He reached out instinctively.
[Don't. The atmosphere around it is unstable. I strongly advise against physical contact. It may react to the Essence Qi in your body.]
Lin Chen froze mid-motion, his fingers stopping just inches above the gem's surface. He quickly withdrew, frowning. "Alright, alright, no touching. You don't have to yell in my head."
Even as he spoke, his gaze stayed locked on the crimson gem. Its glow wasn't steady — it pulsed slowly and rhythmically, like a living heartbeat.
For an instant, Lin Chen could have sworn he saw distorted shapes moving inside the gem — twisted faces, screaming silently before melting back into the swirling red haze.
A chill crept up his spine. He wasn't imagining it. He could hear something too — faint whispers, thin and broken, like human voices crying out from deep within.
"Hey, Aiva," Lin Chen muttered under his breath, keeping his tone low. "I'm getting a weird feeling just looking at this thing. And I swear I hear voices… people screaming. Do you sense anything off?"
[No. Whatever this object is, it is concealing its true nature completely. To ordinary senses, it appears inert. The feeling you perceive comes from human intuition. Humans have instincts that often detect what the eyes cannot see.]
Aiva's words only deepened the chill in Lin Chen's chest. He took a slow step back from the gem, his expression stiff. There was no chance he was getting close to that thing
[However,] Aiva continued, her voice calm and measured. [There is no doubt that this is the source of the chaotic Qi I sensed earlier. It appears that after reacting to the token, it returned to a dormant state.]
Lin Chen rubbed his chin, frowning. "Should I destroy it?"
The urge to do so was almost unbearable. Every instinct screamed that this gem was wrong — that it didn't belong in this world.
[No]
[If we destroy it, whoever placed it here will realize their scheme has been exposed. ]
[That would make our situation far more dangerous. Worse still, the gem may be connected to a formation — destroying it recklessly could trigger traps or draw unwanted attention.]
[For now, we know something is hidden within the sect. If we act hastily, the enemy will grow cautious. But if we wait and observe, we'll hold the advantage when the time comes.]
"Fine. That seems reasonable."
Aiva's logic made sense.
In the cultivation world, acting blindly was no different from suicide. Sometimes, patience cuts deeper than any blade.
He climbed out of the pit and covered the gem with soil again, tamping it down until the ground looked untouched. Then he retrieved the Blood Pass token and slipped it back into his storage ring.
Don't ask why he did it — he didn't have an answer himself. It just felt right. Maybe, when that thing activated again, the token would give him some kind of warning.
Or maybe he just didn't want to leave it lying around. Either way, the forest soon returned to silence, as if nothing had ever happened there.
***
The Next Day
Morning light filtered through the trees as Lin Chen stood in his garden.
Since his residence was built on the mountain, the "garden" was really just a patch of forest behind his house — uneven ground, grass, and a few old trees.
Blood-red lightning crackled around his body as he practiced. Each punch split the air, sending shockwaves that scorched the soil under his feet. The sound of thunder rolled softly, following every movement he made.
The lightning wasn't blue anymore. It burned red — fierce, unstable, and wild, like a beast barely under control. Every time he struck, the air seemed to tremble.
This was no longer the Azure Thunder Art he once trained in. The flow of power had changed completely — heavier, sharper, and violent enough to tear the ground apart with raw force.
Lin Chen exhaled. Sparks crawled along his arm. "Bloodstorm Desolation Art," he muttered. "Yeah… that name fits."
Unlike the old Azure Thunder Arts that focused on control and precision, this version was built for pure destruction. It was the final result of Aiva's upgrade after merging it with Blood Fiend Sword Art.
Now, it had only three forms — but each one hit like a killing blow.
First Form — Bloodclaw Manifestation
Lin Chen clenched his fists.
Blood-red lightning surged down his arms, forming jagged claws that sizzled with energy.
He swung forward.
BOOM!
The claws ripped through the air, tearing apart the grass and gouging deep lines in the dirt.
Nearby trees shuddered as the shockwave blew through them.
He smirked, flexing his hands as the claws faded. "Brutal. Just how I like it."
Second Form — Bloodstorm Swordplay
His sword flashed free with a sharp shing!.
Crimson lightning wrapped around the blade . One swing — CRACK! — and three trees split clean through, trunks smoking.
He moved faster, slashing in a blur. Dozens of blood-red arcs flew out, filling the air like a storm of blades before slamming into a giant tree ahead.
BOOOOM!
The explosion sent splinters flying in every direction.
Third Form — Final Desolation
He inhaled deeply. The atmosphere around him growing tense. The remaining arcs of lightning on his body gathered toward his sword, thickening until the blade glowed bright red. It vibrated violently, lightning crawling along the edge like hungry beasts.
The ground beneath him began to crack under pressure. Small pebbles floated upward, pulled by the magnetic surge of power.
"Let's end this."
He raised the sword over his head and swung down with full force.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed across the entire mountain range.
A blinding scarlet arc burst from the blade, stretching across the forest like a raging torrent. Everything in its path — grass, trees, even stone — was sliced apart in a single devastating line.
When the light faded, a fifty-meter trench had been carved through the earth, smoke still rising from the edges.
Lin Chen stood at the center, chest heaving slightly, sword humming softly with leftover charge. Sparks snapped and fizzed along his arm before fading away.
He looked around at the destruction, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
"Guess it works," he said dryly. "A little too well, maybe."
Lin Chen dropped to the ground, his legs giving out beneath him. His chest rose and fell heavily as he let out a long breath. "Damn… still not efficient enough to use in battle."
Sweat rolled down his face, and his fingers trembled slightly as he brushed his hair back. Even now, he hadn't unleashed the full force of the third form.
He glanced at the faint scorch marks around him and let out a tired laugh. "Just a mid-grade Illustrious technique, and it's already this demanding… I really wonder how much Essence Qi that Soaring Sky Dragon Tempest Art would eat up."
That thought alone gave him a headache.
He had learned the low-Grade Saint art with Aiva's assistance — every circulation route, every breathing rhythm, every seal was engraved clearly in his mind.
Yet, he hadn't used it once. The one time he tried to activate its first form, his Essence Qi drained in an instant, leaving him pale and gasping for air.
It wasn't just exhaustion — it was as if the technique had swallowed his vitality whole.
That was when he truly understood what Saint-grade meant.
Techniques of that level weren't meant for cultivators like him — not yet, at least. They demanded a vast, ocean-like reserve of Essence Qi.
"I wonder what Master was thinking when she gave me such a powerful technique… I can't even use it properly."
What Lin Chen didn't know, however, was that Saint-grade techniques weren't things an ordinary cultivator could simply pick up.
Normally, even top disciples would spend months—sometimes years— just to comprehend a small part.
But Lin Chen, with Aiva guiding him, had skipped that entire process without realizing it. To him, it was just another lesson learned quickly.
As he was lost in thought,
[Ring, Ring — It's time for us to go to the Inner Techniques Hall.]
Lin Chen blinked and frowned. "Why?"
He honestly didn't feel the need. He already had a high-grade Illustrious cultivation technique and two powerful combat arts — both of which he couldn't even fully control yet. Learning another technique now felt pointless.
[You asked me to remind you that we need to search for any technique that can increase your Body Cultivation talent.]
"Ah, right," Lin Chen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Good call, Aiva. I don't know what I'd do without you."
[Well, you could always stick to your first idea — setting up a noodle stall.]
Lin Chen paused, then chuckled. "Hah, nice one. You still remember that? That was my grand plan when I first realized I had zero cultivation talent."
[Of course. I keep a record of all your foolish decisions.]
Lin Chen rolled his eyes. "Tch, you're a lot more talkative these days. You used to only reply when I asked something. Now you sound like a best friend who knows all my embarrassing history—can't even hate you for it."
[I'm delighted you think of me as your best friend.]
"Of course you are," Lin Chen said with a grin. "My friend and my only partner in this world."
As he stood up, a low rumble came from his stomach. He froze for a moment, then sighed again. "...Guess breakfast comes before body refinement."
Shaking his head with a faint smile, Lin Chen turned and headed toward the kitchen.
*****
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