The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 369: Cultivation

Easier said than done, for Terrance was in the middle of feeling like shattering glass.

For the young guard, it was as if time splintered into sharp, pulsing fragments.

First came that core pulse that took him by surprise, a thudding that radiated from his torso and could’ve shaken his brain in ways he had no time figuring out right now.

Then the compression.

And that was terrifying, for when the surging energy pushed his meridians, he felt like they were being stretched to their limits. And that’s saying a lot when his pathways just expanded several times over earlier!

His skin tingled, faintly glowing, his veins pulsing like thin golden circuits.

He could hear his own ragged breathing, feel the vibration in his bones.

And then, suddenly, the shift.

His spiritual sea expanded, his channels adjusted, his body crackled as the overwhelming energy was absorbed, reshaped, and stabilized.

From the crowd’s perspective, they could feel the difference.

Terrance’s presence was changing, and it was changing right before their eyes.

His once familiar aura that had been reliably strong was now pressing outward, heavy and refined as it subtly warped the air around him.

Several people had to restrain their energies from flaring out, especially after the stern and frankly terrifying warning that was given earlier.

Even the weakest onlooker felt the shift, instinctively recognizing that a new threshold had been crossed.

And while time slowed down for Terrence, the people around him were different as time ticked by normally, enough for Kyle to return with whatever he could salvage from the elders.

This was apparently an advancement.

A real, genuine breakthrough.

And the adjutant, mindful to follow what he gleaned from the elders, could only nod his head towards his Captain.

When he confronted them, Kyle realized that this might be their first breakthrough in centuries, only to be told that Luca had actually broken through to the next stage just some time ago. And that what they felt before was what some breakthroughs could actually look like.

Then he tried asking them what to do, what to expect, and about the possible risks.

Surprisingly, the elders looked at each other and then at him, as if assessing him, before they began to speak.

"Ah, this one would be able to understand a bit." Nodded Elder Shen which was followed by the nodding skulls of the three other elders.

"Huh?"

"It’s alright. If there are a few things you suddenly couldn’t understand, know that they may come in time. Or if you want, Lord Luca could listen in for everyone else."

Okay.

And as if that didn’t sound ominous enough, the elders suddenly started talking about cultivation.

But for some unknown reason, there really were moments when it was like Kyle’s brain just slid over words, like water slipping over polished glass.

At first, the elders’ explanations came clean and clear.

"His core is compressing now," said Elder Shen. "That’s the pulse you feel. His meridians will strain, but because he’s been circulating his energy properly, the flow will help clear blockages."

Kyle nodded quickly. Okay, got it. He understood the energy circulation, this core compression, and how to stabilize meridians.

Technically, he wanted to initially start with just what the hell cultivation was as someone who likes to understand the entire situation, but this was an emergency and he couldn’t stand around for the lecture of the century.

So he asked about what to do and what not to do in this situation.

Elder Feng chimed in, "Tell the bystanders not to touch him or interrupt the flow. Let the energy settle on its own. Provide a pill only if the core collapses or the meridians rupture. But you’ll see obvious signs when that’s happening, like blood from the mouth or an obvious spiritual backlash."

He kept nodding, absorbing as much as he could, until the moment the elders’ words began to twist.

"And you see," Elder Shen began calmly, "breakthroughs like this, they’re not uncommon in other planes. In fact, higher realms experience them quite frequently. It’s simply that the local energy here seems insufficient compared to everywhere else—"

Kyle blinked.

Wait.

What?

The elder’s voice was still speaking, his mouth was moving, but Kyle could no longer hear the words—not properly. It was like they passed into a haze, twisting into soft ripples of sound, as if reality itself filtered the meaning away.

A faint ringing settled in Kyle’s head, and when he tried to push through, his thoughts snagged like fingers brushing static. He could see Elder Shen’s lips moving, Elder Wei and Elder Pao Xi nodding thoughtfully, Elder Feng gesturing—but the meaning slid past his understanding.

He opened his mouth. "I—sorry, could you repeat that part about why the energy here—"

But Elder Feng only smiled softly, eyes gentle. "That’s alright, young one. That’s as far as you can follow for now."

The elders exchanged knowing looks, interest evident in their gazes.

"It’s always fascinating, isn’t it?" murmured Elder Feng.

"Other planes flow freely with breakthroughs because they are fed by richer currents, by stronger tides of energy."

"But here," Elder Wei added, voice now slightly muffled to Kyle’s ears, "the essence is thin, the Heavenly Dao holds tight, and it shapes what can and cannot be known. You cannot push where the Dao has set its walls."

Kyle exhaled, a hint of frustration threading through his chest—because he knew, knew, that there was more they were saying, but more that he couldn’t actually hear.

It was like a door was closed just ahead of him.

That much was obvious. But it seemed like he wouldn’t need that right now, so he focused on what he could manage and rushed back after thanking them for their help.

When he came back, he manually reduced his noise this time while gesturing for silence and for everyone to move away from him. And as for the pill, he would have to be the one to rush for it in case needed.

Though hopefully it won’t be.

And thankfully, it wasn’t. For it was as if time had suddenly flowed properly again, the young guard exhaled audibly.

Everyone adhered to Kyle’s silent gestures, pulling back, mouths clamped shut, barely daring to shuffle their boots against the ground.

No one moved. No one breathed too loudly.

All eyes stayed locked on Terrance.

The young guard trembled faintly, his fists curling as the humming energy inside him began to settle, like a great storm slowly smoothing into calm seas.

His chest rose and fell, sweat dripping from his jawline, glistening under the faint overhead lights. His eyes opened, blinking once, and they gleamed. Sharper. Brighter. More aware.

Kyle’s voice cut through the tense air, calm but firm. "No one moves until he signals he’s settled. Let the energy even out."

Terrance’s mind was foggy at first, like a sluggish ship trying to right itself after breaking through a heavy current. But gradually, he followed the instruction, focusing on his breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

He realized that his very pulse now thrummed with power—not the wild, chaotic surge he’d felt earlier, but something alive, coiled, steady beneath his skin.

Every breath filled his veins with warmth, but his muscles trembled from the sheer effort of holding himself upright.

Then...he felt it. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Like a cracked dam finally settling, the tension eased, and a faint grin tugged at the corners of his exhausted mouth.

"I think...I’m okay," Terrance rasped, his voice rough but glad.

He was so glad to be alive.

And the moment those words left his lips—

The entire room exploded into panicked releases.

"AAHH—FINALLY!" one guard wailed, dramatically sagging onto the floor, limbs splayed like a puppet cut from its strings.

Another slumped against the wall, wheezing, "I thought I was going to faint from not breathing..."

"For a moment, I thought I was going to pass out before you, you dog!" a third muttered, face red as he slowly peeled himself up from where he’d slumped.

Ollie, who’d been hiding behind Luca with both hands clapped over his mouth the entire time, finally let out a loud, shaky, "Haahhh!! I need a cookie! I’m pretty sure I deserve a cookie!"

Even Luca let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, sagging slightly, only for Xavier to catch his shoulders smoothly.

But the mood shifted abruptly when Kyle, after compiling everything that he’d haphazardly learned from the elders, turned and said calmly.

"Well, congratulations, Terrance. You’re likely A-rank now."

The room froze.

The guards who’d been dramatically crumpled on the ground suddenly went stiff, eyes wide.

"Wait—what?!" one squeaked.

"???"

"???"

Everyone was now looking at Kyle, and hey, he was just the messenger! But since that was the message, the adjutant nodded.

"!!!"

"A-A-rank?! He broke through to A-rank?!"

The guards now looked at the plastered man with narrowed eyes.

Terrance blinked, his grin faltering into a stunned, sheepish expression. "Uh...I guess I did?"

A ripple of stunned silence spread through the room.

And then, all at once, the other top-ten winners whipped around, faces shining with competitive determination.

"...Well," one muttered, cracking their knuckles, "guess we all know what’s next."

Oh.

But they didn’t.