"Hah... Finally!
It's over,"seeing the sand clock in white jade palace, Dreleon gasped.
His voice was a dry rasp that barely carried through the silent, shifting mists, but happy at the realisation of proving himself.
He doubled over, his lungs burning as he fought to pull air into a body that felt like it had been shredded and stitched back together a thousand times.
He stayed like that for a long time, watching his own sweat drip onto the white jade floor, the sound of his own heavy panting the only thing grounding him to reality.
"I truly thought I was going to die this time," he thought.
The weight of the last month pressed down on him.
He remembered how it began twenty-nine days ago—the hope, the effort, and then the crushing failure that hit him halfway through.
He had pushed himself until the world went dark, certain that his soul had finally reached its breaking point, being captured and eaten of existence by that clone of his.
But when he opened his eyes the next day, he was safe and sound.
Looking around the quiet mind space, a strange, rare warmth touched his heart.
He assumed the Snake had been the one to intervene, the one who had kept his soul from drifting apart by his own other half.
For a fleeting moment, his heart softened toward his tormentor, the gratitude causing him to momentarily forget the sheer agony of the red mist she had subjected him to.
But the softness didn't last.
The deadline was still ticking.
Four days after waking up, Dreleon had thrown himself back into the training.
He used the 'Intent of Separation' over and over, trying to coax his soul to split as the instructions dictated.
He gained nothing.
His soul was stubborn, an inseparable mass that mocked his efforts.
He assumed that if 'intent of separation' helped the first time then its effect would be over the second time.
By the fifth day, frustration turned into a cold, savage resolve.
If his soul wouldn't separate through intent, he would force it.
He abandoned the traditional methods.
In the space of his mind, he manifested a blade—not a tool of spirituality, but a heavy, jagged edge of pure will.
He didn't try to 'pull' himself apart anymore.
He placed the edge of the weapon against his own spiritual center and began to cut.
It was a slow, agonizing process.
He treated this all like, he was a sawyer, and his own soul was the timber.
He felt every jagged tooth of the blade tearing through his essence, a pain so primal it made the previous "torment" feel like a distant memory.
He didn't stop.
He sawed through the density of his being until the final thread snapped.
The moment the split was complete, the ancient words of the manuals—the very logic of the technique—rushed into the wound.
Unlike previous recovery methods, they didn't just heal him; they became nourishment.
Like a starving man gorging on a feast, the two halves of his soul inhaled the energy, recovering and stabilizing until two distinct bodies stood on the cloud sea.
The sensation was dizzying.
Dreleon could feel his consciousness stretched across two forms.
One was sitting in a meditative lotus pose, eyes closed, stabilizing the core.
The other stood behind, legs trembling slightly as it looked out toward the endless sea of clouds with a sense of wonder.
It wasn't like looking at a stranger; it was like having a second set of eyes and a second pair of hands.
He felt the standing body as clearly as a limb.
He had succeeded!
And as the realization settled in, he felt the shift in the environment.
He woke to the physical world and saw the truth of the time—twenty-nine days had passed since he first stepped onto this path.
"Good!
Though you failed in separation with the easiest method, you succeeded with the most painful one.
I must congratulate you," a voice resonated, slicing through the air.
Suddenly, the grand white jade castle that had been his home and prison for the month vanished as if it had never existed.
Dreleon found himself standing once again on the small white platform, a tiny boat adrift in the vast, silent sea of clouds.
The Snake stood before him in her human form, her presence as overwhelming as ever.
"Here."
She flicked her wrist, throwing a sliver-red colour jade at him.
Dreleon caught it with a hand that still shook.
"This thing contains all the information you need about the cloning art of the soul."
A small, knowing smile played on her lips.
"This jade is an independent space item.
It is a void, capable of storing anything you find in this world—provided it does not collapse space or possess life.
Inside, I have placed the Book of the Unknown, the cloning scrolls, and a high-level superior body.
Consider them all a gift from me, I am certain you will find it to your liking."
She leaned in, her eyes glinting with a mix of pride and something more dangerous.
"But do not try to inhabit that body or attempt the cloning right now.
I have more to teach."
She walked him through the process of accessing the jade, showing him how to bridge his intent with the void space.
Dreleon reached inside and pulled out a store of food.
He didn't wait for permission.
He ate with a frantic, reserved desperation, his body finally realizing it had been deprived of real sustenance for an entire month.
The Snake stood by silently, granting him the time to sate his hunger.
Once the last of the food was gone and Dreleon had regained a semblance of his strength, the Snake's expression sharpened.
The "beloved teacher" mask slipped, replaced by the cold authority of a master.
"Now, after these two pillars, we come to a middle one," she began.
"This pillar is the weight that balances the others.
It will enhance your next two pillars and reinforce the two you have already mastered.
It is called Devour."
She looked away for a moment, her gaze piercing the distant mists.
"Years ago, after I had made a name for myself, I was hunting in a land mixed with radiation.
Surprisingly, I became infected.
The rot was deep, threatening to end my life.
To resolve the issue, I chose the most primitive method available to me.
Instead of purging the infection; I ate it.
I evolved by consuming the very thing that sought to destroy me.
After surviving that ordeal, I developed this method, making it one of my core skills."
She spoke of it as if she were recalling a wonderful, cherished memory, but the underlying threat was clear.
"Now, get ready and stay careful," the Snake said, her sapphire eyes locking onto him.
"It is going to become very painful, little one."