The atmospheric tempest within the cave gradually dissipated, but the air remained thick with electricity and the lingering, heady scent of raw passion. In Ardam's mind, the system notifications flashed like rapid strokes of lightning:
[DING!]
[Intimacy Detected: Full Physical Union.]
[Target Rating: 8.4 → 8.8]
[Female Satisfaction: 260%]
[REWARDS:]
AC (Affinity Coins): +1,800
OC (Opposite Coins): +2,400
ITEMS: Rank-11 Power Pills x6
Ardam rose, the newfound power of his reinforced muscle fibers apparent in every movement. Outside, the rain had finally surrendered, and a poisonous afternoon sun began to bleed its toxic rays over the forest canopy. Ardam made his way to a small pool near the cave to wash away the grime of battle and blood. The freezing water sharpened his mind into a lethal edge.
Once cleansed, he returned to the clearing where Bertram's corpse lay. He harvested the Erta stones from the fallen Lemus and pried a Void Ring from Bertram's lifeless wrist. This wasn't a mere trinket; it was a spatial storage artifact whose capacity scaled directly with the owner's Erta reserves. Ardam let a single drop of blood fall onto the metal, sealing the contract—he was now the master of this hidden hoard.
Returning to the cave, Ardam paused. He found Krita drying her hair, the Erta flow radiating from her so violent and rhythmic that the very air seemed to vibrate. She looked ethereal, her skin glowing with an internal brilliance.
[DING! Scan Complete.]
Target: Krita (Reincarnation of Elmiya)
Rating: 8.8 (↑)
Status: Dance of Death Sect, 1st-Rank Warrior.
Cultivation: 9 Erta Veins (On the threshold of 2nd-Rank Warrior).
Erta Quantity: 1,200 URC.
"Exceptional," Ardam thought. Their Dual Cultivation had propelled Krita to the cusp of a new realm. Now, it was his turn.
Ardam settled into a cross-legged position in the corner of the cave. He arranged all the Erta stones he had gathered in a perfect circle around himself, then bolstered the formation with 86 mid-grade stones from Bertram's ring. He burned the excess clothing from the ring and stowed the artifacts for later appraisal.
"Are you planning to ascend?" Krita asked, her voice carrying a newfound reverence for him.
"Yes," Ardam replied curtly.
"Then I will stand guard. Nothing will disturb you."
Krita moved to the cave mouth, her formidable aura forming a barrier at the entrance. Ardam produced three of the Rank-11 Power Pills. These were true treasures; to craft them, an alchemist would need to be at least at the Celestial General rank. Each pill, worth tens of millions of gartu on the open market, was a concentrated essence of pure Erta.
Ardam swallowed the pills. Instantly, an internal command echoed: System, master the Merdun Breath technique.
[DING!]
[Mastering "Merdun Breath" technique...]
[AC Expenditure:] -3,600
An influx of data flooded Ardam's consciousness, fundamentally reconfiguring his respiratory system. Every breath he took was no longer a simple exchange of air but a black hole, a vacuum that ruthlessly pulled in the surrounding Erta. The stones around him flickered and dimmed one by one, their energy surging violently into his lungs.
"Ahhh!" a muffled roar escaped his teeth.
His lungs felt as if they were being incinerated from the inside. His veins bulged beneath his skin like thick, blue cables.
[DING!]
[WARNING!]
[Host body is incompatible with this technique. Lungs are on the verge of disintegration. Do you wish to adapt your body structure?]
[Cost:] 3,000 AC.
"Yes!" Ardam wheezed. "Do it!"
[DING! Commencing adaptation...]
"Arghhh!"
A guttural, primal sound tore through his throat. His bones began to snap in rapid succession—not from fracture, but as a total skeletal reconfiguration to accommodate the "Merdun" power. It felt like his entire body was being melted down in a forge and recast into a steel mold. He gritted his teeth, his nails drawing blood from his palms. Every breath felt like thousands of tiny razors slicing through his chest, yet he didn't lose focus for a single second.
After several minutes of this exquisite torture, the pain suddenly receded. In its place came a profound, chilling clarity. Ardam's breathing stabilized. The chaotic Erta in his veins settled into a rhythmic, powerful river. The cave became a cloud of energy, every particle forming a vortex that spiraled into Ardam's frame.
This state lasted for a full day. Ardam sat as still as a statue, the air around him occasionally shivering with shockwaves. Finally, his eyes snapped open, glowing with a piercing purple light.
[DING!]
[7th Erta Vein successfully opened.]
[Host has ascended to the rank of 1st-Rank Warrior.]
[Merdun Lightning Mastery: 36% → 53%]
"Finally..." Ardam stood, his every movement sharp enough to cut the air. He had never felt this light, this lethal. "System, show stats."
[DING!]
Name: Ardam Cray (Age 25)
Rank: Shadow Sword Sect, 1st-Rank Warrior
Techniques:
Merdun Lightning (Basic): 53%
Merdun Breath (Basic): 10% (Adaptation Complete)
Swift Steps: 100%
Iron Hands: 100% (5 years combat experience)
Passionate Fingers: 100%
Stats:
Body: 33
Strength: 24
Cultivation: 7th Erta Vein
Erta Quantity: 2,180 URC
Balance: 4,547 AC / 3,100 OC
Items: Death Breath Runestone x1, Rank-11 Power Pills x3
Ardam gathered his belongings and stepped out of the cave. Krita turned immediately, her eyes widening as she felt the suffocating aura radiating from him. She hadn't expected him to reach such a majestic level of power in a single day.
"Congratulations on your ascension," Krita said, bowing with a tone that suggested absolute loyalty.
They decided to focus their attention on the tournament. They had already lost too much time in the cave; other participants were surely pulling ahead in points. For the next three days, they turned the forest into a hunting ground.
Krita showed a completely different side of herself in these battles. With her veins restored by Ardam, she unleashed her family's secret art: the "Heavenly Leaf Dance." It was as terrifying as it was beautiful. With a wave of her hands, thousands of Erta leaves, glowing like blue fire, would manifest around her.
In the past, this technique had been her greatest weakness—she could only manifest a few dozen leaves, and they would drain her Erta in four minutes. Everyone in the sect had mocked her "crippled leaves." Now, with nine veins providing near-limitless power, she could maintain the dance for over twenty minutes. These leaves didn't just fly; they turned her enemies into a meat grinder, reducing six rabid Lemus to piles of bone and shredded flesh in minutes.
Three days later, as the sun neared its peak, Ardam and Krita sensed a sharp shift in the atmosphere. The Erta in the air grew turbulent, vibrating with the signatures of various foreign cultivators.
"These aren't beasts," Ardam said, sensing the danger. "People are gathering."
They carefully climbed a high, obsidian-barked tree to survey the clearing below. A gruesome sight awaited them. Every tree in this sector of the Blood Forest had been leveled to create a massive arena.
In the center, a towering blue portal five meters high flickered with energy. The perimeter was packed with successor disciples. The Shadow Sword and Dance of Death sects stood on opposite sides, prepared to tear each other apart.