Haze took a deep breathe. He muttered in frustration, "Looks like its my only choice."
"Hey, Mystra." Haze called out.
"Yes, Young Master?" Mystra opened her eyes. 'He's looking down?'
She found Haze looking at the ground instead of her. He would usually be jumping at her since she was completely nude, but he seems reluctant to even look at her now.
"No matter what, don't touch me and don't call for help or tell anyone." Haze said in complete seriousness.
"A-Alright." Mystra nodded hesitantly.
Haze sighed. He turned to the sheets. 'Good thing she brought too many...I guess I'll use some of them.'
Haze took out a bed sheet and spread it out. He bit his finger and started using his blood to draw runes. He used enough to cause him to become dizzy. When he finished, he was noticeably pale.
"A-Are you okay, Young Master?" Mystra opened her eyes when she heard Haze grunt as he took off his clothes. She found one of the sheets was hung up like a curtain, covering the back half of the room and Haze who was in it.
"Yeah...don't interrupt. No matter what." Haze said weakly. 'This is gonna hurt like a bitch and a half.'
He wrapped his naked body with the sheet with runes. His body was completely covered. He then took a deep breathe.
Within the runes he wrote was an amplification rune. Using that rune, he pushed out what he could of his Lightning Law.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" Haze roared in pain. He was tempering his body.
The runes had three main functions. Amplifying the Lightning current, looping it with minimal energy wasted for a continuous process and immediate release when he passes out.
These runes were actually developed by Mystra for interrogation in the future.
"YOUNG MASTER!!" Mystra quickly got up and looked behind the curtains. All she saw was Haze's figure covered by a sheet with blood all over it and his clothes in the corner of the room.
"GET AWAAAAAY!!!" Haze's voice cracked as Lightning ravaged his body.
"...!!" Mystra looked around in a panic. 'What do I do?! I've never heard him shout like this before!'
"Huh?" Mystra was shocked by the sudden pause in Haze's shouting. He had been screaming for 10 minutes, yet he suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened in terror. 'He died...?'
"HAZE!!!" the poor girl's entire body tensed up as she touched the sheet. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Lightning caused her to writhe in pain as she held her own nude body.
Mystra heard Haze's hoarse voice, "T-Take me...to the Healing Pond...immediately."
Mystra barely fought off the pain and got dressed. 'He held on for 10 minutes, I just barely touched it for a moment! I can do something as simple as take him to the Healing Pond!'
She grit her teeth and resolved herself for pain as she picked up Haze while wrapped in the sheet.
"Huh?" she raised her eyebrows as she felt nothing but Haze's body.
"H-Hurry..." Haze's hoarse voice called once more.
Mystra shook her head and dashed outside. She quickly pocketed the key and rushed out towards the Healing Pond. Connor simply eyed her for a bit as she ran off. He sighed and got up.
Mystra didn't take too long to reach the Healing Pond.
"What are you doing here?" Vesna raised an eyebrow.
"Move!" Mystra yelled as she tried to rush into the Healing Pond.
"Tut. Tut. Tut." Vesna sinisterly shook her head. "Young Master Haze, is that you? As you know, you have to pay to use our services."
"We don't have time!" Mystra yelled yet her fury was quelled by utter terror when she saw a pitch black arm come out of the sheets in her arms. It was Haze's hand.
BOOM!!!
Lightning rushed out of his hand and destroyed the wall behind Vesna. It didn't take long for Vesna to lose consciousness from the sheer terror.
Mystra immediately rushed into the main spring reserved specifically for the clan's head and the clan's elders. She found one person in.
"Mystra? What are you doing here?" Mystra heard a gentle voice from the other end of the steam.
"Please excuse us, Young Miss Alexis!" Mystra didn't have time to explain as she soaked Haze in the spring.
"Us?" Alexis looked at the wrapped up Haze and sighed. "No matter how much you like him, Mystra, you cannot break the clan's rules for him."
Alexis got up and started unwrapping Haze's body. "And you! Stop causing trouble fo-"
She couldn't finish her sentence before she started shivering. She looked at Mystra with unmeasurable wrath in her eyes. "WHO!! DID!! THIS?!?!"
"Calm...down..." Haze wheezed between each word. His entire body was scorched black. He smelled like a burnt corpse.
Haze closed his eyes and started absorbing some of the spring's healing water. A small vortex started forming as Haze's body crazily healed. He regained most of his bodily functions but not all since he couldn't absorb the entire spring. He'd be in trouble if he did.
After calming down and getting dressed, Alexis helped Mystra with assisting Haze out of his bath. They covered him with a towel and dried him off. Mystra then helped him dress himself while Alexis waited.
Haze walked out of the changing rooms while wearing red robes that complemented his new red skin. He leaned on Mystra for help. He still was quite fatigued and weak.
"..." Alexis simply stared at him.
"Good afternoon, Elder Sister." Haze bowed his head and continued limping with the help of Mystra.
"Hold on a moment!!" Alexis turned around with rage. "Who the hell did this to you?!"
"No one." Haze answered truthfully.
"You're saying you burnt yourself to a crisp?! It must've been Jack!! He's the only one who can use an elemental attack from that trio!" Alexis singled out the most likely suspect from her three brothers.
"I was tempering my body." Haze replied.
"You were...what?" Alexis was surprised to the point where her rage got taken over by her confusion.
"I told you...I will not embarrass my elder sister anymore." Haze said earnestly.
"You..." Alexis looked at him with awe. She then burst into laughter, "Pfft...HAHAHAHA!! Who would've guessed that the lazy genius would suddenly awaken!"
"I might not live up to your expectations, but I don't plan on not trying." Haze bowed at the waist due to his inability to kneel down.
"Haze!" Alexis hugged him. She then released her hug when realization dawned on her. "Right! What realm are you at?"
"I destroyed my cultivation to try a new technique." Haze replied with honesty. He could hide everything from everyone, except for Madalyn and Alexis. His wife and elder sister were his reasons for living. When Alexis died, Madalyn had to fill in for the both of them. When Madalyn died, Haze fell into a spiral of insanity.
"What a shame...I wanted you to participate in the Escoile tournament in 2 years." Alexis sighed.
"Elder Sister, is it your wish for me to win it?" Haze asked earnestly and with respect.
"Winning it might be taking it too far, the imperial crown prince will participate after all. Yet it is true that I wished to see you enter at least the top 100." Alexis bitterly smiled.
"I will win it." Haze said with determination.
"They'll all be at least at the Qi Condensation realm. You don't have ti-"
"I'll win it." Haze reaffirmed.
"..." Alexis was stunned. She then chuckled. "I guess I'll look forward to it!"
Little did Alexis know, Haze didn't experience that Lightning just to temper his body. He was also filling his reserves. Right now, he had enough Lightning to fire a shot that could theoretically kill a Low Golden Core realm. If caught off guard, he could even kill her. Of course, he wouldn't casually use his reserves. It was only for life and death situations. The means to refill his reserves are by no means easy, especially without a dantian. He'd have to reach the Qi Condensation realm before even considering using his Lightning unless he faced death.
The only reason he used it against Vesna was because she wasn't going to make it easy for him to use the main healing spring.
After walking with a limp for a few minutes, Haze looked back. Alexis was no longer in sight. He turned to Mystra. "Carry me and rush to the cultivation rooms."
"Not so fast!" Connor suddenly appeared in front of the duo.
"U-Uncle Connor?" Haze was a little shocked.
"You." Connor pointed towards Mystra. "For stealing the key to a special cultivation room, I hereby banish you from the clan, never to return!"
"Uncle Connor! Please overlook this!" Haze panicked slightly. Mystra was one of his most trusted soldiers. He couldn't lose her now.
"Are you defying my orders, boy?" Connor glared at Haze.
Haze simply glared back. "Overlook it."
"Fine! Prove to me! If you can prove to me that you are strong enough to have a say in this matter, I shall overlook this girl's crime!" Connor sneered. Might was right after all.
'You have got to be kidding me, I have to use it already?' Haze thought as he grit his teeth. "Will you allow her to stay if I can push you back a step?"
"Sure!" Connor scoffed.
'Connor should still be a Peak Nascent Soul...damn it! He's still the most powerful person in the clan!' Haze motioned for Mystra to let him stand on his own. Haze took a deep breath. 'This is going to leave me bedridden for at least a month.'
All of Haze's hairs stood on end. His brown hair turned into a spiky blue. His eyes turned into a beautiful blue. His vision turned all blue as all his muscles tensed up. He was using the 1st skill of the Lightning Immortal Technique, Lightning Body!
BOOM!!
Haze suddenly appeared in front of Connor. Mystra couldn't even keep her eyes on him.
'This brat is as fast as a Low Qi Condensation realm!' Connor thought with shock. Everyone knew that Haze was only a Low Foundation realm. He smirked madly. "To think that you were a realm jumper!! Interesting!!"
"I'll show you interesting!!" Haze yelled as he put his palms together. He opened them when he was just in front of Connor. A huge amount of Lightning appeared on the surface of his palms.
Shockwave!!
BOOM!!
The 5th skill of the Lightning Immortal Technique, Shockwave, sent an incredible force towards Connor, sending him flying backwards.
Haze's eyes turned bloodshot as both his arms broke. "H-How's...that..."
Thud.
Haze lost consciousness as he hit the ground. Connor came walking back while dusting himself off.
He was very impressed. 'Seems like the kid hasn't been slacking off...'
While Haze might not be able to beat a Nascent Soul, or even a Golden Core, realm cultivator, he was more than equipped to hold his own against even a Middle Qi Condensation realm.
He was quite impressed without knowing that Haze had destroyed his cultivation. He wasn't even a Low Qi Refining realm cultivator right now.
Of course, it is to be expected. Immortals were the pinnacle of strength. A casual word for them could become an imperial family's teachings for eons, let alone an Immortal's own personal technique. Not mention the familiarity with the technique. Haze knew how to utilize the technique properly since he was the one who created it in the first place.
"Take him away!" Connor glared at Mystra. "And never leave without dropping off the key first."
"Y-Yes, Master Connor!" Mystra kneeled then picked up Haze and ran to the cultivation rooms.
'What the hell?' Mystra looked at Haze with genuine fear in her eyes. This man who looked like he was going to keel over a few minutes ago had blasted a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator away! 'With a broken cultivation base too!!'
Haze awoke to Mystra's nude body sitting right next to his head. He immediately looked away.
"Mystra." Haze called out.
"Yes, Young Master?" Mystra turned to him.
"Put up the sheets in between us. We'll be training in the nude after all." Haze sighed.
"..." Mystra frowned with a tragic air around her. "Haze."
"Hm?" Haze was taken aback.
"Why don't you look at me anymore?" Mystra asked in a heartbroken tone. "Do you not want me?"
"No. I don't want you." Haze said honestly. "I've met someone a million times better than both you and me. I wish to be faithful to her, even if I can't meet her right now."
"..." Mystra sighed. "Was she the one who gave you this technique?"
"No." Haze sighed. "Enough about her...prop me against the wall and strip me, then close the curtains."
"Yes, Young Master." Mystra simply nodded. She carried out her duties with a sad face. Haze couldn't even sit on his own right now. He wasn't about to be all high and mighty when he couldn't even go to the bathroom on his own. He should recover to full strength within a month and a half or so.
Haze breathed a sigh of relief when Mystra closed the impromptu curtain she had made with the sheets. The previous ones were ripped off when she carried Haze out. 'I better start training immediately.'
And like that, Haze started absorbing Qi and reached the Low Qi Refining realm.
