The chamber was dim, only the flicker of the candlelight brushing against the walls. Jace sat cross-legged, the air around him so heavy with suppressed power that the wooden floor groaned.
The system window hovered in front of him, cold and merciless:
[System Notification]
Main Quest Assigned: Break through to Soul Phase Realm within 15 days.
Reward: Bloodline Awakening (Stage II) + Scarlet Fang Sword Upgrade (Minor).
Penalty: Cultivation Suppression for 30 days.
[Time Remaining: 6 Days.]
Jace exhaled slowly, the sound sharp behind the short black mask that now covered his upper face, leaving his jaw exposed. He had begun wearing it three nights ago, after realizing too many eyes were turning toward him. The mask gave him distance. Anonymity.
Still, it couldn't hide the truth pressing against his veins. Six days left. Six days before his body either shattered under the bottleneck or the system crippled him.
He clenched his fist. Failure isn't an option.
---
For four days, he practiced relentlessly.
His sword slashed through the air until his arms burned. His Qi swirled and hammered his meridians until blood threatened to leak from his lips. Each night ended with him collapsed on the floor, staring at the ceiling, asking why the barrier refused to break.
On the fourth night, rage nearly consumed him. His fingers dug into the floorboards. "Why? Why can't I pierce through?!"
The system offered no answer.
Veyra hadn't returned since that night. Her silence gnawed at him, but also freed him—he no longer needed to pretend. He could dedicate every breath to breaking through.
But four days had passed. And the bottleneck remained.
If he continued blindly, he would waste away. He needed… insight.
---
The following morning, he strode across the sect grounds, his mask hiding the dark circles beneath his eyes. Students glanced at him, whispering about his absence, but he ignored them all.
He found Instructor Elaira, one of the sect's sword tutors. A calm woman with streaks of silver hair and sharp, discerning eyes.
"Jake?" she said, brows furrowing. "You've been missing from class for nearly a week. Why are you here now?"
He bowed slightly, his tone measured. "I was preparing something. But I've encountered… a wall. May I ask a question?"
Elaira studied him. His aura pulsed faintly—deliberately lowered to the late Foundation Establishment Realm. She sighed. "At least you admit you need help. Speak."
Jace hesitated, then described his cultivation block in vague terms, carefully hiding the system and his bloodline.
Her eyes softened slightly. "You're forcing it," she said after listening. "Breaking through isn't only about accumulation. It's about alignment. Foundation cultivators often think brute force will crack the wall, but the Soul Phase requires harmony. Qi, mind, and body must resonate."
Jace stilled. Those words struck deeper than he expected. Alignment… not force.
Elaira continued, "Meditate on balance. Listen to your veins instead of hammering them. When the flow feels smooth, that is when you strike the wall. Not before."
He lowered his head. "...Thank you."
A faint smile touched her lips. "Don't vanish again. And if you need fuel for your cultivation, the Hall of Trade is always open. Use what you've learned, don't hoard it."
Jace inclined his head again, and together they walked toward the Hall.
---
The Hall of Trade was bustling, disciples bargaining over scrolls, herbs, and glowing stones.
Jace approached the counter, pulling from his robes several cultivation manuals....the very ones he had collected in the trial chamber. He placed them on the stone desk.
The attendant raised a brow. "High-quality techniques. Are you sure you want to trade these away?"
"I need Qi stones," Jace replied, voice firm.
Moments later, a pouch filled with faintly glowing crystals was set before him. Jace collected them silently, ignoring the curious glances around. To others, it looked reckless—trading manuals for mere stones. But for him, time was worth more than knowledge.
He slipped away, back into his quarters.
---
The door closed. The mask was set aside. The stones glittered before him, their light reflecting in his burning eyes.
"System," he whispered, his voice low but steady. "Guide me."
[Notice: Task – Breakthrough to Soul Phase Realm. Time remaining: 2 Days, 19 Hours.]
The countdown had nearly devoured his time. This was his last chance.
He devoured the Qi stone, and his veins ignited. Power roared through him, burning, tearing, reshaping. He did not resist. He listened—to the rhythm of his heart, the whisper of his breath, the flow Elaira described.
Hours stretched. His aura swelled, collapsed, swelled again. The bottleneck loomed like a mountain. His body trembled, soaked in sweat. Blood trickled from his lip.
Align. Don't force. Align.
He inhaled deeply, then struck. His Qi surged like a tidal wave, perfectly in tune with his body's rhythm. The barrier cracked—once, twice—then shattered.
A thunderous roar echoed in his veins.
[System Notification: Breakthrough achieved. Cultivation advanced to Soul Phase Realm.]
[Reward Unlocked: Bloodline Awakening (Stage II).]
[Scarlet Fang Sword Upgrade (Minor) Applied.]
Jace gasped, the world spinning around him. His blood boiled, not from pain, but from change.
---
His body stiffened as the system dragged him elsewhere. Darkness enveloped him.
When it lifted, he stood in a vast crimson expanse. The sky was aflame, scales glittering across it like constellations. Before him loomed a colossal dragon—scarlet and gold, eyes blazing with ancient fury.
"You carry the Red Dragon's blood," the beast rumbled, its voice shaking the ground. "But until now, it was impure. Fragmented. Now, it merges."
Jace's chest burned. A searing light coiled within him, twisting with the devourer's mark he had borne since birth. Instead of rejecting each other, the two forces fused.
[Bloodline Awakening (Stage II): The Devourer ability has merged with the Red Dragon lineage.]
The dragon leaned closer, hot breath washing over him. "You are granted a gift reserved for our matured kin. Wield it with the weight it demands."
The beast opened its jaws, and a torrent of molten flame erupted—not ordinary fire, but living essence, a breath that could melt steel and sunder mountains.
That flame sank into Jace's body, embedding itself in his core.
[New Ability Unlocked: Dragon Breath.]
Jace staggered, clutching his chest as the power settled. His breathing slowed, awe breaking through his composure.
When he looked up again, the dragon was gone. Only the crimson expanse remained, fading into darkness.
---
Back in his quarters, Jace gasped awake. His eyes burned crimson for a moment before returning to gold. His blade lay across his lap, faintly glowing from its upgrade.
He exhaled, smoke rising faintly from his lips.
A slow smile curved beneath the mask.
The system chimed one final time:
[Main Quest Complete.]
[Remaining Time: 2 Days, 4 Hours.]
Jace leaned back against the wall, exhaustion crashing over him, but his spirit alight.
He had done it. Against time, against doubt, against his own limits—he had stepped into the Soul Phase Realm.
And now, with Dragon Breath coiled inside him, the game had changed.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...