̄l̸̙͕͝e̵̱͂ ̸͚͕͖͔͌͐̆͠D̷͇̝̘͚͈̞̱̻͊̄̂̎͆͝em̶̢̲̳̞̠̙̳̅̔͐͝ͅo̶̠̦͉̜͕̪̟̠̽͝n̶͉̘̘̜̞͆̓͗̏̋̕͝ ̴̡̨͓ō̸͓f̷̱̅ ̴͖̠̯̬̱͙̳̞̹͗͝͝W̵͍̲̟͇̞͓̲̙̿̆̄̅̚͜͠i̴̪͠n̸͎͍̓d̵̪̠̽i̷̜͕͑n̷̲g̷͚̾ B̵̢̦̳l̸̫̺͇̜͂̆͝͝o̸͙͊o̷͖̥̘͛̈͑d̸̞̔s̷͕̦ (Qi Gathering: Eight stage) - (D) - Experience penalty due to level difference.]
[Experience Assimilated.]
[Qi: 589 > 1003]
The soft ebb and flow of Qi cradled Alex’s senses, the faint pulse of energy lifting him through a calm expanse he had not expected. This was different—a cushion of Qi infused with blood essence, carrying him as if crafted to ferry him out of the abyss he’d fallen into. It didn’t align with his knowledge, the boundaries he thought held him and Jin equal. An outer disciple, wielding Qi constructs?
Alex opened his eyes to witness Jin manipulateing a platform of solid Blood-Qi, visible to the naked eye, it drifted, carrying Alex to through the realm. That's not just blood manipulation, he observed. That's manifested and solidified Qi, hes created a complete construct of Qi, he noted with curiosity.
He knew the limits of the stage Jin had reached well, he had thoroughly commited the scale to memory, intent on thriving in this new world. A construct like this should have been beyond what either of them could achieve. How Jin managed it, Alex couldn’t explain. Such a thing was said to be impossible for those at Qi gathering, an unreachable technique reserved for those at the 'Nascent Soul' stage. It's impossible... unless you use demonic cultivation methods, he reaffirmed. But to do so would mean breaking taboo, harnessing dark or forbidden energies through corrupt and typically harmful methods. It often involved one abandoning morality, gaining power through a range of methods from corpse reanimation, soul tampering, channeling the violent essence of death, or forcibly draining life force from living beings to accelerate growth, all methods seen as violating natural and moral laws.
Wait, but isn't that essentially what the system does? He thought as he lay still in recovery. His system siphoned energy from all beings he defeated, using the energy of their death to empower him. It only differed from demonic rituals in the fact that it was apparently omniscient and omnipresent and capable of numerous seemingly impossible feats, from mass intersteller transport to reincarnation.
Either way, Alex eyed Jin warily and with caution, reassesing his fellow disciples capabilities.
He actually returned, Alex considered, the thought drawing his eyes back to his companion. It was hard to reconcile with the image he’d built of him—a callous self invested disciple, certainly not an ally. And yet, Jin’s action had altered something, created a new layer to examine. He’d forced the little demon to face them together, denying him the chance to recover or stall until the phoenix revived. But the timing, the precision of his returned caused Alex to view the act with a critical eye. When I weakened the phoenix, he thought, that was Jin’s opening. He’s clever, Alex noted, recognizing the calculated effort Jin had made. It was the perfect moment to act. Without that intervention, he saw how close he had come to risking everything. The demon would have dragged him down, forced him into a protracted battle until the blood phoenix could reform. Jin’s decision had denied him that chance, removing the threat as swiftly as it had appeared.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
It's logic, Alex thought, plain and simple logic. A calculated intervention, a move to ensure the safest path, nothing more. If Jin had seen the same threat, the same vulnerability in the demon, then his aid was a matter of self-preservation. That much, Alex could understand, perhaps even respect on a surface level. But trust? Actions born of convenience were not a foundation of trust. No, trust required more—a fundamental change, a revelation that transcended mere convenience. And gratitude? The concept didn’t settle easily within him. Though he allowed the acceptance of help, for now, the thought of trusting Jin’s intentions was still beyond reach
He reached for Eclipse and felt resistance, his connection to sword feeling muted, like a crystilline wall in the depths of his soul.
[System Message: Soul-Bound Ego weapon 'Eclipse' Undergoing Minor Evolution due to excessive higher grade (D) resource absorption. Weapon Unavailable.]
[Time until completion: 24 hours]
[SwordSoul- Mastery: 0 > 5%]
Hmm... that's interesting, but until its evolved theres no telling what it'll do. Either way its good news, i can't rely on the Dao and Allocation forever, they're both limited resources.
He still couldn't feel his connection to the Dao, but that was fine- he knew it would return eventually as it had the first time he had pushed his connection beyond what it could handle. He thought of the impossible movements he had made to kill the cultivator. He had revived himself during that battle, essentially resetting his existence. Alex hadn't just moved through time; he had skipping forward, each jump placing him into the position of an alternate version of himself. It was as if he reached across the multiverse, using the lives of his other selves as stepping stones to move ahead. Each time he leaped, he assumed the exact state of that version of himself—picking up from where they were, in whatever condition they happened to be in at that point. This wasn’t just time travel; it was a way to navigate possibilities, advancing by harnessing the countless paths he’d taken across realities. Alex relaxed back with a satisfied smirk and dismissed the notification with a thought, letting his body sink into the support of the Qi construct.
His gaze wandered over the landscape of the test realm, catching the shifting movements of wild creatures roaming freely. Even from this vantage, Alex could make out the shapes moving through the shadows of the terrain—the wild bloodbeasts. They seemed less chaotic, an odd calm settling over them even without the Demonic blood cultivator, their creator, to guide them. They had not vanished or weakened as he might have expected. They continued on, thriving in a realm absent of control. Surviving without the beacon.
The ground beneath Alex and Jin grew uneven as they neared the portal, rough with dried patches of blood that had sunk deep into the dirt, staining it a dark rust. The clearing stretched out before them, littered with scattered swords, their blades dulled and mottled, handles gripped by nothing but hardened dust. Cracks ran along the ground where strikes had landed, deep grooves scarred into the earth, marking the remnants of earlier battles. No bodies remained—just these forgotten weapons, strewn like abandoned thoughts. Deep within, he felt a soft thrum of energy from his steadily evolving soul-bound sword. He could feel it clearer now, the connection reastablishing itself with each breath as the weapon nestled within his soul slowly took form. The portal loomed ahead, close enough to catch their shadows. Without a word, they walked toward it, thier steps taking them closer to whatever it was that awaited them on the outside.
Alex let his mind drift on the construct, a quiet scrutiny forming. His awareness never fading and his mind shifting from thoughts of his evolving weapon to the events that had unfurled. Despite thier collaborative survival, Jin would have to prove himself beyond tactical decisions.