Boundless Cultivation-Chapter 65 - Muscle Reforging

Alaric was a little surprised by the final offer. He had no idea how long it would take him to track down all the segments of the key. And, during his temporary alliance with the king, he couldn’t exactly battle him or his minions.

However, the king had anticipated that and granted him the permission to spar with his soldiers for as long as their truce remained intact. This would allow him to level up his skills and sharpen his combat experience.

“Thank you for the generous offer, Your Highness,” Alaric said. “I accept your deal.” There was nothing he could do at the moment since he wasn’t able to harm the king. That said, he had a plan to discover the king’s weakness.

“I’m truly impressed with the hospitality I’ve received so far,” Alaric continued. “Although, I’m quite eager to explore your magnificent abode and learn more about your culture.”

The king shot him a glance while maintaining the same knowing smile. It wasn’t lost on him that Alaric wanted to delve deeper into the pyramid in hopes of uncovering a secret that would expose his vulnerability.

For a while, Alaric wasn’t sure how Anu-Khepra-Ra would react. However, it seemed he was worried for nothing.

The king was too confident in his supremacy. He let out a booming laugh as he approached Alaric and patted on his back. “Of course, you are my guest. Feel free to explore my humble abode at your leisure. Nobody will stop you.”

Very soon, you will realize that underestimating me was a grave mistake. Alaric and the king conversed for a while, reminiscing about ancient times and discussing the current state of the world before he exited the rift.

***

Alaric was recovering his mana inside his cultivation sanctuary. Thoughts of his conversation with the king flooded his mind. He was devising a strategy to conquer The Howling Expanse in the shortest time possible.

No, that wouldn’t be enough. He shook his head. I have to retrieve the keys as well.

The true challenge wasn’t just vanquishing the monsters — it was locating the keys hidden within the vast dungeon. And he didn’t even know what they looked like.

Although his [Mana Pulse] skill was quite effective at mapping the terrain, it paled in comparison to an ability like [True Vision], which could unearth even the deepest of secrets.

He cleared his thoughts and concentrated on the inspiration he had gained from his duel with the king. He hadn’t managed to level up any of his skills, but this insight was a reward in itself.

Ding! Insight detected for the skill [Vital Mana Flow lvl 10] (Common). Skill evolution options available - Restorative Flow (uncommon), Regenerative Pulse (uncommon), Advanced Restoration (uncommon).

A grin spread across his face. Alaric was familiar with the last two upgrades, but the first evolution was entirely new to him. I need to conduct some research.

Choosing the right healing skill was crucial for his growth. No matter how powerful he became, if he couldn’t properly heal his body, it would become a bottleneck.

Concluding his meditation, he exited his cultivation sanctuary and strode toward the library.

***

Lately, Alaric hadn’t found the time to visit the library except for researching skill options. Still, whenever he stepped into the abode of knowledge, it brought a smile to his face. He selected a few books detailing various skill upgrades and immersed himself in their contents.

After finishing his research on the available upgrades for [Vital Mana Flow], Alaric took a moment to reflect on his choices.

Advanced Restoration was the direct evolution of his current healing skill. Essentially, it was the safest option—it retained all the core functions of [Vital Mana Flow] — healing physical injuries, enhancing natural regeneration, and boosting stamina recovery — while improving their potency.

This skill was the most popular choice among tier 2 cultivators.

Regenerative Pulse functioned exactly as its name suggested. It unleashed a pulse of healing energy, accelerating recovery for everyone within its radius. However, the ability to heal multiple people came at the cost of reduced effectiveness. Worse yet, it consumed an immense amount of mana.

Alaric dismissed that option immediately. If he had intended to become a healer, it would have been worth considering. After all, it was a favored skill among tier 2 support specialists.

Restorative Flow was an offshoot of Advanced Restoration. Unlike the straightforward healing enhancements of its counterpart, this skill granted cultivators a heightened awareness of their body’s restorative energy flow, allowing for precise control over the healing process.

Its effectiveness was comparable to advanced restoration, but with an added advantage—Alaric could concentrate healing energy on specific areas, amplifying recovery where needed while sacrificing regeneration elsewhere.

He speculated that this skill had been offered due to the insight he gained from battling the ancient king. While it wasn’t a massive upgrade — powerful healing abilities were notoriously difficult to obtain unless blessed by a divine entity — it was still a good improvement.

Making up his mind, he selected the restorative flow as his next skill upgrade.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill [Restorative Flow] (Uncommon).

[Restorative Flow lvl 1]

Restorative Flow: You can channel the vital energy of mana to accelerate natural healing and stamina regeneration. By directing the restorative flow to specific areas, you can amplify recovery at a focused point, though at the cost of slowing regeneration elsewhere. Higher skill levels enhance healing speed, efficiency, and control, allowing for faster recovery from injuries and exhaustion.

Very good. Alaric was itching to test his new healing skill, but without an injury, it was impossible to gauge its effectiveness. Without hesitation, he strode out of the library in search of Edgar. If anyone could injure him effortlessly, it was him.

***

“There you go. Is that enough?” Edgar asked, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

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Alaric lay sprawled in the mud, gasping for air. A light drizzle misted the evening sky, adding to the dampness of their training session.

His face was bruised, and injuries dotted his flesh. Blood trickled from his nose, while sweat, rainwater, and mud-soaked his clothes. When he had asked Edgar to injure him so he could test his new healing skill, Edgar had obliged without hesitation.

“You’re enjoying this a little too much at my expense, old man,” Alaric muttered as he activated Restorative Flow. “One day, I’ll return the favor. I promise you that.”

Edgar’s expression twisted into a scowl. “Yeah, keep dreaming.” He picked at his ear with a finger. “You’re fifty years too early to face me.”

A faint cooling sensation surged from Alaric’s core as he channeled healing energy through his limbs. Already, he could sense a noticeable improvement in the skill’s healing efficiency.

He directed the flow of restorative energy on his fractured left rib. Edgar hadn’t held back much during their sparring session, and to be fair, Alaric had needed serious injuries to gauge the true extent of his new ability.

After a while, the cooling sensation warmed, signaling the accelerated restoration of his cracked rib. However, he noticed a significant decline in the healing rate across the rest of his body.

Still, Alaric deemed the tradeoff worthwhile. In critical moments, prioritizing the recovery of vital organs over minor wounds could mean the difference between life and death.

It took him an hour to restore his body to a functional state. Overall, he was satisfied with the upgrade.

Once their training session concluded, Alaric carefully broached the subject of The Howling Expanse. He suspected that Edgar had reached the Howling Expanse and wanted to know whether he had a similar experience.

This was a delicate matter—if his encounter with Anu-Khepra-Ra had been a system-generated event tailored specifically for him, or something even more enigmatic, pressing too hard could raise suspicion.

“Yes, The Howling Expanse is split into five regions, each infested with its own breed of monsters,” Edgar said, his gaze turning distant, as if reliving his time within the Tutorial Rift.

“What about the boss?” Alaric asked. “What was he like?”

Edgar remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. “An ancient mummy. Too powerful, if you ask me.”

Alaric noted Edgar’s reluctance to elaborate, so he pushed further.

“Did you explore the pyramids?”

“Explore them? What are you talking about?” Edgar asked, giving him a bewildered look. “The army never let me inside.” His face darkened with frustration. “If you’re asking whether I defeated the boss—the answer is no.”

With a curt gesture, Edgar signaled that it was time to head back. It was clear that his memories of The Howling Expanse weren’t pleasant. More importantly, his experience had been vastly different from Alaric’s.

Just as Alaric had suspected, the king hadn’t invited anyone into his domain. His situation was unique. That explained why the system had taken such extreme measures to erase his memories.

On that note, he couldn’t help but wonder whether the system erased or manipulated the memories of other cultivators who somehow managed to establish contact with the fallen king.

Another unsettling thought gnawed at Alaric. This ancient being wasn’t like an ordinary monster — it was sentient, articulate, and disturbingly intelligent. Anu-Khepra-Ra had never explicitly stated that he was born in Gaia, which made Alaric question whether the king hailed from an entirely different world.

Shaking off those musings, Alaric meticulously surveyed the surroundings of The Whispering Woods, scanning for any signs of a hooded figure that might be watching them.

So far, his [Mana Pulse] and danger sense hadn’t detected anyone lurking nearby. Besides, if a spy was tailing them, Edgar was far more likely to sense their presence — tracking and counter-surveillance were his expertise, after all.

Not that anyone would dare spy on me while Edgar is around, Alaric mused.

That was precisely why he remained unsure whether what he had seen that day — two weeks prior, just before leaving The Whispering Woods — had been real or merely a trick of his imagination.

Edgar had noticed nothing unusual, and Alaric had chosen not to mention his sighting. If someone had been skilled enough to evade Edgar’s perception, that meant they were exceptionally powerful—and they had wanted to be noticed.

And, if it had been a figment of his imagination, there wasn’t any use needlessly worrying Edgar. Either way, Edgar had since conducted a thorough investigation of the market square, trying to sniff out any unwanted guests.

So, far he had come up empty. And Alaric hadn’t detected any signs of surveillance in the two weeks that followed the incident.

That left two possibilities: whoever had spied on them that night had abandoned their efforts—for now—or they were devious enough to evade both Edgar and the city guard’s scrutiny.

Still, Alaric suspected Edgar hadn’t disclosed everything he had uncovered. Likely to keep him from worrying.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Alaric retrieved a small vial filled with a luminous orange liquid.

That caught Edgar’s attention. He paused a moment before speaking. “You’re reforging your muscles now?”

Alaric nodded. He wanted to get this over with—there was no time to waste.

Edgar thought for a while before replying, “Might as well do it in my presence.” Crossing his arms, he added, “I leave at first light tomorrow.”

A few days ago, Edgar had informed Alaric that he’d be occupied with important business and would have to leave town for a week. Alaric was curious—what could be so pressing that Edgar needed to leave the count?

Not that the count was in any danger—Captain Aldric had returned, and Sir Baldwin, along with a squad of knights, remained at his father’s side at all times. Still, Edgar never left the count’s side. It has to be a mission from the count himself.

The Molten Blood Elixir radiated warmth against his palm, glistening under the amber glow of the setting sun. He downed it in a single, decisive gulp.

The thick liquid ignited his throat, searing a fiery path as it plunged into his stomach, where it settled like molten lava.

As always, he channeled his mana into his core, accelerating the digestion process. At the same time, he visualized the elixir dispersing into his muscles, ligaments, and tendons, saturating them with its transformative energy.

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Every reforging pill and elixir operated differently, each refining a distinct aspect of the body, purging impurities, and making it more receptive to mana.

Beyond that, these elixirs induced a heightened state of awareness, allowing cultivators to glean deeper insights into the intricate structures of their bodies—insights that would significantly enhance the reforging process.

Alaric intended to push this refinement further, testing whether he could extract even greater benefits. However, he needed to act swiftly.

Heat surged through his muscles, tendons, and ligaments, accompanied by an excruciating burn. Once his awareness was detached from his whole body, he wouldn’t be able to control the process anymore.

With precise intent, he partitioned a fragment of his awareness to monitor the reforging while simultaneously activating his [Restorative Flow] skill. He teetered on the edge of losing command, his body threatening to spiral beyond his grasp.

But before the process could unravel, he gritted his teeth and cycled the energy of his solar plexus chakra, reclaiming control.

Through his new healing skill, he guided vital energy through his muscles, tendons, and ligaments, significantly alleviating the agony of reforging. The tension eased, but the moment he felt a fleeting sense of stability, an invisible force yanked him downward.

The weight of gravity crashed upon him, severing his awareness from his physical form.

He plummeted into a boundless void, tethered only by a vivid projection of his entire muscular system that unfurled before his mind’s eye. As he focused, the muscle groups expanded, unraveling into individual fiber strands.

Each fiber further split, revealing delicate filaments that wove them together. But something was wrong. Many of these microscopic filaments were withered—some shredded, others riddled with micro-tears.

Alaric marveled at the sight. How have I been functioning with such extensive damage?

He also noticed many sections of his muscle fibers swollen beyond what he thought was appropriate.

Clusters of muscle fibers also appeared grotesquely swollen, engorged from overuse. Such injuries were nearly impossible to detect under normal circumstances, yet now they lay exposed in stark detail.

Even so, the elixir and his healing skill worked in harmony, their luminous energies—one a molten orange, the other a verdant green—intertwining as they mended his battered body.

For a fleeting moment, he watched in awe, convinced that everything was proceeding flawlessly.

Then, without warning, a white-hot agony speared through his muscles, burrowing deep into his heart. His muscles were absorbing far more mana than expected, amplifying the mana infusion potency to dangerous levels.

It felt as if his muscles were liquefying—melting and reforming in an endless, agonizing cycle.

The process had spun out of control. Maybe I shouldn’t have messed with the reforging process…