The purified energy flowed into Max’s body, racing through his ridians like icy rivers. At first, his muscles stiffened, and his blood felt like it had frozen solid, his veins ringing with a high-pitched buzzing sound. But then, his Unholy Trinity Physique activated.
His body adapted, converting the deadly Yin energy into sothing harmless, stabilizing his blood flow, and storing the Yin essence deep inside his dantian.
Max’s expression changed from caution to joy. It works! he thought. His body, his constitution, and his black flas were the perfect counter to the Yin cave’s violent power. He even began to feel a faint tug on his cultivation barrier—it was loosening.
Seeing this, the general’s expression flickered with rare surprise. He had expected Max to struggle, maybe even beg for assistance halfway through. Instead, the young man was devouring the Yin energy like a starving beast, his flas refining it into pure power with frightening efficiency.
"This boy..." the general muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly but smiling all the sa.
Max, anwhile, focused completely on his cultivation. The more he absorbed, the stronger the pull from his barrier beca. His aura swelled as if it was on the verge of exploding.
The Yin mana poured into him like endless rivers, yet his body showed no sign of collapse—only growth. His foundation was deep, built through countless battles and opportunities, but it also ant his breakthrough required far more energy than ordinary experts.
Still, he pushed on, his black flas blazing even brighter. The once-violent Yin energy now flowed obediently into him, refined into pure mana and stored inside his core.
"Good boy," the general exclaid finally, unable to hide his praise. "However, your foundation is deeper than I thought. I’m afraid you will need far more energy than this to break into Champion Rank. Even so... you might really succeed."
"It’s all thanks to the reminder from my senior," Max said, his voice carrying genuine gratitude as he felt the surge of mana flowing wildly through his body. His ridians trembled with power, his core pulsed with an intense rhythm, and his black flas burned with an even fiercer brilliance than before. The Yin energy he had absorbed was terrifyingly pure, and as it refined into mana, he could feel every inch of his strength improving.
Max’s lips curled into a rare smile, his eyes glowing with satisfaction. The sensation of approaching a higher realm of power was intoxicating, yet daunting. He had always required enormous amounts of beast cores and external resources to progress due to his unique physique and deep foundation.
Now, attempting to advance to Champion Rank through Yin energy alone demanded even more effort and endurance. But Max didn’t retreat. Instead, his determination hardened. He clenched his fists and devoured the Yin energy from the Yin cave with even greater ferocity, refining every drop of it under the burning purification of his black flas.
Half an hour passed in that frenzy when suddenly—
"Buzz!"
Max’s body erupted with a dazzling light, his aura expanding outward like a raging tide, shaking the very air around him. The violent wave of mana spread out in all directions, rattling stones and causing the Yin air to tremble.
"I finally leveled up to Champion Rank." Max smiled with relief, only for his expression to stiffen monts later. Confusion clouded his face, and he muttered to himself, "Wait... why didn’t I get the level-up notification? And why do I feel like my strength has increased but hasn’t actually reached Champion Rank?"
From the side, the general—his face still terrifying with those black lines glowing faintly—looked at Max with calm eyes and said, "Boy, it’s because of the secret domain. For anyone advancing from Master Rank and above, their breakthrough triggers the Divine Path Lotus phenonon in the sky. But in this secret domain, such a heavenly phenonon cannot appear. Because of that, your advancent process has been halted midway."
Max frowned, disbelief flashing across his face. "So... you an I’m stuck at peak Master Rank until I leave the secret domain?"
"It seems to be the case," the general replied bluntly, as if it was only natural.
Max exhaled sharply and shook his head. "So there’s nothing I can do about it now... huh." His disappointnt lasted only a mont before he smiled again. "Still, I have to thank senior for this opportunity. Without this, I’d still be far from touching the peak of Master Rank."
The general’s gaze sharpened, the black patterns across his handso yet eerie face twisting slightly as his eyes shone like dark stars. "Boy, if you really want to thank , then power up your black flas even further. I need their suppression right now, because I am about to release the core source of the Yin cave’s power."
Max’s expression stiffened. "The... core source?" He hadn’t expected that what they’d been handling so far wasn’t even the deepest power hidden inside the Yin cave. His heartbeat quickened, and he tightened his grip on his Blue Dragon Sword, gathering every ounce of focus to command his black flas. "Alright, I’m ready," he said grimly.
Seeing Max’s determination, the general finally moved. His palm, which had been suppressing the cave’s mouth, suddenly shifted.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar echoed as the seal loosened. From within the cave’s depths, an ominous black light surged out, rippling and twisting like sothing alive. It took form in the shape of a black fish, its body long and sleek, scales glimring like shards of obsidian, and eyes that shone with eerie intelligence.
It swayed back and forth in the air, exuding a chilling force that made the very Yin energy of the cave tremble in submission.
Max’s eyes widened in shock as he watched the writhing black fish-shaped entity struggle violently in the general’s grip. "Is this... the spirit of the Yin Cave?" he asked, unable to conceal the awe in his voice.
"Yes," the general said with a faint nod, his eyes glowing with a strange excitent that seed to pierce through the shadows. "This Yin Cave has been forming for tens of thousands of years. With such a long accumulation, it has birthed a spiritual body. That is the very reason I ca to this secret domain." His voice, calm yet heavy, carried an undertone of hunger and obsession as his gaze remained fixed on the captured spirit.
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