Chapter 512: Chapter 512: The Void’s Versatility

Ethan stood in the center of the silent library, his amethyst eyes dimming as he finished the rapid-fire integration of the library’s contents. His mind felt like a hard drive that had just been overclocked, thousands of pages of combat theory and energy routes now etched into his subconscious.

"Alright, Crul," Ethan whispered, rubbing his temples. "The Princess’s collection is vast. Filter the noise. What’s the best setup for a ’wandering cultivator’ who doesn’t want to get dissected by the Pavilion?"

[Selection complete, Master,] Crul responded instantly. [To maintain a credible cover while maximizing your current foundation, I recommend the ’Wind-Path Light Steps’ for movement and the ’Lightning Blade’ for offense. These are Mid-Grade Spirit Core techniques. They are potent enough that you won’t need to replace them soon, yet ’common’ enough in the wider world that they won’t trigger suspicion as forbidden manuals. If asked, simply state they are your family’s dying heritage.]

"Logical," Ethan nodded. "I’ll save the high-tier Void arts for emergencies. Besides, once I get into the Pavilion’s main library, I’ll have even more ’legitimate’ techniques to mask my power."

The heavy doors creaked open, and the Captain of the White Unicorn Corps stepped in. He looked at Ethan with a mixture of professional curiosity and the cold detachment of a drill instructor.

"The Princess has departed," the Captain said, his voice echoing. "She left you in my hands to ensure you don’t die in the first five minutes of your mission. Show me what you’ve scavenged from these shelves."

They moved to the mansion’s private training courtyard. Waiting there was a stoic warrior clad in silver-trimmed leather—a guard at the Spiritual Soul Realm. This was the stage above Ethan’s Spiritual Core, the final step before reaching the Golden Core. They were no longer underestimating Ethan; they had brought in a seasoned veteran to test his limits.

"Don’t hold back, kid," the guard said, drawing a training saber. "I won’t."

Ethan didn’t waste breath on a reply. He activated the Wind-Path Light Steps. His body seemed to blur, his weight becoming almost non-existent as he circled the guard with high speed. Thanks to his Amethyst Lineage and Crul’s internal mapping, he didn’t need time to "practice"—the movements were already fluid.

He lunged. The guard swung a heavy counter, but Ethan didn’t parry. He used a sliver of Void Power to momentarily nullify the gravitational pull around his feet, allowing him to twist in mid-air with impossible physics. He slid past the guard’s guard and struck with the Lightning Blade.

Static hissed through the air as Ethan’s palm, coated in crackling blue energy, darted toward the guard’s ribs.

The guard’s eyes widened. Ethan’s style was terrifyingly versatile—he used the wind to close the gap, the void to cancel out counter-momentum, and lightning to deliver violent, concentrated bursts. The guard, feeling a genuine sense of threat, instinctively dropped his containment.

His fist, reinforced by the density of a Spiritual Soul, slammed into Ethan’s abdomen like a falling meteor.

The impact sent Ethan skidding across the stone floor, his body curling into a ball like a shrimp as he gasped for air, the world spinning in shades of grey.

"Damn," the guard muttered, lowering his weapon and exhaling sharply. "I’m sorry, kid. You’re faster than you look. I had to get serious or you would’ve tagged me."

Ethan coughed, a small trickle of blood escaping his lip. He stayed down for a few seconds, feeling his Spiritual Core thrum as it worked to stabilize his internal organs. Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself back up, his amethyst eyes burning with a stubborn, manic light.

"It’s nothing," Ethan wheezed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He took a shaky combat stance, a jagged grin spreading across his face. "Let’s go again. I need to get used to the taste of the dirt if I’m going to survive out there."

The Captain, watching from the sidelines, narrowed his eyes. The boy wasn’t just talented—he was a masochist for progress.

Ethan spat another glob of blood onto the marble and beckoned the guard forward. He wasn’t just looking for a brawl anymore; he needed to understand the mechanics of survival against an opponent who could crush him with raw spiritual density.

"Again," Ethan commanded.

This time, as the Spiritual Soul guard lunged, Ethan didn’t just dodge. He channeled the Wind-Path Light Steps with precision. Instead of a broad movement, he focused the air currents around his joints, creating high-pressure micro-buffers. Every time the guard’s blade or fist whistled toward him, a sharp gust of wind acted as a repulsive cushion, diverting the force by just a few millimeters—enough to let the strike graze his tunic rather than shatter his ribs.

"Better," the Captain noted from the shade of the colonnade. "Defense isn’t about being untouchable; it’s about being elusive. If you can’t tank the hit, make the hit miss."

Ethan pushed himself further. He began to weave his Void Power into the defensive wind. Whenever the guard committed to a heavy blow, Ethan would momentarily ’hollow out’ the space in front of him. The guard’s fist would hit a vacuum, his momentum overextending and leaving his flank wide open.

It was a dance of attrition. Ethan’s lightning-clad fingers darted in like a serpent, tagging the guard’s pressure points with sparks of blue electricity. He was learning to use the wind to hear the vibration of the air before a strike even landed—a sensory refinement that made his movements look less like dodging and more like premonition.

By the third hour, the courtyard was a mess of scorched stone and swirling dust. Both men were drenched in sweat, but Ethan’s amethyst eyes remained unnervingly bright.

"You’re fighting like a ghost," the guard panted, his leather armor smoking from several lightning strikes. "It’s frustrating as hell."

"That’s the point," Ethan replied, his breathing finally stabilizing into a rhythmic, deep pattern. "If you’re frustrated, you’re making mistakes. And mistakes are how I’m going to kill people who are stronger than me."

The Captain stepped forward, signaling the end of the session. "Enough for today. Your control over the wind is sharpening, but don’t get arrogant. The Heavenly Sword Pavilion doesn’t just use brute force; they use Sword Intent. That is something wind cannot deflect so easily."

He tossed a water skin to Ethan, who caught it with one hand without looking.

"Rest. Tomorrow, we start the mental conditioning," the Captain added, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone. "You can move like the wind, Ethan, but if your mind breaks when the sword-saints look at you, all this training is for nothing."

Ethan took a long drink, feeling the cool water slide down his parched throat. He looked at the bruised, reddened skin of his torso where the guard had hit him earlier. The pain was a grounding reminder of his mortality, but the power humming in his core was the promise of something more.

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??