BOOOOOOM!
The underground chamber shook again.
Kael immediately stood.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The old man remained completely still.
Kael looked at him.
“You said something worse than Black Lotus is here.”
“I did.”
“Then who is it?”
The old man tightened his grip around the ancient sword.
“You'll find out soon enough.”
Kael frowned.
“That isn't helpful.”
“It wasn't meant to be.”
Another explosion shook the chamber.
This time, a crack appeared in the ceiling.
Kael looked upward.
“We need to leave.”
The old man shook his head.
“No.”
Kael stared at him.
“No?”
“You need to stay.”
“Why?”
“Because if you run every time danger appears, you'll never become strong enough to face what is coming.”
Kael clenched his fists.
“I can't fight someone I can't even see.”
“Then learn to see.”
The old man pointed toward the center of the chamber.
“Sit.”
Kael almost laughed.
“Now?”
“Now.”
The chamber shook again.
Kael sighed.
“This is probably the worst time for training.”
The old man smiled.
“That's why it's the perfect time.”
Kael sat on the stone platform.
He closed his eyes.
The old man's voice echoed around him.
“Forget the world around you.”
Kael took a slow breath.
“Feel your Qi.”
He focused.
The faint energy inside his body became clearer.
“Now feel the energy outside your body.”
Kael concentrated.
At first, there was nothing.
Then he felt it.
A strange pressure.
Something was moving above them.
Fast.
Very fast.
Kael's eyes opened.
“There's someone above us.”
The old man nodded.
“Good.”
“How strong?”
“Tell me.”
Kael closed his eyes again.
He focused harder.
The pressure became clearer.
It wasn't like Jian.
It wasn't like Han Wei.
This presence felt colder.
Sharper.
Almost lifeless.
Kael swallowed.
“Foundation Establishment.”
The old man shook his head.
“Higher.”
Kael's expression changed.
“Core Formation?”
“Higher.”
Kael opened his eyes.
“What?”
The old man looked toward the ceiling.
“That's why you can't fight him.”
A terrifying sound came from above.
BOOM!
The ceiling exploded.
A figure fell through the opening.
Stone crashed everywhere.
Kael jumped to his feet.
When the dust cleared, a man stood in the center of the chamber.
He wore a black robe.
His face was hidden behind a simple silver mask.
Kael recognized the symbol on his chest.
A black lotus.
But this man's presence was completely different from the others.
He looked at Kael.
“You finally awakened.”
Kael's heart tightened.
“Who are you?”
The man ignored him.
His eyes moved toward the old man.
“You protected him for seventeen years.”
The old man raised his sword.
“And I'll continue to do so.”
The masked man laughed.
“You know you cannot stop me.”
“I don't need to.”
The old man looked at Kael.
“I only need to buy him time.”
Kael's eyes widened.
“Wait—”
The old man suddenly disappeared.
CLANG!
His sword struck the masked man's chest.
The man blocked with one hand.
The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber.
Kael was pushed backward.
The old man attacked again.
And again.
Their movements were too fast for Kael to follow.
CLANG!
BOOM!
CLANG!
The masked man suddenly punched forward.
The old man's sword shattered.
Kael's eyes widened.
The old man was thrown across the chamber.
He crashed into the wall.
“Master!”
Kael almost ran toward him.
“Don't!”
The old man shouted.
“Stay there!”
The masked man turned toward Kael.
“You heard him.”
He slowly walked forward.
Kael's body became tense.
Every instinct told him to run.
But there was nowhere to go.
The man stopped in front of him.
“You're much weaker than I expected.”
Kael clenched his fists.
“Then why are you afraid of me?”
The man stopped.
Silence.
Then he laughed.
“Afraid?”
He reached toward Kael's palm.
Kael immediately attacked.
BOOM!
His golden fist struck the man's chest.
Nothing happened.
The masked man looked down at Kael's fist.
“Third Layer Body Tempering.”
He grabbed Kael's wrist.
“You've improved.”
Kael struggled.
“Let go!”
Golden flames erupted from his palm.
The masked man's grip loosened.
Kael pulled away.
The man stared at the golden flame.
For the first time, his expression changed.
“You shouldn't be able to control it.”
Kael's eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
The man didn't answer.
Instead, he raised his hand.
A terrifying wave of Qi rushed toward Kael.
Kael couldn't move.
The pressure was overwhelming.
He felt his bones beginning to crack.
His knees hit the ground.
The golden mark on his palm began burning.
Not again.
Kael remembered the battlefield.
The sword through his chest.
His seventh death.
He remembered the voice.
Don't fight strength with strength.
Kael gritted his teeth.
He stopped resisting the pressure.
Instead, he focused on his breathing.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
He gathered his Qi.
Not into his arms.
Not into his legs.
Into his entire body.
The golden energy spread through his meridians.
The pressure around him weakened.
The masked man stared.
“What are you doing?”
Kael slowly stood.
His body trembled.
But he remained standing.
“I don't know.”
He looked at his glowing palm.
“But I'm learning.”
The golden flame suddenly changed.
For a brief moment—
A tiny silver spark appeared inside it.
The masked man took a step backward.
“No…”
The old man looked at Kael in shock.
“That can't be…”
Kael stared at the silver spark.
“What is happening?”
The masked man suddenly turned.
“Retreat.”
Several Black Lotus cultivators appeared behind him.
“But—”
“RETREAT!”
They immediately obeyed.
Before leaving, the masked man looked at Kael.
“This time, I'll let you live.”
Kael frowned.
“Why?”
The man smiled beneath his mask.
“Because I want to see what you become.”
He disappeared.
The chamber became silent.
Kael slowly lowered his hand.
The golden flame disappeared.
He turned toward the old man.
“You knew him.”
The old man didn't answer.
Kael stepped closer.
“Who was he?”
The old man looked at him.
Then he said quietly,
“He was one of the people responsible for your seventh death.”
Kael froze.
The old man continued.
“And now he knows you're remembering.”
Kael's fists tightened.
“So what happens now?”
The old man looked toward the broken ceiling.
“Now?”
He picked up the broken pieces of his sword.
“You stop running.”
Kael stared at him.
“You start training.”