r18novel Chapter 637: The Edge of the Bargain
Chapter 637: The Edge of the Bargain
The crushing pressure of the Spiritual Soul Realm continued to shake the stone pillars of the grand hall, but Ethan didn’t even shift his weight. He simply looked down at the gleaming inch of steel exposed on the counter.
"Calm yourself, Elder," said Ethan, his voice dropping into a low, smooth baritone that somehow cut through her roaring aura. "The young man standing before you is a physician of absolute prodigy. The depth of my sight cannot be comprehended by someone of your station. A single sweeping glance from my eyes is more than enough to look entirely through the complex network of your internal dolences. If you permit us to speak rationally, I am fully prepared to negotiate a highly reasonable contract to permanently solve your condition."
Elder Hestia’s eyes narrowed even further, the heavy iron katana vibrating beneath her palm.
"What an absolute, laughable desfachatez!" hissed the old woman, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and deep-seated paranoia. "Not even the Chief Master of the Alchemical Pavilion—a man who has spent three centuries studying the sacred arts of medical cultivation—would dare to speak with such absurd, arrogant confidence! And yet a green, newly admitted outer rookie thinks he can simply look at my flesh and claim a cure? How dare you bring such cheap frontier theater into my bureau!"
"The Chief Master is a blind man crawling through the dark with a lantern," said Ethan, his face remaining completely unbothered by her insults. "He relies on tedious spiritual scans and invasive core tracking because his natural sight is entirely limited. Tell me, Elder, did he not prescribe you the Midnight Sun Elixir to soothe the freezing numbness in your hands?"
The old woman’s knuckles turned completely white against her hilt. She hadn’t said a single word about her prescription to anyone. "You... how do you—"
"And did that expensive elixir not cause the suffocating pressure in your chest to violently double during the early morning hours?" Ethan interrupted smoothly, taking a single, slow step closer to the cracked counter. "He treated your symptoms as a basic deficiency of Yang energy. A classic, textbook mistake for a mediocre alchemist. He completely failed to realize that your primary meridian column has contracted a rare, structural ossification. Forcing burning Yang energy into a narrowed, rigid pathway is like forcing boiling oil through a frozen copper pipe. It will only cause your core to warp and decay faster."
The immense killing intent blanketing the room suddenly flickered. Elder Hestia’s breathing turned shallow, her mind spinning as Ethan’s clinical words ruthlessly dismantled the exact internal failures she had been secretly experiencing for the past six months. Every single symptom of the failed treatment was exactly as he described.
"Even if... even if your bizarre diagnosis holds a shred of truth," the elder muttered, her voice dropping as she desperately scanned the surrounding hall to ensure no other disciples were close enough to hear. "The damage to my column is already deeply entrenched. It is a structural rot. No simple pill or common meridian massage can force a hardened Spiritual Soul pathway to expand without completely shattering the cultivator’s mind. What could a boy like you possibly offer to change that reality?"
"I do not offer simple pills or common methods, Elder," said Ethan, a dark, incredibly confident smile playing on his lips. "I offer absolute structural reconstruction. I can completely melt the ossified tissue within your column and restore the fluid, violent velocity of your original cultivation path within a single session. And unlike the greedy masters of the Alchemical Pavilion, my initial price for your liberation is remarkably modest."
The old woman let out a cold, cynical breath, though her hand slowly moved an inch away from her weapon’s hilt. "A modest price? A monster who can see through a Senior Elder’s soul with a single glance does not perform miracles out of the goodness of his heart. State your terms, boy."
"The commercial plot situated directly adjacent to the main interior checkpoint," said Ethan, extending his white jade identity plaque once more across the counter. "You will sign the permanent, exclusive lease over to my name immediately. The five-thousand-point upfront capital will be entirely waived as a professional medical credit, and the ten-thousand-point annual contract will be structured into a flexible installment plan. If my treatment fails to thoroughly clear your numbness tonight, you may use your authority to execute me for treason tomorrow morning. It is a completely flawless wager for your longevity, is it not?"
Elder Hestia stared at the jade plaque, her sharp eyes darting between the white stone and Ethan’s unyielding amethyst gaze. The sheer audacity of his proposal was entirely unprecedented, but her desperate, burning desire to escape the agonizing midnight torture and finally step into the Golden Core Realm was rapidly eroding her caution.
"You are a terrifyingly dangerous brat, Ethan Brightsword," whispered the old woman, her volatile aura finally receding completely back into her fragile frame. "If this turns out to be a calculated trick... I will ensure your soul is ground into dust."
"I am completely and thoroughly in agreement with that punishment, Elder," said Ethan, his handsome face an unreadable, confident mask. "Now, let us move to an absolute private location. I require complete, undisturbed concentration to execute the structural reconstruction. Furthermore, you will undoubtedly scream quite loudly during the procedure, so it is highly likely you won’t want anyone else on this peak to hear you."
The ancient elder’s sharp eyes narrowed, a cold, cynical sneer distorting her wrinkled face. To her battle-hardened mind, his warning could only mean one logical thing: the impending medical process would inflict a devastating, agonizing level of white-hot physical pain upon her decaying meridians.
"Hmph, you speak as if I am a fragile child, boy," said Elder Hestia, her voice dripping with an intense, prideful disdain. "I have survived brutal wars, broken bones, and tortures that would shatter an ordinary cultivator’s mind throughout my long life. Without mattering what level of pain your technique inflicts, I can effortlessly endure it without blinking an eye."
Deep within his mind space, Ethan’s internal consciousness let out a dark, predatory chuckle. Pain? Who exactly said this procedure would hurt?
Enjoying the absolute misunderstanding to its fullest extent, Ethan merely maintained his silent, knowing smile, his piercing amethyst eyes watching her calmly.
Seeing that the towering rookie didn’t even bother to argue with her, the elder tightly gripped her heavy iron katana and stepped out from behind the stone registry desk.
"Follow me to my personal residential pavilion," said Elder Hestia, her voice dropping into a low, cautious whisper. "The perimeter is heavily warded, and absolutely nobody will dare to approach or disturb us there."
-------------------
From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
------
Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.