The sudden, aggressive burst of Qi Kenji projected, meant to distract the Thornback Boars, worked with terrifying efficiency. Their snarls intensified, their glowing eyes fixed on him, their bodies tensing for a charge. Lyra's desperate cry to run echoed in his ears, but he ignored it. This was his gamble. His only chance.
He turned and bolted, scrambling into the crumbling ruins, deliberately making noise, his worn boots crunching on loose stone. He heard the heavy snorts of the boars behind him, the rapid clatter of their hooves on the uneven ground, gaining fast. The air grew thick with their musky scent. He risked a glance back. They were terrifyingly close, their sharp, poisoned spines bristling.
Kenji wove frantically through the jagged remains of ancient walls, leaping over fallen pillars, sliding down steep inclines of loose scree. His body screamed in protest, every muscle burning, his lungs burning with each ragged breath. He could hear the boars' frustrated grunts as they struggled to navigate the tight spaces, their larger bodies less agile than his desperation-fueled flight. He heard the sickening scrape of their spines against stone as they tried to squeeze through narrow gaps he had managed to slip through.
He felt a searing pain as a sharp piece of crumbling masonry tore a long gash across his thigh, but he barely registered it. His focus was singular: lead them away. Distract them. Create enough distance. He was fast, surprisingly so, still benefiting from that primal surge of energy that had aided his initial escape from the brigands. But the boars were relentless, their aggression unwavering.
He heard the triumphant snort of the largest boar behind him, closer than ever. He risked another glance back. It was almost on him, its tusks lowered, its eyes blazing with savage intent. Despair, cold and sharp, threatened to paralyze him. He was out of energy. He had nowhere left to run in these ruins.
Then, just as the boar prepared to launch itself, a faint shimmer appeared on the edge of Kenji's vision, a subtle change in the familiar blue of the System screen. A new icon flickered, almost imperceptibly, near his stamina bar. He didn't have time to process it.
Suddenly, an intense surge of energy, sharp and invigorating, exploded from within his core. It wasn't Qi, not exactly, but something raw, potent, and utterly alien. His movements, previously sluggish with exhaustion, became impossibly swift. He felt as if the air itself compressed behind him, propelling him forward with a force he couldn't possibly generate on his own. It was a micro-burst, a temporary infusion of pure kinetic potential, a System Surprise Upgrade in action.
He used it. He darted sideways, faster than the eye could follow, blurring out of the boar's path. The massive beast, unable to stop its momentum, slammed headfirst into a crumbling stone pillar with a resounding crash that shook the very ground. Dust and rock fragments exploded outwards. The boar let out a stunned, disoriented squeal, its head reeling.
Kenji didn't hesitate. This was his chance. He seized a heavy, jagged rock – larger than he should have been able to lift – and, with newfound strength, brought it down with savage force on the boar's head. It was a desperate, brutal strike, fueled by adrenaline and the System's momentary boost. The boar buckled, its legs giving out, and it collapsed with a heavy thud, unconscious.
He stood panting, the rock still clutched in his hands, his body trembling, the intense energy surge fading as quickly as it had come. He stared at the fallen beast, disbelief warring with a fierce, grim satisfaction. He'd done it. He'd actually done it.
The other two boars, witnessing their leader's sudden, unexpected defeat, hesitated, their aggression giving way to confusion. They snorted nervously, pawing the ground, glancing from their fallen comrade to Kenji. He looked at them, his chest still heaving, and let out a raw, defiant roar, channeling every ounce of his remaining fear and triumph into the sound. The boars, sensing his ferocity and the unexpected fall of their leader, whined nervously and then turned, bolting into the mist-shrouded ruins, vanishing as quickly as they'd appeared.
Kenji slumped against a crumbling wall, dropping the heavy rock. His body felt like lead, the adrenaline draining away to leave him utterly spent. He slid down the cold stone, collapsing onto the damp ground, fighting for breath. He had survived. But barely.
Then, a new sound ripped through the stillness. A resonating cry, filled with power and urgency, followed by the rapid, thudding footsteps of heavy boots. The sound grew rapidly louder, closer, echoing through the ruins.
"Kenji! Lyra! Are you there?!" The voice was deep, commanding, filled with concern. Master Thorne.
Kenji's head snapped up. Relief, so profound it brought tears to his eyes, washed over him. He opened his mouth to call out, but his throat was raw, his voice a mere croak.
A moment later, Master Thorne burst into the clearing, his face grim, his powerful aura radiating competence. Behind him, Lyra Shadowbrook stumbled in, her emerald robes torn, her face pale with exhaustion and worry. Her eyes immediately found Kenji, slumped on the ground.
"Kenji!" Lyra cried, rushing towards him, concern overriding her exhaustion. She knelt beside him, her trembling hand reaching for his arm, her eyes scanning his injuries. "You… you were incredible! You distracted them, then… what happened to the Alpha? I heard a massive crash!"
Master Thorne's gaze swept over the scene. He saw the unconscious Infernal Beast, its body steaming faintly with suppressed spiritual energy. He saw Kenji, battered and exhausted, but alive. He noted the subtle energy fluctuations around Kenji, the strange stillness of the defeated beast. His eyes narrowed in deep thought.
He knelt beside Kenji, his gaze probing. "Boy, you are injured," he said, his voice softer now, but still authoritative. He produced a glowing vial, similar to the one he'd used before, and poured the luminous liquid onto Kenji's thigh wound. The pain immediately subsided, and the gash began to close, leaving only a faint red line. Kenji winced at the cold sensation but otherwise remained still.
Master Thorne then looked directly at Kenji, his eyes piercing, searching for answers. "That was a High-Grade Infernal Beast, Kenji. Not a common boar. It was a formidable creature. And you… you managed to fell it. How? And what was that surge of energy I felt just before?"
Kenji shook his head weakly. "I… I just… pushed. It was enraged. I think I just got lucky." He kept his explanation vague, simple. He couldn't explain the System, not now. But he knew Master Thorne, with his keen spiritual senses, had felt that unusual energy.
Master Thorne studied him for a long moment, his gaze unwavering. He clearly didn't believe the 'luck' explanation, but he saw the exhaustion, the raw honesty in Kenji's eyes. He saw the genuine courage. He remembered his previous impression of Kenji's unique talent, his ability to calm the raging Crimson-Maned Lion. This was simply another, more profound, manifestation of that same unknown gift.
A profound sigh escaped Master Thorne. He rose slowly, his expression solemn, his gaze filled with a mixture of wonder, profound relief, and dawning comprehension. He knew what he had to do. He looked at Kenji, a deep resolve in his eyes.
"Kenji Tanaka," Master Thorne said, his voice resonating with power, filled with a gravitas that transcended the moment, "Your talent is truly hidden. What you possess… I cannot fully comprehend it, but it is clear it far surpasses anything I have seen in centuries. You not only survived the Outer Sanctum Trial, but you brought down a threat that would have consumed others. You are worthy of more than a mere outer disciple path."
He placed a hand on Kenji's shoulder, a gesture of immense weight and significance. "I will personally take you as my Inner Disciple. You will train directly under me, and receive the full resources of an Inner Disciple of the Emberlight Sanctum."
A wave of pure, unfiltered triumph washed over Kenji, eclipsing the exhaustion. He had done it. He had gained Elder's Trust. This was it. The door was open.
At that exact moment, the blue System screen, ever-present, flared with a brilliant, triumphant golden light.
Elder's Trust Protocol: COMPLETE!Reward: System Core Activation - True Aetherial Roots Unlocked!
A surge of pure, ethereal Qi, cold and pristine as mountain spring water, exploded from within Kenji's core. It wasn't like the raw, ambient Qi he'd sensed, nor the mundane Qi that formed his nascent Qi Sea. This was different. This was pure. It coursed through his entire being, shattering invisible blockages, expanding his spiritual pathways with a profound, almost painful ecstasy. His body hummed with an unprecedented vitality, every cell singing with new life. His senses sharpened to an extreme degree. He could feel the vibrant heartbeat of the land beneath him, the subtle currents of the wind, the distant Qi fluctuations of every creature in the entire Whispering Woods. This was his true potential, fully unleashed.
The System confirmed his new state:
System Core Activated.True Aetherial Roots Unlocked!
Kenji took a deep, shuddering breath, his eyes wide, gazing at Master Thorne. He knew, instinctively, that his potential was now limitless.
Master Thorne's gaze swept over the clearing, settling briefly on the path Lord Valerius had fled. His eyes narrowed, a cold glint appearing in them. "But be warned, Kenji. Such unique talent often attracts unwanted attention. Both within the Sanctum, and from those who seek to use or suppress such power." He looked meaningfully towards the direction Lord Valerius had fled, hinting at a hidden conflict that Kenji was now irrevocably drawn into.