Kyrian returned to his courtyard late at night.

The city was still alive. The lights of the spiritual lanterns shone like fallen stars, the sounds of music and laughter echoed through the streets, and flying boats still crossed the illuminated sky.

But Kyrian preferred to return and sleep rather than explore further that night. He would still have plenty of time to do so over the coming days, and his body longed for rest after such an eventful day.

He carefully stored the Rank Six recipe inside his spatial ring, feeling the weight of the ancient scroll in his hands before putting it away.

He sat quietly for a few minutes, simply gazing at the small garden. The night breeze gently swayed the leaves, creating dancing shadows beneath the moonlight.

His third dantian remained stable, pulsing with a steady rhythm. The flow of Qi was much smoother than it had been days earlier, like a river that had finally found its proper course.

Satisfied, he entered his room. He did not even cultivate. He simply lay down.

A few seconds later... he fell asleep.

...

Then the dream began.

First came the same absolute darkness, a darkness that seemed to swallow light itself, stretching endlessly in every direction.

Then came the countless Black Points. They remained motionless, like dead stars in an empty sky, each pulsing with a life of its own.

Then came the enormous eye, far larger than mountains, observing everything without emotion, its vertical pupil like a crack in reality.

Then the voice echoed once more.

"Azhura’k..."

But this time, something had changed. Amid the darkness, someone was there.

A figure. A woman. She stood with her back turned, wearing long robes that swayed despite the complete absence of wind in that place. Her hair was incredibly long, cascading down like a black waterfall.

Kyrian tried to see more clearly, straining his eyes to pierce the darkness. The woman then slowly began to turn, moving with agonizing slowness, as if every motion required immense effort.

His heart quickened. She was about to reveal her face...

But at that very instant, everything disappeared.

Kyrian abruptly opened his eyes. The room was completely dark, with only the moonlight streaming through the window, casting a silver rectangle across the wooden floor. His breathing remained steady, but his thoughts were far away.

’That woman...’

It was the first change that had ever occurred in that dream. Until now, it had always been only the eye, Azhura’k, and the Black Points, a motionless landscape of pain and mystery.

Now there was someone else. Who was she? A memory? An illusion created by the dream itself? Kyrian had no answer.

After pondering for several minutes, he shook his head. Thinking about it would solve nothing. He immediately sat down in a cultivation posture. The third dantian slowly revolved, like a tiny sun within his forehead.

Throughout the entire night, he focused solely on consolidation. He made no attempt to break through, nor did he absorb any Qi. He merely stabilized every part of the newly created core.

The dark sky slowly turned blue, then golden. When the first rays of sunlight touched the courtyard, Kyrian opened his eyes. His condition was even better than it had been the previous day.

The streets were crowded once again, with far more people than on the first day. The tournament was beginning to attract spectators from every corner of the Caravan, and the energy surrounding the arenas was almost tangible. When Kyrian arrived at the arena where he would fight, his opponent was already waiting.

He was completely different from the young man from the previous day. Around forty years old, at least in appearance, with a face marked by scars and wrinkles and eyes that had witnessed countless battles.

It was difficult to judge a cultivator’s age based solely on appearance, since they could live for a very long time, but the experience reflected in his eyes was undeniable.

His gaze was steady and seasoned, like someone who had faced innumerable opponents. He held a long crimson spear, and waves of heat distorted the air around him. His fire Qi leaked out naturally, as though heat itself were part of his existence.

Kyrian realized immediately. He was stronger than yesterday’s opponent.

The judge announced,

"Second match! Kyrian versus Peng Bing!"

The man did not attack immediately. He observed Kyrian first, his eyes traveling from head to toe. Then he smiled, a smile not of challenge, but of curiosity.

"So, you’re the one who defeated that kid so easily. I watched the match. I hope you’ll give me a good fight."

Kyrian remained silent, his posture relaxed. Then the man moved.

He vanished in a single step, his crimson spear thrusting forward like a dragon of fire.

Kyrian activated the Mirrored Third Eye, lightning Qi passing through his third dantian before erupting throughout his entire body.

Crack!

His hair stood on end as bolts of lightning coursed across his skin like a second layer of light.

But this time, he did not use his speed to end the battle immediately. Kyrian wanted to fight a little longer. The crimson spear collided with his arm.

Boom!

Lightning and fire exploded the instant they met, creating a shockwave that spread across the arena.

Kyrian reinforced his already powerful body, strengthened by the reconstruction brought about by the Bone of the Heavens.

His body was now as sturdy as a weapon, but even so, taking a direct attack still forced him backward.

Kyrian slid two meters across the ground and smiled inwardly. It was working. His third dantian responded far better under pressure.

The man spun his spear, flames beginning to envelop the weapon even more intensely.

Hundreds of strikes followed immediately, a storm of fire and steel. Kyrian responded with only the smallest movements. He blocked some attacks, dodged others, and used his lightning-covered arm to absorb the impacts. Every collision sent electricity surging through both his body and his opponent’s.

His opponent began to find Kyrian’s behavior strange.

’Why isn’t he using that instant attack?’

In truth, Kyrian was training. With every exchange, he could feel his third dantian circulating Qi. His meridians became increasingly stable, and the flow grew more natural, more perfect.

Two minutes passed from the start of the battle. The man intensified his assault, unleashing a fire Qi technique.

"Scarlet Dragon Spear!"

The entire spear erupted into flames as he charged forward with everything he had.

Kyrian finally decided to end the match. He took a single step, then another, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Before the man could even follow his movement, Kyrian appeared beside him. His opponent’s spear still pierced nothing but empty air.

Kyrian grabbed the shaft of the weapon with one hand. Lightning surged violently through the entire spear, and the man instantly lost all control over his muscles.

At the same moment, Kyrian drove a punch into his abdomen. The man was sent flying dozens of meters away, his spear slipping from his grasp. He tried to stand, but his legs gave out beneath him.

The judge raised his hand.

"Victory goes to Kyrian!"

Silence.

Then came applause, even louder than the day before.

"Amazing! He fought evenly for three whole minutes against someone with higher cultivation! It didn’t even look like he was trying to win quickly! That lightning physique is terrifying!"

Kyrian simply gave a slight bow and calmly left the arena. As he walked away, he analyzed only one thing.

His third dantian.

A faint smile appeared on his face. The battle had worked even better than he had expected, far better.

During those three minutes, the flow of Qi had become much more natural, much more stable. The tiny core no longer showed even the slightest sign of instability. He was very close now. Very close.

He estimated that after one more battle, just one more, he would be able to resume cultivating normally and break through to the Fifth Stage of Qi Accumulation.

His smile widened ever so slightly.