Chapter 184: A Quiet Night

Chapter 184: Chapter 184: A Quiet Night

Snow’s body trembled slightly as the pure Ice Aether entered her, and she quickly settled down and focused on absorbing it.

Damon didn’t increase the amount just because she was eager.

He kept the flow at a level she could handle.

"Slow down," he said quietly. "There’s no need to rush."

Snow reluctantly calmed herself.

Damon continued.

The process repeated again and again.

Resources were consumed.

Ice elemental Aether flowed into his Spirit Origin.

Shiro absorbed it.

Snow absorbed what Damon directed toward her.

And the cycle continued.

******

Caelia wasn’t sitting around either.

She had been watching Damon for a while before deciding to begin her own cultivation.

She faced the same problem.

There simply wasn’t enough Ice Aether around the camp.

Fortunately, she had prepared for that.

Caelia took out several Aether crystals along with a number of Ice Beast cores and other resources she had collected during their journey.

She sat down a short distance from Damon and began cultivating.

Unlike Shiro and Snow, she didn’t need highly refined Ice Aether to advance.

She was an elemental user.

What she needed was a steady supply of suitable Aether to strengthen her cultivation, while the Ice element within it could help her improve her control and understanding of her affinity.

Caelia absorbed the energy slowly.

Her breathing became steady as she guided the Aether through her veins and toward her core.

She had already reached the Master Rank.

Breaking through again would not be easy.

Every step at this level required far more energy than before, and brute force alone wasn’t enough.

Still, she didn’t stop.

One step at a time was still progress.

She had learned that much from Damon.

There was no need to rush when every increase in strength mattered.

So the quiet camp became filled with the soft sounds of cultivation.

No one spoke.

No one disturbed them.

The battle earlier had exhausted almost everyone, and the few who were still awake knew better than to approach Damon and his group.

Time passed without them noticing.

*******

Caelia was the first to stop.

She slowly opened her eyes and released a breath.

Her cultivation had reached its limit for the night.

She looked toward Damon.

He was still sitting in the same position.

The difference was that the resources surrounding him had been reduced considerably.

Several crystals had lost their glow, and the Ice Beast cores had become dull.

Yet Damon continued cultivating.

Caelia couldn’t help staring.

She had already known that his White Core was special.

But seeing the amount of energy he could handle was still surprising.

He wasn’t only cultivating for himself.

He had been nurturing Shiro and Snow at the same time, maintaining a precise flow of Ice Aether between them without losing control.

And he had continued doing it for hours.

Caelia looked toward Snow.

The Frost Lynx was still absorbing the energy beside Damon, her body occasionally giving off a faint icy glow.

Then Caelia looked back at Damon.

How does he even maintain that level of concentration?

She reached out and gently rubbed Snow’s fur.

Snow seemed to enjoy it, leaning closer to her hand.

Damon suddenly opened his eyes.

Caelia froze.

"What?"

Damon looked at her with a faint smile.

"You’ve been staring at me for a while."

"I was looking at your cultivation."

"Of course."

"What else would I be looking at?"

Damon shrugged.

"I don’t know. Maybe I’m more interesting than I thought."

Caelia rolled her eyes.

"You’re really getting more shameless."

"I’m just confident."

"There’s a difference."

"Not a big one."

Caelia laughed quietly.

The conversation was enough to break the long silence.

Damon glanced at the resources around him.

"Looks like we’re done for tonight."

Snow immediately looked up.

Damon placed a hand against her head.

"You’ve reached your limit too."

Snow made a small sound of protest.

"You can’t keep eating forever."

The Frost Lynx lowered her head, clearly unhappy with the answer.

Caelia smiled.

"She doesn’t seem convinced."

"She’ll survive."

Damon began collecting the remaining resources.

Caelia helped him, and soon the used crystals and empty beast cores were cleared away.

There was no point keeping them now.

Most of their useful energy had already been absorbed.

Damon looked toward the Spirit Origin.

Shiro was still there.

The Frost Qilin had stopped absorbing energy and was now surrounded by a faint layer of icy light.

His body was completely still.

Damon watched him carefully.

"He’s close."

Caelia followed his gaze.

"Another evolution?"

"Not yet."

Damon shook his head.

"He needs to stabilize first."

The process couldn’t be rushed.

Shiro had already absorbed a large amount of refined Ice Aether, and forcing more into him now would only cause problems.

Damon wasn’t interested in making progress quickly if it meant damaging his foundation.

He had learned that much through his own cultivation.

Growth was important.

But controlled growth was better.

Once everything was settled, Damon opened his storage space and took out food.

Caelia immediately noticed.

"Finally."

Damon glanced at her.

"You were hungry?"

"I’ve been cultivating for hours."

"So have I."

"You had Snow and Shiro keeping you busy. I had nothing to do except cultivate."

Damon handed her a portion.

"Then eat."

Caelia accepted it with a smile.

They ate quietly while the camp remained mostly silent around them.

Freya and Sylphie soon came over as well.

Their portions had already been prepared, and neither spirit was left out.

Freya happily settled beside Damon while Sylphie rested nearby, her emerald feathers catching the faint light from the camp.

Damon watched them for a moment.

Both had grown stronger during the battle.

It wasn’t enough for another evolution yet, but their improvement was obvious.

Freya’s silver lightning had become more stable, and Sylphie’s control over her wind had improved considerably.

They would need more.

Damon was certain of that.

The treasures promised by the elders would help.

And if the right resources were among them, their next steps could come sooner than expected.