The journey into the Forbidden Valley was smooth, guarded by two silent figures walking a short distance behind them.
Siddharth stopped at the edge of a rocky clearing.
"Before we go further," he said, turning around, "there's something I should explain."
Arjun and Shraddha followed his gaze.
Two men stood there.
Tall. Calm. Almost emotionless.
Their auras were restrained, but even so, they radiated pressure that made the air feel heavy.
"These are the experts I mentioned," Siddharth said evenly.
"Hidden Sadhak-realm cultivators."
Arjun's eyes widened. Shraddha inhaled sharply.
They looked… human. Too human.
But the faint oppression they emitted couldn't be faked.
"You actually know people like this?" Arjun asked in disbelief.
Siddharth nodded. "They owe me favors."
The two puppets remained silent, unmoving
perfect.
Convincing them was effortless.
"There's more," Siddharth continued.
"Soon, a Yogi-realm expert will also join us."
Arjun almost choked. "A Yogi?!"
Shraddha stared at Siddharth, searching his face for doubt but found none.
"Trust me," Siddharth said calmly.
"If you do, I promise your strength will grow faster here than anywhere else."
After a moment of silence, both of them nodded.
They had already seen enough miracles from him.
Siddharth led them deeper into the valley, to a hidden mountain cave he had carved long ago.
"This will be our base," he said.
He then helped Arjun and Shraddha carve out their own cultivation caves, ensuring they were well-hidden and defensible.
Once everything was prepared, Siddharth gave his next order.
"Go hunt Shishya-rank monsters," he told them.
"The two Sadhak experts will accompany you."
Without hesitation, the two puppets moved.
Arjun and Shraddha followed half nervous, half exhilarated.
Siddharth remained behind.
Alone in his cave, he placed several precious materials on the ground.
"This is it," he murmured.
He began refining his Yogi-rank puppet.
Monster blood was condensed into essence. Bones were refined and reshaped. Ancient runes were carved with meticulous precision, each stroke reinforced with prana and blood essence.
The process was far more demanding than refining a Sadhak puppet.
Hours bled into days.
Three days later...
Arjun and Shraddha returned, exhausted but glowing with excitement.
Behind them lay piles of corpses.
More than two hundred and fifty Shishya-rank monsters.
At the same time, a blinding light burst from Siddharth's cave.
A figure stepped out.
He looked like an ordinary man tall, composed but the pressure he emitted was overwhelming.
"This," Siddharth said calmly,
"is the Yogi-realm expert I mentioned."
Arjun and Shraddha froze.
So it was real.
The puppet bowed silently.
From that moment on, neither of them doubted Siddharth again.
That night, Siddharth gathered them together.
"There's something you both need to know," he said.
He revealed part of his secret.
"I can refine monster blood into blood essence."
Their eyes widened.
"I'll refine these 250 drops," Siddharth continued.
"We'll consume them to strengthen our physiques."
They agreed without hesitation.
Days passed.
Blood essence was refined and consumed under careful guidance.
Pain, heat, and exhaustion followed but so did rapid growth.
When the process finally ended:
Siddharth
Shishya Rank 8 → Shishya Rank 9
Arjun
Shishya Rank 6 → Shishya Rank 7
Shraddha
Shishya Rank 5 → Shishya Rank 7
Shraddha's progress stunned even Siddharth.
For some reason, her body absorbed the blood essence far more efficiently than Arjun's.
Interesting… he thought.
The night before the duel with Kartik arrived.
Siddharth sat alone in his cave.
He took out the Sadhak-rank breakthrough pill.
Then ten drops of Sadhak-rank blood essence.
He swallowed everything in one motion.
Pain exploded.
It felt as if his nerves were tearing apart, his bones screaming under unbearable pressure. His body convulsed, drenched in sweat, veins bulging violently.
Yet,
Siddharth did not scream.
He endured.
Prana surged wildly.
Meridians expanded.
The invisible barrier shattered.
When the storm finally settled
Siddharth opened his eyes.
A new aura flowed around him.
Sadhak Rank 2.
The night outside remained silent.
But by dawn—
A monster would walk onto the martial stage.