Chapter 14
Lucas was absorbing the mana in the atmosphere, first allowing it to circulate around his body before guiding it through his muscles, tissues, bones, and every part of his being.
This was necessary to open the Second Pathway and further increase his mana reserves.
At this crucial moment, he slightly shattered his mana core, recreating it with a higher concentration of mana more refined, more potent, and greatly expanded.
As he reconstructed it, the quality of his mana core improved significantly, alongside the richness of his mana itself.
His core had now advanced to the Iron Stage.
Though this didn't directly enhance his physical strength, it boosted the power of his spells.
However, in terms of raw physical ability, it made little difference.
That was why Lucas also cultivated the Sanguine Eight Pathway.
Now, he was on the verge of unlocking the Second Pathway.
His heartbeat surged to an inhuman rate, his muscles tensed, and then—
Boom!
A deafening sound echoed as the surrounding mana violently fluctuated before calming down.
Lucas looked pale.
The process required absolute focus; a single mistake could mean instant death.
This was why only those who carried his bloodline could cultivate this technique—it demanded an unparalleled level of mana control.
In fact, the previous patriarch's family had only ever managed to reach the Fourth Pathway.
The Fifth Pathway was said to require such an extreme degree of control that anyone who attempted it without Mana Eyes had failed, dying in the process.
But Lucas had Mana Eyes.
He was confident he could go beyond what others had achieved.
Now that the second limitation on human body growth had been removed, even in his exhausted state, he knew he had to move forward.
His next step was to immerse himself in the green fluid, something he had refined with Maya's help.
Though he hadn't disclosed the full extent of the fluid's purpose to her, he had used the blue fluid as an example—the same fluid keeping his mother alive in her coma.
Both substances addressed similar issues but required different approaches.
Through his discussions with Maya, Lucas had found solutions for both.
However, the cost was staggering.
Just gathering the necessary resources for the green fluid had drained him of Ten million Auron all the money he had after testing which cost 10 Million Auron.
In totally he spend 20 Million Auron.
Even so, it was worth it.
He made his way to an underground lab, deep in the forest, far from his manor.
Inside, next to his mother's tube where she floated in the blue fluid, was an empty tube, waiting for him.
Lucas meticulously connected the necessary equipment, knowing that only two weeks remained before the five-star ranking process would begin.
Once everything was prepared, he stepped into the tube, just as he had before.
He knew full well the pain that was coming—though it would be slightly less than what he had endured when awakening his Mana Eyes.
Sighing, he secured the breathing apparatus over his mouth as the green fluid began to rise from his feet.
Soon, the tube was filled, and Lucas felt tiny needles stabbing into him from every direction, accompanied by a subtle internal pressure.
It was painful, but not to the extent he had expected.
Had he miscalculated?
He had tested this on captured prisoners before executing them, fine-tuning the formula to achieve the perfect ratio.
That alone had cost him more than ten million, but since his test subjects had bounties on their heads, he had been able to recover some of the cost.
Despite all that, it now seemed like another failure, and disappointment flooded him.
Then, as he moved to shut off the process, something unexpected happened his skin began to peel away on its own.
Shock gripped him.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
But before he could react, the green fluid began seeping into his bloodstream.
And that was when the real agony began.
The pricking sensation became unbearable, like thousands of needles stabbing into his bones, his cells, his veins, his very mind.
His eyes burned, his skin felt like it was being flayed, and every part of him screamed in torment.
"AGHHHHHHH!"
Lucas let out a tortured scream.
He had sworn never to feel this pain again, but there was no turning back now.
Before he knew it, darkness consumed him, and he lost consciousness.
The green fluid could not be left in the body for too long.
Even in its diluted state, prolonged exposure would be fatal.
As the substance worked its way through him, it tempered every fiber of his being, stripping away impurities while strengthening him at a fundamental level.
That was why he had set a timer—the moment time was up, the fluid would be drained from the tube.
Fifteen minutes passed.
The once-green fluid had turned pitch black, filled with the waste purged from his body.
The system activated, draining the darkened liquid before releasing the blue fluid from below.
The blue fluid, a potent healing agent, absorbed mana from the surroundings to accelerate regeneration.
It ensured that anyone immersed within it wouldn't die—not from wounds, not from hunger.
It kept the body at its optimal state until full recovery was achieved.
The green fluid, in contrast, used mana to refine and strengthen every part of the body, pushing it to its absolute limit.
Lucas's body was now comparable to those born at the Moon or Saint Class individuals gifted with naturally superior physiques that far surpassed ordinary cultivators at the Star Level.
Unlike most cultivators, these individuals were born with their Second Pathway unlocked and third Pathway, giving them immense advantages.
However, only one person in history was known to have unlocked the Fourth Pathway the leader of the Abyssal Moon.
Lucas had no confirmation of this, but the sheer power that person displayed made it a logical assumption.
Yet, the Abyssal Moon's leader was still far from the pinnacle.
There were a total of eight pathways, and Lucas had a long road ahead.
He speculated that the Great Sage himself had unlocked seven of them, though he refused to believe that all eight were open.
For two days, Lucas remained submerged in the blue fluid, his body slowly regenerating. With all the injuries he suffered with the green fluid which disappeared as they were all healed.