CORRUPTION AND HEALING

Jeran sat on the lifeboat, and the two teenagers stared at him, maintaining a good distance.

Reith moved forward, deciding to break the silence. His eyes moved to the stump at the end of Jeran's shoulder. This man had basically given his life for duty. A fire lit up in Reith's heart. He wanted to be able to give his life for the duty of his God, no matter the sense of death.

"Thank you for saving us, Master Jeran," Reith said, bowing his head.

Seeing him, Isho bowed also. If not for this man, he would have ended up dead.

Jeran glanced at them before giving a slight nod. Although he had closed up the wound, it didn't mean that he was out of danger. He needed to get to the regional capital, and maybe he could find that beautiful woman to heal his hand.

Reith raised a brow at Jeran's sudden smile but chose not to think deeply about it.

Jeran couldn't fly at the moment, so he had used a bit of his energy to contact some of the trusted people in Canridge City.

This was Reith's city, and they were closest to it.

Reith chose to remain silent. The battle he just watched left a deep impression in his heart.

The world was larger than he thought.

If he had butted in during the fight, he would have been wiped out, not just by Hardy's attack but by the aftermath of each move done by the powerhouses.

"Why did Hardy look that way, Master Jeran?" Reith asked.

Jeran didn't answer him for a while, but then he exhaled.

"He had become corrupted, taking a potion of corruption. The potion corrupts the path progress of the user and can be crippling after the effects. It is popularly common with the demonized cities and groups. Families and clans associated with dark magic also possess such methods of corruption," Jeran answered, turning to face the boy.

"It leads to an instant rise in power for the user, and I'm guessing that's why Hardy took it. Your friend's cultivation must be very important," Jeran stated, casting a glance at Isho.

Meeting his eyes, Isho turned his gaze away, facing the expanse of the ocean and feeling the wetness of the air on his face.

Jeran didn't want to push further, but his curiosity got the best of him.

"Your name is Isho, right?" he asked, remembering the list of names he was given. "What's the name of your cultivation path?"

Isho swallowed. The last thing he wanted was to get attention, as the first time didn't end well.

"Roar of the Morning Star Lion," he answered with a low voice.

Jeran's eyes widened slightly. He could now fully understand why Hardy sought after that cultivation path.

There was one person recorded in history with that path, and it was told that this person tore down the gates of hell and still came out standing. Of course, he didn't know if the rumors were real.

This kind of cultivation path was rare, and it only highlighted its power.

Even though Jeran had a living emblem like Isho, he didn't think Uriel would be anywhere close to the level of Isho's path sentience after it had fully matured.

If the boy lived long, then he would be able to make mighty waves in the region and even in the zone.

"You should train well," Jeran said, and right after, he coughed out a mouthful of blood.

Reith sat up and came closer to the man. "Master Jeran, please, you should rest for a little while," he said.

Jeran was about to complain when he entered into another coughing fit.

Reith narrowed his eyes. He could see the lines of hana surrounding them. The water-related hana would be usable for healing.

Why did it feel like he could control it?

"I have to try," Reith muttered to himself. If he got it right, he could give Jeran some time before their rescuers came for them.

"Kid, what did you say? Do you think you can do something?" Jeran asked softly.

Reith nodded his head. "Your hana is leaking out, and I think it's slowing down your healing. I want to try controlling it back into your body before redirecting it to the wounded area."

It sounded stupid even to Reith's ears. He had never done it before, but somehow he felt that it could work.

Hana had always stuck with Reith. Although the first time he had experience with hana was painful, a lot of things had changed since then.

When he realized he could control hana and even bend it to his will, Reith knew he couldn't stop there. He had continued his practice just so he could catch up to his sister.

Now, he would use this power to find her.

"Are you sure?" Jeran asked. He could feel the hana seeping out of him also, and his face got paler.

"Yes," Reith answered, and Jeran relaxed.

There was nothing he needed to worry about. If the kid did it well, he would be able to cheat death. But if this kid didn't do it well, the worst that could happen would be losing an arm. However, he would be able to dutifully punish the kid, so it was also worth it for him.

Reith stretched his palms over Jeran's body. The hana lines in the environment emitted a blue glow that was visible to only him.

Jeran looked closely at the boy, realizing the boy's eyes had turned an elegant shade of blue.

Isho inched closer, curious to what was going on.

He had always known that Reith was special, but this was a whole other level.

Hana flowed from the ocean, redirected by Reith, into Jeran's body.

Jeran couldn't see what was being done, but he recognized and cherished the cool that was spreading over his body.

Reith smiled. His plan was working, and he could actually manipulate the flow of hana.

The stump on Jeran's shoulder was slowly starting to close up.

A thick vein appeared in Reith's head. He was beginning to overexert himself.

"I'm so close," Reith gritted his teeth.

The waves in the ocean crashed violently as if trying to repel Reith's control over their energy.

Isho was closely watching the stump heal itself while Jeran was totally mesmerized and speechless.

"It's closed," Isho suddenly said, and Reith lowered his hands instantly.

He was worried that he wouldn't be able to do more, as his body was already giving up.

"I need to train more," he muttered.

Different voices penetrated his ears. He recognized their owners, but he couldn't understand.

He pushed himself to stay awake, but darkness covered him, and he succumbed.

Right after Reith collapsed, the sound of an engine announced the arrival of the rescuers.

Isho held Reith close to him, turning towards the engine sounds.

"They are finally here."

Jeran stood up with a confident voice.

Looking at the sleeping Reith, he realized that this was just the beginning of the journey of a great man.