"Mum, he's still not waking up. It has been a month already!" Ivory cried, her voice breaking as frustration consumed her. Her expression had grown dull, and Irritation came easily these days. It had been a full month since her brother had fallen into that sleep‑like state, and worry gnawed at her heart without rest.
Maria gasped softly. Her eyes that were once bright had dimmed into weary blackness, and the toll of the days seemed to have aged her by years. She turned to her daughter, forcing a fragile smile to mask her distress. "Don't worry yourself so much, my girl. He is clearly still breathing, isn't he?" But as her gaze fell upon the boy in question, her disguise shattered, and sobs escaped her lips.
The suddenness of the situation had struck them like a storm, leaving them unprepared and shaken. They weren't alone. Her sons, who had returned from the Central Academy two weeks earlier, stood nearby, offering what they could. And yet, their expressions betrayed their displeasure and unease. None of them were at peace.
Salza had been asking favor after favor, inviting experts from across the city to examine his son's condition. Yet every consultation ended with the same grim deduction:
"Commander, your son must have circulated his energy through the wrong path, which placed him in this state. No matter how much medicine you give him, it will be futile. See—he is still breathing, though at a slightly compressed level. That is at least a good sign, indicating he is alive. He will have to fight this on his own. I advise you to give him healing and recuperation pills. They will not cure him, but they may prolong his life and ease his burden. You may also provide him with soul healing pills."
That was all they could offer.
They claimed he had cultivated along the wrong path, misdirecting his energy flow—it was an error nearly impossible for any cultivator. Such mistakes did occur, but they were exceedingly rare. And in this case, it seemed unlikely, given that he was still breathing even after a month had passed.
It was like eating in complete darkness: one would never miss the mouth when passing food, because the process was ingrained in consciousness from birth. To misplace it into the nose would be unthinkable. In the same way, a cultivator would never misdirect the circulation of Heaven and Earth energy through their energy paths. It was their very life.
The state their son had fallen into was described as exceedingly strange. Some experts even claimed he was no longer in a meditative state at all.
He was completely lost.
Others speculated that he might have attempted a forbidden technique without his parents' knowledge, wanting to be at the safe side, since rumors had spread of his desperate deeds in the forest.
Salza Marble was deeply alarmed. He could only nod silently as he escorted each expert out once their examinations were complete, paying the agreed price with weary hands. His eyes were swollen, and his once‑vigorous physique had diminished as exhaustion slowly consumed him. Yet he shook it off, refusing to collapse under the weight.
He began planning to leave the city, hoping he might find someone capable of helping his son. But such a journey would take days, and the return would add even more time. The surrounding towns and cities near Sand‑Scale were of lower or equal grade, making it nearly impossible to find experts who could understand his son's condition.
Advanced territories lay far away, and that distance was precisely why Sand‑Scale City had remained 'safe' after the recent occurrence—nearby towns and cities issued challenges first, somewhat shielding Sand‑Scale from immediate danger.
Both parents suspected that their son's difficulty might be linked to the mysterious energy beam that had once invaded his body. Perhaps, the energy required time to settle before it revealed its true effect, and that was the result.
Salza grimaced at his negligence. He should have summoned healing experts to examine his son for residual traces of that energy. Instead, he had remained silent, pushing himself to finding clues relating to the occurrence.
He blamed himself for his son's current state.
The entire household was consumed by worry. Even the guards and servants were affected. Salza couldn't bear to leave his son in this state, fighting alone in silence. At last, he abandoned his hesitation and decided to leave the city, to travel far in search of a remedy…
In that instant, as if hearing his call—
Bang!
A sudden burst of light erupted from Blood's motionless body. The delicate energy pervaded the surrounding space, forcing the cotton drapes into a violent sway as the room quaked.
The light surged through every corner of the Main Manor before shooting upward toward the heavens. As swiftly as it had come, the energy receded, clearing the atmosphere.
Tess…
Ivory was the only one present in Blood's room when the energy escaped his body. She watched in shock as black liquid oozed from him, permeating the entire space. The stench was foul, forcing her to stifle her disgust until she could bear it no longer—her restraint broke with a sudden sneeze.
To her astonishment, she noticed a faint glow shimmering within the mucus. It resembled the same energy that had filled the room moments earlier. The black fluid continued to pour from his body without pause, and Ivory fought desperately to suppress the urge to vomit.
She quickly closed the door to Blood's room, wanting to shield him from the eyes of others. Though the odor was unbearable, she forced herself to endure it. The vile substance streamed from his eyes, nose, and every pore across his body. After five relentless minutes—the flow finally ceased.
The surging radiance within Blood's spiritual space finally quieted, and everything returned to calm. With great difficulty, Blood forced open his pressurized eyes after such a long slumber.
For an instant, a crescent light flashed across them as blood‑red energy clouded his pupils. The glow vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving his gaze normal once more. The worldly light pierced into his vision, prompting him to shut his eyes again as he slowly adjusted to its brilliance.
When he looked around though, he saw the floor and the room in disarray. Everywhere was a mess.
"The pendant is truly a heaven‑defying treasure. I kept it around my neck all this time without realizing. Or… was it the blood thing that stirred all of this? Perhaps it was simply a requisite to awaken it?" he murmured to the air; his voice tinged with excitement.
Blood was enshrouded with fervor, for he could feel the fruitful gain from this cultivation—if it could even be called that. Advancing a stage had always been arduous, yet he had completed it in such a short span.
It was a major leap.
He rose from the floor, only to see his sister walking slowly toward him. The expression on her face spoke volumes—it was as though he had been lost for an eternity. The sight puzzled him as he tilted his sore neck.
"How long have I been sitting? How come my neck is so stiff?" Blood muttered, his voice hoarse.
"You silly idiot! Is that the first thing you say after keeping us waiting in silence for so long?" Ivory yelled, her frustration spilling out. Yet a faint smile betrayed her relief as she closed in, embracing him tightly as she sobbed.
Blood was bewildered, repeating her words silently in his mind, but he chose not to speak further. Ivory was clearly relieved. Even the foul stench that had lingered in the room seemed to vanish in her presence.
Soon, the door—still rattling from relentless pounding—was opened.
It was obvious the others had noticed the disturbance and gathered outside, they didn't break down the door, knowing it would have shattered with a single light kick from any of them.
As the door swung wide, Blood was greeted by his family and the approaching crowd. Their faces bore a myriad of expressions, each difficult to read. He was genuinely bewildered by the series of events, which seemed both surreal and strangely familiar.
Salza's mouth hung agape, words failing him. Situations often turned in unexpected ways, especially when one least expected them.
The odor escaped outside, forcing everyone to hold their breath. The stench was unbearable. The family quickly sat Blood down, scrutinizing him closely, bombarding him with question after question.
And yet, despite the chaos, it seemed the night would not end unpleasantly.