At first, Max barely noticed it. It was faint, hidden within the flow of divine energy like a ripple in calm water. Yet as more energy entered his body, he began to sense its presence more clearly. It wasn't divine essence, nor was it anything he recognized from any of his previous cultivations. It wasn't harmful, at least not immediately.
Still, it was foreign. It merged with the divine essence effortlessly, flowing into his veins and circulating alongside it.
"What is this?" he thought, his brows knitting slightly. He could feel it moving through him, weaving into his meridians like a faint shadow among rays of light. But no matter how hard he tried to analyze it, he couldn't discern its nature. It wasn't destructive, nor was it disruptive. It simply existed, intertwining with the divine energy that was pouring into him.
