Eklavya allowed his breathing to slow until the rhythm of his chest matched the quiet pulse of the cave around him. Sitting cross-legged on the stone platform, he released the last trace of tension from his muscles and let his consciousness descend inward. The material world faded from his senses like mist dissolving under sunlight, replaced by the familiar, infinite expanse of his sea of consciousness.

  Once again, he stood upon the floating island that drifted through the luminous void, and before him rose the ancient tree whose dried branches curled like the memory of something that once ruled the heavens. Its bark remained cracked, its surface rough with age, yet even in its dormant state, the tree seemed to carry a dormant majesty capable of swallowing everything around it. Its silent presence made the floating island feel both sacred and heavy with an invisible pressure.

  Walking toward the blood pool that mirrored the empty sky above, Eklavya settled down in front of it, his posture straight and unshaken. The air here always felt thicker, as if his thoughts traveled slower, drawn toward something older than his existence. The liquid he had refined earlier appeared in front of him in a shimmer of soft light, slowly solidifying into two gleaming droplets that hovered obediently in the air.

  He lifted one hand and guided a droplet to remain suspended near the ancient tree while directing the second drop toward the point between his eyebrows. The liquid entered smoothly, merging with his spiritual center with a faint ripple of warmth.

  With a steady breath, he closed his eyes and began to draw the abundant spiritual ki that gathered around the pool in the cave. The ki drifted like an unseen tide, converging on him with a natural familiarity, as though his body had become the center of a silent storm. Every thread of that energy entered his sea of consciousness and then flowed through the channels of his physical body. His divine chakra had been opened the previous day, yet without sufficient ki, a breakthrough had been impossible. Now, however, the energy entering him surged with the strength of a river unrestrained. It poured directly into the divine chakra, filling the channel that linked it to his ki core, swelling with increasing pressure until the ki felt ready to burst from within.

  A powerful shock ran through his body as the accumulated ki rushed through his channels, and a sudden flare erupted from his physical form like a beacon of raw force. Outside, Anshvi watched the fluctuation with widened eyes, unable to hide her surprise at how quickly he progressed each time he entered cultivation.

  “Another breakthrough already? Is it truly this easy for you? How do you manage something like that?” she asked, her voice carrying a mix of disbelief and admiration.

  Eklavya opened his eyes just long enough for a brief smile to touch them. “Secret,” he answered in a calm, clipped tone before closing his eyes once more, cutting off any further questions.

  Slowly, he removed the three-coloured dragon ring from his finger and pressed it against the center of his brow. The ring dissolved into strands of spiritual light that flowed into his sea of consciousness like threads being drawn into a loom.

  In an instant, he returned to that ethereal realm, standing in front of the floating ring as it hovered beside the remaining herb-liquid droplet. The moment he appeared, he summoned four drops of blood from the blood pool and absorbed them. Nothing changed. His expression tightened ever so slightly, and he summoned four more.

  The instant the second set of drops merged with his spiritual form, a sharp, burning wave tore through him. The pain erupted with such sudden ferocity that his soul trembled. His head felt as though molten metal had been poured directly into it, and the heat rushed through every channel in his body, followed by a tearing sensation that forced his consciousness to reel. Something deep within him—something ancient, sealed, and immovable—began to crack open.

  The Divine Gateway Chakra, the highest chakra in the soul, trembled violently and then forced itself open with a soundless explosion of spiritual force.

  His scream tore through the cave. Waves of ki burst outward from his body in rapid succession, like countless tides crashing in an unending storm. The air around him twisted, and the ground beneath him trembled under the violent release.

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  From outside, Anshvi stiffened at the sound of his agony. Her heart clenched sharply, and a moment of fear flickered through her usually calm gaze. ‘Could it be that his internal injury hasn’t healed yet?’

  Without letting the thought linger, she disappeared from where she sat and reappeared behind him, lowering herself carefully so as not to disturb the wild ki that thrashed around him. Pressing both palms firmly against his back, she let her own ki flow into his channels, guiding the turbulent energy inside him with steady, practiced precision.

  Her breathing matched the rhythm of her ki circulation as she struggled to keep up with the wildly surging flow inside his body. Slowly, she restored balance to his channels, restraining the chaotic ki that threatened to tear him apart.

  Time passed with painful slowness. For thirty long minutes, she continued stabilizing him, sweat forming at her temples. Only when his screams faded and his breathing steadied did she allow herself to exhale in relief. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she muttered softly to herself, “Thankfully, the cave seals everything. Not a single sound escapes.”

  Moments later, another wave of ki rippled across his body; however, this time it carried strength rather than agony. The pressure that radiated from him deepened, and his aura stabilized into something pure and powerful. His Divine Gateway Chakra had fully opened.

  When he opened his eyes, he didn’t find her in front of him, but the warmth behind him immediately informed him of her presence. Turning, he found her sitting silently, watching him with eyes that still held a trace of worry.

  “We should leave. If anyone outside heard the scream—” he began.

  She shook her head with quiet certainty. “No sound escapes this cave. It is ancient, and its structure isolates everything. We are completely hidden here.”

  Reassured, he nodded and returned his attention inward. He re-entered his sea of consciousness, sitting beneath the ancient tree once again. The realization that his body required double the number of blood drops for each breakthrough settled firmly in his mind. After absorbing the remaining herb-liquid droplet, he summoned sixteen blood drops, allowing them to float calmly before merging into him.

  Advancing beyond the divine gateway required the creation of rune marks—symbols that represented the chakras themselves. One rune meant a one-star practitioner, two runes meant two-star, and so on until nine runes marked the complete attainment of the chakra opening realm. This stage was known as the Heavenly Rune Formation Realm, the foundational stepping stone for anyone aspiring to stand as a true practitioner warrior.

  The blood energy fused into his being slowly, its raw power turning into something refined and potent. Two hours passed before the last trace of that energy settled, and then he sank into deeper cultivation for another four hours. Ki surged continuously within him, pushing at the boundaries of his body and soul.

  At last, a luminous rune appeared above his head, intricate and radiant, accompanied by an explosive pulse of energy that burst from his body like a caged beast finally tearing through its restraints. The force spread through the cave, slamming into the surface of the pond and sending water surging outward in a massive splash.

  He had made his breakthrough.

  Opening his eyes, he exhaled and murmured, “One-star practitioner.” However, his brows knit slightly in mild dissatisfaction. “What a pity. I still couldn’t push into the second star.”

  Before the silence could settle, a soft, teasing breath brushed his ear. “If you desire it so much, I can help you reach the level of a one-star master practitioner immediately.”

  He turned slightly and found Anshvi leaning closer than he expected, their faces separated by only a single breath. Her eyes widened when she realized how close she was, and her cheeks flushed instantly. In a flustered motion, she retreated, her composure unraveling. He blinked, momentarily confused, until the meaning behind her words finally dawned.

  He looked forward again and replied evenly, “There is no need for that.”

  Closing his eyes once more, he sent two soul herbs into his sea of consciousness. With enemies from the Falling Leaf Sect still searching for them, he needed techniques that could be learned quickly and applied immediately.

  The thought alone caused a soul energy token to form before him. He began refining the soul herbs, extracting every trace of their power and infusing it into the token. As the herbs crumbled and dissolved completely, the token pulsed brightly, restored with fresh soul energy.

  Two rings—one silver and one red—emerged from the token and revolved around him before sending streams of information directly into the three-coloured dragon ring. The moment the transfer ended, both rings faded into nothingness. Eklavya withdrew the ring and retrieved two new scrolls from within it. The first contained the technique known as the Demonic Spirit Needle, while the second held the Ten Chakra Technique, both of which had been waiting for someone capable of wielding them.