With every cough, Ether expelled a golden mist that burned his lips. The (Seed of Sovereign Obedience) wasn't just a control device; it was a parasite feeding on his energy. Left unchecked, it would consume him entirely.
"In the market of survival, there is no such thing as 'sentimental value'. Everything is for sale, even your flesh and blood, as long as the price is your freedom," Ether thought, wiping the blood from his mouth.
Under the cover of night, thick with mine gases, Ether and Kai sneaked into the "Seventh Layer." This layer didn't belong to the Raven family; it was a network of forgotten caverns controlled by smuggling syndicates, rogue cultivators, and blood merchants. The walls were lit by glowing fungi emitting a scent of decay, and the market consisted of tattered tents displaying stolen phantoms, modified human organs, and slaves meant for recreational slaughter.
Kai walked beside Ether, using his mutated body to absorb the airborne toxins and clear a safe path. However, Kai's gaze constantly evaluated Ether; he was monitoring his master's faltering breath.
"You're bleeding energy, Ether," Kai whispered in his hoarse, icy voice. "In this place, weakness is an open invitation for slaughter. If you fall, I won't carry you. I will sell your corpse to the nearest alchemist to buy my ticket off the islands."
Ether wasn't angered. Instead, he offered a faint smile. "This is the disciple I want. Blind loyalty is a stupidity that kills both master and follower. Mutual benefit is the only unbreakable bond."
They reached the heart of the market, where the auction was held. There was no elegant auctioneer, but a massive man with a half-mechanical face barking out the wares.
"Next item!" the man roared. "Excavated from an ancient tomb in the Central Continent. (The Antique Rust Phantom)! It has no offensive capabilities, but it devours any programmed vital energy! The only flaw? If it finds no energy to eat, it will eat your neural pathways! Bidding starts at 500 high-grade energy stones!"
This was the target. The only phantom capable of eating Miral's seed. But Ether didn't possess a single stone.
Smugglers and criminals began bidding. "600!"... "800!"
When the price reached 1200 stones, Ether stepped forward through the crowd, causing a wary silence. He didn't raise a hand to bid; instead, he drew his icy blade and, in one fluid motion, plunged it into his own chest... exactly over his energy center.
The crowd gasped; even Kai took a step back.
Ether wasn't committing suicide. Through the (Spiritual Microscope), he was precisely severing the spectral veins connecting his "Peak Rank 1 energy" to his body. He began extracting a glowing mass of blue and golden energy... this was the pure essence of the fused "Frost Raven" and "Eye of Insight".
"I have no stones... but I have a 'Hybridized Energy Essence', 99% pure, from a Peak Rank 1 cultivator," Ether said, his voice trembling with agony as his cultivation level visibly plummeted before everyone.
From Peak Rank 1... to Advanced... to Middle... until it settled at (Early Rank 1). He had sacrificed 80% of his cultivation and the power he had stolen from Arkon.
"This essence is worth 3000 energy stones," Ether said coldly, throwing the glowing mass onto the auction table. "The Rust Phantom is mine."
A terrifying silence fell. The cold madness displayed by this boy made even the most hardened criminals hesitate to challenge him. The vendor eagerly snatched the energy essence and tossed a glass jar containing the "Rust Phantom" to Ether.
But the moment Ether turned, a massive Rank 2 smuggler lunged at him, wielding an axe infused with the lightning element.
"An Early Rank 1 cultivator holding a rare phantom? You're just a free meal!" the smuggler roared.
Ether didn't flee. Despite his severe weakness, his eye could still see. He quickly opened the jar and swallowed the (Rust Phantom). He didn't direct it at the seed in his lung immediately; instead, he used his body as a "conduit."
"The fifth rule of Spectral Alchemy: Excess poison is the best weapon."
He allowed the Rust Phantom to interact with the Sovereign Seed for a single moment, generating a massive amount of "Corrosive Spiritual Gas." Instead of suppressing it, Ether coughed violently, exhaling a thick black cloud of corrosive gas directly into the attacking smuggler's face.
The smuggler stopped dead in his tracks, his axe dropping. His face and respiratory system began melting in seconds amidst horrifying screams, succumbing to the corrosion caused by the reaction of Sovereign-level energy (Rank 3) with the Rust Phantom.
The smuggler fell dead. Ether drew the remaining Rust Phantom to finish its work in his lung, completely destroying the seed. He leaned against the wall, panting, but he was free. His power had evaporated, his rank reset to near zero, but his will was his own again.
Ether looked at Kai, who was shocked by the sheer brutality of the scene.
"Now, Kai... the canvas is blank again. Miral thinks she owns me, and you think I have grown weak. Let us see who will build their empire upon these ruins first."