The tenth circle

An enormous pressure overtook Wen Ran as he sat still, his expression growing darker by the second. "What the hell?" he muttered through gritted teeth. The energy rushing into his dantian was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The sheer force of it threatened to shred his meridians into pieces, each strand of spiritual energy feeling like a wild, unbridled storm tearing through his body. But before he could succumb, a crimson light enveloped his dantian and meridians, calming the chaos and acting as an ethereal barrier against the violent influx. It was as if the demonic path he had chosen was now showing its usefulness.

For the first time, Wen Ran felt what it was like to steal spiritual energy from a living being. The vile art, taboo in any righteous community, was now etched into his reality. Yet, instead of guilt, Wen Ran felt exhilaration. This was power. Unrestrained, wild, forbidden, yet so good.