Swish—
Blake's eyes snapped open.
For a brief second, he remained still, his breathing slow and even. His senses quietly expanded outward, brushing against the faint currents of mana in the air.
…Finally gone.
The presence that had been lingering in the shadows was no longer there.
Only then did Blake stop pretending to sleep.
He sat up silently, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes once more. Mana gathered around him like obedient mist, drawn into his body in steady, continuing cultivation.
His physique was already at the limit.
His soul was tempered.
All that remained… was the final push.
The night passed in silence.
No footsteps.
No surveillance.
No interruptions.
Just cultivation.
But still Blake was full of vigilance.
Morning light filtered faintly through the window.
Blake opened his eyes.
A calm glint flashed across them as he summoned his panel.
***
Host: Blake
Sutra: Abyssal Infernal Dragon Devouring Sutra
Physique Rank: 2nd Rank Peak — Grade X
Physique Type: Infernal Dragonic–Human
Soul State: 2nd Rank Peak — Grade X
Soul Traits: Stronger, Corruption-Resistant
Core Affinity:
Infernal Fire
Abyssal Darkness
Law:
Devouring Law (1%)
Active Trait:
• Abyssal Devouring State (Locked to 1 minute)
Special Properties:
• Sutra Assimilation (Same or Lower Rank/Grade Sutras)
• Presence Suppression (Passive)
Storage:
Golden Shield Talisman, Autograph of Sydney Sweeney, 3rd Rank Sword (Excellent Quality), 2nd Rank Shield (Good Quality), 2nd Rank Bow (Excellent Quality), 2nd Rank Peak Illusion Talisman, Suit of Carbon Viltronium (5th Rank — Superior Quality)
***
The changes were enormous.
The fusion of multiple sutras… the birth of a completely new path…
"Wait... What happened to my Heat vision?"
"Hey system, what's going on?"
Blake was confused after confirming that there was no longer his Heat vision talent in the panel and asked the system in a confused voice.
"... The Heat vision talent has merged with you sutra because of the your extremely high affinity for the fire and so it was removed because it is now a part of the Sutra"
"All of its functions remains the same and it will grow stronger the higher you cultivation"
"Ohhh"
Blake had '0' knowing expression after hearing the full explanation of the system.
Everything was going accordingly with any disturbance.
"Also"
"At most… two or three days."
A faint smile curved on Blake's lips.
"I'll reach the 3rd Rank."
He stood up and prepared for work as if nothing extraordinary was happening.
Calm.
Ordinary.
Meanwhile—
Deep within the hidden training cave of the Rodrick family…
The mana in the air did not swirl violently.
It condensed.
Drawn inward as though something at the center had become a star collapsing into itself.
Then—
BOOM!
A controlled shockwave erupted outward, striking the stone walls. Dust trembled from the ceiling. The torches bent low before stabilizing.
At the center stood Ethan.
His crimson hair whipped wildly before settling.
Mana spiraled around him like liquid fire, compressing into his body in dense waves.
Inside—
His unstable mana core trembled… then tightened.
Threads of scattered energy fused together, weaving into a brighter, denser nucleus.
Crack.
A sound like porcelain fracturing echoed within his body.
The bottleneck shattered.
The core expanded.
Refined.
Sharper.
Heat flooded his limbs.
His perception exploded outward.
He could hear the faint hiss of flames in distant torches.
He could feel the subtle pulse of mana inside the cave walls.
He could sense the steady heartbeats of the guards stationed far beyond the steel gate.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
Steam escaped his lips.
When he opened his eyes—
They burned.
Brighter than before.
"I've finally stepped into the 2nd Rank."
Power surged through him like a river breaking free of its dam.
For a brief moment—
He felt unstoppable.
Ancient.
Predestined.
Then—
The temperature in the cave dropped.
Not cold.
Oppressive.
The air grew heavy.
Behind Ethan—
Something appeared.
A faint distortion in space.
Then a silhouette.
Tall.
Vast.
Its form wreathed in ancient crimson flame, yet the fire did not flicker.
It burned silently.
Two colossal eyes opened within the phantom.
Not blazing.
Not furious.
But sovereign.
The stone floor beneath Ethan cracked soundlessly.
The mana in the cave bent downward, as if bowing.
A crown-like halo of fragmented flame hovered above the phantom's head.
For a fraction of a second—
It felt as if something from an era long buried had answered Ethan's call.
Baron Red who had just appeared near him stiffened.
His breath halted.
His pupils shrank.
For the first time in decades—
He felt small.
Insignificant.
Not before Ethan—
But before the existence standing behind him.
His bloodline reacted instinctively, heat surging through his veins in silent defiance.
Yet it was suppressed.
Overruled.
"…So it truly awakened."
"Bearer of The Ancient Bloodline, Sovereign of the Era"
His voice was low.
Almost reverent.
As suddenly as it appeared—
The phantom dissolved.
The crushing pressure vanished.
The cracked floor ceased spreading.
The torches resumed their normal flicker.
Only Ethan remained.
Unaware.
He clenched his fist, feeling only his newly stabilized power.
He did not notice his master's shaken gaze.
"The 2nd Rank is only the beginning," Baron Red said while trying to stay calm, though something deeper stirred behind his eyes.
"In the coming storm… this level will barely qualify you to survive."
Ethan's excitement cooled—
But did not fade.
It condensed.
Into resolve.
And somewhere else—
Another existence was preparing to step beyond limits.
Two future 3rd Rank cultivators.
Two paths that defied natural order.
Neither fully aware—
That something ancient had begun to stir.