Kaelan's spirit sinks deeper into the jade stone, and the world around him fades.
An endless darkness unfolds, neither sky nor earth, only drifting motes of grey that twist like ash in a cold wind. In the void, whispers echo, countless voices layered over one another, murmuring secrets of death.
At the centre, a pale flame flickers into existence, weak yet eternal, pulling his awareness toward it.
Lines of scripture rise from the flame, not written but etched directly into his spirit, each character heavy with killing intent, each stroke reeking of decay.
The words form the beginning of the Death Spirit technique—
"Life is a fleeting shadow. To grasp death is to grasp eternity."
The flame pulses, and suddenly images surge through him: corpses rising under moonlight, spirits torn from flesh, rivers of yin energy flowing like blood. His own spirit quivers, straining against the weight of the knowledge.
The last of the scripture carves itself into Kaelan's spirit. The pale flame flickers once, then collapses inward.
The jade stone in his beak splinters with a soft crack. Dust scatters into the wind and vanishes as if it had never existed. Its purpose is complete.
Kaelan remains still, wings folded, as the tide of knowledge settles inside him. The Death Spirit technique now lives within his mind, each line etched like bone into marrow.
Along with it, clarity dawns—an instinctive comprehension of demon cultivation, as though the technique itself demanded he understand the path he walks.
Ordinary demons absorb spiritual energy, demon energy, or any essence they can devour. What gathers within their bodies is no more than a wisp of demon qi—fragile, fleeting.
One wisp alone means nothing. But when a hundred gather, they begin to merge with the blood, transforming into something heavier, darker—True Demon Qi.
This marks the first step into the Demon Refining realm.
Kaelan sees it in his mind: nine layers stacked like mountains, each higher than the last, each demanding greater refinement.
The first layer, a mere hundred strands. The second, one hundred refined again into stability.
To step into the third, thousands more must be condensed, bound, and tempered until they form an unshakable sea.
The knowledge does not stop at the third realm. It unfolds further, each stage a ladder carved from blood and will.
To advance into the fourth realm, a demon must begin to forge the very skin and muscle of their body, grinding them until control reaches even the smallest cells.
At the same time, the thousand wisps of True Demon Qi must be refined and fused, transformed into a single strand of improved True Demon Qi—denser, sharper, alive with hidden force.
From there, one hundred such improved strands carry a demon into the fifth realm. Thousands again must be condensed for the sixth, a cycle of endless accumulation.
The seventh realm is another threshold. Here, bones must be reforged, marrow tempered, cellular mastery extended into the deepest frame. Again, thousands of True Demon Qi must be honed into an even more exalted form, another step closer to perfection.
One hundred leads to the eighth. Thousands again from the ninth.
And at the peak of Demon Refining, when all accumulation nears collapse, the barrier gives way to the Core Formation realm.
Here, the countless strands of True Demon Qi are drawn inward, fused into a single crystal core within the body.
This core must be refined, sharpened, and perfected across nine smaller realms, each improvement like striking metal on an endless forge.
Beyond Core Formation lies the final summit of demon cultivation—the Demon Spirit realm.
Here, the demon creates a unique divine magical power, then draws directly upon heaven and earth to fuse it into the crystal core.
This act, if successful, shatters the limits of the mortal demon path and births a Demon Spirit, a being feared even by the gods.
The scripture fades, leaving Kaelan's spirit steeped in clarity.
His path is different. He is neither born a demon nor walking the same road.
He has not yet given a name to his cultivation technique, but within the framework of Demon Refining, he can gauge his progress.
By their reckoning, he is at the second realm—his True Demon Qi is few but stable, his foundation sharp though incomplete.
Kaelan opens his eyes, the sunrise spilling across his cliff, and his gaze gleams with solemn fire. The road ahead is long. He does not hesitate.
He begins practising the Death Spirit cultivation technique, refining his mana.
To cultivate it, he must absorb the death spiritual energy or demon energy.
Around him, the death energy is faint—sparse, diffused—but ever-present.
Every second, lives end somewhere, releasing energy that lingers just long enough for him to claim.
He realises the technique is meant to be practised on a battlefield, where death flows thick and constant. Still, here, even the scattered remnants suffice.
Kaelan adjusts each refinement with precision, modifying the technique to suit his own body and spirit.
With every cycle, his mana deepens, his control sharpens, until he has absorbed every trace of death energy in the surrounding air.
Kaelan closes his eyes and lets his spirit sink into the two jade stones, drawing forth the knowledge within.
He receives the information of the two techniques: the Fiery Fire magic power ignites his spirit with scorching energy, each ember a lesson in manipulation and destruction, while the Thirty-Six Solar Term Sword techniques weave themselves into his awareness, flowing through him as precise, cyclical patterns of attack and defence.
Once he feels the energies stabilise, he moves to his hiding place, retrieving three jade stones from his sack.
One by one, he immerses his spirit into their essence.
Transformation bends his body to human form, Iron Body hardens every fibre of his flesh to near impervious strength, and Hide weaves his presence into subtlety, masking him from both spirit and sight.
Kaelan decides against practising the two major magical powers for now.
They are meant for Core Formation realm demons, and his mana, still limited, would falter under their demand.
Instead, he turns to the three minor magic powers, beginning with Transformation.
The Transformation magic power he acquired is a minor version, teaching only how a demon can assume a humanoid form.
The major variant allows transformation from living to non-living forms, but that lies far beyond his current scope.
Kaelan recalls its teachings from memory.
At first, it instructs on controlling the body's cells, the foundation for altering form.
He understands the process instantly, the technique aligning naturally with the cellular mastery he already wields.
The mastery of the magic power is divided into five tiers: Entry, Proficiency, Small Mastery, Great Mastery, and Complete.
At Entry, a demon can transform one body part into humanoid form with demon skin.
At Proficiency, more than one part.
Small Mastery grants full humanoid form, but still with demon skin.
Great Mastery allows the upper body to become entirely human, and Complete erases all traces of demon, making the transformation indistinguishable from a human.
Kaelan's control over his cells gives him a unique advantage.
Within hours, he ascends through the ranks, each refinement precise, each change seamless.
By the time the sun reaches its peak, he holds Complete mastery—every muscle, every sinew, every cell shaped perfectly into human form, flawless and undetectable.
He looks at his hands, flexes his fingers, watches his reflection in the cliffside water—and for the first time, the form staring back is not demon, not crow, but entirely human.
He looks at his hands, flexes his fingers, watches his reflection in the cliffside water—and for the first time, the form staring back is not demon, not crow, but entirely human.
His face is sharp and precise, every feature balanced in perfect symmetry, high cheekbones, a straight nose, and lips that curve with a faint, dangerous charm, as if malice and elegance were intertwined.
His short black hair frames his face, accentuating the depth in his dark eyes, an unsettling allure that hints at the predator beneath.
As he moves, Kaelan feels the subtle shift of his form.
Though he looks human, he is still a crow demon at his core.
His DNA remains that of a demon, and with it, a full twenty per cent of his strength is suppressed in this guise.
The transformation is powerful for stealth and interaction, but in battle, he knows he must revert to his true crow form to access his full might.
His awareness sharpens, catching Chen Qi's steady gaze and the scattered caws of hundreds of crows around him.
Their voices, strange yet comprehensible now, ripple in confusion, asking among themselves if he is a demon or a human.
Kaelan closes his eyes, folding his legs in a cross-legged posture on the cliff.
His thoughts drift to the Iron Body magic power, already stored in his memory.
He had chosen it because of its connection to his talent spell, Ironstone Body.
His cultivation path has not yet defined the next realm beyond his current stage, which, in his heart, he whispers a name—Mana Refining Realm.
One of the steps to reach it must be the improvement of his talent spell, and mastering Iron Body may be the key.
He does not rush into practice.
First, he dissects the magic power, reading each line carefully within his mind.
The structure feels familiar, almost a mirror to the Iron Feather spell he once combined with Stone Body to forge Ironstone Body.
The resonance between them is undeniable.
Days blur into nights, time scattering like sand carried away by the wind.
With each increment of mastery over Iron Body, he refines his talent spell further, aligning it, strengthening it, shaping it into something that edges closer to perfection.
The cliff becomes a silent witness to his slow but steady transformation, the crows watching as Kaelan bends magic and talent into a sharper weapon for the path ahead.