Destiny in Cinders

Even An Jing himself hadn't anticipated he would form two seals consecutively. His peerless talent and comprehension were beyond dispute, recognized by Yvelbane and the demonic cult alike. Given just a classic text, he could probably master a technique without any help.

Even with talent like his, making consecutive breakthroughs in a dao-classic level technique like Evenstar Ivory Divine Seal was almost unbelievable. Yet it happened. While cultivating, An Jing felt his mind empty, his inspiration take flight. Then, a sudden flood of brilliant insight took hold. What his mind conceived proved true, and his cultivation flowed effortlessly.

Is this destiny and fortune? No way... It's insane! At first, An Jing credited the success to his own mounting talent, yet as time wore on, his conviction wavered. I've done nothing lately. But I can't shake this persistent feeling that I'm altering multiple destinies, just as I did with Huo Qing. Could it be...

An Jing thought of the disaster children. Little Gu, Cang? Or Little Bai and the others... His friends did routinely mock his tendency to give them pet-like nicknames. Then, his thoughts drifted back to Huo Qing and Nian Quan. I didn't even manage to teach Little Gu the technique yet, but Cang has probably mastered the basics. Could their fates have really changed so drastically?

An Jing had no clue what his friends were up to. Regardless, he was unstoppable now. Pausing to reflect, An Jing took stock of his cultivation progress. Once he broke through to the Tide Aura Stage, the innate qi he absorbed from the spirit item flooded his dantian and meridians like rivers rushing into the ocean. This influx rapidly increased his full aura capacity, completely filling his body.

It was then that An Jing grasped the true distinction between the River Aura and Tide Aura Stages. Unleashing aura at the River Aura Stage required unifying intent, breath, and fluidity of technique. Only then would the current become an unstoppable, roaring river—a force capable of cleaving steel, smashing stone, and crushing jade. However, the Tide Aura Stage was different.

The martial classics passed down through An Jing's clan, along with most other lower-grade ancient texts, maintained that the human body was like a vat and aura was the water within. This, however, was not the case. Like his own ancestors, the authors of those ancient texts weren't particularly gifted. Thus, their comprehension was vague which resulted in rather superficial descriptions.

In An Jing's view, the human body was a miniature world where the limbs, torso, organs, muscles, flesh, bones, brain, and spine each existed as an individual pond or small lake. The transition from normal martial practitioner to a martialist of the Aura Realm was all about using methods of movement and stillness to manipulate innate qi, tapping steadily into the body's numerous "ponds."

Employing the methods of movement and stillness in isolation would only unlock a fraction of these ponds. The resulting deficiencies had to be gradually remedied over time.

Meridians were the waterways bridging these ponds. At the Silk Aura Stage, these manifested as fine strands of water trickling along the channels. Sure, they connected the ponds, but they couldn't actually unleash real power yet. Throwing a punch only yielded the strength of that lone fist. At best, it would just be stronger than a normal person's punch.

Upon reaching the River Aura Stage, the flow of water became a surging torrent. A martialist could now unleash the water across all ponds, transforming the stream into a mighty river. An Jing, who had trained since childhood with ample resources and combined both methods of movement and stillness, instantly unlocked every pond. His aura surged, taking him straight to the River Aura Stage.

Consequently, a punch at this stage contained the combined power of every muscle, bone, and organ within the body, not just the fist! Just as An Jing's mental cultivation allowed him to rip through space itself and shatter boulders with his blade, a River Aura martialist possessed power that blew past normal human limits, making extraordinary feats possible.

As for the Tide Aura Stage, it didn't necessarily signify the tides of the ocean, but rather the undercurrents. At this moment, his aura swelled, bursting past the constraints of the channels to merge every pond within his body. A thousand rivers and lakes combined into a single ocean.

Beneath this deceptively placid ocean of aura lay an incredibly turbulent undercurrent. Just as the surface of the vast ocean could appear entirely calm while hiding terrifying currents below, so too was the aura of a Tide Stage martialist.

While the River Aura Stage demanded immense effort to exert full power, the Tide Aura Stage enabled a martialist to unleash maximum strength silently and effortlessly, converting overt force into hidden strength, altering its nature completely.

Furthermore, as the ocean of aura saturated the entire body, a martialist's control over his aura was no longer confined to the pathways of the meridians. Aura could now erupt from any part of the body, even the tips of the hair.

Of course, the meridians still served a purpose. They acted as acceleration lanes for aura transmission. To project maximum power at top speed, a martialist still had to rely on these fixed pathways.

This was the true essence of the Tide Aura Stage—a violent undercurrent coursing beneath a perfectly still ocean. Defined by its tranquil facade, it was a level of cultivation that could only be fully comprehended upon reaching it. So the true meaning is in the name itself, after all.

An Jing felt a profound admiration for the pioneers of Void Embrace's martial path. The realms they established were remarkably grounded in reality; their descriptions weren't at all phony. One could only uncover the esoteric meanings behind these names by genuinely treading the martial path. And upon comprehending this truth, one could finally grasp the true essence of this stage.

By grasping the hidden meaning in the name, even a martialist practicing the most basic texts could elevate their cultivation technique, surpass the limits of the text, and forge a completely new technique entirely. While heavily reliant on innate talent, this offered a way for ordinary martialists without a great legacy to improve their own techniques.

Drawing from the metal aspect of the goldfur bear paw and insights gained from his Tide Aura Stage breakthrough, An Jing began condensing his second seal. The process was far smoother than he expected.

An unshakeable first seal, built on top-tier spirit items like the jadeslice steel and the sword's lethal qi, gave him a solid foundation. With all the right conditions, the second seal was formed effortlessly. The searing metal lethal qi was refined and tempered by An Jing's qi essence, ultimately transforming into incredibly stable threads that wove themselves deep into his flesh and meridians.

Now that An Jing had advanced to the Tide Aura Stage, his qi essence surged abundantly. Before the night was even halfway through, he had fully assimilated the goldfur bear paw's spirit properties with his own qi essence, refined it through the Evenstar seal seed, and transformed it into a second arcane seal that was branded into his body. Just like how metal was malleable and could be shaped into other forms, the seals could be formed however he wanted.

"Done!" Opening his eyes slowly, An Jing raised his hand. White seals appeared on his wrist, layer upon layer, as if woven into a platinum wrist guard. With just a thought, the boy's arms hardened like forged metal, becoming incredibly strong and brimming with immense power.