A Waste of Time

Chapter 53: Strata of Mist

“Go ahead, young master Daemon,” Jia said as she sat behind the boy, carefully confirming that nothing was wrong with the four-layered triangular Spirit-Formation she’d just created. “Eat the two Yellow-Scale Fruits at the same time and keep holding the Wood Spirit Stone right there, close to your heart.”

Xia, Mei, and Ippo watched from start to finish as the girl drew the lines on the flat ground, explaining every step to the two men before her. She used her own Fire Qi — though it was useless for this particular ritual — to activate the Spirit-Formation, which had two circles and four triangles. Ru and Protector Jian sat in the two smaller triangles along the outer circle, each holding either a Water or Wind Spirit Stone in their palm, the hand facing the sky as they assumed the lotus position. Their other palm, facing the earth, pressed against a unique rune set precisely beside them.

“Begin!” Jia ordered firmly from her position within the third small triangle, nested inside the inner circle of the Spirit-Formation, directly behind the large central triangle where her young master Daemon sat cross-legged atop four runes at the point of intersection.

Of course, Protector Jian did not fail to notice how this young girl handled the Spirit-Formation with remarkable confidence — especially considering she had only stepped onto the path of Immortality days ago. So, she must have studied this thoroughly long before awakening her Spirit-Roots… impressive. He also noted, with a wry twist of his lips, that his placement within the formation was no coincidence — one look at the lines showed that he was positioned perfectly to be flanked by Ru and Jia if he dared attempt any betrayal. One would guard the boy, the other would strike from the side… smart.

And even if I managed to slip past them, I’d still have to face that little monster who can vanish in a blink and hit like a mountain. No sane Cultivator would risk angering someone like that — especially for no clear gain. Better to play along: spend some Wind Qi, earn not just one favor but two, plus instant payment in the form of a Water Spirit Stone. A worthy deal.

Daemon did as he was told — he stuffed both finger-sized Yellow-Scale Fruits into his mouth and began to chew. Immediately, thick, honey-like juice filled his throat and threatened to choke him. Thankfully, Jia, ever prepared, leaned forward at just the right time, pressing her palms against his back to ease the congestion, saving him from gagging it all out.

The moment the juice settled, a violent surge of Qi pressed inward — squeezing, compressing, and wrapping his body like a vise while tendrils of pure energy drilled deeper into his bones.

To the others watching from outside the formation, it looked spectacular: blue, cyan, purple, and green streaks danced across the boy’s skin in a swirling display of Elemental power.

“Whoa!” Mei’s eyes widened as she saw Daemon’s skin begin to shimmer — strange, fish-like scales blooming all over his arms and chest. Some were the bright yellow of the Yellow-Scale Fruit, but others turned deep red or even light brown.

Standing behind the little girl, Xia’s sharp eyes caught another detail — Ippo’s body, just a few steps away, was changing too. Across the clone’s arms and shoulders, the same scales emerged — flashing red, yellow, cyan, green, blue, purple, and brown.

Protector Jian, unlike the two astonished girls, knew exactly what this meant. Body-Refiners adore Spirit Resources that push their physiques forward. But surviving the process is a nightmare — most mortals die, and even Cultivators risk maiming themselves. Yet this boy…

He stared, half in disbelief, half in admiration. ...this boy is calm. Three Cultivators, each pouring a different Qi Element into him, while he swallows two Spirit Resources at once — and he just sits there!Daemon’s robes turned dark with sweat in seconds. Then, suddenly, blade-like flurries of wind and snapping arcs of Lightning burst across his skin, shredding the fabric to ash.

Next came the flesh — layers of muscle flayed open, only for new layers to swell underneath. Sweat and blood streamed down his skin and pooled beneath him.

Thump.Thump.

Yet his heart kept its steady rhythm. The soft green glow of the Wood Spirit Stone pulsed just above it, pumping a nourishing stream of pure vitality into his battered body.

Xia and Mei were speechless — watching scales of yellow, red, brown, blue, cyan, green, and now deep purple spread and fuse across both Daemon and his clone. They seemed to grow larger, merging with every pulse of light.

“S-Senior Ru…” Mei whispered without taking her eyes off the boy. “Is young master Daemon… okay?”

Ru didn’t answer — his jaw was locked, his palms pressed firm to the rune at his side, feeding his Water Qi into the flow. The air around his body shimmered as the strain built.

Sizzle.Crackle.Vzzzzt.

Jia, still behind Daemon, flinched when her palms sparked. The sudden burst of silver-blue Lightning on the boy’s back pushed her hands away. A second later, her entire reservoir of Lightning Qi shuddered, the last flicker drained as her own Lightning Spirit Stone was spent dry a while ago.

Thank the heavens. I was about to collapse from exhaustion anyway. She retreated a single step, catching her breath, her eyes locked on Daemon’s back.

Ru and Protector Jian weren’t much better — sweat poured down their temples. Unlike Jia, who had reached the Seventh-Stage, these two were only in the Fifth-Stage of the Qi-Gathering Realm. Their Dantians were far smaller, yet they hadn’t hesitated to feed every drop they could muster into the formation.

As the three Cultivators stepped back, the once-glowing lines and runes of the Spirit-Formation began to dim. Slowly, they flickered, then faded into the packed soil beneath Daemon.

Protector Jian almost chuckled when he caught Ru’s sideways glance — still watching him like a hawk. He rolled his tired shoulders and accepted the Water Spirit Stone Ru pressed into his palm with a nod of genuine respect. A deal’s a deal.

Beyond the flickering remnants of the Formation, the silver-blue Lightning around Daemon’s body still crackled and flared. Unseen by all, within that shell his flesh was healing at unnatural speed. The scales that coated Ippo’s duplicate body glowed brighter, merging and expanding where colors matched side by side.

“H-How is young master Daemon manipulating Lightning without even having Spirit-Roots, or a single strand of Qi within his body?” Protector Jian muttered aloud before he could stop himself. His eyes darted from Ru to Jia, searching for answers. “Body-Refiners at Peak-Perfection of the Nine-Star Realm can’t wield Elemental Techniques like this. They shouldn’t be able to manipulate any Element at all until they open the Eight-Gates — and even then, only to reinforce their internal bodies!

“There are legends of Body-Refiners performing limited external control — but never like this. Never an actual pure and clear manipulation of an Element.

“Not to mention — when he juggled that massive stone earlier, I saw no signs of him opening a single Star-Acupoint. Which means… his natural Strength alone flung that three-tonne boulder so high in the sky as if it were some kind of a pebble.

“The only explanation is… he was born with a freakish physique — a unique talent that lets him channel the Lightning Element without a single drop of Qi or having Spirit-Roots in the conventional sense. Which means…” He trailed off, realizing the absurdity of his own words.

Daemon, meanwhile, could not hear the man’s rambling. Deep within the cocoon of Lightning, he was savoring the transformation. Everything feels different… my bones… marrow… blood… muscles… skin… like they’ve all been forged anew…

At the same time, Ippo’s senses danced along the same nerves, every flicker of pain and power echoing through the duplicate body. For once, the clone did not look annoyed. Instead, he grinned wide — bright fish-like scales shining across his chest and shoulders.

Inside Daemon’s mind, a familiar flicker of game-like text shimmered into view.

[Da Niu : Tier-0]

[Race : Human (Adolescent)]

[Faction : None]

[Lumberjack / Scavenger / Martial-Artist (Novice) / Weapon-User (Novice) / Hunter (Amateur)]

[Strength : 8.1]

[Agility : 9.3]

[Vitality : 10.2]

[Endurance : 11.6]

[Intelligence : 6.4]

[Magic : 13.8]

[Skills]

[Lightning Cocoon]

Form a Grid of High-Voltage Electricity to Shield against both Physical and Magical attacks.

Damage Absorption = Mana Pool x3 / Shield automatically deactivated once Mana is exhausted.

Finally… a Skill that doesn’t need me to activate Asura’s Buff… Daemon’s lips twitched into a grin. And Ippo gets to keep it too — about damn time he earned his keep!

Ippo chuckled aloud — an echoing laugh that startled Xia and Mei. The clone flexed his arms, scales rippling and fusing like living armor.

At last — the boy, and his clone, had taken another giant step forward.

Here's a link to my discord server if you want to talk - .gg/HwHHR6Hds