Chapter 87: Surging Power, Unstable Strength

"And against beasts, I guess you can handle low-class ones quite easily, right?"

"Defend against them, yes, but that's still a significant amount of strength, don't you think?"

"Of course. The gap between even a single seed stone level can be immense. But with my power, you're able to directly defend against opponents two seed stone levels higher than you."

Fang's voice was calm, but his next words carried a serious tone. "However, let me warn you in advance—don't even think about testing your strength against someone at that level before you've at least reached three seed rings. If you try, you might last for two or three attacks, but after that, you'll exhaust your strength. And once you're defenseless... well, you know what happens next."

"Obviously, I'm not foolish enough to test my power against someone that strong," Arya replied, shaking his head.

"Good. Then let's move forward."

Closing his eyes, Arya focused inward, directing his awareness toward the energy ball in his chest. There, in the center, between his two seed stones, lay the presence of Fang. Taking a deep breath, he spoke the name aloud.

"Celestial Fang..."

Within the glowing orb, the beast's image slowly opened its blood-red eyes before shutting them again. But even that brief moment was enough—a pulse of energy radiated outward.

The moment Arya uttered the name, an overwhelming surge of strength coursed through his body. Every fiber of his being felt charged, filled to the brim with power. Yet, rather than feeling invigorated, a strange pressure settled over him, a suffocating sensation that caught him off guard.

This... wasn't how it was supposed to feel. He had expected boundless energy, an unstoppable force—but instead, it was as if his body had reached its absolute limit, straining to contain the power within.

Fang had warned him about this before. Overloading his body with energy was like holding his breath for too long—uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

As Arya adapted to the new energy, a translucent, illusory image began forming behind him. A small, oddly cute-looking beast took shape in the air. If Arya turned around, he would recognize it immediately—this was Fang's miniature form.

Yet, something was off. The beast's eyes remained closed. Normally, a living spirit would always keep its eyes open in its illusory state. That was how one distinguished them.

Slowly, Arya opened his own eyes, and the first thing he noticed was the strange white aura encasing his body. It wasn't just an aura—it was a structured energy shield, forming a protective layer around him. The oppressive darkness of the surroundings seemed to retreat slightly, and the pull of the energy source, along with the crushing pressure from before, had been completely nullified.

"So effective..." Arya muttered, marveling at the sheer power of the spirit possession.

"You should have told me about this before," he complained. "I wouldn't have had to struggle through the whole path like an old man."

This time, Fang's voice didn't echo inside his mind. Instead, it came from behind him.

"Didn't you say you wanted to practice?" Fang replied. "That's why I didn't mention its effects earlier."

"Yeah, I know," Arya sighed. "But this pressure you warned me about—it's not as intense as I expected."

"It's only the beginning," Fang reminded him. "The longer you stay in this form, the more the pressure will intensify. Eventually, it will become unbearable. So stop wasting time and move forward."

"Right."

Taking his first step forward, Arya was relieved to find that the overwhelming pressure was gone. He moved lightly—but the moment his foot landed, a booming sound echoed like a beast had stomped the ground.

"What the—" Arya looked down, stunned. His strength was completely out of control.

"Try to familiarize yourself with it," Fang advised. "If you don't learn to regulate your power, you'll end up being too slow or too strong at the wrong moment. An unbalanced strength can be exploited by your opponent and could very well lead to your defeat."

"Understood."

With that, Arya took another step, this time even lighter than before. The ground still rumbled, but the impact was noticeably less. Step by step, he moved forward, carefully adjusting his strength and getting used to his new state.

The distance to the energy source steadily decreased. At around 30 meters ahead, Arya's vision improved—the suffocating darkness was lifting. He could now clearly see a red glow in the distance, emanating from the energy vortex ahead.

To confirm his observation, he asked, "Is that the energy source? The thing emitting the red glow?"

Fang's voice carried a slight pause before he answered.

"No... that's not the energy source."

Arya frowned. "Then what is it?"

"The energy source is still inside the body," Fang explained. "It won't emit any light. But that vortex—that's definitely a result of its presence."

Arya's gaze remained fixed on the glowing vortex, his mind racing with questions. If the energy source itself wasn't visible, then what exactly was creating this strange phenomenon?