The corner of the black robe in Ethan's hand had vanished.
When he first spotted it, the hem had been subrged in water. The mont he lifted it, that portion instantly disintegrated into icy dust.
This was proof of just how terrifyingly cold the water in the pond was. Even if he'd brought a container, it would have shattered instantly. Strangely, despite its extre chill, the water itself showed no signs of freezing.
"I'll teach you an arcane thod to store it in your Mindscape," Morzan said.
Suddenly, a thod for circulating Soul Power appeared in Ethan's mind.
"Huh…?" He froze. Wasn't this the sa ability he'd envied the Whitmore family for?
Ignoring Lars' presence, he imdiately began channeling his Soul Force according to the technique.
With a thought—whoosh!
The black robe in his hand disappeared.
Ethan's eyes lit up as his consciousness plunged into his Mindscape. There, the vanished robe lay discarded on the island at the center of the lake.
"Hah!" No more lugging around a backpack for him.
His consciousness snapped back to his body, and he charged into the Frostveil Cavern.
The mont he stepped inside, his eyebrows and hair frosted over once more. The biting cold sliced into his flesh like knives. Here, even the flow of his Soul Sense slowed to a crawl.
Standing at the edge of the Frostpool, he focused his will and attempted to draw the water into his Mindscape.
"Hmm?"
The pool remained unchanged. Instead, a sharp pain lanced through his skull, nearly sending him to his knees.
"Use the arcane thod to manifest the Gate of Ascension in the physical world, then absorb it," Morzan said, exasperated.
Ethan had foolishly tried to wrap his will around the entire pool and haul it wholesale into his Mindscape.
Staggering, Ethan realized his mistake and switched to the thod Morzan had implanted in his mind. But here, the circulation of his Soul Force was slowed by more than tenfold.
After what felt like an eternity, a shimring portal slowly materialized above the Frostpool.
Before Ethan could react, the vines and branches coiled around his Gate of Ascension—the sa ones he'd seen during his first visit to his Mindscape—suddenly writhed to life.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
They plunged straight into the water.
'What the hell?'
Ethan's shock lasted only a second before he sensed it—his Soul Force was growing stronger.
Was this… because of the vines?
The next mont, his Gate of Ascension expanded violently. From its original one-ter span, it ballooned to nearly three ters before finally stabilizing.
"Hurry up and absorb it! What are you waiting for?" Morzan barked inside his mind.
"Right!" Shaking off his daze, Ethan activated the arcane thod again.
A powerful suction erupted from the gate.
Whoooosh!
A towering pillar of water erupted from the pool, arcing straight into the portal.
Inside Ethan's Mindscape, the sa column of water crashed down into his spiritual lake.
Hssssss!
The mont the frigid water t the lake's surface, an explosion of white mist erupted, so cold it felt like liquid nitrogen had been poured into his soul.
Ethan's head scread in agony—as if every neuron in his brain were freezing solid.
"Endure it! Take in as much as you can!" Morzan urged.
Ethan cursed inwardly. 'Damn it… this hurts like hell.'
Within seconds, despite the cavern's subzero temperatures, sweat beaded on his forehead. But he gritted his teeth and maintained the suction.
If Morzan said this was valuable, then it had to be. The old man had never been this excited before.
One minute passed. Then five. Ten. Thirty…
Ethan pushed himself to the limit, enduring the skull-splitting pain for a full fifty minutes. The Frostpool's water level had dropped by five ters.
"Enough! Any more and your head will explode!" Morzan shouted, stunned.
He hadn't expected Ethan to last this long. The kid's willpower was beyond anything he'd imagined.
By now, Ethan's Mindscape was completely obscured by mist, the temperature plumting to unknown depths.
Despite Morzan's warning, Ethan held on a little longer before finally reaching his limit.
With a groan, he retracted the Gate of Ascension and stumbled out of the cavern.
Lars was nowhere to be seen.
Dazed and fighting the lingering pain in his skull, Ethan staggered toward the exit of the Silverwood family's forbidden grounds.
As he stepped out of the valley, Ethan blinked in confusion. The once-bright sky had turned a murky yellow.
Gritting his teeth against the lingering agony in his mind, he descended the mountain. The Combat Arena, which had been chaotic earlier, now lay eerily silent. Not a single person remained.
His eyes narrowed. A faint crimson barrier encased the entire arena like an inverted bowl.
"Where is everyone?"
Ethan quickened his pace, rushing toward the entrance of the Silverwood family's hidden territory. But when he reached the stone path's end, the portal he'd used to enter was gone. The passage had been sealed shut.
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the Whitmore family's quarters, spreading his Soul Sense outward.
Whoosh!
His soul perception expanded—now covering a radius of five hundred ters, five tis farther than before.
When his senses brushed over the Whitmore residence, relief flooded him. The familiar auras were still there, along with several new ones.
He vaulted over the courtyard wall.
ROAR!
A golden dragon materialized before him, jaws wide. Ethan instinctively raised his arms to block—
—only for the dragon to vanish, replaced by linda Whitmore.
"Ethan! Where have you been?" Her face was etched with worry.
"I… went deeper into Silverwood territory," he replied, omitting the forbidden zone.
"Did you find Lyla?" linda glanced behind him.
Ethan's expression darkened. He shook his head slowly.
"Ethan! Help !"
"Ethan, save my grandfather!"
Two voices rang out as Evelyn and Bobby burst from the main hall.
Ethan's eyes flickered with understanding. He followed them inside.
The room was packed.
Amber stood there, still dressed in masculine attire. Kiara, Aunt lody, Samuel Wynn—even Iris Hargrove and her father, the head of the Hargrove family—were all gathered around a single figure.
Grandmaster Quinn lay on a makeshift bed, his breaths shallow and labored. He was on the verge of death.
"Ethan, I've barely stabilized him," Evelyn said urgently. "The poison is a complex blend—I can't neutralize it all. Can you…?"
She didn't need to finish. Ethan understood.
"Tree Form—activate!"
Hummm.
A colossal tree materialized behind Ethan, its roots coiling like a spirits limbs.
Huh?
Sothing felt different. The Tree Form had changed in a way he couldn't quite grasp.
Pushing the thought aside, he extended his hand and focused.
Skill: Nature's Cure!
A sphere of erald energy materialized in his palm, threaded with swirling silver light.
Every eye in the room locked onto him.
This was… his fourth known transformation.
Only Kiara Quinn seed to look past the spectacle, her gaze fixed on the phantom tree behind Ethan. Her brow furrowed, as if deciphering a hidden truth.
User Comments
0 comments from readers