Chapter 104: Incoming Storm
Even though the heavy downpour outside had finally ceased, the world beyond Nero’s tent remained soaked in silence. The air was cool—uncomfortably so—with a sharp chill that clung to the earth and whispered through the trees like a lingering ghost of the storm. Nero, still recovering from the ordeal of the night before, had to subtly regulate his body temperature throughout the night using small pulses of prana. A careless moment would’ve invited cold into his weakened system—something he could not afford.
Despite that, he slept soundlessly, his exhaustion so deep it drowned even the ache in his bones.
He awoke early, as he always did.
But unlike his usual routine—no morning jog, no physical drills beneath the rising sun. Today was different. He hadn’t completed his goal the night before. The bones of his legs remained untouched, and that was unacceptable. There would be no progress, no rest—not until the foundation was forged.
Sitting cross-legged on the sturdy meditation mat once again, Nero calmed his breath. The scent of wet soil seeped through the tent’s fabric, mingling with the faint heat radiating from his core. He lowered his heartbeat, silenced every flicker of thought, and entered that sharp, clean mental space reserved only for cultivation.
As before, he summoned the Law of Fire.
Dark crimson flame bloomed across his skin like molten armor—wrapping around his frame in a disciplined cloak of heat and control. It shimmered quietly, never flaring out, never scorching the tent. His mastery over it was absolute.
Then, deeper.
He called upon his second core, nestled within his heart, drawing out prana to form the dark blue flame—the internal crucible of refinement.
This wasn’t fire to protect. This was fire to destroy and rebuild.
The moment the dark blue flame reached into the bones of his right leg, the pain returned like a roaring beast awakened from sleep. It clamped down on his nerves and began to tear. Every fiber of muscle surrounding the leg spasmed. It felt as though the bone was being boiled and broken, then stitched together again—only to be shattered once more.
But Nero remained utterly still.