Eklavya stood alone beneath the towering ancient tree that grew in the floating island of his sea of consciousness, its vast branches were all dead with no life in it. Before him hovered the scroll of the Ten Chakra Technique, quietly unfurling in midair like a golden ripple suspended in the void.

  He reached forward and tapped the scroll, expecting lines of profound text to reveal themselves. Instead, the parchment remained empty. His brows furrowed, and he infused a stream of ki into the scroll, thinking that perhaps the words would emerge only through spiritual resonance.

  Yet even then, the scroll stayed blank—until a faint glow began to pulse at its center. Slowly, letters of radiant yellow light rose out of the parchment, drifting upward like fireflies gathering purpose, forming sequences of ancient script in the air.

  Eklavya’s heartbeat steadied as he realized these words were not mere symbols but the foundation of a body technique lost to common knowledge.

  The familiar nine chakras of the human body were known to all cultivators, each one forming naturally from birth and growing stronger through years of tempering. But the scroll spoke of a tenth chakra, one that did not exist in ordinary cultivators and could only be formed within the sea of consciousness through practice.

  The revelation stole his breath for a moment. The technique demanded the creation of a chakra beyond those granted by nature—an additional star, an extra stage in every single realm. All the cultivators only needed to complete the nine-star stage before ascending to the next realm, but the Ten Chakra Technique would force him to traverse ten stars instead. Each breakthrough would take longer, demand more, and require strength beyond his peers.

  He closed his eyes and considered the consequences carefully. To cultivate this technique meant willingly accepting a slower path, one paved with challenges far greater than what ordinary cultivators faced.

  Yet the reward was equally immense. The tenth chakra was said to form the foundation of an unmatched physical body, a vessel capable of holding devastating power and resisting forces that would crush a normal warrior.

  He exhaled deeply. The disciples of the Falling Leaf Sect were still searching for him outside; the cave he and Anshvi hid within would not remain undiscovered forever. He needed strength—real strength—to protect both himself and the girl who risked her life to save him. No matter how heavy the price was, hesitating now would only ensure defeat.

  At the bottom of the floating script, a resplendent line glowed brighter than the rest: High Eternal Tier Technique.

  Eklavya’s eyes narrowed. The Eternal Tier was something he had never heard of. He knew the known divisions—Spirit, King, Emperor, Earth, Immortal and God—each with their sub-stages–initial, intermediate and high. But the Eternal Tier stood above these… or beyond them. The fact that such a technique appeared in a place like this was unimaginable, yet the scroll clearly resonated with truth.

  With a steadying breath, he began forming the hand signs described by the floating script. His fingers moved in deliberate, precise patterns, each gesture unlocking another sequence of ancient energy.

  After he completed the twelfth sign, the golden words twisted, merged, and then shot outward like streams of light. They spiraled around him, forming ten enormous rings—glimmering circles of sealed knowledge that rotated slowly through the air.

  Outside his sea of consciousness, Anshvi watched Eklavya’s physical body with wide, stunned eyes. Golden symbols flowed from his skin, glowing softly as they spiraled around him. She had seen mysterious phenomena before, but nothing like this. “What… is he doing?” she whispered, unable to look away.

  Inside his mind, the ten rings tightened around Eklavya. They pressed against his soul and bones, branding themselves into his flesh. The sensation was sharp and invasive, but he clenched his jaw without releasing a single scream.

  His body trembled, and the symbols seared into him like molten iron, only to disappear moments later beneath his skin. A wave of force rippled through his sea of consciousness, and in the depths of his body, the tenth chakra ignited—brilliant, powerful, and terrifying. It radiated a dense pressure that made his entire being feel as if it had been reforged in divine fire.

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  When the glow faded, he stood taller, his soul steadier. His body felt ten times stronger than before, his muscles tighter, his bones denser, and his ki flow more refined. Three additional sub-techniques formed naturally within his mind—Ten Chakra Destruction, Unity Chakra Annihilation, and Ten Chakra Shields, each one a weapon and shield in its own right.

  Before he could fully process his transformation, the metal token appeared in front of him once more. Its second layer cracked open like ice shattering under heat, releasing a new surge of soul power into his consciousness.

  His mind expanded, gaining clarity and strength that he had never known. This was a gift he desperately needed—an edge that would allow him to survive the dangerous path back to the city.

  Two hours passed in quiet intensity as he absorbed every last trace of knowledge the scroll provided. Then he reached for the second scroll, feeling a chill slither across his skin the moment his fingers brushed its surface. When he opened it, a thick wave of demonic ki burst out, swirling violently within the cave.

  Anshvi jerked to her feet as that ominous aura enveloped him. Demonic ki was not something a human body could withstand. Absorbing it could kill an ordinary cultivator instantly. And yet Eklavya sat calmly amidst it, his expression unwavering.

  Inside his sea of consciousness, the dark energy compressed itself into a needle-thin shape. The scroll’s knowledge poured into him—Demonic Spirit Needle, an Intermediate Emperor-tier technique capable of evolving alongside its user. It condensed the demonic ki into a spiritual weapon capable of piercing both physical and mental defenses.

  Eklavya guided the demonic energy into a sharp, crimson needle that formed at the center of his brows. Once complete, the needle hovered quietly within the air, faintly vibrating with suppressed power.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw Anshvi staring at him from across the pond, her face pale yet filled with concern. He lifted his hand, guiding the crimson needle outward with two fingers. The needle floated above his palm, glowing ominously.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Anshvi swallowed before managing to speak. “How… how do you have demonic ki inside your body?” She had never seen anything like this. The mere presence of such energy inside a human was impossible.

  Eklavya offered a faint smile. “I got the technique by coincidence. The scroll itself carried demonic ki, and when I opened it, the energy flared out of my consciousness. I simply… shaped it.”

  She tried to hide her worry behind a calm expression, but her voice softened. “Be careful with such things. But don’t worry… I’ll keep this secret. No one will hear a word from me.”

  Her sincerity warmed him more than he expected, and he smiled in gratitude. “Thank you.” His smile wasn’t charming or deliberate—it was simple and genuine, but it made her heart tremble all the same.

  He stood and plunged into the pond, the cool water washing away the residue of ki from his body. When he emerged on Anshvi’s side, droplets slid down his skin, catching the faint glow of the herbs around them. She turned her face away slightly, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of warmth. He wore his clothes and stretched his body.

  “It’s time to return,” she said. “I checked outside earlier. There’s no one near the cave entrance anymore. I think we can escape now.”

  Eklavya gathered the rare herbs from the cave, leaving only those under a hundred years old. Anshvi watched him carefully, impressed by how methodical he was even under pressure.

  “It means they still haven’t found this place,” she said.

  He nodded. “Not yet.”

  She handed him a mask that covered the upper half of his face and put on one of her own, which covered a quarter of the right side of her face.

  Eklavya raised a brow. “You’re well-prepared.”

  She smirked and said teasingly. “Of course. Always, anything for you.”

  The brief teasing exchange eased the tension between them as they stepped out of the cave together. The sunlight greeted them warmly, falling directly above their heads, illuminating the forest in gold.

  They walked for nearly two miles, scanning the surroundings carefully. Birds fled in their footsteps, and the wind carried the faint sound of distant voices.

  Eventually, they spotted two cultivators standing ahead, talking among themselves. When the men noticed Eklavya and Anshvi approaching, they shouted, “Hey! You two—stop right there!”

  Both Eklavya and Anshvi halted instantly.

  One of the approaching men was a one-star Master Warrior, while the other was a three-star Master Warrior, both recognizably from the Falling Leaf Sect. But they weren’t those four, who were with the young master of the Falling Leaf sect.

  Eklavya felt his muscles tense, the newly gained tenth chakra thrumming with power beneath his skin. “Get ready,” he murmured softly. “If they attack, we will finish them quickly.”

  The two disciples strode toward them, unaware that the boy standing calmly in their path had just stepped beyond the limits of an ordinary cultivator.