Kiaria's cultivation surged like a rising tide. For three unbroken hours the spiritual energy of his body gathered, compressed, and twisted through his meridians until even his Shadow Ghost form began to distort. Misty-white light bled from his pores–thin at first, then blooming outward in sweeping waves that rippled across the entire Dragon-Tooth Tiger Boat.
The First Wave burst silently from him, striking the boat's protective shield. The legendary barrier, said to withstand half an army's assault, cracked in a single breath. The moment the shield shattered, the rust-colored fog outside rushed inward like a living tide.
Treasure hunters staggered from their tables, panicked by the sudden suffocating mist. Blades flashed. Chairs overturned. Everyone drew weapons at once, vision swallowed by the blinding fog.
Before chaos could bloom–
The Second Wave swept through the ship, a clean slice of monochromatic white that instantly devoured the fog. As the haze dispersed, the hunters realized all their weapons were pressed at one another's throats, a single twitch away from mutual slaughter.
They recoiled with pale faces–then looked out to the deck.
The one who saved them…was the Ghost himself.
Or rather–something that looked like him, yet far beyond him.
And Kiaria didn't even realize he had saved anyone.
His Patron essence acted instinctively, responding as though the entire ship were an extension of his will.
The Third Wave erupted and stretched beyond the ship, sweeping across the Infant River. The blood-stained waters cleared as the miasma dissolved, revealing dozens of corrupted creatures lurking beneath. Lion-faced Gulls circled overhead like carrion birds sensing imminent death.
The corrupted beasts surged toward the boat, their bodies covered in foul crimson patterns.
That was when the Fourth Wave appeared.
Behind Kiaria, millions of arc-shaped blades of white light condensed–each no larger than a bangle, edges glowing in ash-tinted silver. They formed a ring of crescent moon-like blades, circling him like a silent halo of execution.
The hunters gaped.
"What… are those?" someone whispered.
They got their answer when the Fifth Wave activated.
The ring of crescent blades rained downward–swift, elegant, almost gentle in motion.But wherever they landed:
–no deflection,–no resistance,–no sound.
The blades didn't slash; they passed through flesh like warm steel through butter.
The evil beasts froze mid-lunge as thin lines of monochrome flame ignited inside their bodies–at the exact center of their beast cores. Each core cleansed without a spark. The creatures collapsed silently, their corrupted essence dissolving into harmless dust. Still lives spared.
The river fell quiet.
The hunters trembled.
And Kiaria still had not opened his eyes.
The Sixth Wave surged–this time deeper, heavier–and the relic in the core chamber responded. The transparent treasure box vibrated violently, tore itself free from its resting place, and flew across the ship toward Kiaria. It spiraled around him in reverence, orbiting him with the reverent precision of a moon circling its star.
The Seventh Wave formed, and the treasure box reacted.
The lid opened without being touched. A palm-sized sphere of shimmering liquid rose from within–the Spiritual Spring Embryo, pulsing faintly like a newborn heart. It floated above Kiaria's head.
Still circling him, the treasure box gradually slowed, gliding before him until it hovered exactly at the height of his spiritual core–waiting like a loyal beast wishing to rest in its master's hands.
The Princess gasped softly."That… that's loyalty. The relic has accepted him completely."
The Eighth Wave erupted next.
Kiaria's Shadow Ghost form cracked. His outline shattered into mist–white and weightless. The mist swirled around him, hiding his form as something luminous struggled to emerge beneath.
Hunters shielded their eyes as the light intensified.
And then–
The Ninth Wave came.
His Shadow Ghost form rebuilt itself–transformed. Misty-white cloth draped over him in a long, flowing cape like pride of an Emperor that fluttered without wind. A small crown of the same monochrome radiance formed atop his head. Behind his head, the Crescent Loop Moon Blade–now enormous–hung like a sacred ring of judgment.
Around the blade, nine sets of smaller moon blade rings spun, each with a thin film of misty-white light.
These nine rings represented the nine waves of Patron Ascension.
Only then did Kiaria open his eyes.
Every hunter immediately fell to their knees–foreheads pressed to the deck–overwhelmed by instinctive submission. Even Princess Lainsa bent her head. Chief Azriel trembled.
"He… he really… ascended into Patron…"
But the heavens were not yet finished.
A towering green beam split the sky from horizon to horizon and slammed onto Kiaria's body. His bones shuddered. A cry escaped him–the first sound since the waves began.
The hunters scrambled back, terrified.
"Forgive him, heavens! Spare the Patron!""We beg You–don't punish him!""Patron has committed no sin–take mercy!"
Diala rushed to the railing, gripping it until her knuckles bled."Kia…!"
The river beneath them warped. The water spiraled into a massive whirlpool beneath Kiaria. The boat tilted dangerously.
Kiaria, despite the pain, lifted a trembling finger toward the ship.
A shimmering bubble burst outward from the treasure box–enveloping the entire vessel. The whirlpool no longer touched them. They were safe.
Even while suffering, his first instinct had been to protect.
Princess Lainsa murmured, voice shaking,"Shade… don't be afraid. This is… Patron Ascension Tribulation. It's only recorded in forbidden palace texts. I've never seen it with my own eyes."
Diala's lips trembled."Will… will he survive?"
"I wish I could answer."
Chief Azriel's voice darkened."The beam of judgment… that's the first tribulation."
The suppression intensified.
A crushing gravitational force slammed onto Kiaria's body, bending his spine, tightening his lungs, gripping every bone like invisible chains.
His body convulsed violently.
Princess Lainsa whispered, "This is the second."
Chief Azriel clenched his teeth."The Patron Tribulation doesn't remove prior effects… all levels stack."
He rasped,"I don't know how long he can hold on."
Kiaria tried to move–only to feel every struggle tighten the invisible binds constricting him. His face thinned with pain. His breath trembled.
"Oh no…" Chief gasped."He hasn't survived the second yet–and the third is coming!"
Diala fell to her knees, tears dripping soundlessly.Her lips moved, but no words escaped.
Then–
Inside the green beam, rain fell.
Not normal rain.
Each drop was as heavy and sharp as a needle forged from force itself.
The first drop pierced Kiaria's shoulder–clean through.
Blood misted behind him.
He didn't scream–his breath choked in his throat.
The second hit his abdomen–blood burst forward, pulled downward by gravity.
The third hit his collarbone.
Diala screamed, "STOP–PLEASE STOP!"
But the heavens did not listen.
Kiaria's spiritual energy was draining rapidly. His healing aura flickered, then failed entirely. No technique could activate under tribulation law.
He coughed, tasting blood.
His heartbeat weakened.
"Why…" Kiaria whispered."Is this… my end…?"
Every word trembled.
"I… I can hear my heartbeat… fading…"
His mind flooded with visions.
Diala smiling weakly beside a campfire.Princess Lainsa pulling his ear for disobeying her.Chief Azriel grumbling at him for stealing his dream.The Dragon Emperors who roared in pride at him.His Sect Master's stern teachings.
Their hopes. Their trust.Their hands extended toward him.
"I promised everyone…I promised I would survive…"
His voice cracked."I'm sorry… Dia…"
Diala's breath hitched violently.Her fingers dug into her clothes, desperate.
Kiaria's tears slipped down, falling upward into the beam.
"I can't hold your hand anymore…I can't keep my promise…I… can't stay… by your side…"
His lashes trembled.
"I'm sorry…I really… wanted to be with you…"
The world dimmed.His energy drained.His consciousness bent under catastrophic pressure.
"…but now…"his voice frayed to a whisper,"…it's… only a dream…"