Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Dantian is shattered
He sat cross-legged on the floor, placing the Spirit Reinforcement Pill in front of him. The faint glow from the pill made his heart race with anticipation. "This is it," he thought, his eyes gleaming with determination. "This will be the turning point."
Tyler hesitated for only a moment before picking up the pill and placing it in his mouth. The taste was bitter, but as soon as it dissolved on his tongue, he could feel a surge of energy radiating through his body. Without wasting another second, he closed his eyes and began to cultivate, focusing on absorbing the pill\'s supposed power.
At first, everything felt as it should. Tyler could feel the energy rushing through his meridians, spreading warmth throughout his body. "Yes... it\'s working," he thought, a smile forming on his lips. He could feel his Qi gathering, his cultivation base starting to stir as the pill\'s power integrated with his own.
But then, something went wrong.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his chest, and his body convulsed. Tyler\'s eyes snapped open, confusion and panic flooding his mind. The energy coursing through him had turned chaotic, spiraling out of control. His Qi pathways were being overwhelmed, and instead of feeling strengthened, he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside.
"What... what\'s happening?" Tyler gasped, clutching his chest in agony. His veins bulged, his meridians on the verge of rupturing as the pill\'s toxic effects began to take hold. It was no longer a gentle flow of energy—it was a storm, wild and untamable.
Tyler\'s entire body convulsed as the effects of the Qi deviation began to take over. His meridians, once channels of energy, now felt like they were on fire. The Spirit Reinforcement Pill, instead of strengthening him, was wreaking havoc, turning his cultivation into a chaotic storm. The energy, unrefined and poisonous, surged uncontrollably through his body.
Sweat drenched his body as his veins pulsed with raw, uncontrolled power. His breath came in ragged gasps, his vision blurring as dark spots danced before his eyes. "No... no... this can\'t be happening!" he cried out, but there was no one to hear him in the confines of the small inn room.
His body jerked violently, as if it were being torn apart from the inside. The energy that had initially felt empowering now burned him alive. His meridians, unable to withstand the force of the twisted Qi, began to rupture. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, a sign that internal damage was already beginning to occur.
His mind became clouded with fear and confusion. "I was supposed to get stronger... I was supposed to rise again..." he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. But now, with each passing second, his body was betraying him.
The symptoms of Qi deviation were clear—his cultivation base was on the verge of collapse. The balance of his internal energy was completely broken, and instead of reinforcing his power, the unstable energy within him was spiraling out of control. His dantian, the core of his cultivation, felt like it was being ripped apart, the very foundation of his strength crumbling.
If this continued, Tyler wouldn\'t just lose his cultivation—he\'d be crippled, unable to use Qi ever again. Or worse, the uncontrolled energy could tear his body apart from the inside, leaving him dead on the floor of a dingy inn, alone and defeated.
Outside the inn, the men who had been following Tyler were waiting impatiently. Their eyes darted around the dark alley, making sure no one else was watching. They had followed Tyler from the arena, assuming he had the Spirit Reinforcement Pill in his possession.
"He\'s been in there a while now," one of them muttered, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at the inn. "He must be hiding the pill. It\'s only a matter of time before we take it from him."
Another nodded, his fingers twitching eagerly. "Once he lets his guard down, we\'ll grab him. A weakling like him won\'t stand a chance against all of us."
Little did they know that inside the room, Tyler had already consumed the pill. They were waiting for something that no longer existed, oblivious to the fact that the pill had already begun its destructive work inside Tyler\'s body.
Back inside the room, Tyler\'s situation worsened. His cultivation spiraled out of control, his Qi violently surging and then collapsing in waves. The veins in his arms bulged grotesquely, and his hands shook uncontrollably.
With a final gasp, Tyler collapsed to the ground, his body wracked with pain. His cultivation base was in complete chaos, and if he didn\'t stabilize it soon, the consequences would be dire.
Some of those men had entered the inn and they had figured out his room. Two of them were near the door of Tyler\'s room.
Just outside the door, the men heard a thud from within the room.
"That sounded like he\'s down," one of them whispered, glancing at his companions. "It\'s time."
They signalled others to enter the inn.
They pushed their way into the inn, the quiet creak of the door alerting no one. They marched straight to Tyler\'s room, unaware of the horrors unfolding inside. When they opened the door, they expected to find a tired, weak cultivator, ripe for the taking. Instead, they found Tyler convulsing on the floor, his eyes wide with pain as his Qi spiraled out of control.
"What the hell?!" one of them gasped.
"He\'s having a Qi deviation!" another shouted, stepping back in shock.
"What happened to him?" one of the men asked, his face twisted in confusion.
"He must have taken the pill!" another hissed, realization dawning on him.
"He was supposed to save it! We were supposed to take it from him!" the leader of the group cursed under his breath.
Panic flickered across their faces. They had been expecting an easy target, but now Tyler was on the verge of collapse, his life hanging by a thread. If he died from the Qi deviation, there would be nothing left for them to take. Worse still, if his Qi deviation caused an explosion, it could tear through the entire inn, taking them with it.
"We need to get out of here!" one of them yelled, stepping back toward the door.
But it was too late.
Tyler\'s body began to glow faintly, the unstable energy within him reaching a critical point. His dantian felt like it was about to burst, and with a final scream of agony, the energy exploded outward, sending a shockwave through the room.
The men stumbled back, narrowly avoiding the worst of the blast. Dust and debris filled the air, and the sound of Tyler\'s body hitting the floor echoed through the now silent inn.
The men looked at each other, their faces pale. "Let\'s go," one of them muttered. "There\'s nothing left for us here."
Meanwhile, Aric explored the streets with Amanda by his side, a sly grin tugging at the corners of his lips. They had been chatting and doing shopping throughout the day.
Amanda\'s soft laughter filled the air as they explored the various stalls. Aric gave her many gifts during this time, handing her beautiful silks, intricate jewellery, and rare cultivation resources. Amanda\'s face lit up each time, her heart softening with each gift.
"Young Master Aric, you\'re spoiling me," Amanda said, her voice laced with affection as she held a shimmering bracelet he had just given her.
Aric chuckled, leaning closer to her. "Spoiling you? I\'m simply giving you what you deserve, Amanda. After all, a woman like you deserves only the finest things in life." His words were smooth, and Amanda\'s cheeks flushed with warmth.
"You always know how to make a woman feel special," she said with a shy smile.
Aric winked at her, his mind only half on their conversation. His thoughts were on something far more satisfying—Tyler Tsei\'s downfall. He had been casually checking in with his men throughout the day, his communication crystal buzzing now and then with updates about Tyler\'s movements. But just as they approached another stall, the crystal pulsed in his hand again.
Aric pulled Amanda gently aside, feigning a moment of privacy. "Give me a moment, Amanda. Just handling a small matter."
"Of course," Amanda said, her smile never wavering, though she gave him a curious glance. She didn\'t suspect a thing.
Aric activated the crystal, his eyes flickering with interest as his servant\'s voice echoed through. "Young Master, the plan has worked perfectly. Tyler Tsei consumed the Spirit Reinforcement Pill... his dantian has shattered."
Aric\'s grin widened. He could almost picture Tyler writhing in pain, his body broken, his dreams crushed. "Excellent," he murmured, his voice barely audible. "Anything else I should know?"
"Nothing major, Young Master. The situation is under control. He\'s finished."