Lassim continued his quick descent down the mountain, keeping a wary eye out for any sign of the yeti as he sped along.
His breath came in ragged gasps, the frigid air burning his lungs that the broken ribs were pressing hard against with every step.
He paused periodically to listen, but the only sounds were the howling wind and the crunch of his boots on the snow.
After what felt like an eternity, he was confident the yeti had stopped following him.
He slowed his pace and began scanning the area for a place to rest. He was in dire need to address his wounds.
The mountainside was treacherous, with sheer cliffs and deep snowdrifts, but he eventually spotted a dark opening in the rock face—a cave with a small entrance, nearly invisible had he not had his spirit sense scanning the area, that would provide some shelter from the elements.
Lassim hurried toward it, eager to get out of the relentless blizzard.
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Inside the cave, the air was still cold but blessedly free of the biting wind. Lassim dropped his halberd and sat down heavily, wincing as pain shot through his body.
He shrugged off his heavy leather jacket and opened his martial attire silk robe underneath, revealing a torso covered in cuts and bruises.
He rummaged through his pack and pulled out a small tin of medical salve, a gift from Sanvra that was finally going to be used, and began applying it to his wounds. The salve worked quickly, and he watched with satisfaction as his injuries started to heal at a visible rate.
He then retrieved a healing potion from his magic pouch and swallowed it in one gulp, feeling the soothing warmth spread through his body. The bruises began to slightly return from their heavy purple and red discoloration to a more normal skin tone but it would still take quite a while before they fully healed.
"That was one hell of a fight," he muttered to himself, leaning back against the cave wall.
"[Child, are you alright?]" Mari’s voice echoed in his mind, filled with concern.
"I’m fine," Lassim replied aloud, though he knew they could hear him. "Just a bit banged up. We managed to survive, and that’s what matters."
Zaphy’s voice joined in, tinged with frustration. "[I wish I could have come out to help. Maybe we could have done more if we had been able to join the fight outside. I could’ve sneak attacked it somehow.]"
Lassim shook his head. "You would have been a target. The yeti was too strong, and the blizzard would have made it difficult for you to fly around. It’s better that you stay safe inside the inner heart world for fights when we’re at a disadvantage like that."
Mari agreed. "[There’s no way I could have dodged those attacks, either. My speed and agility are nothing compared to yours, Lassim.]"
Lassim smiled faintly, appreciating their concern. "You both did exactly what I needed. Your help with controlling the mana and empowering my attacks was crucial. In the future, don’t worry about coming out unless you’re 100% certain you’ll be safe or can create some distance between the battle and yourselves. All three of us will die if any one of us is killed.
It’s best that I take all the damage for now. At least my physique is being enhanced by our combined cultivation efforts, unlike yours. There will be more chances for you to have an impact on the future, but right now let’s just be careful against opponents that are so much stronger than us like that."
Their conversation continued for a few more moments before Mari and Zaphy urged him to focus on recovering. They weren’t affected by the physical injuries but they could sense that he was in incredible pain as the potion and slave worked on him.
Lassim nodded and settled into a meditative position, closing his eyes and circulating his mana through his pathways.
The next 36 hours were spent in deep meditation, his body slowly healing as his mana worked to repair the damage.
He controlled his mana to assist the medicine in his body to circulate throughout and focus on the worst damaged parts like his broken ribs.
In between keeping some attention on healing once the medicine was appropriated properly, his thoughts were mostly focused on reviewing the fight and his movements and the way the yeti fought.
He sought a way to improve his instinctual decisions and the way he used his techniques. He felt like he needed something more powerful than the simple [Thrust], [Slash], [Slam] and other simple techniques that were created from his family’s fire halberd battle art.
This would be something else he would try and accomplish once he reached the Lightning Sect. There might be an already established technique he could get inspired by within their library. He looked forward to it.
In addition, he constantly absorbed the ambient mana in the air through his progenitor markings that then converted it, albeit slowly, into divine mana that condensed and refilled his expended reserves that were used in the battle.
Eventually, a wave of pressure exploded outwards from Lassim’s body, and the snow that had built up at the cave’s entrance was blown away.
The battle with the yeti had pushed him to his limits, forcing him to draw upon every ounce of his strength and skill he’d built up to this point. It was just what he needed to temper himself and finally reach Spirit Transformation level 9. Not only that, but he had reached the absolute peak and limit of the Spirit Transformation stage.
He opened his eyes and examined his inner world. The giant crystal at the center was now radiant, fully integrated with his soul. No more motes of light fell towards it to be absorbed and he felt like the crystal itself was indeed him. It was an odd feeling but that’s how it came across. It was incredibly sturdy and dense crystallized mana.
The surrounding pool of mana was a veritable ocean in size, reflecting his new level of power. Prior to forming the crystal and advancing to Spirit Transformation the size of the condensed liquid mana was a mere pond in comparison.
However, he had an instinctual realization that there was something vital missing to advance further. He’d not had any single barriers in advancing in cultivation yet, so this was a new feeling for him.
"What am I missing?" he pondered aloud. His [Storm Bringer] cultivation technique he’d received from the gods had guided him thus far, but it seemed to stop short of advancing into the Spirit Ascension stage.
He took a moment to raise an eyebrow at the heavens, as if expecting an answer, but received only silence.
Thinking positively, Lassim reminded himself of his unprecedented progress so far. "I’ve never once struggled in my cultivation journey so far and have been propelled far beyond anyone else my age. Maybe the Sect Master at the Lightning Sect can give me some ideas once I get there.
There’s a big leap in power from Spirit Transformation to Spirit Ascension, like the ability to fly and the constellations I saw during battles at the Myriad Spirit Academy. Heck, I don’t even know what those are about or how to do that myself. No rush, I’ll learn when I get there.
At least I now know I can hold my own against an early level Spirit Transcendent beast that’s raging if I need to defend myself."
With his advancement complete and his wounds fully healed, Lassim stood and stretched, feeling the power coursing through his veins.
He stepped outside the cave, activating [Tempest Steps] to continue his journey south.
From his vantage point on the southern side of the mountain, he could see the coastal area and ocean far off in the distance.
It would probably take him two days to reach it at full speed if this had been before the fight with the yeti, but with his enhanced physique and power at peak of Spirit Transformation, he was confident he could make it in a day and a half at the latest.
Lassim set off, the landscape changing as he descended. The cold, snowy mountains gave way to a tropical rainforest, the air becoming humid and growing hotter by the hour under the midday sun.
The flora and fauna were vibrant and diverse, a stark contrast to the arachnid-dominated environment he had left behind.
Monkeys chattered in the trees, and colorful birds flitted through the foliage.
He even spotted a mirage dragon newt attempting to camouflage itself from Lassim thinking he was a predator as he passed by, its scales shifting to match the surrounding vegetation.
’It’s nice to see more variety,’ Lassim thought, smiling. He was happy to be out of the cold, though the tropical heat was a new challenge. He took a second to store his heavy leather snow gear he’d worn on top of his silk medical attire before continuing.
The mountain’s beauty and blizzard reminded him of the Drow realm, and he found himself missing his friends there in that brief pause.
He then enjoyed the breeze on his skin that cooled the sweat that had begun to for as he continued his journey, marveling at the rich biodiversity around him.
The path ahead towards the Lightning Sect was still long, but with his newfound strength and determination, he felt more confident as he knew his limits in what he could face in whatever challenges lay ahead.