The air in the deeper reaches of the Grave of Swords grew heavy, not with the crushing gravity of the surface, but with an ancient, humid heat that smelled of ozone and iron. As Alex moved past the rusted metallic forest, the silence of the cavern was replaced by a rhythmic, low-frequency thrumming—a sound that resonated in his chest, synchronizing with his own heartbeat.
According to the Martial Meridian Map he had just memorized, he was approaching the "Aorta of the World."
The ground beneath his boots transitioned from jagged obsidian to a strange, porous rock that felt warm to the touch. Faint, glowing red veins crisscrossed the stone like the capillaries of a titan. This was Lava-Iron Ore, a rare mineral that only formed where the planet's geological pressure met high-density spiritual ley lines.
[System Notification: Environmental Hazard Detected]
[Ambient Temperature: 140°F (60°C)]
[Warning: Internal Viscera under thermal stress!]
Alex wiped a bead of sweat from his chin, watching as it evaporated before it even hit the floor. His Stage 5 Tempered Bones could handle the heat, but his internal organs—his heart, lungs, and liver—were still "soft." They were the weak points of his current evolution. To reach the next stage of the Extreme Path, he had to temper the "Five Viscera."
The Living Blood
At the end of a long, winding tunnel, the cavern opened into a massive, cathedral-like grotto. In the center was a lake, but it didn't hold water. It was filled with a swirling, viscous liquid that glowed with a deep, pulsating crimson.
"The Living Blood of the Earth," Alex whispered.
It was liquid mana, condensed over eons and filtered through the Star-Iron crust until it lost its elemental volatility and became pure, raw energy. This was the "Heart of the Mountain."
Beside the pool stood another Star-Iron pedestal, but this one was guarded by no automaton. Instead, a skeleton sat cross-legged before it, dressed in the tattered remains of a high-ranking sect uniform. The skeleton's bones weren't white; they were a translucent, polished jade—the sign of a warrior who had reached the Ninth Realm or higher before death.
In the skeleton's lap lay a small jade slip. Alex approached, bowed with genuine respect to the predecessor, and took the slip. As his skin touched the jade, a final message from the sect's dying days flooded his mind.
"The Bloodline users drink from the cup of the heavens and become slaves to the stars. We drink from the marrow of the world and become masters of our own fate. To temper the heart, one must first let it stop."
Alex's breath hitched. "Let it stop?"
He looked at the crimson lake. The Internal Alchemy technique required him to submerge himself in the liquid mana and intentionally halt his own blood flow. He had to force his organs to survive on the "World-Cell" energy he had learned to cultivate, effectively killing his biological weakness to birth a martial divinity.
The Internal Collapse
Without hesitation, Alex stripped off his remaining gear and stepped into the pool. The liquid was thick, like warm oil, and the moment it touched his skin, it felt as if a thousand leeches were trying to burrow into his pores.
He waded into the center until the crimson light swallowed his shoulders. Then, he sat.
[ Internal Alchemy: First Rite — The Still Heart ]
Alex closed his eyes and focused on the rhythmic thumping in his chest. He visualized his heart as a forge bellows. Slowly, he began to constrict his muscles, using his Flowing Iron technique to put pressure on his own arteries.
His heartbeat slowed.
Thump... Thump... ...Thump.
[System Warning: Cardiac Arrest Imminent!]
[Oxygen Saturation dropping!]
[Critical Failure in 3... 2...]
The world went gray. The heat of the cavern vanished, replaced by a cold, biting void. His lungs screamed for air, but the liquid mana blocked his throat. Just as his consciousness began to flicker out, the Dragon-Marrow Essence in his crystalline bones reacted.
The amber light in his skeleton flared with a violent intensity. Instead of drawing oxygen from his blood, his body began to "breathe" through his bones. The liquid mana from the pool was sucked into his pores, bypassing his lungs and flowing directly into his organs.
His heart, which had stopped, gave a single, explosive kick. It wasn't a biological beat; it was a martial pulse. The "soft" tissue of his heart was being reinforced by the Star-Iron minerals in the pool. His lungs turned from pink to a shimmering, metallic bronze.
[System Notification: Viscera Tempering Initiated!]
[Heart: 10%... 25%...]
[Lung: 15%... 30%...]
The Intruder in the Deep
SPLASH.
The sound echoed through the grotto, jolting Alex from his trance. He couldn't move—his body was locked in the alchemy process—but his enhanced senses caught the vibrations.
"So, the fossil is hiding in a bathtub."
The voice was cold, feminine, and carried a sharp, piercing edge. Alex opened his golden eyes to see a figure standing at the edge of the lake. It wasn't James White. It was Sujata Roy.
But she wasn't alone. Standing behind her were two men dressed in black tactical gear, their faces hidden by masks inscribed with the symbol of the Global Bloodline Bureau. They carried mana-suppressor rifles—weapons designed to kill S-rank professionals.
"Sujata," Alex rasped, his voice sounding like grinding metal. "What is this?"
Sujata looked at him, her amber eyes devoid of their usual mystery. They were filled with a grim, tragic necessity. "The White family is foolish, Alex. They wanted to kill you because you hurt their pride. But the Bureau... they want you because you're proof that their entire world order is a lie."
She stepped forward, the glowing veins of the floor reflecting in her eyes. "My grandfather tried to protect you, but the Board found out about the Fist of Law-Breaking. They've labeled you a 'Cultural Anomaly.' An infection that needs to be quarantined."
One of the Bureau agents raised his rifle, the barrel humming with a blue, neutralizing light.
"Don't move, Silvester," the agent barked. "By order of the High Council, you are being taken into custody for illegal cultivation of Forbidden Arts."
Alex looked at Sujata. "And you? Are you here to save me or put the shackles on?"
Sujata hesitated, her hand twitching toward the hilt of the sword at her waist. "If you come quietly, I can guarantee your life. If you fight... they have orders to leave only the bones."
Alex felt the final surge of the "Living Blood" enter his heart. The tempering was only 60% complete, but the power coursing through him was unlike anything he had ever felt. He wasn't just a man with dense bones anymore. He was a living engine of destruction.
"Sujata," Alex said, a terrifying, golden smile spreading across his face as he began to rise from the pool, the crimson liquid cascading off his bronzed chest. "You should know by now... I don't do 'quietly'."