Chapter 100: Qi Condensation Realm
Clayne remained seated on the floor for several minutes after his breakthrough, unwilling to move immediately because the feeling coursing through his body was simply too satisfying to ignore. Every breath felt different. Every heartbeat felt stronger. Even the spiritual energy flowing through his meridians seemed more obedient than before. The sensation was difficult to describe. It was as if his body had finally stepped through a door that had been locked for an eternity.
The difference between Qi Infusion Realm and Qi Condensation Realm was far greater than he had imagined.
At first, he simply sat there feeling the energy circulating through his body.
Then curiosity won.
Slowly, Clayne stood up.
The movement felt effortless.
The strength hidden beneath his skin made him feel as though he could jump through the ceiling if he was careless.
Nearby, Scytherion watched attentively while continuing to chew on another crystal.
The mantis could clearly sense the transformation in its master.
Their connection felt stronger than before.
Sharper.
More stable.
Almost as if the breakthrough had improved the bond between them as well.
Clayne clenched his fist.
A strange feeling emerged.
The spiritual energy inside his dantian naturally flowed toward his arm.
Unlike before, where spiritual energy moved like a scattered stream, it now felt condensed.
Controlled.
Refined.
The moment the energy reached his fist, a faint golden radiance appeared.
Not outside his skin.
Not shooting outward.
It simply coated his fist.
A thin golden layer.
Almost like liquid metal.
The sight immediately caught his attention.
"So this is Qi Condensation..."
He murmured softly.
The golden glow flickered.
The energy looked beautiful.
Yet beneath that beauty, Clayne could feel an astonishing amount of power.
Curious, he walked toward the nearest wall.
The wall itself had survived countless attacks during the apocalypse. The concrete was thick. Reinforced. Strong enough to withstand ordinary impacts.
Clayne did not even intend to attack it seriously.
He simply raised his fist.
Then lightly tapped the surface.
Tap.
The sound was soft.
Almost harmless.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Crack.
A thin line appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
The entire wall suddenly erupted with spiderweb-like fractures spreading in every direction.
Chunks of concrete began falling.
Dust exploded outward.
A large section of the wall caved inward.
Clayne froze.
His eyes widened.
Then he looked at his fist.
Then at the wall.
Then back at his fist.
For several moments, silence filled the room.
Then laughter erupted.
"Hahaha!"
The sound echoed throughout the entire floor.
Clayne laughed so hard that he nearly bent over.
The joy was genuine.
For days, he had struggled.
For days, he had felt helpless.
For days, he had watched monsters grow stronger while he desperately searched for a way forward.
Now?
Now he finally possessed power.
Real power.
Power that belonged to him.
Not borrowed from the Tiny World.
Not dependent on a formation.
Not dependent on Scytherion.
His own power.
Now, he didn’t need to dip random shit in the Tiny World.
"Hahaha!"
The laughter continued.
He pointed toward the cracked wall.
"Did you see that?!"
Scytherion immediately nodded.
The mantis looked proud.
Very proud.
As if it had personally achieved the breakthrough.
Through their connection, Clayne could feel waves of happiness coming from the creature.
"Master strong."
"Very strong."
"Master finally not weak."
Clayne immediately stopped laughing.
His eye twitched.
"What do you mean finally not weak?"
Scytherion tilted its head.
The creature genuinely failed to understand why that statement was offensive.
"Master was weak."
The mantis paused.
Then added another thought.
"Not weak now."
Clayne stared at it.
Scytherion stared back.
Several seconds passed.
Eventually, Clayne sighed.
He could not even argue.
Compared to Scytherion’s absurd growth, he probably had looked weak.
Still, hearing it spoken aloud was irritating.
Fortunately, before the conversation could continue, a strange sensation suddenly appeared.
At first, it was subtle.
A faint chill.
Then warmth.
Then something in between.
The feeling emerged deep within his body.
Clayne immediately stopped smiling.
His instincts screamed.
Something was wrong.
The next moment, red mist began appearing.
Not outside.
Inside.
The crimson mist emerged from cracks in the floor.
From the walls.
From the ceiling.
The phenomenon looked eerily similar to previous appearances.
Yet this time something was different.
Very different.
Scytherion immediately stood up.
The creature became alert.
Its wings spread.
Its claws tightened.
The mantis had seen red mist countless times.
Usually, it flowed toward powerful creatures.
Usually, it sought beasts.
Usually, it favored monsters.
This time...
The red mist ignored everything else.
It went directly toward Clayne.
His expression changed.
"What?"
The crimson streams rushed toward him.
Before he could react, they entered his body.
The first strand entered through his chest.
The second entered through his arm.
The third entered through his forehead.
Then dozens followed.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The red mist poured into him.
A searing pain exploded throughout his body.
"Aghhh!"
Clayne dropped to one knee.
The pain was unlike anything he had experienced before.
It felt as though molten metal had been poured directly into his veins.
His meridians burned.
His bones burned.
His flesh burned.
Even his soul seemed to be burning.
The agony intensified.
Then intensified again.
Scytherion immediately rushed forward.
The mantis sounded alarmed.
"Master!"
"Master!"
"Master!"
Yet Clayne could no longer hear properly.
The world around him faded.
The classroom disappeared.
The school disappeared.
The city disappeared.
Darkness consumed everything.
Then came the hallucinations.
Clayne found himself standing inside an endless black void.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No light.
Only darkness.
A terrifying pressure descended from above.
The pressure alone was enough to make him kneel.
Then a figure appeared.
Not a human.
Not a beast.
Not something Clayne could properly comprehend.
The figure was enormous.
Infinite.
Ancient.
Its body seemed composed of countless stars and shadows.
Its eyes resembled burning suns.
Merely looking at it caused pain.
The being slowly lowered its gaze toward him.
Then a voice thundered throughout the darkness.
A voice so vast that reality itself seemed to tremble.
"WHY."
The single word exploded inside Clayne’s mind.
Blood flowed from his ears.
His vision blurred.
The voice spoke again.
This time louder.
"WHY ARE YOU BLESSED?"
The pressure intensified.
The darkness twisted.
Countless invisible chains wrapped around his body.
They tightened.
Crushed.
Tore.
Clayne screamed.
Yet the suffering did not end.
The being continued staring at him.
Its gaze contained fury.
Envy.
Hatred.
As though it despised his existence.
As though it hated the fact that he possessed something.
Something precious.
Something forbidden.
"WHY."
The voice boomed again.
The chains dug deeper.
The agony became unbearable.
"What blessing?!"
Clayne shouted.
"I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!"
The darkness trembled.
The being remained silent.
Then countless figures suddenly appeared around him.
Gods.
Demons.
Monsters.
Entities beyond comprehension.
All staring.
All watching.
All hostile.
The torture continued.
The darkness swallowed him.
And somewhere far away—
Very far away—
A woman’s joyful scream suddenly echoed.
...
Urduja sat atop a ruined building several districts away from the school.
The helicopter she had stolen rested nearby.
For the first time in hours, she felt relief.
She had escaped.
She had truly escaped.
The crimson mantis had not pursued her.
The Emperor-level monster had remained behind.
That alone felt like a miracle.
Her previous life had taught her exactly how dangerous such creatures were.
Emperor-level beasts consumed regions.
Destroyed factions.
Massacred cities.
The appearance of one usually signaled catastrophe.
The fact she had escaped alive already exceeded her expectations.
Now all she needed to do was gather survivors.
Move farther away.
Avoid the creature’s territory.
Survive.
A simple plan.
Then suddenly—
She felt something.
Her eyes widened.
The familiar sensation caused her heart to skip a beat.
"No way..."
She slowly stood up.
The ground trembled.
Red mist emerged.
Not a little.
Not a moderate amount.
An overwhelming amount.
Crimson streams erupted from every direction.
From roads.
From buildings.
From underground.
The red mist flooded the surroundings.
Then it rushed toward her.
Urduja’s entire body began shaking.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
The red mist entered her.
The familiar warmth spread through her body.
Her five tentacles immediately extended behind her.
Their size increased.
Their aura strengthened.
Her parasitic core vibrated wildly.
The sensation felt incredible.
Years.
She had waited years for this opportunity in her previous life.
Years.
Yet now it had arrived this early.
The realization struck her instantly.
A blessing.
A true blessing.
An opportunity that countless survivors would kill for.
Tears formed in her eyes.
Then laughter escaped.
Then joy overwhelmed her.
Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, Urduja threw her head back and screamed in pure happiness.
"I GOT IT?"