Eklavya opened his eyes slowly, as though waking from the depths of a storm that had torn through every part of his being. His breath was unsteady, his mind was heavy, and his memories scattered like smoke drifting away from a dying flame. The last thing he remembered was the unbearable pain ripping through his body—pain so intense that it felt as if every fragment of his flesh and soul were being stripped apart.

  Then everything had gone dark. Now, however, when he blinked his eyes open again, he immediately realized he was not in Clan meeting hall, nor was he in the physical world at all. He was standing in his sea of consciousness.

  The familiar barren floating island stretched beneath his feet. The silent blood poll lay still as glass, reflecting nothing, just filled with red crimson blood as always. And there, just ahead of him, stood the ancient dead tree—the same leafless, withered tree that had been here since the first day he had stepped into this sea of consciousness.

  Its crooked branches reached out like twisted fingers, and though lifeless, it exuded a solemn, ancient presence, as if it had witnessed endless ages and countless secrets.

  Eklavya found himself standing right at the edge of the blood pool. The surface of the crimson liquid shimmered faintly, dense with a strange, otherworldly energy that pulsed like the quiet heartbeat of some dormant beast. The pool looked far too calm compared to the power he had felt when he fell unconscious.

  He glanced down at his hand and noticed the golden ancient incantation etched into his skin—glowing faintly, as if the runes were not simply carved into his flesh, but engraved onto his soul. They flickered like golden fire, alive and breathing, radiating waves of power that seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat.

  He took a slow breath, gathering his thoughts. He then closed his eyes, intending to exit the sea of consciousness and return to his body in the real world. Yet no matter how hard he focused, he remained rooted to the spot. The world did not blur or shift. His consciousness didn’t rise. He was unable to leave. His expression tightened slightly.

  A second later, the ki inside his body surged wildly, bursting outward like waves crashing against a shore. The entire sea of consciousness trembled as if reacting to the overflowing energy pouring out from within him. The ripples spread through the ground beneath his feet, across the floating island, and toward the blood pool whose surface quivered from the invisible pressure.

  Then, unexpectedly, a male voice echoed in the vast silence. “You cannot leave.”

  Eklavya froze as he heard a voice. The voice was calm, heavy, and carried a certain ancient weight to it—like the voice of a being that had lived for centuries.

  It vibrated through his consciousness but did not feel threatening. Still, the shock of hearing someone else inside his sea of consciousness made every muscle in his body tense.

  “You cannot go out until your Supreme Body is fully developed,” the voice continued. “If you force yourself to leave now, you will not be able to endure the pain your physical body is undergoing.”

  Eklavya’s eyes widened slightly. His voice echoed into the empty space around him. “Who are you?” he demanded. “And how are you able to speak inside my sea of consciousness?”

  There was a rumble, like a soft laugh. “I am Magha,” the voice answered with proud authority. “The Great White Dragon Beast. The faithful mount of the God Emperor Arvah. I lost my true body in the Great Seal War five hundred years ago. Only my soul remains. Lord Arvah commanded me to aid you—to guide you in becoming strong.”

  Eklavya stiffened, his breath catching slightly at the title and the level of power behind the name. ‘A dragon? The mount of a God Emperor. Inside my sea of consciousness?’ He thought.

  His eyes narrowed in curiosity, though he didn’t show outward surprise. “So,” he said slowly, “where exactly are you?”

  “I reside within your three-coloured ring,” Magha replied. “But at present, I cannot condense a physical or soul form. I am recovering… slowly.”

  “Oh,” Eklavya muttered, beginning to walk along the edge of the lake, observing the glowing blood pool with narrowed eyes. Then, with a mocking tone creeping into his voice, he added, “So since you are the great white dragon, you should know something about this blood, right?”

  There was a pause before the dragon replied, sounding almost offended. “No,” Magha admitted bluntly. “I only know that ever since I saw you absorbing it, this blood pool appears to contain pure Primordial Ki. Beyond that, I know nothing.”

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  Eklavya raised a brow and shrugged lightly. “Even you don’t know,” he said, amused. “I thought someone like you, who claims to be so great, would at least know more than me.”

  Magha snorted. “Even the God Emperor did not know everything. And you expect me, his mount, to know all things? Hmph. Besides…” The dragon’s tone shifted into something more like irritation. “I doubt you even know about your own continent.”

  Eklavya’s amusement faded because Magha’s words struck him harder than he expected.

  It was true—Eklavya remembered nothing from before the age of five. Every time he had asked his parents about it, they had avoided the question. He had tried to pry answers out of them, but they always smiled gently, patted his head, and changed the subject. He eventually gave up, thinking it didn’t matter. But now… hearing Magha speak so casually about his ignorance made something heavy form in his chest.

  He stood silently for a moment, gripping his hand. The golden incantation shimmered faintly. After a while, he exhaled slowly and asked, “Then… you’re the one who placed those clothes inside my ring?”

  Magha puffed his chest with pride despite not having a form. “Of course. I cannot allow you to walk in front of your friend Anshvi wearing nothing but your underwear.”

  Eklavya blinked in surprise. Magha immediately realized what he had just said and went quiet.

  Eklavya didn't let it slide. “And you also put only one blanket in the storage ring,” he stated calmly. “Not two.”

  Magha coughed. “Ah… well… I did not have another.”

  “Oh really?” Eklavya said drily. “I think you did that on purpose.”

  Magha went into silence and refused to answer his question. After a long pause, the dragon suddenly pretended not to hear anything.

  “Hmm? Did you say something? I think I won’t be able to talk for long. Anyway—listen carefully. Do not leave your sea of consciousness right now, or you will suffer unbearable pain—enough to make you scream in agony for hours. And make sure you absorb that blood you gathered earlier. The primordial ki will help you refine and strengthen your body much faster. Primordial ki is something even the God Emperor would fight to obtain a small amount of, and you… you have an entire pool of it. A pool containing one hundred percent pure primordial ki mixed with blood. And the blood also didn’t look ordinary.”

  Eklavya’s eyes widened slightly but he remained composed. Magha continued quickly, clearly eager to escape further questions.

  “Also—don’t absorb more blood from the blood pool. First refine what you already consumed; it’s mixed into your blood now. Only after fully refining it, you should touch the pool again and take blood drops otherwise the blood that contains primordial ki in your body will be wasted.”

  And with that abrupt conclusion, the dragon fell completely silent—clearly running away from the blanket topic.

  Eklavya exhaled through his nose, half amused and half irritated, before sitting cross-legged before the ancient dead tree. He closed his eyes and focused inward, beginning the refining process just as Magha instructed.

  As he refined the blood, the ki within his body surged more violently, rushing through his channels like molten metal. The golden incantation on his skin burned brighter and brighter, illuminating his entire form in shimmering light.

  He felt the pressure building, the power rising, and he gritted his teeth as the primordial ki fused deeper into him. Every thread of it that fused into his body made him tremble, but also made him stronger.

  Time flowed differently in his sea of consciousness. Minutes felt like hours, hours like seconds.

  Eventually, as he continued refining, he sensed two additional runes beginning to form in front of him—each one taking shape with a radiant golden glow. The ki swirling inside him became so thick it felt almost tangible.

  He refined faster, pushing all his focus into the blood that had mixed with his own. Then—

  A thunderous pulse shook his inner world. The second and third golden runes solidified before him, glowing with brilliant radiance. Power surged through his body like a storm breaking free from the heavens. And disappeared in him. He broke through—

  Straight into the third stage of the Heavenly Rune Realm. And became a Three-Star Practitioner Warrior.

  But that wasn’t all. His physical body—far away, lying unconscious in the real world—began absorbing the remaining primordial ki automatically, though Eklavya only sensed pieces of it. As he continued refining, he realized something unsettling.

  The remaining primordial ki he had yet to absorb after refining it, vanished. It didn’t merge with his blood nor remain inside him. It simply disappeared.

  Eklavya frowned deeply and called out, “Magha! Magha, I know you’re listening. The primordial ki—why did it disappear?”

  He didn’t respond to him. Eklavya narrowed his eyes. “Fine. I won’t ask you about that other thing. Just answer this—where did it go?”

  At last, Magha sighed heavily and responded.

  “Your body absorbed it,” he said. “Every drop of it has been integrated into you. Your physical strength is now equivalent to a five-star Master. When you leave this place, give your body some time. Once it fully harmonizes with the primordial ki, the full potential of your Supreme Body will unlock.”

  Eklavya remained silent after listening to it. Magha continued proudly, “After that, you will be able to float and walk in the air. Your movement speed will match that of a five-star master—even though you are not a Master Warrior yet.”

  Eklavya exhaled slowly, opening his eyes. The golden runes glowed faintly in the air before gradually dissolving into him. And with that, he willed himself out of his sea of consciousness.