The smell of fermented plums and ancient dust followed Old Man Gu as he led Lin Void deeper into the Spirit-Eating Forest, bypassing the usual trails used by the local sects.
"The world thinks the 'Truth' is a mountain you climb," Gu muttered, taking another swig from his gourd. "White at the bottom, Stardust at the peak. They're idiots. The Truth isn't a mountain. It's the air the mountain sits in."
Lin Void followed, his steps silent. He was analyzing Gu's movements. The old man wasn't walking; he was shifting. Every step seemed to skip a fraction of an inch of reality. It was a high-level Spatial Displacement technique, something Lin Void hadn't seen since his previous life as a Sovereign.
"You're a 'Void' user, brat," Gu said, stopping at the mouth of a cave hidden behind a waterfall of black water. "But you're using it like a blunt club. You 'erase' things. That's amateur. True Void doesn't just destroy. It replaces."
The Cave of the Whispering Void
Inside the cave, the walls were lined with Void-Silk Moss, a rare plant that consumed light. In the center sat a stone pedestal holding a cracked, obsidian bowl.
"Your 'False Fire Core' is a clever trick," Gu noted, turning to face him. "But if you ever meet a Gold Rank master with 'Spirit-Eye' vision, they'll see the violet heart beating inside that orange shell. You need a Vail-Core."
"And I suppose you have one?" Lin Void asked, his voice skeptical.
"I have the method," Gu grinned. "But the cost is pain. You have to let your Void core 'eat' your Fire core. You have to exist in a state of absolute zero for three days. If you fail, you turn into a puddle of grey slush. If you succeed... you'll be able to mimic any element you've ever touched."
Lin Void didn't hesitate. "Start the process."
Gu's eyes twinkled. "Hmph. No fear? You really are a reincarnated monster, aren't you?"
Three Days of Absolute Zero
The process was agony. Lin Void sat in the obsidian bowl as Old Man Gu poured Liquid Spirit-Ice over him.
To the outside world, Lin Void was a six-year-old child freezing to death. Inside his sea of consciousness, a war was raging. His "True Void" core was a predatory beast, and it was currently devouring the "False Fire" shell he had built.
CRACK.
The Fire Core shattered. The heat in his body vanished. His heart rate slowed to one beat per minute.
In his previous life, Lin Wu had reached the peak by being the strongest. But now, as Lin Void, he realized that strength was a cage. To truly be free, he had to be 'Nothing'.
By the second day, his skin turned translucent. He could see his own bones.
By the third day, the "Nothingness" inside him stabilized. The Void didn't just sit in his dantian; it flowed through his veins like ink. He reached out with his mind and touched a stray spark of fire from Gu's hearth.
Vrrrrm.
Suddenly, Lin Void's entire aura shifted. To any observer, he was now a White Rank, Tier 9 Fire Master. He flicked his finger, and a perfect, orange flame danced on his tip. He willed it to change, and the flame turned into a shard of ice.
"The Myriad-Mask Void," Gu whispered, leaning back in awe. "You actually did it."
The News from Stonehaven
As Lin Void emerged from the cave, his body felt lighter, more lethal. He was still physically six, but his presence was that of a coiled viper.
"You've been gone three days," Gu said, his expression turning serious. "Your father, Lin Tian... he's in trouble."
Lin Void's eyes sharpened, a flash of violet lightning dancing in his pupils. "What happened?"
"The Stonehaven Sect didn't take kindly to you breaking their disciple's knees. They couldn't find you, so they took the 'trash' who brought you to town. They've charged your father with 'Harboring a Criminal' and 'Theft of Sect Secrets'."
Gu took a slow sip of wine. "They're holding a Public Judgment tomorrow at noon. They plan to strip his Yellow-Rank core and execute him as an example to the other 'peasants'."
The Wrath of the Void
The air around Lin Void suddenly dropped twenty degrees. The grass at his feet didn't freeze—it simply turned to dust.
"They want to strip his core?" Lin Void's voice was a low, terrifying growl. "He reached Yellow Rank because of me. He suffered for six years to keep me hidden."
"The Stonehaven Sect Leader is a Yellow Rank, Tier 9," Gu warned. "And there are Imperial observers from the Jin Clan there. If you go in guns blazing, you'll reveal yourself."
Lin Void looked at his hand. He willed it to glow with a weak, 'White Rank' fire. But deep beneath that flame, the Void was screaming for blood.
"I won't reveal myself," Lin Void said, turning toward the path back to town. "I'm just a 'White Rank' son coming to beg for his father's life."
A dark, cruel smile spread across his face.
"But by the time I'm done... the Stonehaven Sect won't have enough people left to hold a funeral