Transmigrated with my corruption system

Chapter 204: Chapter 199: The Fire Within

At yet another edge of the Misty Lands, another figure stood.

Her eyes burned like molten lava as the air around her grew hotter with every passing second, causing the surrounding space to ripple beneath the relentless heat.

"Hahaha!" Tara suddenly broke into a fit of unrestrained laughter.

At present, her body was marred with countless claw marks carved across her flesh, blood continuously flowing from the wounds and soaking her robe. The sheer amount she had lost was enough for an ordinary person to have collapsed long ago, if not died outright.

Yet Tara paid it no mind.

It was as though she couldn’t even feel the pain.

Her entire focus remained fixed on the air before her, her blazing eyes reflecting the countless notifications suspended there.

"Wondrous..."

It was the only word she could think of to describe what she was seeing.

A few moments earlier, she had split up from the others as planned. And just like Amber and the rest, the challenge awaiting her had been overwhelming from the very beginning.

She found herself surrounded by multiple Ghost Wraiths.

No matter how many she killed, there always seemed to be another lurking within the dense mist, waiting patiently for an opening to strike.

They were simply too troublesome to deal with.

Yet despite that, the battle had proven far more rewarding than she could have imagined.

In such a short span of time, most of her skills and reflexes had improved to a level she would have once thought impossible.

At least not within such a brief period.

But no matter what edge she gained, it was never enough.

Every improvement was quickly met by an even greater challenge.

And with every passing second she remained within the Misty Lands, the pressure bearing down on her only grew heavier.

Her fire energy reserves were almost exhausted.

Crushing fatigue seeped into every part of her body, while danger lingered all around her.

It was like a blade hanging above her neck, knowing that a single mistake could easily spell her death.

Even so, she doubted it would ever come to that.

Ulric had given his word that he would oversee this training session.

But he wouldn’t always be there.

One day, she would have to face such dangers alone.

Any other person would have long since given up under such hellish conditions.

But Tara couldn’t...

Wouldn’t.

She had watched Ulric fight through countless battles.

Even when the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against him, not once had he ever yielded.

If anything, he had always confronted every challenge head-on, shattering the limits of what should have been possible.

She couldn’t allow herself to do any less.

A fierce determination blazed deep within her heart.

She would prove herself worthy of the power he had entrusted to her.

She wouldn’t fail him.

Repeating those words over and over in the back of her mind, Tara pushed forward, facing even more Ghost Wraiths.

The gauntlets Ulric had gifted her proved exceptionally useful in this situation, as they seemed to boost her physical strength and sharpen her senses even further.

But with every battle, the strain on her body only grew worse.

She couldn’t keep this up much longer.

As the thought crossed her mind, she keeled over.

Falling to her knees, she clamped her jaws tightly as multiple thoughts circled through her mind.

Was this to be the end?

Even with all the power she wielded, would she always need to be saved?

What use would she be to Ulric this way?

Would she ever rise to rival his power?

With each passing thought, her fingers clenched tighter, almost drawing blood from her palms as her eyes grew watery with defeat.

The thoughts... they were just unbearable.

Maddening, even. She could feel the mist around her slowly shift.

It wouldn’t be long before another Ghost Wraith emerged and Ulric would be forced to step in.

She tried to force herself back onto her feet.

But she was simply too spent.

Just as everything seemed over and an overwhelming pressure pressed down on her...

Something deep inside her broke.

"Huh?" Tara gasped.

Her eyes snapped open as a flicker of surprise flashed across them.

She could feel a flame ignite deep inside her as fire energy surged throughout her body.

Which only left her confused.

She had depleted all her energy reserves.

Then what was this?

She could feel the fire energy coursing through her body in bountiful streams, refilling her reserves until they were almost back to their peak.

But it didn’t stop there.

They continued to rise, washing over her body in a soothing current.

She could feel something fundamental about both herself and her flames changing.

Was this Ulric helping her? Giving her another chance?

But the more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed.

It wasn’t rare for people to lend others part of their energy reserves.

But having been close to him, she knew his energy signature.

And this wasn’t it. Besides, she could feel this energy originating from deep within her.

She quickly discarded the possibility of it being an unexpected breakthrough.

The bottleneck to the next rank hadn’t even budged.

Combined with the fact that she had been deliberately suppressing her breakthrough.

According to Ulric’s advice, their breakthroughs would yield the greatest strength if they only took the leap after constantly refining their bodies until there was nothing left to improve.

Although her talent was exceptional, her physical capabilities were still somewhat lacking.

That was why she had yet to advance.

As all these thoughts crossed her mind, her confusion only deepened.

Then suddenly, the fire energy surging through her body flared wildly, almost as though it had gone berserk.

But Tara could tell it was something else.

She could feel its essence rapidly changing, growing purer and more overwhelming.

Before it finally settled.

All of it happened within the span of a few seconds.

When she regained her senses, the surprise only deepened.

Her body, previously burdened by crushing fatigue, now felt completely refreshed.

Her energy reserves had more than doubled.

And more importantly... She could feel her flames had changed.

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she stretched out a hand before flicking her fingers lightly.

The next instant, her eyes widened in shock.

Instead of the familiar orange flames...

A flicker of white fire burned over her palm in an entrancing display.

With a single glance, she could tell it was vastly more powerful than her previous flames.

At least ten times stronger.

Its scorching power was simply overwhelming.

Maybe it was just as powerful as Ulric’s flames...

Or perhaps even stronger.

The thought itself was absurd.

Yet the sight before her was undeniable.

Just as she was about to sink deeper into her thoughts, a flood of information suddenly rushed into her mind.

Watching from afar, Ulric observed the brief transformation in surprise before narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Her flames... did they evolve?" Ulric mused.

With enough resources, he believed anything was possible.

Even this.

He was only surprised by how unexpected it was.

Had the pressure pushed her beyond her limits, allowing her hidden potential to erupt?

"Amazing," Ulric muttered.

Before suddenly pausing.

Something wasn’t right.

With a single glance, he could tell how powerful the flames were.

But as he looked closer, he sensed something else.

As the white flames burned, even the surrounding mist seemed to part, as though it too was being incinerated.

Something that should have been impossible.

Were those flames really that powerful?

His doubts were answered when Tara spoke.

"Nirvana Flame Physique?" Tara mumbled as she sorted through the information.

She had awakened a physique?

She knew a little about them. But not nearly enough for it to matter.

Pausing briefly, she made a mental note to ask Ulric about it later.

But that wasn’t what shocked her the most.

The knowledge flooding her mind consisted of ancient flame techniques and applications. Compared to them, the way she had previously wielded her power now seemed crude.

Undeniably precious knowledge.

Yet that was only the beginning.

It was almost as though the memories of another being had fused with her own.

It was the only explanation she could think of.

Tara mused as her hands moved through the air, weaving multiple incantations before igniting the flicker of white flame within them.

Instantly, a mystical pattern formed.

It expanded into a rift of flames that resembled a blazing black hole.

The vortex devoured the surrounding mist alongside the Ghost Wraiths.

Everything absorbed into the swirling rift instantly vanished, converted into pure energy that flowed back into her body.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

Before long, her body felt bloated with power.

It had been refined repeatedly, pushing her to the absolute limit of E-rank.

If she wished, she could break through to D-rank at any moment.

Inspecting the changes within her body, she only grew more astonished.

If this was merely the tip of the knowledge she had gained, she couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen after she fully comprehended and integrated all of it.

Was this truly the power of a physique?

It was just...

***

"Wondrous," Ulric chuckled as he watched everything unfold.

The Misty Lands were proving to be a far more effective training ground than he could have ever imagined.