Han Bei sat crosslegged inside his simple cave-dwelling, with the ghost holding spirit treasure laid upon his knees. His eyes were closed, but his body was tense, and muscles tout as if he was constantly exerting effort. He had reaped a sizable harvest under the jaws of the thousand-faced ghost centipede and now he struggled to take control of what he had taken.

It was easy enough to refine the dozen wandering ghost inside the ghost flag. It was their more restless and powerful cousins that brought Han Bei trouble. " It's been hours but the damned things still haven't settled down, " the pale cultivator complained as his spirit sense coursed through the ghost flag, and clashed with the ghosts within.

As it turned out refining ghosts was much harder when done without the help of the undying physique. Han Bei could empty the ghost flag and devour the stubborn phantoms as he had done with the young master of the Skeleton manor easily enough. Only, that wouldn't help him in a breakthrough to the 2nd realm.

There was a certain flow of power that needed to be found and maintained to break through the limits of the aperture and reforge it anew until there was a qualitative change in all aspects. Power,amount,purity. That is how one reached higher realms, that is how one walked the grand path. Very few cultivators attempted such breakthroughs without external resources and many myths surrounded such legendary figures. For most other souls, however, pills or special treasures were the norm when one attempted such an endeavor.

Han Bei was no exception. It was the biggest reason why he had increased his body refining cultivation to the limits of the 2nd realm and ventured to the southern parts of the nameless ravine. All of it so he could push his spirit cultivation back to the 2nd realm, where it belonged.

As He thought of his upcoming hurdle his will finally prevailed over the first of the hate-filled phantoms, and the cursed echo now danced to his tune. He sighed as his will brushed against the remaining brutal phantoms, and incoherent fragments of foreign memories filled with purposeless hatred scratched against his psyche. " This is going to be a long night. "

Eventually, with great grit and stubbornness comparable to the very same hateful phantoms he tried to refine, after 12 hours, Han Bei finally succeded. He smiled as now inside the ghost flag there was nothing but ghostly yin qi ready for his use. After he was done a part of him immediately wanted to enter closed-door cultivation. He was eager to increase his cultivation.

" Initial Heaven of the 2nd realm, " he muttered. That used to be his cultivation before he lost against the bastards of the Fang clan. It would be a portion of himself that he had regained. " A victory. A small one. A symbolic one. But one that proves That I haven't been broken. " He vowed to his distant foe in a silent bitter voice." I will kill you, kill you and take from you as you took from me, "

He was eager, desperate even. Still despite, his eagerness he knew better than to rush with things like these. He might die from backlash or even worse lose his cultivation." Calm, calm, calm... " Han Bei silently chanted as he slowly inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. He opened his eyes and the fire in them was dimmed but not extinguished. Never extinguished.

Before the self-imposed isolation, Han Bei allowed himself time to calm his mind and soul. He drank cheap wine that he had secretly bought in Last light while he mourned his martial siblings and reminisced of his good old homeworld. " Rainy world of Leitu it was called, " he remembered. " Home to those who came to accept the endless rain, and the ones who struggled against them. "

Later he left his cave-dwelling and stretched his body by repeating old combat forms, one's that fit more the art he used to cultivate rather than the one he practiced now. Done for the simple pleasure of nostalgia rather than any real exercise. And he mediated. Sleep gave him no peace of mind, so he sleeplessly dreamed of hopeful things that eluded him during true slumber.

Finally, after what passed for a day on Myris came to a close it was time. No distractions could be allowed after this point, for any could lead him to a bad end. As he readied the treasures needed for this cultivation session his thoughts gradually shifted away from the mortal struggles that plagued his mind and allowed but one thing to fully occupy his attention. The grand path!

His perception of the cave-dwellings interior disappeared. The sound of the outside faded as if muted, and his perception of self changed. He held an image of himself inside his mind, of how he was. That image suddenly contorted. Extended. Dissolved. Until all color and shape disappeared. Then he shrank. Then he reformed.

He was now a single point of light in infinite darkness. A single star in an endless void. He wanted to burn and illuminate the darkness. Burn it all away until there was nothing but his cold flame. Yet he was weak and his light so small. So he hungered for more power. Always more power.

Beneath him. Illuminated by his light, a river of green curses flowed. It snaked upwards beckoned by the star in its great hunger. He wished for power. So the mindless river of ghosts floated up to him and burned. It became fuel for him and his light, as both became colder.

The rived flowed slowly at first but then became quicker as the star demanded more. He wished for more, and so the river expanded. Slowly but surely more power flowed through the river of ghosts and he expanded. With each second he became greater and demanded more power, more sustenance. Always more.

The ghostly green river roared in response to the star's hunger and mindless curses turned into his green light. But it wasn't enough. The star wished to shine and light up the void so it grew greater and larger. It grew until it could grow no longer. Yet still, it devoured more power from the ghostly river. As more power coursed through his body he risked becoming unstable. He struggled but still, he felt tendrils of fire escape from his body. Great pillars of green fire extended toward the endless void and disappeared. " That was unacceptable. " the star thought and worked to amend the situation.

With tremendous will and tremendous, effort tendrils of cold flame turned away from the void and wrapped around him instead. As the cold flame coiled all around he resembled a great serpent that swallowed its tail as he started to shrink. The more power poured from the green river of ghosts the faster he diminished. With every second that passed his size diminished while the greatcoat of fire that surrounded him roared with dark power. The cold ghostly flame reforged the star. His light extended further than before and illuminated part of the void he had not seen for many many years.

If the star would have had eyes at that moment he might have cried. Such great was his joy. " I'm almost there, I'm almost at the 2nd realm... " Yet his joy quickly turned bitter. The cold light began to wane while the star expanded and the great power that started to refine it faded. The river of mindless ghosts was gone. " No, no! " The star protested.

Momentary Han Bei's awareness of his surroundings returned and he was back inside his shabby cave-dwelling. He was a star no more but a pale body of weird flesh and blood. The empty ghost flag clattered to the ground while Han Bei reached for another spirit treasure.

Han Bei's pale arm reached for the cursed chalice. Teeth clenched he endured Griefholder's nails bite into his palm, barely at any other time, while he desperately struggled to control the power that flowed inside his chest. The spirit treasure threatened to wreck his concentration. " Endure, endure you pale bastard, " Han Bei swore as strength left his body and entered the chalice becoming something else.

With a shaky hand, Han Bei brought the chalice close to his face and inhaled the cursed power inside. The ground underneath him fragmented as if it was sympathetic to the pressure he felt. The contents inside the cursed chalice reached Han Bei's aperture and mixed with the ghostly qi he had refined. The effect was immediate.

As he concentrated the world around Han Bei faded until he was a lonely green star that hung in an empty void. Before the cover of flame that refined him completely disappeared he beckoned another power. Another river appeared in the void. This one was as red as blood and flowed down from above. He barely had to think and the crimson river eagerly dashed toward him. The flames around him stopped fading and became energized burning brighter than ever before.

The star, fueled by the red river, shrunk again and this time it didn't stop. As if grasped by the iron grip of a giant he became a point of light in the darkness infinitely small but endlessly bright. The cold flames that covered him in their glorious fury burned around him no longer yet the light of the star didn't dim and radiated with dark glorious power.

" So familiar, yet so different, " Han Bei muttered after he opened his eyes. He was a 2nd realm cultivator once more.