The night was a thick, silent shroud. Only crickets chirped from the dark woods outside their rickety shack. Beside him, Mei sat still, a silent shadow.
Chen Mo buried himself in Yuan De's borrowed books. 'Understanding the World: An Encyclopedia of Core Beasts,' one was titled. It was incomplete, just fragments of insight into the core beasts haunting the ancient shadow forest.
The book laid out four main tiers of core beasts, each with its own progression: Bronze (Early, Mid, High), Silver (Early, Mid, High), Gold (Early, Mid, High), and Platinum (Early, Mid, High, True, Extreme).
Before Platinum, the true might lay hinted: the Golden Core. Here, the beast's essence became so pure, so potent, it would call down heavenly lightning, a direct judgment or perhaps a celestial gift, signaling its rise.
Chen Mo's eyes narrowed over the words. Platinum has way more stages than the others. Are the Six Demon already... ? Higher, maybe? A wild guess flashed through his mind.
He moved to another book: 'Nirvana Devil.' This was a forbidden art, forged by those who'd committed mass slaughter. They'd pulled a ghastly soul and corpse from their victims' bloody remains, then fused it with a power they called Linghun Qi.
Linghun Qi focused this raw power to a single point on an object or body, unleashing a shattering destructive force. But the cost was steep: it demanded its user constantly consume vast amounts of souls or vital essence from living things. The technique had five levels. Each higher level boosted efficiency and the punch of quick strikes, but at the cost of devouring more Qi.
The book spelled out how to use this forbidden art. First, the user had to condense the grisly essence from consumed souls, then flow it through their meridians with their mastered Linghun Qi.
Once the Soul and Qi essences were fused, the user channeled the gathered power into a single point or tool, a fist, a sword's edge, or any other technique.
This art also went by another name: the 'Soul Qi' technique. The name fit. Unlike most cultivation, which used Natural Qi, this forbidden method fundamentally tapped into Soul Qi, a purer, darker energy ripped straight from the Nirvana Devil.
Chen Mo finished reading, a low growl escaping him. "Interesting. This is what I want."
He rose, staring at the motionless Mei. Chen Mo closed the distance, his face close to hers. "Mei, talk. Don't just sit there."
A harsh slap cracked across Mei's cheek, sending her sprawling with a sickening 'Crack!' She stumbled, then slowly, mechanically, pushed herself up.
"Quick, get me food!" Chen Mo barked, his voice cold. "And bring some live beasts."
Chen Mo snorted. "Mei, from now on, I'm your master. Call me 'Master' when we're alone. You get what I mean, right?" A thin, calculated smile spread on his lips.
"Yes, Master," Mei whispered, barely audible. She turned, walked away, swallowed by the dark night.
Chen Mo wasted no time. He sat cross-legged, eyes shut, moonlight painting his face through the trees. Time to try this Soul Qi (Linghun Qi).
Swoosh! Swoosh!
A dense, reddish-black aura began to snake around Chen Mo's body, radiating a terrifying vibration. Then, he started condensing his Qi, struggling to merge it with the soul. The process was brutally long and hard.
Without a Dantian to focus Qi, Chen Mo fought to control and direct the raw energy from the beast cores embedded within him.
Sweat poured from his brow, drenching his body. His gut twisted violently. Blood seeped from his nose and ears.
Every muscle screamed, every bone ached, a deep, grinding pain that clawed at his sanity. He crushed the whispers of surrender, forcing himself to focus on the throbbing beast cores within.
No. I will not break. I will not fail. Yet, his focus never broke, as if the excruciating pain meant nothing to his body.
After a long, grinding fight, Chen Mo finally succeeded in fusing his soul and Qi. He opened his eyes. Boom! An explosive burst of Soul Qi instantly engulfed his entire being.
Chen Mo walked to his sword. He gripped the blade, then channeled the Soul Qi to its razor-sharp point. He stalked towards a clump of trees and swung.
Swoosh! Crackk!
The blade tore through the air, a furious whistle, followed by a gruesome splintering as it hit wood.
Trees crashed, splintered, and lay scattered, leaving a clean path of ruin.
A thin smile stretched Chen Mo's lips as he saw the damage. "This is incredible," he muttered. "A gift for me." He sat back down, intent on stabilizing the Soul Qi.
There's probably something even deadlier than this, Chen Mo mused, continuing his practice, waiting for Mei to return.
After a long period of meditation, he realized he had mastered the first level of the Soul Qi technique.
...
Mei returned, carrying a basket of fruits in one hand. In the other, she dragged a live black wolf, choking it just like Chen Mo had choked his own child. Its struggles were weak, its whimpers barely audible.
Seeing the distant fallen trees, as if cleanly cut by a blade, Mei registered a flicker of surprise, a cold awe that mirrored the growing darkness within her own eyes.
"Master Chen, here," Mei rasped, her voice a thread. The wolf thrashed, claws tearing, but Mei stood rock-still, pain a distant hum. She kept walking, a grim procession, until she halted before Chen Mo.
Chen Mo opened his eyes, narrowing them. "Good. Excellent work, Mei," he said. "Eat the fruits. I don't need them. I just want the wolf."
Mei handed over the wolf. Chen Mo took over the choking.
"Little wolf, don't squirm," he murmured. The wolf thrashed harder, its claws scraping Chen Mo's face.
Chen Mo's eyes burned with furious rage, as if swatting an annoying fly. He bit into the wolf's neck, while it was still alive.
Splatter! Splatter!
Blood spurted from the wolf's neck. The wolf weakened but still lived. Chen Mo dropped it, then forcibly pried open its mouth until its jawbone snapped.
"Hahaha, taste this, little wolf!" he laughed, the wolf's blood spattering his face, only his eyes and wicked grin visible.
The wolf writhed in horrific agony. Chen Mo then bit into its stomach, tearing it open, and shoved his scaly right hand into the gaping wound, searching for something. A moment later, he pulled out a glistening core. It was only a Silver-tier, mid-level core.
The wolf died a tragic death. Chen Mo inhaled deeply from the blood-soaked core. "Hmm, the scent... this is pure ecstasy! Hahaha!" he cackled, staring up at the moon.
Then, Chen Mo carried the core into the shack.
Mei, watching him, stayed silent, eating her fruits.
Chen Mo came back, savagely tearing open the dead wolf's belly, pulling out all its organs, and ripping out its heart. Without hesitation, Chen Mo devoured the heart raw, as if biting into an apple.
Crunch! Crunch!
Mid-chew, Chen Mo looked at Mei. After swallowing, he offered, "Mei, eat this," extending the half-eaten heart.
Mei took it, then began to eat that piece, along with other meat and entrails from the wolf.
Mei took the offered heart-piece from Chen Mo, her hand trembling just so, but her eyes arctic. She bit down, blood trickling down her chin.
"How does it taste, Mei?" Chen Mo rasped, his voice thick with gore and a wide grin baring blood-slicked teeth.
Mei chewed, slow, swallowing hard. "Warm, Master. And... strong!" Her voice, flat, dead.
Chen Mo's laugh, a low, guttural rasp. "Strong, yes? The wolf's body is yours now. Are you pleased?"
"Yes, Master. I'm pleased," Mei replied, then lowered her gaze, tearing into a piece of organ meat, her eyes vacant.
Chen Mo's grin stretched, madness dancing in his eyes. He ripped flesh from the wolf's ribs, blood spurting everywhere. He chewed hard, bone cracking between his teeth. Mei just watched him, then bit into her own meat again, mimicking her master.
Blood-soaked, they smiled and laughed, filling the silent night with a chilling sound only they understood.
Once finished, Chen Mo retrieved the Silver-tier core. He sat down, legs crossed, the core clutched in his hand. A dark energy pulsed from his palms, flowing into the core. Its gleam faded, its substance dissolving into a misty essence that streamed into Chen Mo's body, nourishing him. The core vanished completely, leaving nothing but dust.
They both resumed meditation until dawn, surrounded by the remnants of the madness they'd created.
But not far off, a silhouette shifted within the dense trees. One of the Six Curses, watching. And in its heart, a voice:
They weren't just practicing. They were unearthing themselves. And they reveled in it.
Horrifying. Perfect. This boy... he'll shatter all expectations. Far beyond. A new weapon. And I just witnessed its birth. This awakening... it had only just begun.
A silent, joyless chuckle escaped the observer.
Then, it moved, walking towards Chen Mo and Mei, now caked in the dried blood of their dark ritual.