Theron sat in silence, holding two Beast Cores in his hand.
One of them could only be described as beautiful. A light, delicate blue–it looked like fluttering ribbons of silky violet, blue, and pink streams were spontaneously manifesting and disappearing around it, just like the body of a jellyfish.
As for the other…
He couldn’t even pick it up.
The back of his hand was smashed to the floor, his bones creaking as the concrete beneath them had already cracked. The only reason his entire hand wasn’t minced meat already was because he had reacted quickly enough to mitigate some of the oppressive air with [Water Prison] and his new buoyancy technique.
Unfortunately, the effort had drained him of Mana entirely, so now he could only sit here and flex, hoping the Beast Core didn’t get any heavier while he focused his mind on suppressing its powerful Water Mana from dissipating too far.
If someone sensed this while he was stuck in this position, it would truly be the end of him.
He didn’t know what the Patriarch had given him. He didn’t even know what Imbued Resonance was a few weeks ago, how could he recognize the Beast Core of a Runebound Beast?
Even so, he knew one thing for certain.
Whether it was the old man or the Patriarch, both were dangerous, and both were only out for themselves.
’The only way for a Beast Core radiating Silver Resonance Mana to be so powerful is if it’s a particularly powerful Mana Beast. Is this a Manaborn Beast Core…? Why would he give me this?’
Almost any other 14-year-old in Theron’s position would be over the moon, but all Theron himself could see was a trap.
Even the old man had reacted fiercely when Theron exposed the fact he had a Manaborn Echo. Setting aside the fact Theron likely didn’t even have a powerful enough Echo Pill to fuse with a Beast Core this powerful, what would happen once he did?
Also…
Theron had no interest in this Beast Core.
He could feel the powerful waves coming from it, he knew that it was hundreds of times more powerful than the Immortal Jellyfish, but…
So what?
He had already hand-selected his own path.
Originally, he was going to fuse with the Blue Pufferfish. It was a weak Imbued Beast on the same level as the Immortal Jellyfish, and its only redeeming quality was that it was able to withstand exceptionally high pressures of water. 𝖗áＮȯ₿ƐŞ
However, he had changed his mind.
The Blue Pufferfish and the Immortal Jellyfish had something in common, and that was that they were both amongst the oldest Imbued Beasts still in existence, with a lineage that spanned back millions of years.
Other races had come and gone, but these two remained, hardly without any evolutionary changes.
This meant to Theron about the same thing as the basic Water Mancy cultivation method he used did…
Flawless.
Theron took a deep breath, finally regaining enough Mana to pull the Black Limbo Tortoise Beast Core back into the box it had come from. He could tell that if he didn’t store it like this first, it would shatter his spatial ring.
Once it was restrained, he put it away and massaged his hand.
’Let’s do this.’
Theron stood, took a calm bath, then returned to his training room. Taking a seat, he placed the Immortal Jellyfish Beast Core between his interlaced fingers, calmly resting the backs of his palms on his crossed legs.
He took another breath and exhaled.
There were two ways to integrate an Echo.
The first was an Echo Pill. Depending on the grade and power of the Echo, one would need a more powerful Echo Pill to succeed.
The second was to be a Spirit Mancer.
Spirit Mancers had the ability to externalize their Mana to control the souls of others and benefit from changes to them. As such, integrating the souls of beasts was quite easy for them. Of course… that would likewise depend on the skill of the Spirit Mancer.
This time, Theron planned to test just how far he could stretch this mysterious power within him. Could he use it to integrate with an Echo?
Honestly, Theron had originally planned to wait to see how things would shake out with the Verdant Bloomstone first before he integrated an Echo. Who knew if the Luminescent Moon Sect might have something truly powerful waiting in the depths of its inheritance for him?
However, he dismissed the thought.
First, the Sect wasn’t a Water Mancy Sect. Second, even if they did have a method of allowing him to integrate more powerful Mana Beasts, he would have to somehow get his hands on those beasts. And third…
Experience tales with
The feeling of the Black Limbo Tortoise Beast Core in his palms solidified his decision.
It would likely be impossible for him to ever find a more powerful Water Mancer Beast Core. And yet, he felt…
Unmoved.
His path was his path and he would follow it to the end. He was no longer living for himself, and that was true. It was just that he felt that this was the best path for him to live up to that.
His path would be that of control; he had just tweaked it the slightest bit.
The hard part would have been to get his hands on such a Beast Core. No matter how weak the Immortal Jellyfish, it was still an Imbued Beast, and it was still at Ninth Silver Resonance. Theron wouldn’t have the strength to capture one himself, or even make it to an area they resided.
He would have to buy it, and even his 20,000 silver reward wouldn’t put a dent in the wealth he would need to do that.
Since the Patriarch of the Luminescent Moon Sect had so conveniently given him exactly what he needed, why wouldn’t he take it?
Theron took a breath and exhaled.
A process that should have been a nightmare for others was incredibly gentle for him even in a heavily injured state.
He had successfully integrated an Echo at the Eighth Bronze Resonance.
Not only that…
But he felt his Bronze Core shift.
He was breaking through.