Chapter 47: Into the Unknown, A Paradise in Ruins
Elton stirred to consciousness with a groan, the taste of dry blood and smoke still lingering on his tongue. His body throbbed with pain, but oddly enough it did not hurt as bad as he thought it would. He sat up slowly, blinking against the dim light seeping through cracked, dust-covered windows.
The room around him was a collapsed ruin of what might have once been a grand structure. Rubble littered the corners, and the walls were covered in cracks and vines. Yet, bizarrely, the padded floor beneath him remained pristine, as if untouched by time.
"You're finally awake too," came Zoro's familiar voice. The stoic warrior leaned against a broken pillar, one hand resting on a katana hilt.
Ramiro was already on his feet, testing his movement, eyes darting to every corner of the room like a wary predator.
"Where the hell are we?" Elton rasped.
"No clue," Ramiro answered. "But check this out. My injuries—they're almost gone."
Elton looked down at himself. The bruises, burns, and deep gashes from the war at the sect were all but faded, leaving only dull aches behind. Their clothes were ragged, slashed from combat and travel, but none of them seemed to care.
"Last thing I remember was holding unto you while escaping that damn meteor attack," Zoro muttered. "Then... nothing."
They explored the building cautiously. Most of it had collapsed, but the reinforced padded floor and a few gleaming, rune-etched stones hinted that it wasn't an ordinary ruin. Stepping outside, they were hit with a wave of cool air and the heavy scent of dust and rust.
They emerged into a sprawling, crumbling cityscape. Skyscrapers leaned like old trees in a windstorm, windows shattered and walls crumbling. Entire blocks looked bombed out, and yet, a strange stillness hung over everything.
Ramiro suddenly froze. "You feel that?"
Elton inhaled. His eyes widened.
"The Essence... it's thick."
It wasn't just thick. It was overwhelmingly Denser than anything they had felt in the Bright Blade Sect's cultivation chambers. Elton had never visited the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect directly, but he doubted even their best grounds could match this.
"This... is a damn cultivation paradise," Zoro said, eyes narrowing.
As they moved further through the city, they discovered ruins hiding unimaginable relics—crystals infused with ancient essence, decayed vaults filled with old ores, and shattered treasure boxes. Some of the resources had rotted with age, but many still pulsed with untamed power.
Elton's heart pounded with excitement.
That's when the voice came.
"You're welcome, you damn brat."
Elton froze.
"You again," he muttered.
His inner voice that had taken over his body in times of crisis, chuckled smugly.
"While you were busy bleeding out, I was navigating hell. I tossed those red-eyed nobodies and those sneaky twins off our ride to lighten the load, and then... fate guided me to this place. Somehow activated some ancient formation, and next thing I know—boom. I crossed through a Dimensional Rift. Landed right in this low level paradise."
Elton rubbed his temples. "Fate you say? Always with the fate."
"Don't mock what you don't understand. That mutated bloodline of yours might be the reason we were drawn here. Like a beacon."
"So where is here?"
"Hell if I know," the voice replied. "But here's what matters: this place is now active. You bet your ass those Sects noticed that. It won't be long before sects, clans, and greedy bastards come crawling in. They'll bring their banners, their dogs, and their politics. This whole damn place will be a warzone."
"Great," Elton grunted. "Another battlefield."
"Exactly. But right now, you have time. You and those two monkeys got dropped deep inside far from the gate. Use this place to Train, Cultivate, and Steal everything that isn't nailed down. Because once they come, it's over."
Zoro and Ramiro glanced over. "You good?"
"Yeah. Just thinking to myself again," Elton muttered.
He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. The inner voice spoke again, this time with a more serious tone.
"Now's the time to break through the Fourth White Star Meridian. Push hard enough, and you might even awaken the Fifth before Gold Tier. You do that, and you'll be punching holes in Gold Tier cultivators as a Silver 5 once you reach that rank."
Elton opened his eyes, burning with determination. He looked around at the ruined city, the hidden treasure troves, and the overwhelming essence that filled the air.
"Then I guess it's time to get to work."
The three of them disappeared into the ruins, the gears of fate beginning to turn.
The abandoned city groaned in the wind, its half-toppled buildings and rusted towers casting long shadows over the worn stone paths. Elton led the way, cautiously stepping through the dust-laden streets with Zoro and Ramiro following close behind. Their senses stayed sharp, Ki flowing subtly through their bodies as they kept an eye out for danger.
"The buildings look like they were torn apart by giants," Ramiro muttered, his spear resting across his back. "Not just age... this was a battlefield."
"Yeah," Elton replied, eyes narrowing. "I don't know how old this place is but it definitely gives the feeling of an somewhat ancient battlefield"
Zoro crouched near a cracked wall, fingers brushing along a scorched mark. "Explosive residue. Could be the results of a war though not as perilous as the battlefield in the Bright Blade sect.... Probably."
The deeper they walked, the more the city revealed its strange nature. Rubble littered the roads, but strangely, some areas remained pristine: stone benches unbroken, banners preserved, and thick, near-indestructible cultivation mats untouched by time.
A low growl interrupted the air.
From behind a collapsed shrine, a creature emerged—a crystal-horned panther, silver-tiered, its body rippling with residual Ki energy.
"Battle stance!" Elton snapped.
The panther lunged with terrifying speed. Zoro vanished in a blur, appearing on its left flank. Ramiro twirled his spear, intercepting the charge with raw strength. Elton leapt above, fists glowing with Ki-enhanced might, crashing down on the beast's back.
It yowled and collapsed, twitching. The battle was swift but fierce.
Ramiro poked the carcass with his spear. "This thing... it's leaking energy. Not just from the core. Look at the meat."
Elton nodded slowly.
After setting up a makeshift fire with enchanted wood pulled from the ruined structures, they roasted a slab of the panther's meat. The scent alone was overwhelming.
Zoro took the first bite and raised an eyebrow.
"...I'm cultivating just from chewing."
Elton laughed in disbelief. "That shouldn't be possible... but it is."
Ramiro, already halfway through his second chunk, grinned. "I think I can break through to the next stage on meat alone."
Their eyes met, understanding unspoken: this city was a gold mine.
They continued hunting in this way for the next few hours In the alleys and broken towers, they battled:
A metallic serpent with obsidian scales, nearly invisible until it struck.
A pack of shadow wolves, each splitting into mirage forms to confuse.
A fire-eyed eagle that screeched like thunder before diving at them.
They triumphed through coordination, cunning, and grit. Every kill provided meat that helped heal wounds, replenish Ki, and sharpen focus.
A day passed. Blood smeared their arms and legs, but their spirits soared.
"We're stronger than we were yesterday," Elton said between breaths.
"This city's helping us to cultivate" Ramiro agreed. "And I'm not complaining."
Eventually, near the broken edge of the city, behind a half-crushed vault, they stumbled upon a hidden staircase descending into the earth. The Ki that drifted from below was intoxicating—and dangerous.
Elton stepped close, eyes squinting into the shadowed steps. "Another layer to this place?"
Ramiro shook his head. "Lets not get ahead of ourselves. We should probably rest and come back later incase we stumble upon extremely dangerous scenarios."
With a final glance at the mysterious descent, they turned away.
Back inside the padded building, the comfort of silence embraced them. They laid down their gear, wrapped their minor wounds, and prepared for focused cultivation.
Elton sat cross-legged. Energy flowed around him like mist, drawn in by his body's natural hunger.
Then, that familiar voice stirred in his mind.
"Good. Now eat, Heal, and Train. You're going to need every drop of power for that little hellhole."
Elton sighed. "You could try being more encouraging."
"That was encouraging," the voice replied smugly.
"Besides, your Fourth White Star Meridian won't open on dreams alone."
Elton shut his eyes and exhaled, letting himself drift into cultivation.