Even so, Chris kept tossing Vitality Essences into his mouth one after another.
Breaking through as a cultivator was an arduous task, requiring the endurance of unimaginable pain. Chris knew that if he gave up now, he would never become a true powerhouse.
If Chris couldn’t carve his own path as a cultivator, his useless Soulseed physique meant that mastering Aetherbinding was destined to be a dead end. In the world of Aetherbinding, a useless Soulseed was regarded as trash. Sometimes, Chris couldn’t help but wonder if his master, Archer Wintersong, had always known that he was born with a useless Soulseed.
Time trickled by. Gradually, the searing pain subsided, and Chris, seated cross-legged on the bed, became utterly calm.
At that moment, it felt as though Chris had been reborn.
Hours later, he opened his eyes. A sharp light shot forth from his gaze, brilliant and piercing.
Chris stood, and his entire body crackled with noises like fireworks. He stretched, feeling an unprecedented lightness and comfort throughout his body.
“It seems the Vitality Essence really works,” Chris muttered to himself. “As expected of a Fifth Grade Vitality Essence.”
He examined his body and noticed a layer of black grime coating his skin. It was impurities expelled from within.
Without hesitation, Chris went to bathe. Afterward, his skin was smooth and flawless, a stark contrast to before.
Once, Chris’s body had been riddled with scars from countless battles and life-threatening encounters. But now, all those scars had vanished. It was almost unbelievable. This must be the legendary transformation he had heard of.
From his storage ring, Chris took out a fresh set of clothes and changed into them.
Gripping the Dragon Slayer sword, he swung it with all his might.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, the wall of the room shattered, a massive hole left in its wake.
Chris marveled at his newfound strength, which had advanced significantly. He was deeply satisfied.
Now, even if he were to face a peak Pinnacle-stage Aetherbinding cultivator, Chris felt he could hold his own in battle.
He sheathed Dragon Slayer back into his storage ring and stepped out of the room.
Chris didn’t plan on leaving Flameforge immediately. He wanted to meet with Tiger and Lynx first.
This time, aside from leading 100, 000 Death Guards into Aethelgard, Chris had brought Tiger and Lynx along.
Alligator was left to guard Middleton, and Phoenix was stationed at East Coast, so they hadn’t joined.
Chris strolled out of the inn and onto the bustling streets.
As he wandered, he noticed that Flameforge was livelier than ever.
Soon, he overheard an intriguing rumor: something major had occurred at the Essence Stone mine.
Several prominent Aetherbinding sects had gathered at an underground tomb and dispatched multiple Solstice-level powerhouses.
Solstice-level cultivators were among the strongest in Aethelgard. Together, they had slain the tomb’s guardian beast, but deeper within the tomb, more treacherous dangers awaited, claiming the lives of many Solstice cultivators.
Since then, no one dared to enter the tomb again, and the sects were discussing their next steps.
If even Solstice-level cultivators couldn’t survive, anyone else entering would be courting death.
The news spread across Flameforge, sparking widespread speculation.
Many believed that the tomb must house some earth-shattering treasure-otherwise, why would so many Solstice-level experts perish there?
Hearing this, Chris couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
He hadn’t expected that his excavation of Essence Stones would unearth such a terrifying tomb.
As for the treasures within, Chris had no interest whatsoever.
If even Solstice cultivators had perished, entering the tomb was as good as suicide for him.
Chris made his way to a tavern, ordered a table full of food and wine, and began to feast.
Since his strength had improved, he noticed that his appetite had grown considerably.
In just a short time, he devoured the entire table of food.
At that moment, a group of young men entered the tavern.
One of them spotted Chris and immediately froze, his expression twisting with rage.
“You! It’s you!” the young man shouted.
Chris glanced up and recognized him.
It was none other than Harrison Passos, a rising star of the Passos family’s younger generation.
Previously, Chris and Harrison had clashed in the Night Forest over the Shadowfang. At the time, Chris had knocked Harrison unconscious.
Chris gave Harrison a brief look, then ignored him entirely.
To Chris, spoiled heirs like Harrison Passos weren’t worth his attention.
Harrison, however, was livid.
Being knocked unconscious by Chris had been a humiliating experience, one he couldn’t forget.
As the future heir of the Passos family, he had never suffered such disgrace.
“You bastard,” Harrison growled through clenched teeth. “You dare to cross me? I’ll make you pay for this!”
With that, Harrison stormed out of the tavern.
Watching him leave, Chris sighed and frowned.
He knew what was coming. The Passos family was the most powerful family in Flameforge. Now that he had offended Harrison, staying in Flameforge was no longer an option.
Meanwhile, outside the tavern, Harrison’s face was dark with fury.
“Are the elders of the Passos family at home?” Harrison asked one of his attendants.
The attendant shook his head. “Young Master, the family head and many elders have gone to the tomb. Only Master Zaman is at home.”
A sinister gleam flashed in Harrison’s eyes. “Perfect. That bastard dared to knock me out-I’ll make him pay! Go call Master Zaman immediately. Tell him the punk from Night Forest is here.”
“Yes, sir!”
The attendant hurried off.
Master Zaman was the red-robed elder Chris had encountered in the Night Forest, a Solstice-level powerhouse.
Since the other elders were at the tomb, Master Zaman had been left to guard the Passos family.
Soon, Harrison stood before Master Zaman.
“Master Zaman,” he said, his voice dripping with venom, “that bastard from last time is in Flameforge. You must avenge me!”
Hearing this, Master Zaman’s expression darkened.
He hadn’t pursued Chris further in the Night Forest out of consideration for Harrison’s safety.
But now, the same audacious fool had dared to show his face in Flameforge.
“Don’t worry,” Master Zaman said coldly. “If that fool dares to challenge the Passos family, I’ll make sure he pays the price.”
In Flameforge, the Passos family was second only to the Flameforge Sect itself.
To Master Zaman, Chris was nothing more than a reckless nobody who had overstepped his bounds.
Back at the inn, Chris had returned to his room.
Before arriving, he had contacted Tiger, instructing him and Lynx to remain in hiding.
Having offended the Passos family, Chris knew it wasn’t the right time for them to reveal themselves.