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The instant Seraphina swallowed the pill, she felt an overpowering surge of energy violently churn within her body. The sensation wasn't unlike being caught in a torrential whirlpool, unable to breathe, unable to focus, completely and utterly at the mercy of the currents.
Her room, which had been filled with a light medicinal fragrance, now felt pressurized, and an almost metallic tang permeated the air. As her consciousness started to blur, her body seemed to fold in on itself, constricting every part of her.
Is this what Mira meant by "dangerous"?
Searing pain tore through Seraphina as the pill dissolved and its contents seeped into her meridians. She felt as though countless needles were dancing inside her, fixing the meridians, but in the most brutal way possible. Her body convulsed and thrashed, and a scream was caught in her throat, echoing in her head.
Outside her ward, a few disciples, sensing the immense fluctuations of energy, hurried over, only to be met with an invisible barrier. This barrier, apparently set up by the Sacred Azure Steel Restoration Pill, was impossible for them to penetrate, even when a few elders came to assist.
Inside, the medicinal scent grew denser, and the temperature in the room plummeted. A fine layer of frost began to cover the surfaces of the furniture and walls. The patterns of the frost seemed to resemble ancient, intricate runes that danced and flickered, shielding Seraphina from the outside world.
The internal battle was far from over.
Metal and water, two opposing elements, began their fierce battle within her. The metal seemed to want to reconstruct, fortify, and shield, while the water tried to purify, soothe, and flow through her system. It was a yin and yang, a fight and dance, a storm and calm.
Hours felt like days. Days felt like years. Time became an abstract concept for Seraphina as her senses became heightened. She could feel every movement of the elements, every twist of her damaged meridians, and every pulse of her own heart.
One moment, her body would become almost like steel, only for highly pressurized streams of water to shoot through her system, cutting everything up before filling up the gaps with water. This battle continued, with both sides trying to wear the other down.
The pain was so intense that she couldn't even black out; every time she did, she would awaken to more pain. Thus, she was forced to bear the brunt of it.
However, she refused to back down. Not now. Not when she had a second chance!
'I don't want to be a cripple! I don't want to sit around doing nothing but teaching the younger generations! I want to explore! I want to get stronger! I want to see the world from the eyes of the Sect Master and beyond!' Seraphina's eyes, although closed shut, seemed to shine with a resolve that wasn't previously there.
It was as if something had awakened inside her.
And then, as abruptly as it had all started, it stopped.
The pain vanished, and a serene tranquility took its place. Seraphina, drenched in sweat, felt a refreshing coolness wash over her. The dual affinities had reached an equilibrium within her body, harmoniously blending with one another.
The first thing she noticed was the intense vitality coursing through her veins. It was as if she had been reborn, her body not just restored but strengthened to new levels. Her senses were sharper, her Qi denser and smoother, and her soul more radiant than ever before.
She even felt like she was on the verge of breaking through. No, rather, it seemed she may have an excess amount of Qi, much to her amazement!
Stumbling out of bed, Seraphina realized her injuries were not just healed – they were nonexistent. Her meridians were repaired, but they were also broader and more resilient. Her Core also expanded and seemed to evolve into something more suitable for her. The metallic tint to the room began to dissipate, replaced once again by the calming medicinal fragrance.
Outside, the barrier vanished, and the elders and disciples who had gathered anxiously rushed in. They were met with the sight of a perfectly healthy Seraphina, standing tall, her aura emanating a powerful and refreshing energy.
"Are you... alright?" The Head of the Healing Hall, Elder Feolan, asked hesitantly, her eyes filled with wonder and disbelief.
Seraphina nodded, smiling brightly, "More than alright, Elder Feolan."
'Thank you, Mira. I'll be sure to repay you for this favor.' She said in her heart, ignoring the questions that the Elders kept asking her.
***
Unfortunately for Seraphina, not even an hour later, she regretted those very words of gratitude when Aelina, at Mira's request, threw her out of the Sect to some random location with nothing but a map and a Beast Pouch.
"Capture the Beasts circled in red. Don't come back until you can accomplish this."
Those were the words Mira had sent to her through a Thought Transmission. Not even to her face!
Wielding her mace and shield, Seraphina smiled wryly, "I should've expected something like this. Mira would never let me sit around with a healthy body, not that I wanted to." She muttered to herself.
'Whatever! This is a good chance to test out my new strength, anyways!'
With a bright smile, Seraphina ran toward the nearest circle to begin her hunt.
***
A few weeks passed by, and Mira was eventually able to extract every Blood Essence from all the beast corpses.
Of course, there were still more coming in every few minutes or so, but she had finished the bulk of them and could now start improving them to match each disciple's requirements.
However, since that would take an ungodly amount of time, Mira decided to take a little break since she had a few things to do herself.
"You finished?" Aelina, with Rhydian on the floor panting, glanced over and asked.
Mira nodded and walked over to the two of them. "Have you figured out how to combine human techniques with a beast's physique?"
Unfortunately, Aelina shook her head, a light of disappointment shining in her eyes.
"No… Like I said, it's not possible. Many have tried, but they've all failed. At least, to my knowledge, none have succeeded."
Then, Aelina went on to further explain, "Beasts don't have meridians like humans do. They do have pathways, but they're more like guard rails to prevent excess Qi from leaking and guide it to a certain part of the body. This is the main reason why most beasts don't fight or even like to exist in their human form. Not only does it make them weaker, but their innate abilities don't work as well since their 'guard rails' are much smaller and weaker."
"Then… Can't we just create an actual set of meridians?" Mira questioned as if she wasn't asking for the impossible.
Aelina just stared at Mira as if she was an idiot. No, not even an idiot! That was a downright brain-dead question. However, she still took it seriously.
She sighed and answered, "Theoretically, yes. If we could create our own meridian system, it could work."
Mira's ears perked up, but Aelina's next words were like a bucket of cold water.
"But, here's the problem. Do you even know what meridians are made out of? Do you know how such tiny things carry so much energy through them? Do you know how to create an artificial set of meridians and implant them into a being that has a completely different physiology? On top of that, do you know why beasts don't have a set of meridians?"
Mira almost nodded, as she knew exactly what her meridians were made out of: Chaotic Silk. However, it's not like she could say that, not that it mattered if she did.
So, she shook her head, indicating that she was ignorant of the answers to those questions.
Seeing that, Aelina shrugged her shoulders and sighed again, "Me neither!"
"..."
"We can teach Rhydian different Martial Arts all we want, but at the end of the day, she's still a beast. Which is fine, but trying to teach her human techniques is nothing but a fool's dream. You're just wasting mine, yours, and her time!"
Mira frowned, not liking Aelina's ruthless answer. And how could she?
She was literally a living example of the perfect combination between man and beast! She had the innate abilities and strength of a beast while retaining the complexity of the human cultivation system.
'Combination of man and beast, huh…' Mira fell into a trance as she repeated those words in her mind.
For some reason, they resonated with her, as if she was grasping onto something profound but hadn't quite grabbed it.
'What is a human? What is a beast? What makes them so different? Why am I able to harness both their powers?'
'No, scratch that,' Mira shook her head. 'Can I really harness both their powers? Can I really call myself a beast when I don't even have access to a beast form? I don't know if I have one in the first place!'
All sorts of questions echoed through her mind as she searched for something that seemed out of reach for her current self.
'Is this what that dumbass trickster beast was talking about? My beastly origins? Will I be able to explore these questions at this so-called Convergence?' Mira's little trance ended there as she came to two conclusions.
One, she needed to do more testing. This time on humans rather than beasts.
Two, she needed to take part in whatever this "Convergence" was.
"Whatever," Mira muttered, waving Aelina off, "You can go back to stalking me. In the meantime, can you get me some slaves or criminals I can experiment on? I just had a few ideas."
"....Get them yourself."
"I can't. I'm busy strengthening YOUR sect."
"..........Fuck you."
"Have them ready by tonight."
"...I'd rather train your stupid dog."
"Then, feel free to do that too."
Later that night, Mira received a fresh batch of criminals, and Aelina was nowhere to be seen.
***
[A/N: Alright. Alright. I know that I'm probably dragging this bit on a little too long, but there are just so many things I want to do! I'd love to show more about Rayna, Eden, and Everly. Dominique still needs to be touched on, as well as Elenei. The Sect, as a whole, powering up, along with the tension with the beasts. That's really just the start.
However, I do think I need to get a move on with this pacing and get to the Primal Ascendance Convergence, which has been teased for a while now. So, I'm going to try and condense everything down into just a few more chapters, and then we'll start this next arc.
If you want more details about certain people or topics, feel free to let me know, and I'll consider adding them (maybe making a few long chapters), but for now, I think it's time to get a move on. Thanks for sticking with me through these slower bits! :)]
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