Chapter 285: Maverick’s Cultivation

In the meantime, while Regaleon was attempting to advance the Tier of his Soul Essence in the Nether Lands, another individual was pursuing an advancement of his own back in Valoria.

However, unlike the silver-haired Knight, whose ambitions revolved around the ascension of his Soul Essence, this person was far more interested in breaking through to the next stage of his cultivation Realm: advancing from Vein Awakener to Blood Refiner, the Middle Stage of the Rank One Etheryean Realm.

Deep beneath Castle Valehart, within a colossal subterranean sanctum, a golden-haired youth could be seen cultivating in the middle of a shimmering Pool of energy.

Had Regaleon been present, he would not only have been captivated by the magnificence of the Pool but would also have recognized the youth immersed within its depths as someone whose existence he had heard about for nearly a decade, yet had never actually seen.

Naturally, that individual was Maverick.

The golden-haired youth sat cross-legged beneath the luminous surface, his eyes firmly shut as he concentrated on the cultivation process. Around him stretched an immense expanse of concentrated Aether, its radiant surface rippling with every subtle movement of energy. Wisps of golden light drifted across the Pool, illuminating the surrounding chamber with an ethereal brilliance that made the entire scene resemble a fragment of the heavens concealed beneath the earth.

The Pool bore a striking resemblance to the Essence Pool that Regaleon and his companions had discovered in the Nether Lands. Both contained an abundance of concentrated Aether, and their luminous surfaces radiated an almost identical brilliance, as though they were manifestations of the same celestial mystery.

Nevertheless, their similarities ended there.

The Pool beneath Castle Valehart was considerably larger than the one Aelric had introduced to the eight exiles. Indeed, it appeared to be five times, perhaps even ten times, the size of its counterpart.

Its immense expanse more closely resembled an underground lake than an ordinary cultivation Pool, and Maverick, seated at its centre, looked little more than a solitary pebble resting upon a boundless sea of golden light.

Such a spectacle would have been extraordinary even in the most prosperous cultivation academies of Valoria.

Yet, despite its resemblance to the Essence Pool in the Nether Lands, this subterranean reservoir possessed a fundamentally different origin. Rather than being a naturally formed accumulation of Aether, it had been deliberately constructed through the efforts of an Etheryean whose abilities had evidently surpassed the limitations of ordinary craftsmanship.

Furthermore, unlike the cave surrounding the Essence Pool in the Nether Lands, whose walls had once been adorned with naturally formed Essence Crystals before the silver-haired Merchant Caelestra had stripped them of their treasures, this sanctum bore unmistakable evidence of deliberate design.

Calling it a mere construction, however, would have been an insult to the magnificence and architectural ingenuity displayed throughout the chamber.

The subterranean sanctum was vast enough to accommodate an entire palace, and that was no exaggeration. Its vaulted ceiling disappeared into the darkness far above, creating an impression of limitless vertical space.

Immense pillars of pale-gold marble rose along the edges of the Pool, their polished surfaces reflecting the radiance beneath them. Each pillar was adorned with intricate carvings depicting the knightly ancestors of House Valehart, their faces immortalized in expressions of solemn dignity.

Among these engravings was the illustrious crest of the House: a glorious Knight mounted upon a majestic Pterafrey, its wings spread wide as though preparing to ascend into the heavens. The emblem symbolized the martial heritage of the Valeharts, a lineage whose pride had long been intertwined with the ideals of chivalry, strength, and unwavering resolve.

Between the pillars stretched elegant arches, their surfaces traced with delicate silver inscriptions that glimmered whenever the Aether within the chamber fluctuated. The inscriptions were not merely decorative.

Their carefully arranged patterns formed an intricate array that helped regulate the immense energy circulating throughout the sanctum, preventing the concentrated Aether from becoming unstable.

Suspended beneath the arches were ornate lanterns fashioned from translucent crystals. Within each lantern burned an amber flame of extraordinary purity, its golden radiance illuminating the chamber with a warm, perpetual glow.

The flames did not flicker in response to the currents of Aether passing through the room; instead, they remained steady, as though governed by laws that ordinary fire could scarcely comprehend.

Broad stairways descended from elevated galleries, their marble steps polished to a mirror-like sheen. Along the surrounding walls stood magnificent statues of armoured Knights, each bearing a weapon raised in solemn vigilance.

Their stern expressions and imposing physiques gave the impression that they had been commissioned to defend the sanctum against the wrath of the heavens themselves.

The entire structure possessed an otherworldly grandeur, suggesting that it had not been built by ordinary craftsmen but fashioned by deities who had grown impatient with the limitations of mortal architecture.

And at the heart of this extraordinary chamber sat Maverick, seemingly oblivious to the splendour surrounding him.

The golden-haired youth remained motionless, his breathing following a slow, measured rhythm. With every inhalation, the Pool beneath him shimmered, sending faint ripples across its luminous surface. Wisps of golden energy rose from the depths and coiled around his body before gradually seeping through his skin.

The process appeared almost effortless from the outside.

However, the occasional twitch of his eyebrows betrayed the difficulty of the undertaking. His jaw tightened briefly, and a faint crease formed between his brows whenever the incoming Aether surged too intensely through his body.

Maverick was attempting to break through from the Stage of Vein Awakener to the Stage of Blood Refiner.

Although the two stages were separated by only one minor Realm, the difficulty of crossing that threshold was considerable. In cultivation, the distance between two stages could not always be measured by the number of steps separating them. Sometimes, a single breakthrough demanded a transformation more arduous than everything that had preceded it.

For an Awakener to become a Vein Awakener, the initial task was to locate and awaken the Secondary Veins connected to their Primary Veins. This required the practitioner to identify the Prime Organs responsible for housing the dormant network of Secondary Veins and saturate those organs with sufficient Aether to initiate the awakening process.

Once the Secondary Veins had been located, the practitioner would gradually strengthen and expand them, allowing the body’s internal network to accommodate greater quantities of Aether.

The process demanded patience, precision, and a thorough understanding of one’s own physiology, but its objective was relatively straightforward: awaken the veins, reinforce them, and establish a foundation capable of supporting further cultivation.

Breaking through to the Stage of Blood Refiner, however, presented an entirely different challenge.

As its name suggested, Blood Refining involved saturating and refining the blood throughout an Etheryean’s body with Aether, transforming it into a substance possessing enhanced vitality and mystical properties.

The blood was no longer merely responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients; through the refinement process, it became an integral component of the practitioner’s cultivation, capable of supporting greater physical endurance, improved recovery, and more efficient circulation of Aether.

After all, blood was a living tissue, just like every other part of the human body. If an Etheryean wished to transcend ordinary human limitations, neglecting such an essential component would be tantamount to constructing a magnificent palace upon an incomplete foundation.

However, refining the entire volume of blood circulating throughout one’s body was an undertaking of extraordinary difficulty.

The average adult human heart pumped approximately five litres of blood through the circulatory system, with the blood continually moving through arteries, veins, and microscopic vessels.

Although the body did not manufacture an entirely new supply of blood every minute, it constantly maintained and replenished its blood cells, ensuring that the circulatory system remained functional.

For an Etheryean, whose body had already begun adapting to the demands of Aether cultivation, the challenge could be even greater. Their strengthened physiology and expanded Aether network demanded more from the body’s internal systems, making the refinement process particularly exacting.

Attempting to refine every drop of blood individually would be like trying to illuminate an entire ocean by lighting each droplet separately.

The task was not merely arduous; it bordered on the impossible.

Consequently, most Vein Awakeners did not attempt to refine their entire blood supply through such a painstaking method. Instead, they pursued a more direct approach, focusing on the source responsible for producing the blood in the first place...