Chapter 99: Breaking Point

Inside his room, Ethan sat on his bed and placed all the herbs he’d gotten from Ezekiel on the silk sheets.

The containers caught moonlight streaming through tall windows, their contents pulsing with accumulated power.

<Icy Lotus> <Devour>

<Tier: 1>

Alright. Let’s do this.

His hand reached toward the first container—

A soft knock interrupted the moment.

His eyes moved toward the door before he placed the herbs back in his storage ring. The timing felt deliberate, as if someone had been waiting for this exact moment.

“Come in.”

The door opened slowly. Tiana walked in, her head low, wrapped in a simple black nightgown that made her look younger, more vulnerable than her usual self.

“…Tiana…” He muttered, looking at her.

She’s been crying again.

Her eyes were red-rimmed despite obvious attempts to hide the evidence. She moved slowly, each step carefully placed as if she might drop from sudden movement.

She sat down on his bed and raised her eyes to look at him. In that gaze, he saw everything she’d been holding back—fear, desperation, love twisted into anguish by approaching loss.

“I-I love you, Ethan.”

The words tumbled out in a rush, as if she’d been rehearsing them for hours.

“I know that you won’t change your mind about going, and I don’t plan on changing your mind, b-but… I’m scared.”

She…confessed.

The confession stood between them like a bridge across an impossible chasm.

Ethan had known—had felt the electricity in her glances, the way she found excuses to touch his arm, the careful attention she paid to his words. But hearing it spoken made things different.

He brought her closer and hugged her, feeling her warmth against his chest. Her body trembled with suppressed emotion, weeks of carefully controlled feelings finally finding release.

Ever since I saved her from Han Wei, I’ve been planning to develop this more. But with everything going on…

The timing had never been right. Crisis after crisis, the constant pressure of maintaining power while protecting those who mattered. Romance felt like a luxury he couldn’t afford.

I wanted to delay it until after the Sanctuary.

Because now the delay might become a permanent separation.

“I… love you too.”

Should have said it sooner.

Her head tilted up, trying to look him in the eyes, but he gently forced her deeper into his shoulders. He couldn’t bear to see the hope and fear warring in her expression.

“I won’t take long. I promise to return as fast as possible.”

The Sanctuary operated by rules he didn’t understand, in timeframes that defied prediction. He might emerge in weeks or wander for years before finding his way back. If he emerged at all.

But despite that. He was confident in his talent that he would emerge victorious.

Hearing his reassurance, Tiana wept silently on his shoulders.

The sound cut through him like physical pain. Her shoulders shook against his chest, tears soaking into his shirt as weeks of accumulated stress finally found an outlet.

He caressed her head until the storm passed, fingers running through soft, silk-like hair while she slowly regained control. When she finally pulled back, her eyes held new determination beneath the grief.

“You better come back.” She glared at him with fake severity.

He smiled, recognising the strength beneath her fear.

“I don’t dare not to.”

Before she left, she rose on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Soft lips pressed against his skin for just a moment—a promise and a plea wrapped in gentle contact.

“You better come back for a better one,” she said shyly, colour rising in her cheeks before she turned toward the door.

Next time. There will be a next time.

He smiled, watching her close the door with careful quiet. The room felt empty without her presence, moonlight seeming colder against windows that reflected only his solitary figure.

Focus.

He’d already left many cores for Hong Wei. Once the boy awakened his talent, resources would be sufficient to ensure rapid advancement under proper guidance.

He once again placed the herbs on silk sheets, containers arranged in precise rows.

<Icy Lotus> <Devour>

<Tier: 1>

’Devour’

Instead of feeling the herb’s power flow into him like liquid ice.

It did something unexpected.

<You have devoured Icy Lotus>

<Icy Lotus tier has increased to tier 2>

What? D-Did it’s their just increase?

The difference between tier 1 and tier 2 herbs wasn’t dramatic—equivalent to F- versus F rank talents. Better, but still within expected ranges.

Yet the revelation shocked him.

I can improve herb quality by devouring them?

He examined the enhanced lotus, noting the devour option remained active. Before testing whether it could advance further, he processed the remaining specimens.

One by one, the treasures were devoured, turning into a higher-tier version. All the herbs advanced by a single tier, their potency refined through his unique talent.

His herbs had all reached tier 2, but one specimen—a Flame Rose that was at tier 2 had jumped directly to tier 3.

Tier 3. That’s more powerful.

He set it aside as an insurance against unexpected difficulties in the advancement process. Better to save the strongest option for when desperate measures become necessary.

With preparations complete, he arranged the tier 2 herbs and began the critical phase.

He devoured the enhanced Icy Lotus.

Instead of further improvement, the herb was consumed entirely, transforming into raw energy that flowed through his system like molten silver. The sensation intensified beyond anything he’d experienced—power accumulating at the very foundations of his existence.

Figured. Can’t improve indefinitely.

<You have devoured Icy Lotus>

He didn’t stop. Ezekiel’s warnings about careful pacing fell by the wayside as instinct guided his actions. This wasn’t gradual cultivation—this was siege warfare against the barriers limiting his advancement.

Like a dam holding back flood waters. The more pressure applied, the higher the chance of breakthrough.

Herb after herb dissolved into component energy. Each absorption added weight to the mounting pressure building behind his spiritual barriers.

The room grew colder. Frost appeared on window glass as his internal temperature plummeted, then blazed to furnace heat as fire-element herbs countered the effect.

Something’s happening. I can feel it.

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