Chapter 12 – The Architect's Shadow
The steam from the medicinal bath filled the private chambers, smelling of dragon-blood grass and cooling mint. Lakan sat submerged to his chin, his body a map of dull aches and twitching muscles. Ling Yue sat on a nearby bench, polishing her golden vambraces, her presence a silent, protective weight.
"I pushed too hard," Lakan thought, his eyes closed. He focused on his internal state, watching the Chaos Rainbow Vortex slowly knit his strained fibers back together. "The Prismatic Flash is a weapon for a God, not a child. If I had tried to hold that 'Refraction' for even a second longer, my legs would have shattered."
He didn't let the praise from the throne room go to his head.
"People think Titled Douluos are just 'strong masters.' They forget that a Rank 95 Super Douluo like Ling Yue is a walking natural disaster. If she had used even five percent of her true killing intent, the shockwave alone would have turned my internal organs to jelly. A Titled Douluo can level mountains and erase islands from the map. I didn't 'fight' her. I simply survived a gentle breeze."
But a small, determined smile touched his lips.
"Still... the direction is clear now. The Eight-Directional Flow doesn't need more strength. It needs more Geometry. If I can perfect the Octagon of Refraction, I won't need to be stronger than a mountain. I'll just be the light that passes through it."
Six Months Later:
The "Noble Soul" had become a myth within the halls of Wuhun City. Lakan Diwa didn't spend his time posturing or fighting in the arenas. He was rarely seen outside the Restricted Archives or his private laboratory, usually trailed by a grumpy but fiercely loyal Ling Yue.
At age six and a half, Lakan had reached Rank 30. He was holding his breakthrough intentionally, waiting to stabilize his meridians before seeking his third ring.
Today, he walked toward the Research & Development Pavilion, holding a thick stack of manila-bound scrolls.
As Lakan turned a corner toward the Grand Library, he ran into a group of three older students. They wore the elite uniforms of the Supreme Pontiff's personal disciples.
In the center was a young girl with short, orange-tinted hair and eyes that held a natural, fox-like allure—Hu Liena. To her left was her brother Xie Yue, looking cold and sharp, and to her right was the muscular, aggressive-looking Yan.
"So, the rumors are true," Yan muttered, crossing his arms and blocking the path. "The 'Sage' is actually just a kid who hasn't hit his growth spurt yet."
Hu Liena tilted her head, her gaze curious. She felt a strange "frequency" coming from Lakan—something calm and dangerously steady. "Yan, be polite. This is the one Teacher has been talking about. Lakan Diwa, right?"
Lakan stopped, offering a breezy, relaxed grin. He looked at Hu Liena, and for a second, that flirtatious spark flickered. "In the flesh. And you must be the 'Golden Generation.' I was worried the rumors were exaggerating, but I see I was wrong. The beauty of the Supreme Pontiff's disciples is indeed a high bar."
Hu Liena blinked, a faint blush touching her cheeks. No one her age—or even older—spoke to her with such effortless confidence.
"Flattery won't get you past the testing board, kid," Xie Yue said, his voice clipped. "What's in the scrolls?"
Lakan patted the stack of papers. "Just a few things to make Yu Xiaogang's 'Ten Core Competencies' look like a child's coloring book. I call it 'The Meridian Framework and the Tide-Flow Method.'"
Lakan pushed past them politely, heading for the head researcher's desk. He laid the scrolls down with a heavy thud.
"What is this?" the Head Researcher asked, adjusting his spectacles.
"The future of Spirit Hall," Lakan said, his voice losing its playfulness and becoming cold and sharp.
"In those pages, I've detailed the Meridian System—energy pathways that bypass the traditional 'Bucket' theory of Soul Power. I've also included the Tide-Flow Meditation. It's a simple circulation technique I put together in my spare time. It increases Soul Power cultivation speed by 25% and naturally opens minor meridians to improve reaction time."
The researcher scoffed. "Twenty-five percent? Impossible. Even the best Spirit Hall methods only—"
"Read page twelve," Lakan interrupted. "And look at the section on Whale Glue. I've proven that the 'impurity' in whale glue is actually a high-density protein that, when processed with the right frequency of Soul Power, can increase bone density by forty percent. It's the key to why I could absorb a five-thousand-year ring at Rank 20."
The room went silent as the researchers began to flip through the pages. The logic was airtight. The math was revolutionary.
Lakan turned back to the Golden Generation, who were still standing by the door, eavesdropping in shock.
"Don't look so surprised," Lakan said, winking at Hu Liena. "Once the Supreme Pontiff approves it, I'll teach you guys the Tide-Flow myself. Consider it a gift for having such a nice view while I walk to work."
He walked out, his hands in his pockets, leaving the smartest minds in Wuhun City in a state of total intellectual collapse.