Chapter 1288
Huuuuuu!
Raon pressed his lips together, simultaneously enduring a fierce heat that threatened to incinerate his heart and a Cold Energy so biting it felt as though it would shatter his very soul.
'My energy center feels like it’s being ripped apart.'
The two opposing forces, carrying the essence of blazes and deep frost, erupted violently within his dantian before surging through his entire mana circuit.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier crashed into one another with massive power, behaving like two rival Martial Artists with irreconcilable convictions, refusing to yield an inch.
Zzizizizik!
The agony radiating through his internals was so sharp that Raon bit his lip until the copper taste of blood filled his mouth.
'If this continues, the internal damage will be catastrophic...'
Both Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier held power that had reached the level of Transcendence. If they persisted in this collision, his physical frame—no matter how far it had evolved beyond the constraints of a normal human—would likely tear itself to pieces.
'What triggered this?'
Though Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier were fundamentally antagonistic, they had previously maintained a tense truce, respecting each other's boundaries and limiting their friction to minor skirmishes.
Now, however, they were unleashing their respective heat and frost at maximum capacity, as if determined to eradicate the other.
As the vessel for these warring elements, Raon felt his body contorting under the strain of the internal upheaval.
'Ugh...'
Gritting his teeth, Raon attempted to seize control of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier. Yet, the twin energies defied their master, moving with a mind of their own as they ravaged his mana circuits.
This was the first time since ascending to Transcendence that his internal aura had become so utterly unruly.
Gooooooo!
Pushed to his limit, Raon activated his Ring of Fire with everything he had. As the ten rings vibrated in unison, the warring Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier were forced into a pressurized stillness, resembling cooling lava.
'The Ring of Fire is a temporary fix at best.'
He had managed to halt their movement, but he couldn't hold them in this stasis indefinitely. It was a fragile restraint, like trying to hold a starving tiger with a leash made of thin paper.
'Why did this happen so suddenly?'
Raon exhaled a heavy, clouded breath.
'I was just experiencing a sense of liberty within my burdens.'
He had been exploring a style of swordsmanship that embodied freedom despite the heavy responsibilities of being the Temporary head of house and the looming shadow of conflict. He couldn't fathom why Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier had chosen this moment to ignite.
The sensation was akin to a person losing their mind to pure, unadulterated fury. In fact, it felt as though the influence of Wrath had bled into the very foundations of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier.
'I don't understand the cause, but...'
There was no luxury of time for analysis.
The suppression provided by the Ring of Fire was failing; the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier were on the verge of another violent outburst.
He needed to act before the sheer magnitude of the energies tore his physical form asunder.
'I have to vent it.'
Stepping forward, Raon gripped the hilts of Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword.
'I’ll project these energies outward.'
Resonating his ten rings once more, he drove the tips of Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword downward.
Through Heavenly Drive, he called forth the scorched predator of Fangs of Insanity, while through the Wooden Ring Sword, he summoned a blizzard of Cold Energy capable of turning the North Sea into solid ice.
Kugugugugugu!
Tightening his hold on the twin blades, Raon began to execute every sword form in his repertoire.
The vast, oceanic reserves of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier flooded into Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword. The steel glowed with an ominous, brilliant red and a piercing blue light.
Kwaaaaaaa!
Raon channeled the volatile energy into his movements, performing his swordsmanship with absolute intensity.
This was no mere practice session; it carried the weight of a life-or-death struggle. Every strike was delivered with lethal intent, his blades carving massive, glowing arcs through the atmosphere.
Uuuuuuuung!
The number of blades in Frost Snap multiplied. The gravitational pull of Heavy Sky Cannon became a localized void, dragging down the very clouds from the sky. Fire Spirit transformed the surroundings, painting the world in the crimson hue of falling cherry blossoms.
By refusing to dampen the raw power of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier and instead funneling them through his martial forms, he felt the proficiency of his swordsmanship climbing of its own accord.
Kugugugugugugu!
Raon poured the relentless tide of aura from his core into Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword. Strangely, the complex techniques within his sword styles didn't lose their clarity; instead, the increased power made their unique properties even more vivid and profound.
'Ugh...'
His jaw clamped shut in a tremor as he continued the relentless forms.
'The exhaustion is becoming worse than the pain.'
When would the well run dry?
He transitioned from the most basic strikes to his own specialized creations. Even after cycling through every technique he knew ten times over, the fountain of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier seemed to flow without end.
'Fine.'
Raon stopped gnashing his teeth and allowed a sharp, determined grin to form on his face.
'Let's see which of us breaks first.'
In a contest of sheer willpower, he refused to be outmatched. He made a silent pact with himself: he would not stop his blades until either his body gave out or his energy center shattered. He kept moving.
Huuuuuuuk!
The hours bled from the afternoon into the deep night, and then into the early dawn. It was only as the first light of a new day broke over the horizon that the seemingly infinite reservoir in his energy center finally hit its limit.
The rhythmic, wave-like flow of his swordsmanship began to falter, growing staggered and uneven.
'At last...'
Raon released a breath that sounded more like a broken sigh.
'Is it finished?'
His muscles screamed in protest, and his energy center felt like it had been shredded into ribbons. Every inch of his body throbbed with agony, and his joints groaned like rusted gears, sending cold shivers up his spine.
Because he hadn't slipped into a meditative trance to dull his senses, he had experienced every second of this hellish endurance test in vivid detail.
'And yet...'
Why was there a sense of euphoria?
Even as he forced his limbs to move, and even as his vision blurred from the strain on his mind, a profound sense of accomplishment and clarity washed through him.
'Is it the relief of finally letting everything out?'
Since reaching the upper tiers of Transcendence, Raon had felt out of place.
He was far beyond his peers, yet a massive chasm still separated him from the likes of Glenn, the Heavenly Demon, and Derus Robert.
Defeating weaker foes provided no thrill, and the inability to even challenge the three great powers had created a simmering frustration within him.
He had felt stifled by his own unused potential. Today, he had unintentionally unleashed every drop of his power. Even with a broken body and a throbbing head, the relief was immense.
'Furthermore, my mastery of the sword has evolved.'
By pushing his techniques to the absolute limit and beyond, his fundamental understanding of the sword had reached a new peak.
It had been an agonizing ordeal, but by persevering, he had claimed a reward that surpassed the struggle. It was a testament to the idea that endurance is the ultimate path to growth.
—Is it finally over?
Wrath manifested, his form trembling as he stared intensely at Raon.
—What in the world were you thinking!
Wrath gestured toward the area behind Raon, prompting him to look.
Huuuuuk!
The great training ground of the head of house, which was fortified by high-level defensive enchantments, lay in shambles. The earth was parched and fractured as if scorched by a decade-long sun, and the very sky looked wounded, the clouds shredded into ribbons by his upward strikes.
"Ugh!"
"T-Temporary head of house..."
"What just happened...?"
The Swordsmen assigned to guard the grounds stood by with pale, exhausted faces, looking as though they had spent the entire night dodging stray energy from his display.
"Raon! That was incredible!"
Evelyn, who had arrived at some point during the night, waved her arms enthusiastically.
"Right. It’s done now. You should all get some rest."
Raon offered a weary wave of apology to the guards before sinking onto the floor of the ruined training ground.
'I’m not entirely sure myself. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier just started acting on their own...'
Just as he began to explain the phenomenon to Wrath, a new surge of heat and cold began to rise from his depleted energy center.
'W-Wait!'
Raon's heart hammered in a momentary panic.
'I can't take any more of this...'
He was at his physical and mental breaking point. He didn't have the strength left to lift a sword, let alone vent another explosion of aura. If it went wild now, he would be defenseless.
'Damn it...'
Raon gritted his teeth and tried to jumpstart his Ring of Fire. He braced for another violent collision, but the sensation that followed was entirely different.
Gooooooo!
This time, the heat of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the frost of Glacier didn't fight. They moved like calm ripples on a still pond, gently flowing into his three energy centers and throughout his mana circuits.
'No, this feels different...'
The very nature of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier had shifted.
Previously, Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation was defined by its searing heat, and Glacier by its bone-chilling cold.
They were immensely powerful, but they had always felt somewhat "unrefined."
The aura now replenishing his energy center was pristine. It felt as clear as natural mana itself, devoid of any grit or instability. It was a refined energy that would allow for even greater power with less effort.
Uuuuuuung!
As the now-transparent, sea-like energies of the flames and frost permeated his body, Raon knew with certainty that he had ascended to a higher plane of power.
—How is this possible...
As Wrath stared in open-mouthed shock, a series of notifications manifested in Raon's vision.
[The grade of trait <Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation> has increased.]
[The grade of trait <Glacier> has increased.]
[The grade of trait <Water Resistance> has increased.]
[The grade of trait <Fire Resistance> has increased.]
[The grade of trait <Water Affinity> has increased.]
[The grade of trait <Fire Affinity> has increased.]
The messages confirmed that both his core cultivation techniques and their associated elemental traits had evolved.
Gooooooo!
Ignoring the floating text, Raon focused solely on his internal state, savoring the sensation of the pure, high-density aura flowing through him.
—No, no... this is ridiculous...
Wrath’s jaw hung low, his voice filled with indignation.
—You just spent the night swinging your sword like a maniac! How does that lead to an aura upgrade!
He flailed his small, round fists in frustration.
—Why does the world always play favorites with this brat!
"Whew..."
Raon took a moment to stabilize the new, calm yet potent energies of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier before finally opening his eyes.
'I never anticipated that my cultivation would evolve this way.'
He had only intended to survive the energy surge, not trigger an awakening. He was as surprised as he was satisfied.
'I've learned a valuable lesson. A state of enlightenment isn't the only path to progress.'
In many ways, this experience had been more educational than a trance-like enlightenment.
Because he had remained fully conscious throughout the ordeal, he had been forced to face his pain and his limitations directly.
He had been able to analyze the flaws in his strikes, the trajectory of his path, and the intricate ways his aura flowed under pressure. If he had been in a state of enlightenment, the pain would have vanished, but so would the granular understanding he had just gained.
"My sincere congratulations on your progress."
"Well done! Temporary head of house!"
Roenn and Sheryl bowed with deep respect, having waited patiently for him to finish his meditation.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough!"
The Swordsmen of the Heavenly Blade Division followed suit, their voices filled with relief after holding their breath for so long.
"Such a fierce aura! Give me a hug while you're still glowing!"
Evelyn, true to her nature, beamed at him with a wide smile.
"It wasn't exactly a planned achievement... but thank you for the kind words."
Raon started to reflexively downplay the event with his usual humility, but he stopped himself. This growth was undeniable and significant. It was better to acknowledge it with confidence.
"Oh!"
"You truly have reached a new level!"
Roenn and Sheryl’s eyes widened as they sensed the subtle shift in his presence.
"I have a task for you both."
Raon tilted his head slightly as he addressed the two loyal retainers.
"We are at your service, Temporary head of house."
"Just say the word!"
The two nodded instantly, ready for any command.
"Gather every member of Zieghart in one week's time."
Raon’s expression became grave, suggesting a matter of immense importance. However, despite the seriousness in his eyes, a predatory smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I’ve discovered something very interesting, and I want them to experience it for themselves."
it seems training hell is comming lmao
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