Deadline

Indra and Enyo finally separated after several minutes of hugging.

They both looked to be slightly embarrassed, yet it was for entirely different reasons.

Enyo's mind was in complete disarray. Not only had she threw herself at her prince, but she'd also cried all over him as well.

'Bad Enyo! Bad!'

Indra on the other hand was still reeling from that sudden confession that he wasn't supposed to hear.

In a bid to distract himself, he began to investigate the glass case containing cultivation techniques.

The vampire picked up two different techniques and analyzed them carefully.

"Those... were your mother's." Enyo explained when she noticed what he had grabbed.

One was a movement technique called Dark Moon Art. The second was a dual sword technique called 24 Wraiths.

"Enyo, how long do you think we have before a larger search party arrives?" Indra asked while staring at the books.

"I would estimate around five days. Maybe four, why?"

"I want to try cultivating here for a little while. I doubt very seriously I'll be able to find a place as quiet as this once we leave."

Enyo slowly nodded in agreement.

It certainly wasn't a bad idea for her prince to take his first steps here, since there likely would not be another search party sent out so quickly.

"Alright, my prince. Will you require my assistance, or would you prefer solitude?"

"Wait in the ring for now. I'll call you if I need help."

"I hear and obey." Enyo bowed deeply before her body changed into a dull mist and she slowly disappeared into one of the rings on Indra's finger.

Since there was still a bit of lingering qi in Indra's body, he didn't need to do anything more than sit down and begin cultivating the energy.

He once again closed his eyes and envisioned his body as a mountain.

Only this time there was an abundance of rain falling down his once dry landscape.

The rain flowed downwards, nurturing the wildlife and renewing it's strength.

Or at least it should have been.

The energy was not being absorbed into his body and strengthening it as it was intended.

If this continued, the energy within his body would dissipate before it could even be utilized.

'My body's composition has changed, so maybe I am in need of a better breathing method?'

Indra opened his eyes and glanced at the glass case nearby.

With a wave of his hand all of the manuals inside came flying out and circling around him.

Evidently his new powers could be used as easily as if he'd always had them. He didn't understand how such a thing was possible, but for right now he would focus on cultivating and then investigate his new body more later.

Five breathing techniques came rotating into view.

Indra briefly glanced over all of their names and was able to gain a small understanding over their uses.

The breathing technique he selected was an art called 'Breath of Origin and Demise'.

This was the breathing technique of the first vampire king said to have been passed to him from the blood god himself.

It was a method of breathing that enabled one to cultivate while even in the midst of combat. Breath of origin and demise was also designed for cultivators in higher realms who had a greater difficulty absorbing qi.

Indra immediately opened the booklet and started reading.

If anyone in the world was watching Indra's current actions, they would have to pick their jaws up off the floor.

Not only was he able to comprehend such a profound breathing technique, but he was also able to do it as someone who had never cultivated before in his life.

Less than 1% of the most heaven defying geniuses could learn advanced techniques their first time cultivating and yet Indra was learning a transcendent grade one.

If Enyo had not gone to sleep in the ring, she would have found the current situation to be beyond absurd.

She also would have assumed that no one other than her prince could have pulled off such a great feat.

After about half an hour, Indra believed he had a firm understanding of the booklet as he placed it on the ground in front of him.

Closing his eyes again, he concentrated on making his breathing very shallow.

Indra once again tried to absorb the lingering qi within his body and he was immediately overcome with terrible pain.

However, instead of being alarmed he maintained his calm composure.

When qi was absorbed into the body for the first time, it's job was to cleanse the body of any impurities or foreign substances.

While Indra remained motionless and breathing shallowly, small black blots appeared in various places on his skin.

These were the impurities that had accumulated within his body during his lifetime.

Because he was a vampire, his body did not have many impurities to purge anyway so he did not become terribly dirty.

Once the qi had consolidated itself in the center of his body, Indra began trying to imprint himself into it, effectively making Enyo's qi his own and forming a core.

A core was the source of a cultivator's power and the place where all of their internal energy was stored.

Enyo's misty purple qi became muddled and changed into a blood red color with streaks of black.

In Indra's stomach, just below his navel his core had finally been formed without any issues.

However, he nearly lost all of his concentration when he noticed something strange within his body.

The vampire wasn't aware of this before but it seemed that he also possessed an element within him that had been unused all this time.

Now that Indra finally had a core, his neglected lightning element was attempting to fuse with it, imbuing electricity into his qi and throughout his body.

The vampire fell into a trance like state as he continued cultivating nonstop.

He only had a few days before more search parties were expected to arrive so for right now, he had to do all he could to establish the foundation for his future survival.