Chapter 140: A Little Further

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: A Little Further

Damon continued with the next wave of corrupted Aether.

It didn’t become easier on the second try.

The corrupted Aether still felt wrong as it entered his body, and controlling it still required his full attention. But this time, Damon was more confident.

He knew what to expect.

Caelia and the spirits were also able to relax a little more. They still watched him closely, though. None of them were willing to treat something this dangerous as safe yet.

Damon guided the corrupted Aether toward his Spirit Origin.

The moment it entered, the Spirit Origin began rotating.

Faster than before.

The corrupted Aether was slowly stripped of its impurities, and pure Ice Elemental Aether began flowing out from the other side.

Damon guided it straight back into the Zone Heart.

The frozen tree absorbed it eagerly.

Its pale blue glow grew slightly stronger before another pulse spread through the cavern.

This time, the pulse was larger.

Damon smiled.

"That’s what I wanted."

Caelia looked at him.

"You actually wanted it to send more?"

"Of course."

He glanced toward her.

"The first two were just tests."

Caelia sighed.

"You’re saying that like you weren’t the one absorbing corrupted Aether."

"I’m still alive."

"That’s not a very convincing argument."

Damon chuckled.

"Fair enough."

The joke eased the tension a little, but Damon was already focusing again.

The first two attempts had told him what he needed to know.

His Spirit Origin could handle the corruption.

It wasn’t showing any signs of strain, and his Aether Veins were holding up as well.

That meant he could continue.

And he needed to move faster.

Damon took in the next wave.

This time, he didn’t wait.

The corrupted Aether entered his body and was immediately guided toward his Spirit Origin.

At the same time, the refined Ice Elemental Aether from the previous cycle was already being sent toward the Zone Heart.

One side came in.

The other went out.

Then the process repeated.

Again.

And again.

Caelia’s expression became serious.

So did the spirits.

It was one thing for Damon to refine the corrupted Aether once.

It was another thing entirely to keep the process going without stopping.

Damon had to control two different flows at once while making sure none of the corrupted Aether remained in his body for too long.

It required concentration.

A lot of it.

But Damon was used to that.

He had spent long hours cultivating.

Cultivation itself required him to remain focused for long periods, and even a small mistake could interrupt the process.

Fatigue could ruin concentration.

Stress could do the same.

Damon had already pushed past those limits countless times.

He could even cultivate passively now.

Compared to that, this was simply another difficult process that needed to be mastered.

He started slowly.

Then he became faster.

His Spirit Origin was adapting.

At first, it needed time to refine each wave of corrupted Aether.

But after several cycles, the rotation became smoother.

The purification became faster.

The refined Aether flowed out sooner.

Damon noticed immediately.

"So you can learn too."

The Spirit Origin gave no answer, but its rotation became even faster.

Damon smiled.

"I’ll take that as a yes."

Caelia watched him quietly.

Her expression slowly changed from worry to disbelief.

She had seen Damon cultivate before.

She had seen him fight while exhausted.

She had even watched him break through to the Lord rank in an absurdly short amount of time.

But this was different.

He was controlling corrupted Aether that even experienced elemental users would struggle to contain, and he was doing it continuously.

"No wonder," Caelia muttered.

Damon glanced at her.

"No wonder what?"

She shook her head.

"No wonder you reached Lord rank so quickly."

Damon smiled.

"Was that a compliment?"

"Don’t get used to it."

"I’ll remember it anyway."

Caelia almost smiled.

Almost.

Then her eyes returned to the corrupted Aether flowing through Damon.

Even she knew how difficult this should have been.

An above average elemental user would have struggled to control a single wave.

Damon was handling one after another.

And he was getting faster.

Still, Damon wasn’t satisfied.

The difference inside the cavern was becoming more obvious.

The darkened Aether channels were slowly clearing.

The corrupted Aether flowing through them had decreased.

At the same time, the Zone Heart was receiving more and more purified Ice Elemental Aether.

It was fighting back.

And for the first time, Damon could see that they might actually have a chance.

But there was still too much corruption.

They needed more.

Damon looked toward his White Core.

So far, he had been deliberately holding back.

He hadn’t fully involved its strength because he wanted to understand the process first.

Now he had a better understanding.

His Spirit Origin could purify the corrupted Aether.

His Aether Veins could handle the flow.

And the process was becoming more stable with every cycle.

Damon took a slow breath.

"Alright."

Caelia looked at him.

"What?"

"I think we can go a little faster."

Her expression immediately became suspicious.

"Damon..."

"I’m not doing anything reckless."

"You always say that right before doing something reckless."

He laughed softly.

"Then keep watching me."

Before Caelia could respond, Damon focused on his White Core.

The rotation increased.

Immediately, the corrupted Aether responded.

A much larger amount rushed toward him.

Caelia’s eyes widened.

The spirits reacted as well.

Even Snow stood up.

But Damon remained calm.

The corrupted Aether entered his body faster than before.

For a moment, the pressure increased sharply.

The pollution reached his White Core.

Damon immediately redirected it.

His Spirit Origin spun violently as it pulled the corrupted Aether away from the core before it could spread any further.

The process was faster.

Much faster.

It was also more dangerous.

But Damon had already prepared for that.

He didn’t try to hold the corruption inside his core.

He simply moved it through.

Corrupted Aether in.

Spirit Origin.

Purification.

Pure Ice Elemental Aether out.

Zone Heart.

Again.

The Zone Heart absorbed it.

Another pulse spread through the cavern.

This one was stronger.

The ice formations trembled slightly.

The pale blue light flowing through the roots became brighter.

And slowly, the cavern began to change.