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Chapter 7 — Awakening the Veins
The night was silent.
Too silent.
I knelt by the creek outside the city walls, bare feet on the cold stones, the moonlight painting silver lines across the water.
This was it.
Three months of conditioning.
Three months of quiet breathing, sharpening instincts, and building control.
Three months of planning this single moment.
The system pulsed in my mind, calm and clinical:
> [Profound Vein Awakening Protocol Ready.]
[Estimated Success Rate: 64%]
[Warning: Severe pain expected. Failure may result in permanent damage.]
[Proceed?]
I inhaled deeply. The familiar rhythm steadied me.
In. Hold. Out.
"Proceed," I whispered.
---
The Awakening
The world blurred.
Then — fire.
Not a burn. Not heat.
Something deeper, rawer, as if my very marrow was being rewritten.
I gritted my teeth, every muscle locking as the first pulse tore through me.
It was like someone had taken every nerve in my body and wired it to lightning.
The system's voice was calm, almost detached:
> [Profound Energy Channels: 2%… 5%… 9%…]
---
I collapsed forward, hands digging into the damp soil.
Breathe.
Focus.
Years of simulated discipline slammed into place.
Total Concentration Breathing, steady and sharp, let me ride the pain instead of drowning in it.
Another surge ripped through me, searing paths through my veins.
> [Channels: 16%… 27%… 35%…]
I bit down on a cry, jaw aching.
---
By the time the counter hit 100%, my body felt hollowed out and filled with something alien — something alive.
The creek shimmered strangely in my vision, every ripple outlined in impossible clarity.
Every sound — distant footsteps, the whisper of leaves, even the faint hum of the night insects — felt amplified.
When I finally collapsed onto my back, chest heaving, the system chimed:
> [Profound Vein Awakening Complete.]
[Stage: Elementary Profound Realm, Rank 1]
[Stability: 92%]
---
I lay there for a long time, staring up at the stars, the rush of new energy humming through my veins like a second heartbeat.
It wasn't much — barely a spark compared to real cultivators — but it was mine.
And more importantly, it was real.
---
The First Test
By dawn, the city was stirring.
I returned quietly, slipping into my usual chores, but everything felt different.
The buckets of water that used to leave my arms aching? Light.
The heavy sacks of grain? Manageable.
The long runs to deliver goods? Easy, almost effortless.
I kept my expression neutral, my steps careful — the last thing I needed was anyone noticing too soon.
But people did notice.
---
On the third day, a merchant's son, a boy my age, frowned at me while I stacked crates.
"You've… gotten stronger," he muttered. "What've you been eating?"
I laughed it off, feigning confusion.
"Maybe I'm just working harder," I said, flashing the harmless smile that always made people dismiss me.
Inside, though, the gears were turning.
---
System Analysis
That night, the system pulsed again:
> [Profound Energy Synchronization: 8%]
[Recommendation: Controlled sparring or low-level beast hunts to stabilize flow.]
[Warning: Excessive energy expenditure may destabilize early channels.]
I stared at the message, then at my clenched fists.
Stabilization would take time.
But once I had control, I could finally take the next step — integrating my physical skills, my combat instincts, and this new power into a single, seamless whole.
---
Two years.
That's all the time I had before the story began.
Before Yun Che returned.
Before the ripples he caused tore Floating Cloud City apart.
Before the Sacred Grounds turned their gaze toward this little corner of the world.
And by then, I wouldn't just be another nameless orphan trying to survive.
I'd be ready.
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