CHAPTER 12: CHAPTER 12

Ethan looked at the rewards glowing within the system space, his chest swelling with a rare sense of fulfillment.

For the first time since waking in this world, he felt truly blessed by fate. He was alone, powerless in the grand scheme of the sect, cast aside into exile—but now, he had something no one else did. The system. His golden finger. His lifeline. His gift.

He lingered on the glowing bottle labeled Spirit-Eye Opening Brew. His heart hammered in his chest as he clicked on it in the system inventory.

A faint ripple passed through his consciousness, and in the next instant, the elixir appeared physically in his hands. Ethan almost froze.

The bottle itself looked like it belonged in the treasury of gods. The liquid within was... mesmerizing. It wasn’t a dull potion or some swamp-colored fluid like the bitter falls of medicine he had choked down in the sect before. No—this was something transcendent.

Perfectly bisected down the middle, the elixir was split between two colors: one half a brilliant, molten ruby-red that glowed with the essence of fire, while the other was an ocean-deep sapphire that shimmered like frozen starlight. The dividing line between them wasn’t blurred but absolutely sharp, like two opposing Dao compressed into a single vessel.

Etched around the curved glass, faint glowing Dao marks pulsed softly, their lines dancing like constellations in motion.

Each rune-like symbol carried weight; just gazing at them made Ethan feel small, as though he were staring at fundamental laws that governed creation itself. Even without tasting, he knew—this elixir was no ordinary pill. It radiated the aura of Dao incarnate.

His fingers trembled as he uncorked the bottle, the faint fragrance of sweet nectar drifting into his nose. It was oddly inviting, calming even, like a candy from his old world... but laced with a power vast and ancient.

Swallowing hard, Ethan decided not to hesitate. He tilted the vial upward—

—and poured the entire contents into his mouth.

For a heartbeat, it was sweet. Almost childishly sweet, like syrupy candy pressed onto his tongue. Its consistency was slightly chewy, oddly pleasant. He thought fleetingly, Hah, that’s not too bad at all—

Then, his relief shattered.

The elixir stayed glued to his tongue.

Ethan choked, his hand shooting to his throat as he tried to force it down. No matter how much he swallowed, it didn’t budge.

It clung stubbornly inside his mouth, as if fused to him. Panic surged through his chest.

He tried to cough, to gag it out, but it refused to leave. His frantic lungs heaved, his body twisting like a fish flopping on the shore.

Droplets of spit ran down his chin as his gag reflex overpowered him, but the elixir remained, immovable.

No, no, no... come on, damn it! His thoughts spiraled. Desperation mounted. Fear stole his earlier exhilaration.

I rushed it, I should’ve waited. I... should’ve made myself stronger first. What if I choke to death here?! What if this kills me before I even start?

As regret flooded him, the stubborn lump of elixir finally began to change.

Slowly, agonizingly, the candy-like potion softened... and melted into streams of liquid fire that surged down his throat.

GGHHKHH!

A metallic crash seemed to explode in his skull, like someone had taken a white-hot iron rod and driven it straight through his head. His body seized violently, his vision instantly clouding with sparks of white. His mind rocked in a storm of agony, every nerve alight with unbearable pain.

It wasn’t simply physical—it was mental, spiritual. His very consciousness was being stretched, torn, branded with incomprehensible runes. The sensation was hellish.

Ethan gritted his teeth until his jaw creaked under pressure, his nails carving rivulets into the wooden floor as he clawed for stability.

The sensation scalded his brain, seared his spine, and turned his very skull into a cage of fire. His breath came in ragged gasps, his eyes trembling as tears leaked involuntarily down his face.

Shadows twisted at the edge of his vision. His chest hitched as wild emotions surged unchecked. He wanted to scream—but laughter bubbled at his lips.

He wanted to cry—but fury surged instead. His sanity teetered like a fragile lantern in a hurricane.

For the first time in both lives, Ethan was drowning in too much sensation.

Still, a stubborn spark within him refused to let go.

This... might be it. My first power-up... or the end of me right here. If I back down, if I collapse now, the system means nothing. I’ll die a nameless exile.

Gritting down, nearly biting through his tongue, he held fast against the onslaught. He felt his consciousness flickering, his will shattering, but he forced himself onward.

His body shook uncontrollably, his teeth bared, veins bulging across his temples as if his head were about to burst. His ribs ached from the force of his ragged breaths, and every inch of his flesh screamed in torment.

Teetering on the edge of madness, Ethan turned to the only shred of hope he could grasp in this abyss of suffering.

"The Celestial Jade Physique Scripture...!"

At his desperate call, his body roared to life. A golden light surged through his meridians, like a river of molten jade rushing to fortify him. The Scripture’s circulation began, bathing his muscles, bones, and blood in divine radiance.

But instead of relief—

—the pain magnified several folds.

It tore through him with merciless cruelty, stronger, heavier, sharper than before. It was as if the Scripture was dragging the raw power of the elixir deeper into his flesh, tempering his body with both knife and fire, carving him alive into something new.

Ethan screamed as his vision exploded into nothing but blinding light.

And as his body writhed on the floor of the hut, teetering between breakthrough and collapse, he realized—

This was no simple elixir.

This was a baptism.

And he was either going to be remade by it... or destroyed.

The pain increased.