Lian continued sorting through the pile of looted items in the quiet underground cave. The faint blue light from the Nexus Scan Gauntlet cast long shadows on the rough stone walls. He had already identified several valuable pieces, but one object stood out among the rest.
It was a small, rectangular box made from a strange, matte-black tal that seed to absorb light rather than reflect it. The surface was perfectly smooth, with no visible seams, locks, or engravings. When the Nexus Scan Gauntlet swept over it, the holographic display glitched and showed only "???" for na, grade, and uses. No information at all. Lian frowned. He had never seen the device fail like this before.
Curious, he picked up the box. It was heavier than it looked, cold to the touch, and humd with a faint, almost imperceptible vibration. He tapped on it with his finger — the sound was dull and solid, like striking reinforced precursor alloy. He tried prying it open with his fingers, but it didn’t budge. Frustrated, he drew his dagger and struck the box with the hilt. The impact was strong enough to crack normal tal, but this one didn’t even dent. He struck again, harder. On the third try, sothing inside clicked, and the box suddenly split open along an invisible seam. But his dagger was broken.
Lian turned it over carefully.
Inside was a pool of thick, pitch-black liquid. It shimred faintly, reflecting no light, and seed to move on its own — slowly swirling and pulsing like it was alive. He couldn’t scan it either. The gauntlet showed nothing but static when pointed at the liquid. It looked dangerous. Unnatural.
Before he could react, the black liquid surged upward.
It crawled out of the box like a living thing, moving straight toward him with unnatural speed. Lian’s eyes widened. He stood up instantly and tried to run, but the liquid was faster. It shot forward, stretching like a tendril, and latched onto his leg. He stumbled, trying to shake it off, but more of it poured out, wrapping around his ankle, then his calf, climbing rapidly.
It engulfed him.
The black liquid spread across his body like oil, covering his legs, torso, arms, and neck in seconds. He couldn’t breathe. It forced its way into his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. Excruciating pain exploded through every nerve ending as it entered his bloodstream, rging with his flesh, his ridians, his very core. It felt like molten acid mixed with thousands of tiny blades tearing him apart from the inside. He tried to scream, but no sound ca out — the liquid had sealed his throat.
He collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently. His body thrashed against the stone floor as the liquid continued pouring into him, filling every cell, every drop of blood, every corner of his being. The pain was beyond anything he had ever felt — worse than broken bones, worse than the inner domain beatings, worse than anything the Harvest Path had done to him. It lasted for a full ten minutes.
Then, suddenly, it stopped.
Lian lay motionless on the cold cave floor, lifeless, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. No movent. No breathing. Nothing.
After several long seconds, his body jerked. He gasped violently, eyes snapping open as consciousness returned. The pain was still there — burning, searing, everywhere. He scread, a raw, broken sound that echoed through the cave. He clutched his chest, hitting it repeatedly, trying to vomit the liquid out, but nothing ca. His body refused to expel it.
He looked down at his right hand in horror. A tiny drop of the black liquid had ford on his palm. He tried shaking it off desperately.
Suddenly, more of the liquid poured out from his skin, flowing like ink across his hand and forming a perfect, razor-sharp blade extending from his fist. The blade was pitch black, swallowing light just like the sword Zephyr Kane had used. With a single instinctive swing, it sliced through a large rock nearby, cutting it cleanly in half with no resistance.
Lian stopped, staring at his hand in shock.
The blade dissolved back into liquid and retreated into his skin, disappearing completely.
Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder)
Foundation Realm (Layers 1–9): Body forging, no external Qi.
Circuit Awakening Realm (Early–Peak): First Qi loop, internal bursts.
Core Condensation Realm (Early–Peak): External Qi release, short flight.
Stellar Circuit Realm (1–9 Stars): True flight, Qi armor, energy projection.
Nebula Dominion Realm and higher: Domain control, galaxy-level power, etc
Power Scale Reminder
Lian Yu: Stellar Circuit Star 1.
Elara Voss: Core Condensation Middle
Keep it as reminders
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