Born in Blood



Shocked and amazed at the same time, Liam's eyes widened as the Elder's shadow wrapped around him and strengthened his aura. 

The room itself darkened by a noticeable amount as Jax's body absorbed the light.

In a split second, Jax's form disappeared with a blink, reappearing behind Liam. 

Frowning, Liam's body reflexively moved on its own, jolting around and taking a wide jump back.

However, Jax disappeared again, standing vertically on the ceiling and defying the laws of gravity.

For the final time, the Elder merged with the room then reformed in front of Liam.

"This is nothing. My level with this Art is laughable considering how long I've practiced in it."

A moment later, the black coating regressed and gathered on Jax's right arm. 

Even without the King's Eye supporting his vision, Liam could see just how devastating that arm would be if it struck something. 

Even Liam's complete Ashura form wouldn't survive.

Before he could use it, though, the Elder's shadows sucked back into the tattoos on his skin and reverted to the static blue color. 

His complexion visibly paled after that demonstration, with cold sweat dripping down his face.

"Art of the Ten Thousand Shadows - that's the name of this body-inscription method," Jax said as he wore his robe and cleared his throat. 

"The Ink for the tattoos are made through the ichor of a special plant called the Dark Star. They're rare and delicate, only growing under specific conditions and have certain side-effects."

"The inscriptions help you absorb the essence of Shadows and strengthen your body with it. The tattoos work as a conduit, a medium, to give you control over it. As you can tell, contrasting elements have limits."

The Elder exited the hall and Liam naturally followed.

"Only darkness users can bring out its true potential. Shadows are a byproduct of it, after all."

"You may ask," Jax granted, seeing the eager look in Liam's eyes.

Liam had several questions, but one of them was much more important than the rest.

"What side-effects?"

The Elder paused for a moment, then continued.

"The plant corrupts the mind. It brings out cruelty and intensifies negative emotions. Some even start to hallucinate and go insane."

"It's why we were exiled."

There was anger and solemnity in the Elder's words. 

Liam saw how the higher ranking acolytes had more tattoos compared to those below them. 

He couldn't imagine how many people lost their minds due to pushing themselves over the limit.

Liam's mental resilience was way above average. 

But if even a Zenith didn't underestimate the Dark Star's corruption, neither did he.

Transforming into an Ashura had a similar effect, but it was still temporary, disappearing after Liam reverted back to a human.

"Enough minor details. There's currently not enough material for the treatment to begin, but I'll have to run some tests to see what your limits are."

As he said that, the pair arrived at a small room. 

A torture room… judging by the unsettling tools differing in sharpness and shape laying around the space. 

In the center was a black metal table, fixed with tight chains and thick braces meant to hold the victim still no matter what.

Liam heaved a slight sigh and quietly made his way on the chair, strapping himself in.

The material it was made out of wasn't normal, as even his Rank 3 body didn't cause it to bend. 

Elder Jax looked at him approvingly. 

'I wonder what kind of life this young man lived until now,' the Elder thought before steeling his gaze.

///

Three torturous hours passed.

Liam's figure was covered with blood and bits of flesh. Parts of him were bent in unnatural directions, and his breathing was ragged and cold.

The beginning tortures didn't faze him at all.

They were mild and consisted of a few cuts here and there, which Liam's regeneration took care of not long after.

Elder Jax ramped up in intensity once he realized Liam's tolerance for pain was much higher than normal.

Liam had spiked needles lodged in between his limbs, his nails pulled, chunks of his tongue cut and bits of his human organs pierced.

Other than panting heavily and grunting loudly now and again, Liam kept quiet and didn't complain.

Of course, the Elder wouldn't inflict the pain without having a way to heal it back to normal. 

He simply gave Liam a strong pill to swallow and the torture session started once more.

As it continued, Jax became more and more amazed. 

How could a Mortal ranked cultivator have so much tolerance for pain?

It was out of this world!

Even as he cracked Liam's bones and shattered his fingers, all Liam did was tense his body and suppress his shouts.

Jax moved to mental torture.

He roughened up Liam's sea of consciousness as much as he could without directly killing him. 

Despite that, Liam gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to use Thicken or Corrosive Mind.

Eventually, the spare drugs that Jax had ran out, and the torture session had to be stopped. 

The Elder had to admit that even he didn't have that sort of endurance and resolve as a Mortal cultivator. 

Although the Struggle Tribulation was way more difficult compared to regular torture, Liam was still not at that stage. 

Not to mention, Jax was more than a hundred and fifty years old. 

"You have my respect," said the Elder with a slight smile, unstrapping Liam from the table and washing away the blood from his body using a soft stream of water.

"I'll prioritize finding the Dark Stars. Your mental and physical fortitude is just excellent for the Ten Thousand Shadows. I'm even excited to apply the inscriptions on you."

Liam managed a respectful gesture – the same Krel did – despite all his cells screaming in pain. "Thank you, Elder Jax."

"Rest, now. It will probably take a month or two to find enough materials for the process, so you can steadily raise your strength until then."