The room was filled with such silence, as if time itself had come to a halt. Lily was sitting in a meditation posture. The faint aura of fire around her was no longer stable—it was pulsating… breathing… as if a living entity was being born within her. The heat radiating from her body had turned the entire chamber scorching. Snehwal stood at some distance, his eyes filled with worry.
"Will this… be okay?" he asked in a low voice.
Master Jins' gaze was fixed on Lily.
"If this succeeds… you will see a new Lily," he said calmly.
"And if it fails… then…"
He fell silent.
Liora asked nervously— "Then…?"
"Then her cultivation… may end right here."
The atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.
At that very moment— thump… thump… thump…
Waves of spiritual energy began rising from Lily's body. The fire rising from her spine had now reached her head. Her brows furrowed. A faint groan escaped her lips.
Inside her— fire and spiritual power were colliding.
The energy of the spiritual stones… and her own original flame… were clashing against each other.
"She… is losing balance…" Master Jins murmured.
Suddenly— DHAAAAAM!!!
A powerful energy explosion occurred. The walls of the room trembled. Cracks spread across the floor. Snehwal was pushed backward.
"Lily!!!" he shouted.
But— Lily opened her eyes.
Those eyes no longer held ordinary fire. They were… deep… stable… and terrifying.
As if— not fire… but a sun was burning within them.
Slowly— the flames around her began to shrink. They were no longer out of control. They were controlled. Completely controlled.
Lily slowly stood up. Her breathing had returned to normal.
A faint glimmer appeared in Master Jins' eyes— "She… has succeeded…"
Liora said in shock— "Then… is this… the seventh stage…?"
Master Jins slightly shook his head,
"No… not yet."
"But… she is no longer within the limits of the sixth stage. Nor fully in the seventh stage. However, to reach the seventh stage… she will have to endure a little more pain. Perhaps… if there was just a bit more spiritual energy…!"
Snehwal let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay…?" he asked softly.
Lily looked at him—and gave a faint smile.
"Now… better than before."
But— the depth in her eyes was telling a completely different story. Perhaps that's why "she had broken through the threshold... but hadn't fully entered the next stage."
At that moment— a faint shadow moved along the wall of the room. No one noticed it… except Master Jins.
The shadow lingered for a few moments… and then disappeared.
On the other side— in a dark place— that same shadow now stood clearly.
In front of it were two figures— Humbha… and Omas. Their breaths were slightly trembling.
The shadow spoke slowly, "Failure… but close to the seventh stage… perhaps half-step into it!"
Its voice was deep… devoid of emotion.
Humbha Yakshini shuddered slightly as she thought about it. "We should not give her even a single more chance… otherwise she could become a problem beyond our control," Humbha said, slightly turning her head toward Omas.
Silence lingered for a few moments. Then— the spying shadow revealed its true form.
A slow… cold… dangerous spiritual aura spread. It was the same messenger who had come to Lily with the invitation letter in Kankal City.
"That same shadow… it was now clear—it was none other than the same messenger…"
Omas spoke in a royal voice, commanding Humbha—
"You will get your chance…"
"But this time… the game has changed."
A strange gleam appeared in his eyes.
"Now… we will strike directly."
The next morning— the arena was ready once again. The crowd was larger than before. Everyone knew— today's match would not be ordinary. Lily Yakshini… vs Humbha Yakshini.
On the platform above— Humbha stood. Her eyes were cold… but a fire burned within them. "Today…" she said softly,
"I will finish you…"
But Lith Yakshini, Jury Yakshini, and Shon Yakshini were not present there. Nor was Humbha's host, Mascar.
Below— Lily stepped into the arena. Her walk was calm… steady… but with every step, the ground trembled slightly.
Their eyes met. The entire arena fell silent. The air stopped moving.
And— in the very next moment— Lily looked toward King Omas. Beside him stood the same messenger who had been spying at night as a shadow and revealing everything before Humbha and Omas.
But what was about to happen… was beyond imagination… beyond everyone's expectations—
Lily spoke in a loud voice,
"I surrender."
Hearing this, Omas stood up.
Lily bowed respectfully before the king and said,
"I apologize… I regret that I am losing the opportunity to serve you."
Humbha and Omas were instantly filled with rage.
At that moment, standing at a distance, Master Jins took a deep breath and murmured, "Perhaps… Omas will use force?"
These words reached the ears of Liora and Snehwal.