After the bird left, Avantika looked at the shattered forest.
The dead Andhra bird lay on the ground.
She turned away and walked off without looking back.
Rudra stood inside the cave. His breathing was still heavy. His eyes were fixed on the pearl.
But now it looked like nothing more than an ordinary stone.
Rudra spoke in a slightly frightened voice.
"This stone almost got me killed today. But why did its light disappear when it fell from the bird's claws?"
He couldn't understand anything.
Rudra shifted his gaze and looked around.
The cave was dark, yet strangely filled with light. In the center was a pond filled with water. Drops of water kept falling from above, their echoes spreading throughout the cave.
In front of him was a flat stone table. A lantern rested on top of it.
Some books were lying nearby.
It looked like someone had once lived here.
Rudra walked toward the pond.
He bent down to drink water. But the pearl slipped from his hand and fell into the pond.
He stepped into the water to retrieve it.
The pearl was lying right in front of him.
Rudra grabbed it with his injured hand. Blood from his wound dripped onto the pearl.
As soon as he lifted it, a burning sensation spread through his hand.
The pearl fell back into the water.
But this time it began to glow with a blue light.
Rudra stared at it in shock.
"What…? The pearl is shining again."
He tried to grab it again.
But the pearl began spinning rapidly inside the water.
Waves spread across the pond.
Rudra's hand was pushed back.
The pearl spun faster and faster.
A reflection began forming on the surface of the water. It looked like an image… as if a window into another world had appeared.
Tiny sparks of lightning started dancing within the water.
The energy inside the pond began rising rapidly.
Rudra stepped back in shock.
"What exactly is happening here…?"
The energy kept increasing.
Energy from the pearl shot straight toward Rudra.
His veins began glowing with golden light. The glow was visible through his skin.
"Why… can't I move?"
"What is happening to me…?"
Rudra struggled violently. But his body refused to move.
Finally, exhausted, he sat down right there in a meditation posture.
The energy began flooding into his body.
Rudra felt intense heat spreading through him.
It felt as if cracks were forming throughout his body.
The air pressure around him began decreasing.
His heartbeat grew faster and faster.
"This energy is forcing itself into my body!"
Rudra clenched his teeth and tried to push the energy out.
But the pain only increased.
It felt like molten lava was rushing through his veins.
Enduring the unbearable pain, Rudra remained sitting there, perfectly still.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed.
Arnav was searching everywhere for Rudra.
Meanwhile, a group of boys dressed in red robes beat Arnav mercilessly. Those arrogant boys were always looking for someone to bully.
This time, their target was Arnav.
But Arnav was worried.
Rudra had been missing for two months.
Arnav was leaving the assistant disciples' section when the group of red-robed boys stopped him.
One of them sneered.
"Look at him. Even after we warned him so many times, he still hasn't learned his lesson."
Another laughed.
"He deserves punishment, doesn't he?"
They began beating him.
Arnav was at the third stage of Spirit Awakening.
When one of them attacked, Arnav raised his arms and blocked the strike.
But another boy attacked from behind.
Golden light flashed in Arnav's eyes, but his speed was too slow.
He tried to fight back.
But he couldn't match them.
After some time, he lay on the ground in a wounded state.
His eyes slowly began closing.
Meanwhile, Rudra was still sitting inside the cave with closed eyes.
The energy inside the pond was slowly decreasing.
Rudra opened his eyes.
His vision had become far sharper than before.
He could see everything clearly.
"There's a butterfly flying behind me."
"I can even sense what's happening behind my back."
"Is this the first stage of Spirit Awakening?"
Rudra looked confused, but a smile appeared on his face.
"So the first stage awakens divine vision."
He looked at his hands.
Streams of energy were flowing through them.
The pearl was spinning slowly near his navel. Its rotation gradually slowed down.
Rudra grabbed it and observed it for a moment before putting it away.
He stepped out of the pond.
Then he walked straight toward the books.
Among them, he noticed a strange text.
"A Tantric scripture… what is this?"
He began reading it.
But it didn't contain any technique.
It was the life story of a Tantric practitioner.
Rudra spent a long time reading it.
As he continued reading, sweat began dripping from his forehead.
His hands started trembling.
"Tantics… are different from sadhaks."
His voice shook.
Until now, everything he had learned was limited to cultivation. But no book had ever mentioned Tantra or Tantric practitioners.
Tantrics treated their bodies like weapons.
Their techniques were extremely dangerous.
"Kundalini…"
The moment he read that word, Rudra's eyes widened.
Fear appeared in his heart.
After reading many books, he had understood that cultivation had many levels.
But none of them mentioned Kundalini.
For Rudra, this was an entirely new power.
On the last page, something was written.
A technique to strengthen the body.
It was considered a very basic technique among Tantrics.
But for Rudra, it was no less than a treasure.
According to the book, the technique should exist somewhere inside this cave.
He began searching the entire cave.
Every corner.
But he found nothing.
Finally, exhausted, he sat on a stone in the corner.
Suddenly, a light flashed on the stone.
A hidden door opened.
Rudra stared at it in surprise.
He approached carefully and stepped inside.
Inside the hidden chamber, he saw a book.
"Body Power Scripture."
"This is the one."
Rudra picked it up and started reading.
The book contained many rules and methods.
Rudra followed the instructions exactly.
Energy began circulating rapidly through his body.
His physical and mental strength started increasing.
A large stone lay in front of him.
Rudra threw a punch.
The air pressure surged.
His fist struck the stone.
The stone shattered instantly.
Cracks spread across the wall behind it.
Rudra stared at his own strength in disbelief.
After a while, his body returned to normal.
Rudra looked at the pearl again.
"Where did you come from…?"
He muttered to himself.
Slowly, he walked out of the cave.
He turned back to look.
But nothing was there anymore.
It was as if the cave had never existed.
"Where did the cave go…?"
"What is happening here…?"
Without thinking too much, Rudra left the area.
He had no idea that two months had already passed outside.
He started heading toward the sect.
As soon as he reached the security barrier, he stopped.
He couldn't enter.
He tried stepping forward.
A powerful force struck him.
He was thrown ten feet backward.
Rudra stood up and dusted off his clothes.
"What…? I can't go inside?"
He decided to take another route and head toward the main gate.
He walked through the forest.
After a long walk, he heard the sound of falling water.
He followed the sound.
Soon, he arrived at a waterfall.
A girl was bathing there.
She was sitting on a stone beneath the waterfall.
She wore a thin, transparent cloth.
Her delicate skin was white like milk, clearly visible through the fabric.
Her waist was slender.
Her long legs were pale and smooth.
Her long black hair flowed like silk.
She looked like a celestial maiden.
Anyone who saw her would fall in love at first sight.
Rudra's cheeks turned red.
He quickly lowered his gaze.
Embarrassment filled his face.
But the girl had already sensed his presence.
Her eyes narrowed.
Anger flashed within them.
Without hesitation, she attacked Rudra.
Rudra's eyes flashed.
He tried to dodge quickly.
But compared to her attack, his speed was nothing.
With graceful movements, the girl grabbed her clothes and put them on within seconds.
Meanwhile, Rudra struggled to defend himself.
He slid backward, injured.