βπππ£π₯π€π₯π£πππ π π π₯ππ πππ₯ππ βππππ πππ£π π€ [πΌππ£π₯π (π+)]
πΈ π€π₯π£ππ‘ π π π₯ππ πππ₯ππ βππππ 'π€ βπππ£π₯ π₯πππ₯ ππ ππ₯ππππ€ ππ₯π€ π§ππ₯ππ ππ€π€ππππ. ππ₯ πππ π πππͺ ππ πππ§ππ π¨ππππππππͺ ππͺ π πππ₯ππ βππππ π₯π π π₯π£π¦π€π₯ππ ππππͺβπππ π πππͺ π πππ ππ ππ₯π€ πππππ₯πππ.
Then came another notificationβa letter.
πΎπ£πππ₯ππππ€!
ππππ€ ππ€ π₯ππ πΉππ£πππ£πππ ππππ. πππ π ππ ππ πͺπ π¦π£ πΉππ π πππππ π§ππ€ππ ππ€βπͺππ€, π₯πππ₯ π§ππ£πͺ π ππ. π'π§π π₯ππππ π€π πππ₯ππππ π π ππ πππ₯ππ£ππ€π₯ ππ πͺπ π¦π£ ππ π¦π£πππͺ, β€πππ ππππππ£, ππ π¨ π₯πππ₯ πͺπ π¦'π§π π₯ππππ π π ππͺ βππ₯π.
πΉπ¦π₯ πͺπ π¦'ππ ππππ π€π ππ ππππ‘. βπ¦ππππ€, πππππ ππ¦ππππ€, π¨ππ£π πππ§ππ£ πππππ₯ π₯π π₯πππ π₯ππ ππ¦ππ πππ‘ππππ₯πͺ π π π πΎπ πππππ€π₯'π€ πΉππ π πππππβ¦ πͺπ π¦'ππ πππ₯ π πππ£π πππππ₯ ππ£π π¦ππ ππ ππ£π π‘π€! ππ ππ©π‘πππ πππͺπ ππ π₯πππ₯βπππ π₯π ππππ πͺπ π¦π£ ππ©ππ€π₯πππ π‘π π¨ππ£π€ ππ§ππ ππ π£π ππππππ₯ππ§πβπͺπ π¦ ππ¦π€π₯ π₯πππ ππ π₯ππ π§ππ₯ππ ππ€π€ππππ π π π πΎπ πππππ€π₯.
ππππ€ βπππ£π₯π€π₯π£πππ ππ ππ₯ππππ€ ππ¦π€π₯ π₯πππ₯. ππ₯ π¨πππ ππ©π‘πππ πͺπ π¦π£ πΎπ πππππ€π₯ πΉππ π πππππ πππ‘ππππ₯πͺ, πππ, ππ€ πͺπ π¦ ππππ ππ π£π πΉππ π πππππ, π₯π£πππ€ππ π£π πͺπ π¦π£ ππππ£π₯βπ¦ππ₯ππ ππ§πππ₯π¦ππππͺ, ππ₯ π¨πππ ππ ππ€ π₯ππ π¦ππ πͺπ π¦ π¨ππ£π ππ π£π π¨ππ₯π π πΎπ πππππ€π₯'π€ ππππ£π₯. ππππ π£ πππ π‘π π¨ππ£ πππ πππ!
ππππ ππ π₯πππ€ π₯π£πππ€π¦π£π, πππ πͺπ π¦ π¨π π'π₯ ππππ π₯π ππ ππ‘π£πππππ πππͺπ₯ππππ π₯π ππππ βπππ£π₯ ππππ‘ππ£πππ!
βπ π¨. π πππ§π πππ π₯ππ£ππ π€ππ‘ππ£ππ₯π ππ€π€π ππππ₯ππ€ π π ππππ π₯πππ ππ π'π π’π¦ππ₯π πππ€πππ π₯π ππ π¦π€πππ π€π¦ππ π π₯π£πππ€π¦π£π π π π€π ππ π‘π£π-πππ₯πππ£ππ₯ππ π π¨ππππ‘βππ€π‘πππππππͺ π ππ π€π₯π¦ππ π π π ππ π π π₯ππ πππ£πππ€π₯ ππ¦π‘ππ£ππ¦ππππ π π£π¦ππ€ ππ π£πππ π£πππ πππ€π₯π π£πͺβ¦
π π₯π ππ π₯πππ π₯π π€ππ π§π ππ₯!
βπ£π π§π ππ π£ππππ₯. π'ππ π€ππ πͺπ π¦ ππ π πππ¨ π¨ππππ€ π₯πππ. πΎππ§π π₯ππ π€π πππ€π₯ππ£ππ€ ππππ!
Zane blinked at it.
What a nice message.
He inspected the Heartstring again.
How was he supposed to take it in? He thought about swallowing it. He dangled it in front of his face. It was the size of a belt.
He shrugged.
Thenβjust as he was about to open his mouthβhe felt it resonate. Saw it begin to shine in his fist. Felt his Bloodline heating up, even as the Heartstring heated up in his handsβ¦
Thump. The sound of his heart. Beating with a sudden urgency.
Thump. The Heartstring in his hands, suddenly bright with essence, with aura, with surging blood, like something ancient had been awoken just thenβ¦
The treasure vanished.
Then Zane felt it. In his own chest. There was a sharp lurch, like a white-hot stake was being driven through his heartβTHUMP-THUMP.
Two at once, one an echo of the other. THUMP-THUMP. He groaned. Coughed out a mouthful of blood.
THUMP-THUMP.
Each heartbeat grew closer and closer, untilβ
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Two became one.
One heart that beat with the force of both. For a second it felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. He dragged in a lungful of air, feeling woozy, trying to steady himself. Waves of hot bood rushed through his headβ
THUMP.
All of Zane's power. All of his feeling, his emotion, came from his heart. It was the workhorse, the great engine of his body. It gave everything its vitality, its power. It all came from the blood, in the endβ¦
THUMP-THUMP.
Even at rest, just standing there. Chest heaving. He could see his breath steaming in the already-hot air.
His Asura state was activating. Just slightly. Outside of his control.
Then his heart began to beat faster and faster.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMPβ
Zane had to sit down, close his eyes, sweat beading his brow. As new blood flooded through him.
πΉππ π πππππ ππππ£πππ€ππ!
ππ ππ£π π‘π€ -> ππ‘ ππ£π π‘π€
But the Blood was not the main prize.
His heart just kept hammering in his chest, louder and louderβand the air all around him began to steam. The aura blasting off him shot straight to the skies, shot far into the distance, billowing for milesβ¦
His whole body began to steam. Veins standing out purple against his pumped-up muscles.
And now his Asura State was running near full-force. Even as he sat there. It hit what had been his limitβhis auraβ¦
And expanded. His Bloodline burned far faster, far hotter than it ever hadβ
πΉππ π πππππ βππ‘ππππ₯πͺ ππππ£πππ€ππ!
ππ -> πππ ππ£π π‘π€
His head felt clear. Full. Rushing as though with a massive spike of adrenalineβcoursing with sheer raw energy, carried on every drop of fresh new blood.
Zane stood then. He couldn't help it. He had to make himself go still. His fingers were twitching. He felt like a Rhino snorting, pawing at the ground preparing to chargeβhe ached to find the nearest mountain, rip it straight out of the ground, and hurl it headlong into the sun.
πππππ π¦π‘!
πππ₯ππ'π€ βπππ£π₯ π [πΌπ‘ππ (πΌ)]
Then instantly afterβ
His heartstring began to resonate.
πππππ ππ§π ππ§ππ!
πππ₯ππ'π€ βπππ£π₯ -> π»ππ§πππ πππ₯ππ'π€ βπππ£π₯ π [ππͺπ₯πππ+ (πΌ)]
πππππ π¦π‘!
ππππ π£ π π π₯ππ πππ₯ππ βππππ πππ£π π€ (βππ€π€ππ§π) [ππππ’π¦π]
πΎπ£πππ₯π€ π ππ% πππ₯ππππ₯πͺ πΉπ π π€π₯ π₯π π₯ππ πππ₯ππ βππππ πππ£π π€. πΈ π‘ππ€π€ππ§π π¦πππ’π¦π π₯π π₯ππ πΎπ πππππ€π₯ πΉππ π πππππ.
Zane remembered in his visions how hard it had been to take the Titan Rhino down. How kingdoms of elves couldn't do it, how it took that one over a hundred Levels higher to bring it downβand even then, just barely. How the beast seemed to have an endless wellspring of health. Deep in its massive body.
As he felt the energies surging through his body, it all made sense.
***
ΙͺΙ΄Ι΄α΄Κ Κα΄α΄α΄Κα΄κ±
α΄α΄’α΄Κα΄ κ°Κα΄α΄α΄ κ°α΄α΄α΄Ιͺα΄Ι΄
Sage Noughtfire watched on in silence. Sage Burnwater cursed up a storm.
"Has the Barbarian Sage gone senile?" said Burnwater. "A Godbeast's vital essence?!"
Burnwater threw up his hands. "We couldn't offer something better if we triedβthat's the Superdungeon's treasure grade limit!"
"'Gone senile?'" Noughtfire said. He cocked a brow. "Or has he simply made an accurate assessment of Zane's potential?"
Burnwater stared. "You're serious. Aren't you always the one telling me that talent means nothing until it's proven?" he said.
"Usually," Noughtfire agreed. "Yet Zane Walker is a most unusual candidate.
Considering the rewardβ¦perhaps the gamble is worth the price."
He stroked his beard, thinking.
Burnwater could hardly fathom it. Coming out of Noughtfire's mouth especiallyβhis master usually took pains to be conservative, skeptical.
"The Barbarian Sage means to snag him. If we are to match his offers," Noughtfire continued. "We must be prepared to offer something he cannot."
"Which is?"
"Stormfire, of course," snorted Noughtfire. "An expertise and treasury of Stormfire like nowhere else in the Dragonspire Galaxy. If Zane Walker can continue this level of performanceβand indeed, improves on itβ¦ I will have to consider the possibility of offering to take him as my Direct Disciple."
That left Burnwater utterly gobsmacked.
Grand Elder Noughtfire was legendary. One of the most powerful figures not only in the Azure Flame Faction right nowβbut in all of its history. To become his disciple, you had to first rise to the cream of the crop in the Outer Faction. Then be promoted to the Inner Faction and rise to the top there too. Then be promoted to the Core Faction. And pray you distinguish yourself enough to be given the honor.
Burnwater had been a Sage before Noughtfire deigned to look at him. And even thenβBurnwater was only an Honorary Disciple.
You could count Sage Noughtfire's Direct Disciples on one hand. Each was a legend in their own right.
"Master," croaked Burnwater, one cheek twitching. "You can't be serious."
To become a Direct Disciple of Noughtfire was to be on par in status with the finest Core Disciples of the Sectβonly the Grand Elders, Ancestors, and Patriarchs would rank higher.
In fact, in the past, Noughtfire had only ever chosen from these Core Disciples. He'd never paid even the Inner Faction a passing glance. Not to mention the Outer. Much less some candidate still undergoing Integration!
It would flout millennia of decorum. It simply wasn't done.
"He's hasn't even finished Integrationβhe hasn't even formed his Nascent Soul!" Burnwater protested.
"He has an exceptional Soul. A Seamless Core. A top-tier Signature Title. A physique incredibly tolerant of Godbeast powers⦠and most of all, a force of will like nothing I have ever seen. That man's potential is nigh-limitless."
Noughtfire threw up a hand absentmindedly. "Match the Barbarian Sage gift for gift, grade for grade," he said. "I will not lose out to him."
"β¦Very well, Master."
Here Noughtfire paused. "Though you are correct. Direct Disciple is a heaven-and-earth leap. As it is now I cannot offer it to him in good conscience."
Burnwater let out a little sigh of relief. There would have been a minor riot among the Core Disciplesβgenerational super-talents had worked millennia for such a position.
"First I must see one more thing," said Noughtfire. He held up a finger. "I must see if he'll condense the sort of soul I believe he is capable of."
Burnwater hardly dared guess. "β¦A Sky-grade soul?"
"A Heaven-grade soul."
Which left Burnwater speechless for the third time in as many minutes.
There were just two men in the entire Faction who had such a soul. The Patriarch, and Noughtfire himself.
Burnwater's head swam. His Master was known for his wisdom, his discerning eyeβ¦ and yetβthis was plainly too much to ask of the big man.
***
Zane wasn't done after the Heartstring. There was still more treasure to take in. His new Weapon Souls were first upβand after he absorbed them he got 80% of the way to the next level.
Not quite there. But he was already at Sky Epic. He couldn't fathom needing more right now.
He burped, patted his belly. He kind of wanted to take a nap. It had been a pretty productive day.
Meanwhile, his friends were finishing up their Level-ups. He was waiting on Reina in particular. She'd been in striking distance of her Fourth Evolution, and she'd spent hours cross-legged, taking in one last essence elixir.
Then it happened.
Flowers started blooming over her head, linking to make a crown. Her eyes began to glow a pretty green. An aura blew out of her like a gust of crisp fresh morning air, sweeping back the smoke.
Zane felt a fluctuation in the Astral Plane, a stone thrown into the pond of the world, rippling fast. It was a similar feeling to when he'd gotten his Fourth Evolution.
Her Signature Title was Awakening.
She let out a gasp. Her eyes got a faraway lookβlike they were seeing something not-quite-hereβ¦ a vision. A revelation.
It all faded. She dropped out of it wobbly, flushing. Looking stunned. She met his eyes.
"Heavens," she breathed, wide-eyed. "Zane, it all makes sense now."