Usually, reaching the half-step Martial Saint level wouldn''t trigger much of amotion.


    But right now, I was going through an incredibly powerful reaction!


    The whole Mystic Realm seemed to respond, creating fierce winds that whipped around violently!


    Sharp pain shot through my dantian!


    The power felt like it wanted to explode out of my golden core; the brutal stomach pain made my body curl up like a shrimp!


    "Ah..." The agony was almost too much for me to handle in that instant!


    Wild energy kept surging out of my body without control, ready to destroy everything around me!


    "Ahhh!!!"


    I couldn''t contain it anymore and released a booming scream!


    I clenched my teeth hard as tears filled my eyes, my knees mming into the ground, my fists squeezed so tight they went white.


    The chaos naturally shocked Mabel Sean, who was deep in her training.


    When she heard my voice, her expression shifted dramatically; she immediately sprinted toward where I was without any pause.


    At the same time, Spike Viktor also rushed over when he heard the noise.


    The two stared at me as I twisted in pain, worry clearly written on their faces.


    "What... what''s going on here?" Spike questioned, his face filled with shock.


    From what they could see, this didn''t look like a regr breakthrough at all!


    "Mason!" Mabel couldn''t bear watching me suffer like this. She called my name and ran toward me without thinking twice.


    But the moment I heard Mabel''s voice, I quickly lifted my head, looking her way.


    "No..." My face shifted suddenly.


    The chaotic energy inside me could hurt Mabel if she came too close!


    Understanding this, I desperately tried to control the wild energy in my body, fighting to steady it.


    Cold sweat poured down my forehead as I used my willpower to contain the raging energy. Amazingly, in just a short time, I managed to get control!


    "Tch, tch, is this what love can do?" Spike whispered to himself.


    Maybe my worry for Mabel unlocked my hidden strength, because my golden core steadied at that crucial moment.


    The wild energy slowly settled down, and my golden core started to solidify properly.


    "Miss Sean, you should back away; it seems like Mason will be okay now," Spike motioned to Mabel.


    "He''s at an important breakthrough point right now; it''s better not to interrupt him."


    Hearing this, Mabel stopped moving forward.


    Even though worry filled her heart, she obediently moved to the side.


    I sat cross-legged on the ground, slowly feeling my strength be more powerful.


    My energy climbed quickly, getting thicker and stronger, and my body was bing incredibly tough!


    This went on for a full four hours!


    Finally, after four hours, my energypletely calmed down.


    "Phew."


    I breathed out a cloud of stale air, got to my feet, and whispered quietly, "The Dao wound... it really keeps affecting me."


    The dangerous scene from before was still fresh in my mind.


    If Mabel hadn''t been there, I wouldn''t have been able to steady my golden core!


    The result would have been certain: my body bursting apart in death!


    *Just thinking about it made fear run down my spine!*


    *If something like this happened when I tried to break through to Martial Saint, I''d definitely be doomed!*


    "Mason, are... are you alright?" Mabel rushed over.


    I nodded and smiled slightly, saying, "I''m fine; my power seems to have grown tremendously."


    Every breakthrough since entering the Military Marquis Realm had caused my strength to multiply—and this time was the same.


    "Just now... what happened?" Mabel''s big eyes showed nothing but concern.


    I answered in a serious tone, "It''s still that Dao wound inside me. If you hadn''t been here earlier, I might have died from my body exploding."


    "Exploding?" Mabel''s face went white as paper.


    "Then... isn''t there some way to cure this Dao wound?"


    I smiled sadly and said, "There is, but it needs a specific ingredient—an ingredient that just doesn''t exist anymore."


    "Ingredient? What ingredient?" Mabel asked quickly.


    I thought for a moment and said, "It''s called Heavenly Vani."


    "Heavenly Vani..." Mabel quietly memorized the name.


    I waved my hand and said, "Don''t worry about it; it''s not that serious. I''ll figure out a solution somehow."


    *Even though I tried tofort Mabel, my own heart was filled with worry.*


    *This Dao wound''s effect was way worse than I had expected.*


    *Just breaking through to half-step Martial Saint had nearly killed me; reaching the actual Martial Saint level would definitely be more dangerous.*


    *Moving to the Martial Saint realm was already extremely risky, where one wrong move could mean death—especially with a Dao wound to deal with.*


    *"I suppose... I''ll have to fix the Dao wound before trying another breakthrough," I thought to myself.*


    *Even though these worries filled my head, I kept my face calm.*


    "Wow, are you close to reaching the Grandmaster realm?" I suddenly said in surprise, noticing Mabel''s cultivation level had jumped up again!


    Mabel thought for a moment and answered, "Maybe it''s because of what happened in the Second Secret Realm; it seems to have sped up my breakthroughs."


    "That makes sense," I nodded.


    The secret to getting stronger reallyes down to training the mind.


    As long as someone''s mind bes clear enough, advancing in cultivation with plenty of spiritual energy bes smooth.


    This is exactly why top cultivators, when they hit walls, often look for ways to test themselves—even willing to give up their cultivation to pursue a breakthrough that could change their destiny.


    Plus, Mabel had the inherited Bloodline of the Sean family.


    Over the next few days, Mabel kept training, while I watched over her carefully.


    As evening came.


    I turned to Spike and asked, "How long have we been in this Mystic Realm?"


    Spike did some quick math and answered, "About three months."


    "Three months..." I couldn''t help but feel worried.


    "I''m thinking about going outside to check things out," I said seriously.


    "Go outside? You''ve gone crazy," Spikeughed.


    "If you want to kill yourself, that''s your choice—but don''t bring Miss Sean down with you."


    Even though Spike''s words were rough, they made perfect sense.


    I sat quietly for a while, letting out a soft sigh as I said, "I just can''t shake the feeling that other people might get hurt because of me."


    "That''s not good for someone in hidden cultivation," Spikemented.


    "Istion needsplete concentration; how can your restless mind achieve that?"


    I sighed again and said, "You''re right..."


    Right then, Mabel''s energy suddenly started to change.


    At the same time, stormy dark clouds quickly formed in the sky above.


    "This... is she about to reach the Grandmaster realm!" I shouted in shock.