Chapter 29

Rhys stepped out from the swirling ash. He was now several hundred metres away from the group of disciples.

His heart was beating fast. The confrontation with that girl had been tense, but he had escaped without a real fight.

His Ash Walker profession, combined with his perfected Basic Stealth, had hidden him perfectly until that final moment. But that girl had seen him.

Her strange ability had cut through his layers of stealth, and it made him rethink his situation.

'The heirs of the great families are no joke,' Rhys thought. He felt a little foolish.

He had been so confident in his skills, but that girl proved that there were others in this Labyrinth with special abilities.

There might be someone else here who could see through his stealth.

He realised that without the unique environment of the ash plains and his Ash Walker profession, any of the other disciples might have spotted him sooner.

His basic stealth skill was no longer enough.

'I have to find a better stealth skill,' he decided. 'Or maybe turn my current skill into a Skill Core.' He nodded to himself.

That was a plan for the future. First, he had a more important question.

'System, what did you mean when you said you found a cultivation method?' he asked in his mind.

The System had detected something called 'Meridian Opening' from the girl. The sudden notification was one of the reasons he had lost focus and accidentally exposed himself.

[Do not blame your inability to control your lust on me,] the System replied. Its tone was flat, but Rhys could feel the judgement.

'What do you mean by that? That's slander!' Rhys felt defensive.

[Then why did your hand move dangerously close to her chest?]

'I was trying to pick her pouch! Her POUCH!' he insisted. He felt his face grow a little warm. He was telling the truth.

Really.

[Okay, okay. Whatever you say,] the System said. It sounded as if it did not believe him at all.

Rhys rolled his eyes.

'Just tell me. What was that cultivation method?'

A series of blue screens appeared in his mind.

[Unclassifiable Foundational Method detected: Meridian Opening.]

[Grade: Unclassifiable. Origin exceeds mortal parameters.]

[Description: A method of cultivation that redefines the body's relationship with Qi. It bypasses the formation of a singular, vulnerable dantian.

Instead, it focuses on activating the 108 energy pathways (meridians) to create a decentralised network of countless micro-dantians at a cellular level. This technique treats the entire body as the ultimate spiritual core.]

Rhys read the description carefully, a sense of wonder filling him. This was completely different from the cultivation he knew.

A single dantian was the foundation of every cultivator in the province; this method threw that rule away.

The System's analysis continued.

[System Verdict: This is not merely a technique; it is a parallel path of cultivation. The Host's Void-Tempered Immortal Body is the perfect vessel (the hardware), but it is currently operating on a rudimentary, single-core energy system (the software).

The Meridian Opening method is the advanced, multi-threaded operating system designed for such a vessel.]

[This method is fully compatible with the Host's foundation. The synergy would be absolute.]

Rhys felt a surge of excitement. His body was the best hardware. This method was the best software.

Together, they would be perfect. It was like finding the one missing piece of a puzzle he never knew he was solving.

Then, the final notification appeared, an offer that made his heart beat even faster.

[Opportunity Detected: The principles of the Meridian Opening method can be integrated with the Void-Tempered Immortal Body. This will create a unique, self-evolving cultivation foundation.]

[Do you wish to comprehend and integrate this method?]

[Cost: 10,000,000 years of lifespan.]

The cost was enormous. Ten million years. It was the same price he had paid for his Void-Tempered body.

It was a price that would make any other being in the universe tremble with fear. For Rhys, it was just a number. He had an infinite amount of time to spend.

'Yes,' he answered without hesitation. 'Do it.'

The moment he gave the command, the world dissolved into pain. He felt his dantian, the core of his power for his entire life, begin to tremble.

The spiritual energy he had gathered so carefully started to leak away. It felt like a dam breaking; all his hard work, all his accumulated power, was draining into nothing.

A hollow, empty feeling spread from his stomach through his entire body. It was a terrifying sensation. Then, the true pain began.

The System was not just removing his old power source; it was forging a new one.

A single, thin line of fire lit up inside his right arm. It was a meridian, one of the 108 energy pathways in his body. It felt like a hot wire was being pushed through his flesh.

He wanted to scream but could not make a sound. Another line of fire appeared in his left arm. Then one in his right leg.

Then his left. Soon, his entire body was a roadmap of agonising, burning lines. He could feel every single one of the 108 meridians being forced open, scoured clean, and filled with a new, potent energy.

He collapsed onto the ash, his body twitching. The pain was absolute. It felt as if it would last forever. But just as he thought he would break, the feeling changed.

The burning pain softened into a gentle warmth. The 108 meridians, now fully open, began to hum with power.

The hollow feeling in his core was gone. In its place, he felt something new. He felt power not in one spot, but everywhere.

Every cell in his body felt alive. He could feel tiny, swirling vortexes of energy in his muscles, in his bones, even in his skin.

These were the micro-dantians. He now had countless cores of power instead of just one.

The process was over. Rhys lay on the ground, breathing heavily. He felt exhausted but also incredibly powerful. He slowly pushed himself up.

He felt different. Lighter. Stronger.

He looked at his hands. They looked the same, but when he made a fist, he could feel the power gathering not from his centre, but from his entire arm. The energy was already there, waiting.

This was the perfect combination. The perfect vessel and the perfect network. His indestructible body, forged from the Void, was the palace.

This new energy system, the Meridian Opening method, was the flawless network of roads that reached every single room in that palace.

His Void Affinity was still working, constantly pulling in Qi from the Labyrinth and purifying it. But now, that infinitely pure energy was not being stored in one place.

It was sent everywhere at once, filling every micro-dantian in his body. There was zero delay. His power was always ready, always accessible.

This was the true unity of body and energy. His attacks would no longer be just his fist plus some Qi that he pulled from his dantian.

His very cells now contained the Qi. Every punch he threw, every step he took, every breath he drew was an attack, infused with the full, unfiltered power of his Void foundation.

The System had been right. The Meridian Opening method was not a different path; it was the missing component of his own path.

It was the key that unlocked the true, terrifying potential of the Void-Tempered Immortal Body. He was no longer just a cultivator with a powerful foundation.

He was now a being whose very existence was a manifestation of that power.

A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. He felt the power thrumming under his skin, a wild and beautiful song.

The hunt for Feral monsters could now begin in earnest.