I meticulously arranged the seven Level Enhancement Pills on the wooden table before me, each one gleaming with a pulsing azure light. The final refinement had taken nearly sixteen hours of continuous concentration, but the results were worth every moment of exhaustion.
"Perfect," I murmured, carefully cing each pill into separate jade containers.
These weren''t ordinary pills—each represented the pinnacle of my current alchemical abilities. The herbs Caldwell had provided had proven exceptional, allowing me to craft pills that could dramatically elerate a cultivator''s breakthrough at critical junctures.
I rolled my shoulders, feeling the lingering strain from maintaining precise spiritual energy control for so long. The room still smelled faintly of medicinal herbs and spiritual energy—a scent I''d grown to appreciate.
A knock at the door broke my concentration.
"Enter," I called out, sealing the final jade container.
Eamon Greene appeared, bowing slightly. "Master Knight, you asked to see me?"
I gestured for him to approach. "I need these delivered immediately."
Eamon''s eyes widened as he recognized the containers. "Level Enhancement Pills? These are worth—"
"I know their value," I cut him off. "Six are for Conrad Thornton''s family. The seventh goes to the Northwood family, specifically for Ss Northwood''s son who''s attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."
Eamon carefully took the box I offered. "I understand, Master Knight. I''ll deliver them personally."
"Good. The Thornton family has proven valuable to us. This cements our alliance."
After Eamon departed, I closed my eyes, intending to meditate briefly to recover my spiritual energy. But the moment my consciousness turned inward, a sharp, stabbing painnced through my mind.
"Finally decided to acknowledge me, have you?" A gloomy, ancient voice echoed within my consciousness.
I grimaced, immediately recognizing the voice. Themunication came from the stone statue I''d acquired from the ancient tomb—the one containing what I now knew was an imprisoned entity of immense power.
I walked to the corner where the statue stood, its cold stone eyes seeming to follow my movements. The moment I touched it, my divine sense was pulled inside against my will.
The internal space was vast and dark, farrger than the physical dimensions of the statue should allow. Standing before me was a shadowy figure, barely visible even to my enhanced perception.
"You''re testing my patience, boy," the shadow growled. "Your progress in breaking this seal is uneptably slow."
I kept my expression neutral despite the difort of having my consciousness forcibly drawn into this space. "These things take time. The seal isplex."
"Time is precisely what Ick," the shadow hissed. "I''ve spent eons in this prison. I will not wait much longer."
I could feel the being''s impatience radiating like waves of heat. Though I couldn''t see its features clearly, I sensed its gaze piercing through me, searching for deception.
"I understand your frustration," I said carefully, my mind racing. "But rushing could destroy us both." <em ss="ref-031e00">Check for thetest updates on My Virtual Library Empire (*).</em>
The shadow moved closer. "Perhaps I should simply take control of your body and do it myself."
A cold sweat broke out across my back, but I maintained myposure. This was the delicate bnce I''d been maintaining since discovering the statue''s true nature—keeping the being contained while extracting knowledge from it without bing its puppet.
Then, a sudden idea formed in my mind.
"That wouldn''t be wise," I replied smoothly. "Especially given what you could gain by waiting just a little longer."
The shadow paused. "Exin."
"The man whose body you''re threatening to take—Liam Knight—is special. Haven''t you sensed it?"
"I''ve sensed something unusual about your constitution," the shadow admitted reluctantly.
I leaned forward, lowering my voice conspiratorially. "What if I told you that Liam Knight possesses a legendary chaotic body?"
The shadow''s form seemed to ripple with sudden interest. "A chaotic body? That''s impossible. Such physiques emerge once in ten thousand years."
"And yet, here we are," I countered. "Why do you think I''ve been able to interact with your consciousness at all? Ordinary cultivators would have been consumed immediately."
This was a dangerous gamble—lying to an ancient being of unfathomable power. But I needed more time and resources to understand the seal fully, and more importantly, I needed power to protect Isabelle.
"If what you say is true," the shadow said slowly, "such a body would be invaluable to me. The ability to cultivate both light and dark energies simultaneously..."
"Exactly," I pressed my advantage. "But capturing such a body requires finesse. Rush the process, and the unique constitution could be destroyed."
The shadow was silent for several long moments, calcting. I held my breath, waiting.
"Very well," it finally said. "I will grant you more time. But I require proof of your ims."
"What kind of proof?"
"If you truly possess a chaotic body, you should be able to wield tremendous power," the shadow replied. "I will lend you a fraction of my strength—elevate you to the Grandmasters Realm temporarily. If your body can channel it without breaking, I''ll know you weren''t lying."
My heart raced. The Grandmasters Realm—a level of power far beyond my current capabilities. With such strength, I could potentially save Isabelle from the forced wedding without relying on others. But the risk...
"And if my body can''t handle it?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.
"Then you die, and I find another host," the shadow said simply. "But if you seed, I will grant you twenty days to fulfill your end of our bargain."
Twenty days. I just needed to free Isabelle and secure our position. With the power of a Grandmaster, it might actually be possible.
"I ept your terms," I said firmly.
The shadow''s form expanded suddenly, engulfing me. "Remember this, Liam Knight—in twenty days, I will be free, one way or another. Fail to break the seal willingly, and I''ll shatter your mind and do it myself."
Before I could respond, an overwhelming force crashed into me. It felt like molten metal being poured directly into my veins, rushing through every cell of my body with scorching intensity.
I screamed, my consciousness snapping back to my physical form. The pain was excruciating—beyond anything I''d experienced before. My meridians bulged and cracked as they struggled to contain the sudden influx of power.
The ground beneath me began to crack. Furniture splintered. Windows shattered outward as waves of golden energy pulsed from my body.
"Control it," I gasped, fighting to remain conscious. "Control..."
The power was vast, chaotic—like trying to direct an ocean with bare hands. But slowly, agonizingly, I began to channel it through my body''s pathways, using techniques from my father''s jade pendant to stabilize the flow.
Minutes passed like hours as I wrestled with the savage energies. Eventually, the pain began to subside, reced by a sensation I''d never felt before—pure, undiluted might coursing through me like liquid fire.
I opened my eyes. The room around me had beenpletely destroyed. I stood in the center of a crater nearly six feet deep, the floor beneath me scored with strange, spiraling patterns. Golden light still emanated from my skin, casting eerie shadows across the rubble.
Slowly, I clenched my fists, marveling at the power I could feel within them. Each movement seemed to split the very air around me. My perception had sharpened incredibly—I could hear conversations from buildings away, sense the spiritual energy of people throughout the entireplex.
"Is this the Grandmasters Realm..." I whispered, a cold smile ying across my lips.
The Old Ancestor had unwittingly given me exactly what I needed. With this power, I could challenge anyone who stood between Isabelle and me—even the Ashworth family themselves.
Twenty days to save her. Twenty days to change everything.
And then I''d deal with the consequences of my deception.