Chapter 24 – The Weight of Victory
The world folded in on itself.
One moment Li Chen stood in the shattered hall, purple motes of light still drifting through the air where the Hall Guardian had been. The next, the entire space warped like a reflection on disturbed water.
The castle walls stretched.
The glowing lines dissolved.
The floor beneath his feet seemed to vanish.
For a brief instant, there was nothing but swirling light and a faint pressure tugging at his body.
Then—
Li Chen's eyes snapped open.
The familiar ceiling of the cultivation chamber stared back at him.
He was lying on the cold stone floor inside the pressure chamber.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
His chest rose and fell slowly as he stared upward, letting the feeling settle in.
The faint humming of the chamber's formation filled the quiet space.
Only now did he notice something else.
His robes were completely drenched.
Not just damp—drenched.
They clung uncomfortably to his skin, soaked through with sweat.
A faint unpleasant smell drifted up.
Li Chen slowly raised an arm and sniffed his sleeve.
His nose wrinkled immediately.
"...Good heavens."
He leaned his head back against the floor and sighed.
"I smell like I fought ten swamp beasts."
Just as he was contemplating whether the pressure chamber had secretly tried to drown him in his own sweat, a familiar blue panel abruptly appeared before his face.
---
[User has exited Trial Space.]
Location: External Training Hall
Time spent in Pressure Chamber: 21 minutes, 38 seconds
---
Li Chen stared at the panel.
Then slowly rolled his eyes.
"Thank you for that incredibly helpful information," he muttered dryly. "I would never have guessed."
The panel flickered once before disappearing.
Li Chen pushed himself upright with a groan.
His muscles ached.
His abdomen still throbbed faintly from the guardian's counterattack. Even though the trial space had ended, the fatigue remained.
Just as he was preparing to stand up fully—
A voice echoed in his mind.
A voice he had begun to recognize far too well.
"Welcome back to reality, mortal."
The tone was smooth.
Casual.
And unmistakably smug.
Li Chen paused.
For a brief moment, an unexpected wave of relief washed through him.
He hadn't realized how tense he had been until now.
But of course…
There was no way he would admit that.
He clicked his tongue quietly.
"Did you miss me?" he replied flatly.
The system voice chuckled.
"Miss you? Hardly. I was simply curious whether you would return as a victor… or as scattered spiritual fragments."
Li Chen snorted softly.
"Your confidence in me is inspiring."
Li Chen shook his head and pushed himself to his feet.
His soaked robes clung to him unpleasantly as he stepped out of the pressure chamber.
The moment he did—
His gaze immediately met someone else's.
The elder.
The same elder who had given him the entry token earlier.
The old man was seated at his desk, lazily leaning back in his chair as if he had been waiting for something mildly entertaining to happen.
When his eyes landed on Li Chen, one brow slowly raised.
Li Chen felt a small grimace forming inside his mind.
Ah.
Here we go.
He walked forward calmly and bowed respectfully before placing the token back onto the desk.
"Thank you for allowing me to use the chamber, Elder."
The old man picked up the token and examined it briefly before glancing back at Li Chen.
His gaze traveled from Li Chen's face… down to his completely soaked robes.
Then back up again.
The elder's expression turned flat.
"…You've been inside for less than half an hour."
Li Chen remained silent.
The elder snorted.
"Completely drenched after twenty minutes."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Trash."
Li Chen kept his head slightly bowed.
He didn't argue.
Didn't even show the slightest flicker of annoyance.
"Thank you for the guidance, Elder."
The old man scoffed again and tossed the token aside.
Li Chen didn't need to be told twice.
He bowed once more before turning and leaving the training hall without another word.
The moment he stepped outside, he let out a long breath.
The evening air brushed against his damp robes, making him shiver slightly.
He immediately turned toward the direction of his quarters.
Right now, there was only one thing he wanted.
A bath.
And dry clothes.
---
A short while later.
Li Chen stepped into his small room and closed the door behind him.
The familiar quiet of his quarters welcomed him back.
Without wasting any time, he stripped off the soaked robes and changed into fresh clothing.
The difference was immediate.
His body finally felt comfortable again.
After quickly washing the remaining sweat away, he collapsed onto his bed with a relieved sigh.
For several moments, he simply stared at the ceiling.
The events of the trial replayed in his mind.
The arrows.
The pressure.
The crushing blows.
And that final moment when the guardian shattered.
Even now, the memory sent a faint chill down his spine.
He knew that could have gone very differently.
If he had misread even one of those movements…
If his timing had been slightly slower…
If Shadow Step had run out a few seconds earlier…
He exhaled quietly.
"Yeah… that would've been bad."
After a moment, he lifted his hand.
"System."
A small panel appeared.
His inventory opened.
Two objects floated inside the translucent space.
The first was the Aetherion Core.
A small crystal-like object radiating faint violet light.
The second was the Celestium Sphere.
The glowing orb he had obtained at the end of the trial.
Both items floated silently before him.
Li Chen stared at the core for a long moment.
The memory of the battle resurfaced again.
The arrows that nearly pierced him.
The crushing counterattack.
The endless pressure of trying to adapt mid-fight.
A faint shiver ran down his spine.
He reached forward.
"Let's start with you."
The moment his fingers touched the Aetherion Core, the absorption process began.
Unlike the beast cores he had previously consumed, this one reacted differently.
Very differently.
Instead of shattering instantly—
The core slowly began to dissolve.
Thin cracks spread across its surface as faint violet energy seeped out like mist.
The process was slow.
Much slower than usual.
Li Chen frowned slightly.
Then the first wave of energy reached him.
His body stiffened.
"Oh."
The answer became obvious immediately.
The energy contained within the Aetherion Core was far more refined than any beast core he had absorbed before.
It poured into his body like an endless river of violet light.
Streams of energy surged, circulating rapidly through his meridians.
Li Chen quickly sat upright and steadied his breathing.
His cultivation technique activated instinctively.
The Azure Cloud Flow Art began circulating at full speed.
Energy churned inside him.
It flowed through his meridians again and again, compressing, refining, strengthening.
Each cycle made his Qi denser.
Stronger.
His body trembled slightly under the pressure.
Sweat formed along his brow.
The violet specks of light continued streaming into him.
Endlessly.
The process felt almost overwhelming.
His meridians burned.
His muscles tightened.
But Li Chen held steady.
He guided the energy carefully, forcing it through the necessary pathways.
Minutes passed.
The pressure continued building.
The energy within him grew heavier, denser, more violent.
His Qi began pushing against a familiar barrier.
Li Chen recognized it immediately.
The edge of his current cultivation stage.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Already?"
He inhaled slowly.
The Azure Cloud Flow Art surged faster.
The refined energy from the Aetherion Core crashed against the barrier again and again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then—
CRACK.
The invisible barrier shattered.
Energy exploded outward within his body as his cultivation surged forward.
His Qi stabilized moments later, settling into a far denser and more powerful state than before.
Li Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Peak of the Mortal plane !
The violet energy finally faded.
The last fragments of the Aetherion Core dissolved completely.
At the same moment, a familiar panel appeared.
---
[Aetherion Core Absorbed]
XP Gained: 400
Level up!
Level [7]
Total XP: 125 /350
---
Li Chen's lips curved upward slightly.
"Four hundred…"
Not bad.
Not bad at all.
But he didn't linger on the excitement for long.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the other item floating in his inventory.
The Celestium Sphere.
The orb hovered quietly, radiating a faint, mysterious glow.
Compared to the core, it felt far more… profound.
Li Chen reached out slowly.
"Let's see what you can—"
Before his fingers could even touch it—
A new system notification abruptly appeared.
---
[Absorption Failed]
[User does not meet required strength threshold]
[Celestium Sphere cannot be absorbed at current cultivation level]
---
Li Chen froze.
"…What?"
He blinked once.
Then looked at the message again.
His expression slowly twisted.
"You're kidding."
The orb floated there innocently.
Unusable.
Li Chen leaned back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling again.
"…Of course."
Of course the mysterious glowing treasure he nearly died for couldn't be used yet.
That would have been too easy.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Well…"
He glanced at the floating sphere again.
"I guess you'll be waiting a while."
The Celestium Sphere glowed softly in response.