Ter had heard vague whispers of ancient cultivation techniques that could allow a powerful cultivator to directly possess the body of another living human.
However, he had always dismissed those dark tales, usually thinking they were mere myths concocted to frighten young cultivators.
With what he was vividly seeing right now in the middle of the hallway, though, this forbidden phenomenon was the only plausible explanation that came to his mind.
His thoughts scrambled for a logical answer, but everything kept circling back to the exact same conclusion.
There simply wasn’t any other way to justify the physical presence and the impossible aura of the figure standing right before his eyes.
Kahn was just a normal, broken human who couldn’t even cultivate a single wisp of spiritual energy, a cripple whose meridians were completely useless and dead.
Yet, the person standing in front of him right now was undeniably radiating the distinct, heavy pressure of a cultivator at the Qi condensation rank.
The sheer contrast between the fragile slave Ter had oppressed and this white-haired man was too vast to bridge by normal means.
To him, there was absolutely no way a normal human that couldn’t even cultivate would suddenly break through all the way to the Qi condensation realm within a single day.
It defied every foundational law of the heavens, every rule of the martial path, and every logic he had ever been taught since he joined the Raging Bulls.
Cultivation required time, talent, and resources, none of which the trash possessed.
So he firmly believed that a rogue, powerful cultivator had used a strange, forbidden technique, successfully possessing Kahn’s body from the inside out.
This particular conclusion perfectly explained the strange, violent Qi suction he had sensed echoing from the subterranean cell blocks earlier.
A powerful soul anchoring itself to a new mortal vessel would naturally create a massive Qi void, greedily draining the surrounding atmosphere to stabilize its new flesh.
Ter stared intently at the smooth, unblemished skin and the glowing white hair of Kahn’s new form, his initial fear slowly giving way to a twisted sense of curiosity.
’A technique that allows you to possess a human’s body,’ he thought, his fingers clenching as his mind calculated the worth of such a secret. ’Even I have never seen this before...’
The sheer value of a soul-transferring art was astronomical, and if he could somehow wrest it from this intruder, his status within the sect would skyrocket.
Kahn clicked his tongue loudly, the sharp sound cutting right through Ter’s internal monologue and shattering the heavy silence.
He didn’t care about the inner disciple’s wild theories or the frantic thoughts racing through his head in the slightest.
He walked directly past the trembling guard who had led him up from the prison, stepping forward until he was standing right in front of Ter, separated by only a few feet of cold stone floor.
He looked down at the blue-robed man, his white hair swaying slightly in the unnatural breeze, and he said in a flat, bone-chillingly voice, "Take me to Seraphina, I have no interest in you."
His voice carried the absolute weight of a command, completely dismissing Ter’s fighting stance and his drawn blade as if the inner disciple were nothing more than an insignificant bug blocking his path.
Ter’s eyes widened at his words, a sudden flash of wicked comprehension twisting his features into an ugly, dark expression.
"So that’s it..." Ter said, his voice dripping with a mixture of malice and sudden realization as he pointed his finger at Kahn’s chest. "You’re after her bloodline also, aren’t you?!"
’Her bloodline?’ Kahn thought, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. It was a revelation he had completely not expected to hear, especially not from the mouth of one of his family’s worst tormentors.
He certainly knew a great deal about bloodlines, having thoroughly researched the topic during his long, quiet hours of reading back in his father’s library.
They were what usually led to the grand awakening of unique, powerful physiques in a cultivator.
A bloodline carried the dormant, concentrated essence of ancient ancestors who had achieved immense levels of power, embedding that mystical potential directly into the genetic makeup of their descendants.
It was the absolute foundation upon which legendary martial artists built their terrifying strength, serving as the biological key to unlocking extraordinary physical traits.
A person possessing a specific bloodline meant they were highly likely to fully awaken that corresponding physique later in life, depending on just how strong the concentration of the bloodline truly was within their body.
If the lineage was pure and thick, the awakening would be explosive, immediately granting the individual a massive advantage over ordinary cultivators.
It was a highly coveted trait, making anyone with a notable lineage a valuable target for larger sects.
Even if the rare physique wasn’t awakened completely due to a diluted lineage, it could also be awakened partially, still granting the person unique attributes and enhanced Qi manipulation capabilities.
A partial awakening was still considered a massive blessing, enough to elevate a standard cultivator far above their peers depending on the strength of the bloodline. The power hidden within the blood was an undeniable force.
He however, had absolutely never known about Seraphina possessing any sort of special bloodline during all the years they spent growing up together.
His father had never mentioned it, and there had never been a single sign or anomaly to suggest his younger sister carried such a heavy secret in her veins.
As far as Kahn was concerned, their family lineage was entirely ordinary.
She was simply a normal, fragile girl to him, having an even weaker body than his own previous frame due to her younger age and female gender.
She had always been the quiet, gentle little sister he felt a fierce need to protect, completely devoid of the aggressive physical traits usually seen in descendants of powerful, ancient bloodlines. To hear that she possessed something like that felt entirely surreal.