Stranger: Back Home

Author Announcement:

I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to MyBook2023 for your kind support and for sending power stones my way. Your encouragement means so much to me! As a gesture of appreciation, I'm happy to share this chapter with you and all my amazing readers. I hope you enjoy it!

------------------------------------------------------

As the scroll slowly unfolded, its golden radiance casting an ethereal glow, Xenos spoke calmly to Aerum.

"Sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and breathe naturally. When the scroll fully opens, it will transfer the cultivation technique directly to you, simultaneously it will purify your body. You don't need to do anything else."

Aerum nodded, her heart racing despite the serene instruction. Trusting his words, she seated herself cross-legged on the ground, closed her eyes, and began breathing deeply, her breaths steadying as she focused on the task.

The scroll, now fully open, released a wave of golden light that seemed alive. The ancient script inscribed within the scroll shimmered, then began to lift off its surface, one word at a time. Each word floated gently into the air, glowing softly as though imbued with divine purpose.

Heaven, earth, and man are a whole,

Take the heaven to open your spirit, 

Take the earth to create a body, 

And take the man to create an essence. 

Combine the three and break the shackles.

The chaos gave birth to yin-yang, 

Yin-yang split to form five elements, 

The five elements form the world, 

The 8 extremes create a cycle. 

Take Yin-yang to break through the chaos, 

Take Five elements to create order, 

Take the 8 extremes to break the fate, 

Create your own destiny. 

Use the purest imperial Qi to create fate, 

Use the fate to unlock your race,

Guide the fate of dragon,

Govern the fate to their destined path.

All the dao originate from one. 

One begets two, 

Two begets three, 

Three begets everything. 

The words moved gracefully, orbiting Aerum in a mesmerizing dance. They pulsed and fluctuated in harmony with her breathing, as if alive and attuned to her presence. Slowly, her breaths began to change, not by her will, but as if the words themselves guided her body to match their rhythm.

It wasn't Aerum controlling the flow; the ancient script was leading her. Her breathing shifted, growing deeper, steadier, and more profound, as though unlocking something hidden within her.

One of the word 'Heaven', glowing brighter now, drifted toward her head. They passed through her forehead, slipping into her very being, diving deep into the sea of her soul. Inside, the transformation began.

Her soul sea, once murky and untouched, was bathed in golden light. The radiant energy painted the waters of her inner world into a shimmering golden expanse.

Her soul energy, previously clouded with impurities, began to change. It was refined, stripped of all imperfections, becoming purer and more potent with each passing moment.

As the impurities were expelled, they manifested as faint black wisps, but they didn't last long. The golden light surrounding Aerum burned them away instantly, leaving no trace.

As the refinement of Aerum's soul world reached its pinnacle, the words from the scroll began to pulse, emanating waves of unique energy.

These energy pulses radiated through her being, initiating the next phase of transformation.

The golden energy coursed through Aerum's brain and nervous system, spreading like a gentle but unrelenting tide.

Every nerve it touched seemed to hum with newfound vitality. Her five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—underwent a profound refinement.

Her eyes tingled as the energy reached them, sharpening her vision to an almost unnatural clarity. Every detail, every flicker of light, would now appear as if etched in crystal.

Her ears buzzed faintly, then quieted, as her hearing expanded, able to pick up even the softest of whispers.

A fragrant warmth brushed her nose as her sense of smell became acute, distinguishing even the faintest of aromas.

Taste and touch followed, their sharpness improving to the point where she could discern layers of flavors and textures that had been imperceptible before.

Once her senses were refined, the energy shifted, taking on a more profound resonance. A third wave emerged, subtle yet powerful, directed toward the very core of Aerum's soul. This energy delved into the essence of her being, the origin of her existence, and began its work.

The core of her soul pulsed and expanded as if awakening from a deep slumber. The golden energy refined and evolved it, altering her very nature.

Her talents, once dormant or limited, began to bloom like a garden in spring. The energy amplified her potential, elevating her soul's capacity to heights unimaginable.

The transformation was not just physical or spiritual—it was primal, reshaping her at a level beyond comprehension.

As the refinement neared completion, the golden word "Heaven," the source of this profound power, began to dim. Its glow faded until it disappeared entirely, leaving only a lingering warmth within Aerum's being.

After the word Heaven disappeared from Aerum's soul sea, another word detached itself from the orbiting script. This time, it was the word Earth. The word shimmered with a deep, grounding energy as it floated toward her middle dantian, settling there with an unshakable presence.

The moment it anchored in her middle dantian, Earth began to exude a profound earthly energy. This energy surged through her dantian, refining it meticulously and purging it of impurities.

The expelled impurities evaporated into nothingness, burned away by the purifying energy radiating from the word. Her dantian grew clearer, more robust, like a freshly polished gem.

With the initial refinement complete, a second wave of energy was released—a golden-red energy that pulsed with the vitality of life itself.

This energy coursed through her body, targeting her skeletal system. It first infiltrated her bone marrow, transforming it entirely.

Her red blood cells underwent a miraculous metamorphosis, shifting from their ordinary hue to a luminous golden color, brimming with vitality and strength.

The transformation didn't stop there.

The energy spread outward, refining every bone in her body. Her skeleton, once a natural white, began to gleam with a golden-jade radiance, as if each bone had been sculpted from the finest heavenly material.

The ethereal glow gave an almost divine beauty to her very framework, a testament to her growing power.

Once her skeleton was perfected, the Earth word released yet another wave of energy—earthly energy.

This energy was vast and all-encompassing, reaching every corner of her body. It seeped into her muscles, tendons, and skin, fortifying them with unparalleled strength and resilience.

Each fiber of her being was transformed, her muscles brimming with raw power, her tendons more flexible yet unyielding, and her skin taking on a subtle, imperceptible toughness that could repel most external forces.

The energy then moved to her internal organs, refining each with meticulous care. The heart, lungs, liver, kidneys—every organ absorbed its respective elemental energy: earth, water, fire, air, and metal.

Each organ pulsed with an elemental aura, harmonizing with the essence of nature itself. Lightning energy crackled faintly in her veins, while the earth element rooted her being with stability and strength.

As this refinement completed, the Earth word unleashed a final energy, a unifying aura that enveloped her entire body.

This aura harmonized all the energies coursing through her, ensuring perfect balance and synergy between her physical form and spiritual essence.

Her talent for body cultivation surged, reaching heights she had never imagined possible.

After the word Earth vanished, the word Man detached itself from the orbiting script and descended into Aerum's lower dantian. The energy it carried was profound and precise, targeting her dantian with surgical intensity.

The first wave of energy refined her lower dantian, expanding its size and capacity while purging all impurities. The expelled impurities dissipated into the air, leaving her dantian clear and pristine, capable of holding a vast reservoir of power.

Once the refinement of her dantian was complete, the Man word released a second surge of energy.

This energy followed a deliberate path, traveling through her body along her meridians. As it coursed through these channels, it refined each one, widening them and increasing their durability.

The once-narrow pathways became like mighty rivers, capable of carrying vast amounts of energy without strain. Every meridian in her body glowed faintly, radiating strength and purity.

Finally, the Man word released a third wave of energy, more potent and specialized than the previous ones.

It traveled to the location of Aerum's sealed spirit root. The energy bypassed the seal effortlessly, slipping past the formation that had held her spirit root dormant.

Once inside, it refined the spirit root, enhancing its potential and awakening dormant abilities that had been hidden within.

Her spirit root now glimmered with new vitality, a source of unparalleled strength waiting to be harnessed.

When the word Man disappeared, the residual energies of Heaven, Earth, and Man began to merge. The fusion of these energies gave birth to a unique and powerful force—Chaos Energy. This energy pulsated with primordial vigor, carrying within it the essence of creation itself.

The Chaos Energy coursed through Aerum's entire being, moving like a relentless tide. It refined every inch of her body, from the surface of her skin to the deepest corners of her soul.

Her muscles were strengthened, her organs enhanced, and her very bones radiated with an ethereal glow. Her entire form became pristine, flawless, as if she had been sculpted by the divine hand of creation itself.

As the energy worked its magic, an awe-inspiring phenomenon unfolded around her. A faint yet unmistakable Dao Intent began to swirl in the air, emanating from her very being.

It was as though every cell in her body had been cleansed and infused with the essence of the Dao, elevating her connection to the cosmic truths that governed existence.

Her comprehension deepened immeasurably. Concepts that once seemed unreachable now felt instinctive.

Her talent, sharpened and refined, had ascended to an entirely new level. Aerum's aura exuded a harmony with the Dao, as though she had become one with the laws of nature and the universe itself.

The remaining words that had been orbiting around her now descended to the ground, arranging themselves into a complex formation.

At the center was a radiant yin-yang symbol, representing balance and harmony. Surrounding it was a five-element formation, each element—earth, water, fire, air, and metal—intertwining seamlessly.

Encircling this was yet another layer, an eight-extreme duality formation embodying the ultimate opposites: life and death, creation and destruction, space and time, light and darkness.

The formations pulsed with an otherworldly glow, their intricate patterns coming to life. Slowly, they began to draw in spiritual energy from the surrounding environment, devouring it with relentless intensity.

The energy was compressed and refined within the formation, creating a palpable tension in the air.

The formations started to hum, their rhythmic vibrations growing louder as they activated.