Within the thick darkness. Yuto faintly saw sparks of consciousness beginning to flare, waking him from a long sleep.
His eyes fluttered gently, feeling a slight jolt that shook his body as he lay on a flat surface. He tensed his body only to scowl.
'That hurt!'
A weight pressed against his chest, combined with an excruciating pain like ants gnawing at his flesh.
His brows twitched when he heard something starting to crack from within. Yuto took a long breath.
'Don't tell me… was that my bones?'
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he realized how bad his condition was.
Yuto closed his eyes and plunged into his dantian, seeing the two red and blue suns spinning harmoniously.
'Nothing seems off, good.'
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, afraid that the power he had obtained would disappear from his body.
He pulled his consciousness back and slowly began to channel his blue Qi into all his major meridians.
Like standing under a tree canopy and feeling the cool breeze of autumn caressing his skin, his expression began to calm down.
His brow furrowed when Yuto realized that the blue energy was faintly seeping into his cracked bones, where it began to reconstruct them from within.
Yuto's eyes snapped open, surprised that a breakthrough in his cultivation path was imminent.
However, his mind started racing, recalling the teaching methods of the previous Heavenly Demon.
{Temper your body with the destructive power of demonic energy}.
Yuto's lips curled into a grin. In the world of cultivation, the main character would always be accompanied by trials that forged not only their body but also their soul to reach the summit.
'No pain, no gain, huh!'
Again, he realized that the power within him was a double-edged sword, which could be deadly for himself and his enemies.
His decision was final, but one thing was still far from his grasp if he wanted to progress.
'I don't have a mana stone.'
A mana stone was a crystallized form of mana energy within a monster. It usually contains raw mana mixed with miasma.
The opposite side of mana. Miasma was an energy of evil or accumulated hatred born from slain monsters.
Although it sounded dangerous, it was what Yuto wanted. He needed that miasma to increase the red energy within him, which nearly had the same characteristics.
The carriage he was riding in slowed down, then stopped, giving him an opportunity.
"Gonzo?"
His body swayed with a hard jolt from the coachman's seat.
The curtain behind him opened, basking his sluggish body with golden warmth. A large shadow loomed over his squinted eyes from the light.
"Y-Yuto, you're awake?"
The man choked; he couldn't even say the boy's name correctly.
"Yeah, I just woke up."
"Thank goodness..."
Gonzo took a long breath, releasing all the tension that was choking him.
Unconsciously, Yuto's lips lifted, feeling grateful someone cared about his condition.
Because once, such a thing was only a dream for his past self.
"Gonzo, let's get straight to the point. I need your help."
"Don't worry, Yuto! I've already prepared some advanced potions for your injuries and..."
"No, I don't need that."
The boy cut him off before things could escalate further. Yuto took a deep breath and spoke.
"Can you bring me a large quantity of mana stones?"
"Mana stones?"
"Yes, I'll pay you back later, so can you do it? I don't care about their purity or rank, anything will do, please."
Hearing such a gentle tone from Yuto's mouth struck Gonzo's mind like lightning.
He had always thought that the boy in front of him was too mature and gave off a sense of distance from others.
Even on the first day they met, Gonzo saw how vacant the boy's eyes were, like a lost person.
But slowly, due to his wife's persistence, Yuto could crack open the gate that locked his heart.
As an adult, seeing a child's growth always brought emotion. His vision blurred with tears that were about to fall. But he shook his head and answered.
"Mana stones, huh? I'll get them as soon as possible. Just you wait!"
"Please."
Seeing the boy's head nod slightly lit a fire in the man's heart. He snapped the reins in his hand, making the horses neigh and charge through the crowded streets.
Yuto smiled, never expecting that Gonzo still had his childlike side. He felt grateful the man didn't ask further what the mana stones were for.
He closed his eyes, breathing steadily, inhaling and exhaling a residual mist from the refined Qi in his lungs.
Time felt slow until the curtain in front of him opened, revealing the silhouette of Gonzo carrying a large sack on his shoulder.
"Here you go, Yuto. What are you planning to do with this?"
Gonzo placed the sack next to Yuto, waiting for further instructions.
Yuto's red eyes widened as a dense black aura spilled from the bag, mingling with the white glimmer of raw mana.
"Just leave it there. Thank you, Gonzo."
"Don't worry about it."
"You can go now. I want to train."
"Alright."
Left alone, Yuto closed his eyes and inhaled the black aura into his lungs, which was then refined and passed on to his dantian.
It didn't stop there; he pumped the red energy like blood through his major meridians.
His body convulsed as searing needles penetrated his shattered bones, delivering an unbearable pain that nearly made him scream.
The nerves in his body shrieked, begging him to stop doing such a dangerous process.
But he ignored his own body and continued to channel his Demonic energy into his bones.
It was like boiling water cooking him from the inside, while the outside felt cold due to the blue Qi's defensive mechanism in repairing the damage.
Two forces clashed, one destroying and the other restoring.
Yuto trembled violently; his skin was barren like cracked soil in summer. Steam rose from his body.
'Ugh, just a bit more!'
The boy focused on the Bone Tempering stage.
Crack!
A fracture echoed in his ears, but the blue energy immediately wrapped and healed the wound. A moment later, all the bones in his body broke.
'Now!'
Yuto gritted his teeth, accompanied by blood flowing from his lips, dripping onto the wooden floor below.
The blue Qi burst forth from his body, sending an immediate treatment. His body was swallowed by light, molded, and reconstructed to be firmer and stronger.
After a few seconds, the light faded, and a wisp of smoke came out of the carriage.
"Yuto, are you alright?"
Gonzo's panicked tone echoed in the confined space.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Gonzo. Never better!"
Newfound power surged across his body, giving him a sense of omnipotence that lasted for a moment before he clenched his hands tightly.
'I finally broke through.'
In every trial, there will always be great reward for those who pass it.
Such was the case for Yuto, bringing him one step closer to the summit he desperately sought.