Nian Lin stared at the enormous egg of the two-headed bird.
He did not know what kind of creature the two-headed bird truly was. Perhaps it had once been an ordinary bird before the catastrophe. Perhaps it had been a powerful beast reared by the Nian Clan when the clan still existed. He had no way of knowing.
Nor did he know what would happen if he consumed the embryo growing inside the egg.
Would it poison him?
Would it kill him?
Or would it help him break through?
He did not know.
However, after months of failure, this was the only path he could see.
The only chance left before him.
Slowly, he approached the egg.
As he drew near, the heartbeat within the shell suddenly accelerated.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
It was as though the unborn creature had sensed danger approaching.
Nian Lin's expression remained calm.
He raised his stone dagger and struck the shell.
Bang!
The egg did not crack.
He struck it again.
Crack!
A fracture spread across the surface.
Without hesitation, Nian Lin cut away the upper portion of the shell.
The interior was revealed.
A thick crimson fluid filled the egg.
Countless tiny blood vessels spread throughout the liquid.
Suspended within it was a half-formed creature.
It resembled a chick, though far larger and more ferocious in appearance.
The scent of blood immediately filled the cave.
Most people would have turned away.
Nian Lin did not.
His eyes remained cold and emotionless.
Reaching forward, he lifted the broken egg with both hands.
Then he drank.
The fluid.
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The embryo.
Everything.
He swallowed it all.
When he finished, only fragments of shell and a small amount of remaining fluid were left behind.
The broken shell fell to the ground.
Nian Lin wiped the corner of his mouth.
He did not know whether this decision would save him or kill him.
Perhaps it would accomplish nothing at all.
Still, he had chosen.
There was no turning back.
Less than a minute later, his body reacted.
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
His head felt as though it had been struck by a giant hammer.
An unbearable pain erupted throughout his body.
The veins beneath his skin bulged violently.
His face instantly became pale.
The agony was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
It felt as though someone had thrust a hand into his chest and was attempting to tear out his heart while he was still alive.
His entire body collapsed onto the ground.
He rolled across the cave floor.
Every muscle convulsed uncontrollably.
Yet not a single scream escaped his mouth.
He dared not scream.
Outside the cave lurked countless monsters.
If any of them heard him now, he would die before even secenceing qi again.
Therefore, he endured.
Blood dripped from the corner of his lips.
His vision blurred.
His consciousness wavered.
The pain only grew stronger.
Stronger.
And stronger.
Nian Lin immediately understood one thing.
If he continued like this, he would die.
With tremendous effort, he forced himself into a seated position.
Ignoring the pain threatening to drive him insane, he began circulating the Qi Condensation chant recorded in the scroll.
One long breath.
Three short breaths.
One long breath.
Three short breaths.
As the cultivation method began operating, a thread of qi suddenly appeared within his body.
It was tiny.
Almost insignificant.
Yet it rapidly circulated through his meridians.
Having experienced a similar sensation before, Nian Lin reacted immediately.
Following the pathways depicted in the first illustration of the scroll, he guided the qi through his body.
The process was difficult.
Every movement felt as though blades were carving through his flesh.
Yet he persisted.
Soon, the qi began flowing exactly as described in the cultivation method.
At the same time, strange streams of cool energy emerged from various parts of his body.
They felt like droplets of icy water.
One after another, they merged into the circulating qi.
The tiny strand gradually grew larger.
From a thread.
To a stream.
Then to a steadily flowing current.
A powerful tremor shook Nian Lin's body.
Boom!
A muffled rumble echoed from within him.
At that moment, it felt as though a thick layer of fog had been stripped away from his mind.
His thoughts became clearer.
His senses became sharper.
His body felt lighter than ever before.
At the same time, foul-smelling black impurities began seeping from the pores all over his body.
The impurities coated his skin like a layer of mud.
Yet Nian Lin paid them no attention.
His focus was entirely on the current of qi flowing within him.
Unlike before, it did not disappear.
It remained.
Steadily circulating through his body.
For the first time in his life, spiritual energy truly existed within him.