CHAPTER 282: BREAKTHROUGH

Grim’s eyes opened slowly, the motion feeling strange after what seemed like moments of deep meditation.

Something felt different. His body felt light and more nimble.

Húxiān stood directly in front of him.

Her expression was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes that suggested both satisfaction and concern.

"Finally awake," she said. "I was beginning to wonder if you would emerge on your own."

Grim started to speak, then stopped, confusion clouding his thoughts.

"What do you mean? I was just training with Yang Jian. We were going through combat forms, and then Zhong Kui showed up to explain about the barriers..."

"That was months ago," Húxiān said gently. "You’ve been in deep cultivation trance before tour fight with Yang Jian."

"Months?" Grim’s voice cracked slightly. The idea that so much time had passed without his awareness was deeply unsettling. "How many months?"

"Four months and seventeen days," Húxiān replied.

Grim tried to stand and immediately felt the difference in his body. His movements were smoother, more controlled, and there was a sense of power flowing through his limbs that he had never experienced before.

Even breathing felt different, as if his lungs were overcharged.

"What happened to me?" he asked, examining his hands. They looked the same, but he could feel mana flowing through them more clearly.

"Yang Jian and Zhong Kui - were they really here? Or was that part of the cultivation trance?"

"They were here," Húxiān confirmed. "Both spirits found you interesting enough to observe and interact with."

Húxiān reached into her robes and withdrew a sealed letter. The paper was fine quality, bearing the royal seal of the Celestis Empire, and it looked like it had traveled a considerable distance.

"This arrived at the fox realm three weeks ago," she said, offering him the letter. "I chose not to open it, but I suspected it contained information that would be important to you."

Grim took the letter. The seal belonged to Princess Liona.

He broke the seal carefully and unfolded the parchment, his eyes scanning the contents rapidly. As he read, his expression shifted from curiosity to concern to rage.

’Lord Grim van Ambrose,

I write to inform you of developments that require your immediate attention. Lady Lianna Levenhart departed the empire on a diplomatic mission to investigate bandit activities affecting our trade routes with neighboring kingdoms. Her mission took her to the Yanyu Dominion, where she was arrested by local authorities.

According to reports, Lady Lianna was charged with espionage and illegal use of magic within Yanyu Dominion. The charges appear to have been politically motivated, possibly connected to interference from the Luminaris family. She was sentenced to execution by Emperor Yanyu Du Shi Wang.

However, before the sentence could be carried out, the Yanyu Dominion came under attack by elven forces. Multiple fortress cities along their eastern border have been destroyed, and the kingdom is now engaged in a full-scale war. Lady Lianna’s current status is unknown, but she remains imprisoned while the conflict continues.

I am writing to request your assistance in securing her release. The situation grows more desperate with each passing day. I need you to return before the war makes it way to the Celetis Empire.

Princess Liona.’

As Grim finished reading, the letter in his hands began to smoke. Small wisps of purple, green, and blue emanated from the parchment, and within seconds the entire document burst into flames of pure aurora mana.

The fire consumed the paper completely, leaving nothing but a few particles of ash that drifted away.

Húxiān observed, taking a step back as aurora mana began to seep from his body.

Grim wasn’t aware of the energy surrounding him. His mind was focused entirely on the contents of the letter, processing the information with growing fury.

"How long did you say I was unconscious?" he demanded, the aurora energy around him intensifying.

"Four months and seventeen days," Húxiān repeated.

"She could be dead," Grim said. "While I was sitting here in your realm, learning about barriers and spiritual development, Lianna was rotting in a dungeon waiting to be executed."

"And if you had left immediately after receiving the letter, what would you have accomplished?" Húxiān asked calmly. "Your previous power level would have been insufficient to mount any meaningful rescue attempt."

"I could have tried something!"

"You could have died uselessly," Húxiān corrected. "Which would have helped no one."

The aurora energy around Grim’s body pulsed brighter.

"What’s happening to me?" he asked, finally noticing the light show he was creating.

"You’ve developed two additional mana hearts," Húxiān explained. "Your fifth and sixth hearts formed simultaneously during your cultivation trance. The process usually takes years for ordinary people, but being here accelerated everything."

Grim looked down at his chest, trying to sense the new energy centers she described.

He could feel them - two additional sources of power that complemented his existing four hearts. The sensation was like discovering new organs in his body, functional and integrated but completely unfamiliar.

"Two hearts at once?" he asked, still processing the information.

"Unprecedented," Húxiān confirmed. "Most cultivators spend decades developing a fifth heart, and sixth-heart development is considered the realm of masters. You’ve achieved both in a matter of months."

"Does that make me stronger?"

"Exponentially," Húxiān replied. "Your total mana capacity has increased by roughly four times, and your energy control has improved proportionally. The aurora technique you’re displaying now would have been impossible with your previous cultivation level."

Grim experimented with the energy flowing around him, willing it to condense and disperse at his command. The control felt natural, instinctive, as if he had been practicing these techniques for years rather than discovering them moments ago.

[Impressive,] Caius observed, his voice clearer and more present than it had ever been before. [Though I suspect the real test will be seeing how you handle combat with your new abilities.]

"You sound different," Grim said, responding to the voice in his mind.

[Your increased cultivation level has strengthened our connection,] Caius explained. [The barriers between us have thinned considerably. Soon, you may be able to access more of my knowledge and abilities directly.]

"Which brings us to the current situation," Húxiān interjected, clearly aware of Grim’s internal conversation. "Your friend is in danger, you’ve gained considerable power, and you’re obviously preparing to leave my realm to attempt a rescue."

"Obviously," Grim confirmed, the aurora energy around him stabilizing into a steady, controlled aura. "How do I get back to the physical realm?"

"The same way you entered - through the waterfall portal. But I should warn you that using your new power levels in the physical realm will have consequences you may not be prepared for."

"What kind of consequences?"

"Attention," Húxiān said simply. "Power of your current level doesn’t go unnoticed. Entities across multiple realms will sense what you’ve become, and not all of them will be friendly. Not to mention anyone who knows you. They’ll pick up on it."

"Let them come," Grim said with cold determination. "Right now, I’m more concerned with saving someone who matters to me than hiding from potential enemies."

"And the war mentioned in the letter? The elven invasion of the Yanyu Dominion?"

"If elves are involved, then this is bigger than just Lianna’s imprisonment," Grim acknowledged. "But that’s all the more reason to get there quickly and assess the situation personally."

Húxiān studied his face for several long moments, clearly evaluating his mental state and determination.

"Very well. Your training here was always meant to prepare you for challenges in the physical realm. It seems those challenges have arrived sooner than expected."

"Will Yang Jian and Zhong Kui object to my leaving early?"

"They’ll understand," Húxiān replied. "Both spirits respect the bonds of loyalty and the necessity of action when circumstances demand it."

Grim took one last look around the platform where he had experienced so much growth and transformation.

"Thank you," he said to Húxiān. "For the training, the protection, and the patience."

"Thank me by using what you’ve learned wisely," she replied. "And remember that power without purpose is just destruction waiting to happen."

As they prepared to leave the divine realm, Grim felt the weight of his new abilities settling around him like armor. He was no longer the same person who had entered this place months ago, and he suspected the world he was returning to had changed just as dramatically.

The aurora energy around his body pulsed once more, then settled into a barely visible shimmer that clung to his skin like a second shadow.

Whatever he faced in the Yanyu Dominion, he would meet it with power that few hundred of humans had ever achieved.

The question was whether it would be enough to save the people who mattered to him, and whether he could handle the broader conflict that seemed to be engulfing multiple kingdoms.

[Time to find out,] Caius observed grimly. [And time to discover what you’ve really become.]

"It’s time to collect some ears." Grim said with a smile.