Chapter 54: No Pain, No Gain

Pain. That was all Huo Yuhao could feel as the Ice Empress' soul bone merged with his own. It was an excruciating pain, as if his entire body was being torn apart and reconstructed at the same time. Every bone, every muscle, every nerve screamed in agony.

But Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and endured. He refused to let his mind collapse, refused to let the pain overcome him. He had experienced loss and suffering before, and he would not let this pain break him.

But it was hard. So, so hard. The pain threatened to consume him, to pull him under into a dark abyss. His vision blurred as tears uncontrollably streamed down his face, mixed with sweat and blood.

Yet, he held on. Even as his consciousness threatened to slip away, he clung to the small glimmers of hope that flickered in the recesses of his mind. He thought of his friends, his family, and all those who had supported him throughout his journey. Their faces flashed before him, their smiles and encouragement giving him the strength to push through.

With each passing moment, the pain intensified, as if every cell in his body was being stretched and reshaped. It was as if he was being reborn, the old Huo Yuhao shedding away and a new, more powerful version of himself emerging.

"Incredible," Ice Empress muttered, staring in awe at the spasming body of Huo Yuhao. "Without any sort of anesthesia to lessen the pain, Yuhao hasn't let out a scream of pain or beg for it to stop. He's so young and yet, he's already so resilient."

She glanced at Skydream, filled with envy and jealousy. "As always, your luck runs deep, Skydream. First it was that cold essence, then reaching a million years old, surviving this far and then finding a talented host such as him."

Skydream smugly wiggled his tail. "Hahaha! You're too kind, Bing'er. Heaven was just being fair and gave me Yuhao for the troubles it gave me when I was held captive in Star Dou Forest. Also, though talented, Huo Yuhao is also a hard-worker. He has put in countless hours of training and self-discipline to reach where he is now. This pain and suffering he is enduring is just another test of his resolve and determination."

"Even when were trekking to the core region, Yuhao was...wait a minute," he paused, blinking his eyes, he turned towards Huo Yuhao's limbs and was shocked to find the weight bracelets still on him!

"Why does he still have those?!" Skydream involuntarily cried out, surprising Ice Empress.

"What? What is it?" She asked, noticing the bracelets around Huo Yuhao's limbs.

"Those are weight bracelets that lets the user feel a certain amount of weight. Huo Yuhao has been using them as a form of self-training for months. They are supposed to help him build up his strength, endurance and speed. Each one weighs fifty kilograms and he's gotten used to them at this point but..."

"Dammit! Why didn't you notice them before we started the process?!" Ice Empress exclaimed, her voice filled with concern.

Skydream's eyes widened as he frantically searched for a solution. "I-I don't know! I... I didn't think he'd... I mean, c'mon! Who in their right mind would do this?"

"Well can't we just take them off?" Ice Empress said, looking nervous.

"In case you didn't notice, but we don't have a physical form! We can't physically take them off and if we try to take them off with our spiritual power, it might interfere with the fusion process!"

Both Skydream and Ice Empress looked at each other, panic evident in their eyes. They had to find a solution, and fast.

"Just leave it be," Suddenly, Ancestor spoke up with a calm and steady voice. "Yuhao isn't that dumb as to endanger himself like this, he might have a plan. Who knows. His determination and resilience will see him through."

Both Skydream and Ice Empress looked at each other for a moment before nodding, recognizing the wisdom in Ancestor's words. They couldn't let their panic consume them; they had to trust in Huo Yuhao's strength and resourcefulness.

"...Hey, old freak. I wanna ask you something, about the Mangekyō Sharingan." As they continued on watching with the procedure, and getting a little ansty, Skydream turned to ask Ancestor.

"Hm. Ask." Ancestor indifferently nodded while Ice Empress perked her ears up, curious about what Skydream was asking.

"You said that in order for Huo Yuhao's Sharingan to evolve to a much higher level, the Mangekyō Sharingan, he needs to experience the trauma of killing he is quite close to; be it family, friend and lover." Skydream questioned, his curiosity piqued.

"So...by that logic, like when Yuhao awakened his Sharingan; coming to terms of his mother's death, he just needs to experience another traumatic event to evolve his Sharingan further which...you can simply conjure with Genjutsu, right?"

Ancestor sighed. "If it was that easy, Yuhao would have already awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan."

He then began to explain, "Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan is not simply a matter of experiencing a traumatic event. It requires a specific kind of trauma, one that is deeply personal and emotionally devastating. It is not something that can be conjured with genjutsu alone."

"The trauma that triggers the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan must be authentic and genuine. It must come from the person's own experiences and emotions. If it is artificially induced or manipulated, it will not have the same effect."

"Furthermore, the trauma must be a result of the person's actions or decisions, rather than something that is inflicted upon them. It is the guilt, regret, and remorse that come from causing harm or loss to others that propel the evolution of the Sharingan. It's how when awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, it would take days or weeks for it to form as the person would have to come to terms of their actions."

He paused for a moment, remembering a certain person in his previous lifetimes. "However, there are some extremely rare exceptions to this rule. There was one certain individual who felt so much for someone's safety that she had managed to awaken the Mangekyō."

"However, with Huo Yuhao's case, the most likely method for his Mangekyō to awaken is through the action of.... losing someone close to him. His desire to form a connection with people is strong, so much so that even though he said he wanted to leave them behind so he can truly grow stronger, he still wasn't able to cut them off; as he left behind a clone with the promise of returning."

Skydream nodded, understanding the complexities of the Mangekyō Sharingan's awakening. He knew that it wouldn't be easy for Huo Yuhao to reach that next level, but he also knew that Huo Yuhao had the strength and determination to overcome any obstacle.

"...Oi,"

"Oww!" Skydream yelped, turning his head to see Ice Empress staring at him in annoyance.

"What is it now?" Skydream grumbled, rubbing his head where she had flicked him.

"What the heck is this Mangekyō Sharingan?" she asked.

"..." He let out a sigh and began to explain.

As merging process continues, Huo Yuhao's body convulsed violently every single second, his body letting out popping or cracking sounds but he remained steadfast.

Straightening his back, sitting cross-legged in mid-air, his jade-green Sharingan narrowed as he began a breathing exercise to calm himself and numb his mind to the pain.

Slowly but surely, the merging process was going much more smoothly and at that moment Huo Yuhao was completely still and silent except for his steady breathing and slowly rising up and down chest to show that he was still alive.

'Persevere. Persevere. Persevere!'

He repeated those words in his mind, as if it were a mantra.

By the time the jade-green light covered all the bones in Huo Yuhao's torso, the jade-green light on the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's body began to dim.

The soul bone created by the Ice Empress' main body was naturally the quintessential part of her strength. Though this process of reconstruction was painful, the future effects of this soul bone would vastly exceed that of Huo Yuhao's other soul bones. This would bring enormous benefits to his growth.

Though the Skydream Iceworm was a million year soul beast, in terms of who could give Huo Yuhao the most well-rounded benefits, he would definitely lose out to the Ice Empress.

Huo Yuhao's body trembled incessantly. A layer of ice beads had already formed on his skin; that was created by his sweat freezing up. Traces of blood had already started seeping out from his seven apertures, causing the layer of skin underneath the ice beads to be completely red.

The speed at which the blood within his body was circulating had already reached an astonishing degree. If this were anyone else, they would've already exploded and died! However, the powerful spiritual forms of the Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress were currently protecting Huo Yuhao's body.

In the beginning, the jade-green lights were merely strands of string that covered his spine, sternum, and ribs. As time passed, however, these strands of jade-green light started gradually expanding and widening, creating an outline of Huo Yuhao's entire skeleton.

The pain Huo Yuhao felt began to change yet again. His still figure began to twitch as an alternating feeling of extreme cold and extreme hot began to spread throughout all of the bones in Huo Yuhao's torso.

The icy cold seemed to freeze his bones, causing them to ache and shiver uncontrollably. It felt as if his entire body was submerged in freezing water, numbing his senses and making it difficult to think.

But just as quickly as the cold came, a wave of intense heat followed. It felt like his bones were being set on fire, burning with a searing pain that was almost unbearable. The heat was so intense that it made his vision blur and his consciousness waver.

Yet, through it all, Huo Yuhao stayed conscious. He forced himself to stay focused, to endure the pain without losing himself. He knew that this was a crucial moment, a turning point in his cultivation path, and he couldn't afford to falter.

As the merging process continued, the alternating waves of cold and heat intensified. Huo Yuhao's body convulsed violently as the power of the Ice Empress' soul bone merged with his own.

His mind became filled with a swirling chaos of pain and sensation. It was as if his entire being was being ripped apart and reformulated, his essence being forged anew.

"Yuhao, you have to be careful now. Right now, the fundamentals of your fusion with the soul bone have been completed. The only thing that's left is the complete fusion between it and your bones. I'm going to seal the power of the soul bone in your skeleton, allowing you to progressively absorb it in secret."

She paused for a moment. "...It's very possible that the pain you'll suffer during this last step will exceed that of the previous parts of the fusion. You'll have to persevere. Even Skydream and your Ancestor might not be able to give you any help during this process, and it'll take three hours or so."

"If you can endure it, you'll be able to possess this soul bone I'm giving you."

Ice Empress gently said, exhaustion in her voice. After all, she was fusing her body with Huo Yuhao! The amount of pain she had withstood was definitely not less than Huo Yuhao's. Only, the amount of willpower she'd obtained after cultivating for several hundreds of thousands of years far exceeded anything that Huo Yuhao could even compare to.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath in, his jade-green Sharingan glowing brightly with great resolve and determination. "Do it."

Was the Skydream or Ancestor truly unable to protect Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea? The answer was naturally a definite no. The Ice Empress only said this in order to strengthen Huo Yuhao's willpower by another level. Only in a situation with no way out would he be able to stimulate his potential to its greatest possible extent.

However, the very instant the last bout of pain started, Huo Yuhao's body suddenly jolted. His spiritual sea surged violently, nearly collapsing in an instant.

He was able to endure pain, and he was also able to withstand the alternating hot and cold. At this moment, however, what he suffered was a kind of pain he was nearly unable to withstand. That was, an itch.

The instant the Ice Empress made her move, Huo Yuhao felt a violent itch come from every part of his torso. It was as if there were an innumerable number of ants that were crawling about his veins and bones. This itch dug all the way to the bone, and it was omnipresent.

In that instant, Huo Yuhao's only thought was to thoroughly destroy his own body and scratch it ferociously, stopping this bout of pain.

Huo Yuhao's body was convulsing and shaking violently, but he was simply unable to control it. This acute bout of pain was causing the bones in his entire body to unceasingly release sounds of cracking.

Ancestor and Skydream were solemnly lying in wait; they had already prepared to make a move at any time. Once Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea showed any signs of collapse, they would not hesitate to intervene.

The illusion forest in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea immediately broke apart, revealing its original form as a golden sea. This golden spiritual sea surged violently, occasionally trembling, occasionally rumbling like a sea wave. His jade-green bones gradually turned dark-green, then went back to jade-green. During this continuous process of transformation and fusion, he felt the most violent bouts of pain.

Ancestor, Skydream and Ice Empress waited nervously.

Will Huo Yuhao handle this and be reborn as the continent's greatest genius?

.....

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