Chapter 81: Training

Some of his meridian pathways were still partially closed.

The parts of the body that hadn’t used essence had spiritual impurities to build up, creating bottlenecks that slowed his essence flow. Each night, he worked to clear these blockages, slowly but steadily improving his circulation.

The process was like cleaning a dirty pipe. He had to push his essence through the blocked areas repeatedly, wearing away the obstructions bit by bit. It was exhausting work, and progress was measured in tiny improvements rather than dramatic breakthroughs.

But tonight, something felt different.

As Renard guided his essence through his body, he noticed that several pathways that had been partially blocked were now flowing freely. The work he’d been doing over the past month was finally paying off.

With his meridians clearer, he could focus on the next stage of his development, advancing from the Essence Zone to the Master Zone.

The requirements for this breakthrough were simple to understand but difficult to achieve. First, he had to convert all the loose essence in his body into a concentrated form. This was like turning steam into water – the same amount of energy, but compressed into a smaller, denser state.

Second, he had to fill his essence vessel completely with this concentrated energy.

The essence vessel was a spiritual organ that every cultivator possessed. It was located in the center of the body that served as a storage tank for refined essence. The larger the vessel, the more power a cultivator could hold.

Renard focused on his vessel, examining it through his inner sight.

And immediately, he frowned.

"I can’t get used to this...."

His essence vessel was enormous. Easily three times larger than it should be for someone at his stage of development. The walls were thick and strong, glowing with a faint golden light that suggested high-quality spiritual material.

But size was both a blessing and a curse. A larger vessel meant he could store more power once it was full, making him stronger than other cultivators at the same level. But it also meant he needed much more essence to fill it.

Renard had already created enough concentrated essence to fill a normal vessel twice over. But looking at his oversized container, he realized he wasn’t even halfway to being full.

He suspected the cause was his dual blood crests.

When the Wild Heart and Eternal Hunger had run wild, they’d torn through his body like a hurricane. The violent spiritual energy had probably expanded his vessel beyond its normal limits.

"This is going to take forever," he sighed.

But complaining wouldn’t change anything. If he wanted to advance, he had to put in the work.

Renard began the process of concentrating his essence. He gathered the loose spiritual energy that flowed through his meridians, pulling it toward his core. This energy was like mist – present everywhere but not very useful in its current form.

The concentration process required incredible focus. He had to compress the misty essence, forcing it to condense into a liquid-like state. This was done through a combination of mental pressure and precise breathing techniques.

Renard inhaled slowly, drawing in not just air but the ambient spiritual energy around him. The orphanage wasn’t located in a particularly energy-rich area, but there was always some essence available for those who knew how to gather it.

As he breathed in, he visualized the essence flowing into his body through his pores and meridians. The energy felt cool and clean, like mountain spring water.

Then came the difficult part. He had to take this newly gathered essence and compress it down to a fraction of its original volume. This required applying mental pressure – essentially squeezing the energy with his willpower until it had no choice but to condense.

The process was like trying to crush a cloud with your bare hands. The essence wanted to remain in its natural, diffuse state. It resisted compression, pushing back against his mental efforts.

Renard gritted his teeth and applied more pressure. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he fought to maintain control. The essence writhed and squirmed, trying to escape his grasp.

But gradually, slowly, it began to yield. The misty energy grew denser, taking on a more liquid consistency. What had once been a handful of vapor became a single drop of concentrated power.

This drop of liquid essence was dozens of times more potent than its original form. It contained the same amount of energy, but compressed into a space so small it was barely visible.

Renard carefully guided this drop into his essence vessel, where it joined the growing pool of concentrated energy he’d been building for weeks.

The process was exhausting. Creating just one drop of liquid essence required enormous effort and concentration. And he needed thousands of drops to fill his oversized vessel.

But he was making progress. Each night, he added a few more drops to his collection. The pool of liquid essence in his vessel was slowly but steadily rising.

As he worked, Renard let his mind wander to the challenges ahead. Tomorrow, he would leave the orphanage and begin his infiltration of the Silent Monastery. He would need to maintain his disguise while searching for Hobbren’s daughter and planning their escape route.

It would be dangerous work. The people at the Silent Monastery were powerful cultivators who specialized in magic. Even a low-level mage would be dangerous for him at his current level, so he had to be careful.

The rescue mission has to succeed. So that he can keep Hobbren by his side.

And then he could focus on building the power he needed to prevent the dark future he’d seen in his previous life.

Renard opened his eyes and looked at Boa, who was still sleeping peacefully on his cot.

"Rest well, little one," he whispered. "Tomorrow, our real work begins."

He lay down on the cot, careful not to disturb Boa’s sleep. Outside his window, the first hints of dawn were beginning to show on the horizon. Soon, the orphanage would wake up, and he would have to put on his mask again.

But for now, in the quiet darkness of his room, Renard allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. His training was progressing, his plans were in motion, and his future was taking shape.

The Beast Sovereign was returning to the world, one step at a time.

---***---

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report