Chapter 33 - Return

By the time De reaches the cave, the night is beginning to wane, the first hints of pre-dawn light creeping along the edges of the horizon.

The air is still warm from the small fire burning near the entrance, its embers glowing softly, sending flickering shadows dancing across the stone walls.

Solar is curled near the heat, her three tails draped lazily over her body, rising and falling with each deep breath. Her injuries are gone, but the exhaustion of her evolution still lingers.

She stirs before he even steps inside.

A golden eye cracks open, glowing faintly.

Her stare is sharp. Accusing.

De doesn't flinch.

"I see you're still alive."

Her voice echoes through their bond, though there's no amusement in it. Just a quiet demand for answers.

De drops his bag onto the stone floor, loosening his shoulders. "I told you I'd be back."

Solar's ears flick, but she doesn't move. Her displeasure simmers in the air like lingering embers.

She knows him too well.

Knows he didn't just leave for supplies.

Knows he was fighting.

Knows that, despite her injuries, he didn't take her with him.

De exhales, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I had to test myself."

Solar snorts, finally rising to her feet, her sleek black fur catching the firelight. "And?"

De doesn't answer immediately.

Instead, he reaches into his pouch, pulling free the Dragon's Vein Grass, rolling it between his fingers.

"I'm getting stronger."

Solar watches him. Judging. Weighing. Deciding.

Then, she steps forward, brushing past him as she settles deeper inside the cave, tail flicking in a silent dismissal.

She isn't mad. Not really.

Just reminding him of something unspoken.

He doesn't fight alone.

De finally sits, letting himself breathe, letting his body settle into the familiar quiet of the cave.

His fingers brush against the coin Kaelen gave him, then drift to the treasure scroll still tucked away in his robes.

There's still so much to do.

Still so much to learn.

And his departure is soon.

The night lingers in the cave, the embers of the fire casting a dim, flickering glow against the stone walls. De doesn't waste time.

Before anything else, he needs to reinforce the formations.

His earlier carelessness had nearly cost him everything. The rogue cultivator had found the cave too easily—a mistake that could have turned fatal.

De kneels at the entrance, pressing his palm against the cool earth, sending a thin tendril of qi outward. The old formations are crude, hastily drawn when he first discovered the cave. Sloppy. Amateurish.

That won't do anymore.

He pulls out a small dagger, slicing a shallow cut across his palm. The power of formations is in intent, in sacrifice.

Blood feeds the array.

With practiced movements, he draws a new sigil into the stone, layering intricate patterns that interlock like gears in a grand mechanism. The runes pulse faintly as they drink in his qi, settling into the cave's structure like dormant embers.

This time, he doesn't just rely on concealment.

Sound-dampening barriers – No noise from inside will leak out.A qi-disrupting field – If someone searches with spiritual sense, they'll feel nothing but barren rock.A minor repulsion sigil – To encourage ordinary beasts to wander elsewhere.

The moment the last stroke is complete, the cave shifts, the presence of his qi solidifying the array.

A perfect seal.

De exhales slowly, rubbing the faint sting from his palm.

One task done. Now, for the next.

De's fingers brush against the aged parchment, the inked characters emanating a faint, lingering aura of power. This was no ordinary technique.

Sky Shattering Demon Palm

"A technique forged in the depths of destruction, built to refine devastation into controlled precision. By condensing qi into a singular focal point and releasing it upon impact, the user does not merely strike—they rupture. The energy, when mastered, does not disperse on impact, but surges into the target's core, destabilizing their internal qi network, shattering the body from within."

At the bottom of the scroll, a final note is etched in bold strokes:

"This is a technique that grows with its wielder. From the beginning stages of Earth Grade to its pinnacle, mastery leads to true devastation."

De inhales sharply. An Earth-Grade technique… and one that evolves with the user.

It starts at the lower tiers of Earth Rank, but as one refines their understanding and execution, it ascends, developing new layers of destructive precision.

Unlike brute-force techniques that rely on sheer external power, this technique amplifies destruction from within.

De narrows his gaze, analyzing the qi pathways illustrated in the diagram beside the text.

This technique doesn't coat qi around the palm like a mere reinforcement. Instead, it forces qi to cycle within the hand—compressing, refining, and intensifying—before being released in a singular, controlled burst.

Compression: Qi does not simply gather in the palm. It is forced to spiral, condensing into a volatile core at the center of the hand.Internal Resonance: Unlike outward strikes, this energy does not dissipate on impact—it seeps into the opponent's body, creating a shockwave that distorts their own qi circulation, leading to internal rupture.Shattering Effect: A properly executed strike will not just break bones—it will force qi into the cracks, widening them from the inside out, ensuring maximum damage even against those with body reinforcement techniques.

The cave is still, illuminated only by the soft glow of embers. De stands before a stone slab, rolling his shoulders as he spreads his stance.

His right palm tingles as he gathers his qi, but this time, instead of letting it flow freely through his meridians, he forces it downward, into a single point at the center of his palm.

The qi resists at first—unfamiliar with being compressed in such a way—but De exerts his will, controlling the flow. It spirals, condensing further, shrinking until it is no larger than a bead.

A faint vibration hums through his arm.

De thrusts his palm forward.

A dull impact. The rock shudders but remains intact.

His eyes narrow. The force scattered too soon. The technique requires perfect cohesion—the energy must be kept stable until the very moment of impact.

Again.

This time, he focuses on keeping the spiraling qi from leaking outward. He stabilizes the energy, ensuring that it does not explode until it is deep within the target.

He strikes.

A sudden shockwave bursts within the stone, sending deep fractures spiderwebbing from the inside out.

Not an external impact—an internal rupture.

De cycles through the movements, adjusting the distribution of qi, refining his control.

If the qi is too loose, the impact is wasted.If it is too rigid, it fails to penetrate deep enough.If the compression is unstable, the force releases prematurely.

It takes hours, but De feels the shift. With every strike, the resonance becomes sharper, the force more controlled.

The final test.

De steps back, inhaling deeply. His palm tingles as he cycles his qi into the now-familiar spiral. The energy compresses, refines, stabilizes.

He exhales, then drives his hand forward.

The moment his palm touches the rock, the energy detonates inward.

The stone doesn't just crack—it crumbles from the inside out.

The fragments collapse in on themselves.

A strike that ruptures not just the surface—but the foundation.

De lowers his hand, flexing his fingers as the residual energy dissipates. The technique still needs refinement, but the fundamentals are in place.