novelnext Chapter 669: The Price of Ascension
Chapter 669: The Price of Ascension
"I cured you," said Ethan, his deep voice carrying an absolute, flat matter-of-factness that instantly anchored her fluttering consciousness. "Your internal architecture is now completely and flawlessly healthy. Every single calcified block, ruined pathway, and lingering trace of martial poison within your body has been thoroughly incinerated and rewritten."
Heidy stared up at him, a sudden, heavy tear slipping silently down her pale, scarred cheek. The overwhelming realization of her restoration hit her like a physical blow. For twenty long years, she had been a discarded relic, a broken sword mocked by the capital and forced to watch lesser talents surpass her. Now, feeling the pristine, unhindered roar of her Peak Golden Core energy racing through her newly forged meridians, the sheer weight of her gratitude completely crushed her remaining defenses.
Without a single word, the legendary, terrifying sword master slowly sank to her knees right there on the stone floor.
The heavy crimson silk robe Ethan had wrapped around her pooled beautifully around her knees as she lowered her head, her hands pressing against the obsidian base of the medical table. It was not a bow of political submission to an elder; it was the absolute, sacred reverence a cultivator offered exclusively to a god who had granted them a second lease on life.
"Master Ethan..." whispered Heidy, her voice trembling with a raw, sweet vulnerability that no living soul had ever heard from her lips. "My life, my sword, and my restored path... they belong entirely to you. Name your price. Wealth, capital resources, the heads of my enemies—whatever your pavilion requires, I will butcher the world to deliver it to your steps."
Ethan let out a low, deeply satisfied chuckle, looking down at the kneeling valkyrie with a dark, predatory amusement dancing within his amethyst eyes. He slowly stepped closer, his large hand reaching out to gently cup her jaw, tilting her beautiful, tear-stained face upward so she was forced to look directly into his gaze.
"Do you truly desire to achieve an absolute ascension into the legendary Spiritual Sea Realm, Heidy?" asked Ethan, his voice dropping into a low, thoroughly mesmerizing whisper.
Heidy’s breath caught violently in her throat. The Spiritual Sea Realm—the mythical tier that had been a permanent, mathematical impossibility for her shattered system. Her eyes wide with a sudden, burning hunger, she nodded frantically against his hand.
"Yes... more than life itself, Master Ethan," said Heidy, her voice filled with an unyielding, breathless hope. "What must I do? What sacrifice do you demand of me to achieve such a divine state?"
"The operational terms are remarkably simple," said Ethan, a dark, manipulative smile curling the corners of his lips as his thumb softly traced the silver scar along her jawline. "You will come to work for my pavilion. I do not require your eternal servitude—merely a brief, highly dedicated pair of years. You will act as my primary high-tier enforcer, safeguarding my doors from those decaying sacks of bones from the capital."
Heidy didn’t even blink. "Consider it done. My blade is your absolute shield."
"Furthermore," added Ethan, his tone dropping into a thoroughly dominant, sensual register that sent a sudden, intense wave of heat straight down to her core. "Every single day during your employment, you will report directly to this private examination room. I will personally administer a specialized, highly intimate treatment to your lower pathways, systematically infusing my energy into your system until the exact day your cultivation base permanently breaks through the bottleneck and ascends into the heavens. What say you to my contract, Elder?"
Heidy’s face instantly flushed a beautiful, burning pink as she remembered the raw, dirty promises of dominance he had whispered into her ear during her paralysis. Yet now, instead of terror, a profound, unyielding yearning consumed her soul. She leaned her cheek heavily into his large palm, her adoring gaze completely locked onto her savior.
"I accept your contract with absolute joy, Master Ethan," whispered Heidy, her voice dropping into a sweet, fiercely loyal purr. "My body, my blade, and my daily discipline... they are completely yours to command."
"I thoroughly appreciate your devotion, Heidy," said Ethan, his dark smile widening as he smoothly released her jaw and stepped back. "However, I never allow anyone to execute high-tier operational labor for my enterprise without proper compensation. Therefore, I shall grant you an immediate advance on your contract. Sit upon the floor in the lotus position and begin to fiercely circulate your primary cultivation technique."
Heidy did not hesitate for a single fraction of a second. She smoothly crossed her long, athletic legs and settled onto the stone floor, closing her eyes as she regulated her breathing.
To execute such an order in the direct presence of another cultivator was an act of absolute, unprecedented trust. Cultivating and circulating one’s core spiritual technique in front of someone else was a remarkably dangerous gamble; the slightest external perturbation or malicious strike to a vital node during the cycle could instantly trigger a catastrophic explosion of internal energy, which would easily shred her newly forged pathways and permanently destroy her Dantian once again. Yet, she found it utterly impossible to harbor a single shred of distrust toward Ethan. The logical reality was clear: if this man truly wished to see her ruined or dead, he wouldn’t have gone through the immense trouble of rewriting her interior. He could have simply crushed her throat or left her to rot while she lay completely paralyzed and defenseless upon his examination table just moments ago.
With her mind completely at peace, Heidy began to forcefully drive her Peak Golden Core qi through her pristine, wider meridians.
Ethan watched her for a silent moment, his amethyst eyes flashing with the chilling )o( void pattern as he pulled another crystal vial of the glowing purple Tiger’s Storm formula from the towering shelf. The true grand opening of his pavilion was actively waiting right outside those heavy mahogany doors, but before he stepped out to conquer the mountain, he was going to ensure that his newly acquired valkyrie possessed a blade sharp enough to terrify the entire capital.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.