Inside the vast and silent expanse of his sea of consciousness, Eklavya stood once again before the ancient blood pool beneath the dead tree. Its surface was unmoving, yet it radiated a pressure that made even his thoughts feel heavier.

  Following Magha’s instructions without hesitation, he carefully drew out a single drop of blood. He allowed it to hover above his palm, containing within it the remnants of primordial power.

  With a simple shift of intent, the cold metallic token appeared before him. It was suspended in the air as though it had always been waiting to be summoned.

  The blood droplet drifted forward on its own. It sank into the token’s surface without resistance or sound.

  For a brief moment, nothing happened. The silence stretched just long enough to raise doubt.

  Then the droplet emerged once more. It was unchanged in shape, yet clearly altered in essence. The primordial ki that once infused it was entirely gone, leaving behind only primordial blood.

  The difference was subtle, but undeniable. Eklavya immediately sensed that something fundamental had been extracted.

  “How did you take the primordial ki so easily and how?” Eklavya asked. His voice was steady, though curiosity lingered beneath his composure as he watched the token carefully for any further reaction.

  Magha’s response came with faint, knowing amusement. The sound echoed inside Eklavya’s mind rather than being spoken aloud.

  ‘All rings are connected to each other, regardless of distance or container,’ he explained calmly. ‘The two rings embedded within that token are linked directly to your three-coloured dragon ring, which is where I reside.’

  ‘So transferring the primordial ki was nothing more than redirecting a flow that already existed.’

  Eklavya nodded slowly as the explanation settled.

  Moments later, the token dissolved into nothingness, its purpose fulfilled. The now-ordinary blood droplet returned silently to the pool below.

  Almost immediately, Eklavya felt the suffocating pressure that had plagued his physical body fade away. It was replaced by a strange lightness, as though the very laws governing his flesh had shifted slightly.

  With that realisation, he withdrew his consciousness and returned fully to his physical form beneath the lake.

  When he opened his eyes, there was no pain for the first time since submerging.

  The water pressed against him from all sides. Yet his lungs did not burn, and his chest did not tighten.

  That alone confirmed that Magha’s method had worked.

  ‘What exactly did you do to my body?’ Eklavya asked internally. His gaze remained steady as he tested the sensation by inhaling reflexively, despite knowing air was absent.

  ‘I altered your body so it can survive without air,’ Magha replied. His tone was serious now, lacking earlier amusement.

  ‘However, this state is temporary. The primordial ki extracted was barely more than a point, and it will only sustain you for around twenty hours.’

  ‘Once that time passes, your body will revert. You must find a way out before then.’

  Understanding the urgency, Eklavya nodded inwardly.

  He turned his attention outward, only now fully taking in the underwater world concealed beneath the blood lake.

  He was far deeper than he had realised. So deep that even filtered sunlight barely reached this place.

  The water was dim and shadowed, though not completely dark.

  Countless small, white translucent fish drifted through the depths around him. Each emitted a faint glow like floating embers.

  Their collective light illuminated the space just enough to reveal crimson-tinted currents spreading outward.

  The blood from the lake above flowed in distinct directions. It formed streams that vanished toward unseen passages.

  One of those paths clearly led toward the river hidden within the valley.

  As Eklavya moved forward slowly, he realized there were no enclosing walls. No cave boundaries defined the space.

  It felt like a submerged world rather than the bottom of a lake.

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  Rising from the seabed were towering stone pillars. Ancient and worn, they extended upward toward a ceiling so distant it vanished into darkness beyond sight.

  His vision was limited not only by the dimness. The strange colouration of the water also played a role.

  A faint purplish-black luminescence filled the space. It was created by glowing fish mingling with blood-stained currents.

  The place felt deliberate and structured. As though shaped by intelligence rather than nature.

  Drawn by instinct, Eklavya approached one of the nearest pillars.

  Its surface was smooth in some places and eroded in others. At first glance, it appeared almost natural.

  However, as he circled it carefully, faint carvings became visible along its length.

  They were etched so deeply that time itself had failed to erase them, entirely.

  The symbols were unmistakably ancient. Even without understanding their meaning, they carried a weight that pressed against his consciousness.

  Surprise flickered across his expression as he recognised the structure of an old language, one far beyond the scripts used in the current era.

  ‘Magha, do you recognise this?’ he asked silently, expecting at least some explanation.

  Magha hesitated before responding. That pause alone was unsettling.

  ‘No,’ he admitted at last. ‘This language predates even my memory.’

  That answer alone confirmed the importance of this place.

  Eklavya descended further, following the pillar down toward the seabed where it was anchored.

  After travelling for some time, the land beneath finally came into view.

  The terrain was uneven. It was covered almost entirely in corals of countless shapes and colours.

  Their rigid forms interlocked like a naturally grown fortress.

  Here, the number of translucent fish was far greater than above. Their glowing bodies wove between coral structures in slow, deliberate paths.

  Eklavya searched for the base of the pillar.

  He found nothing.

  Dense coral clusters surrounded it instead. As though intentionally concealing whatever lay beneath.

  At Magha’s suggestion, Eklavya rose back into the water above. He observed the area from a distance.

  Only then did the hidden pattern reveal itself.

  The corals were not randomly distributed. Their colours, shapes, and spacing formed a precise formation.

  It was intricate. Deliberate. Integrated seamlessly into the seabed.

  Before either of them could analyse it further, the water suddenly began to tremble.

  A powerful current surged upward from deeper below without warning.

  The force seized Eklavya’s body instantly. It dragged him away from the pillar and hurled him in another direction before he could react.

  Eklavya did not know where the current was carrying him. One detail, however, stood out clearly.

  The blood-tainted water from the lake above was being drawn along the same path. It was swept relentlessly toward whatever lay ahead.

  Translucent fish were caught in the flow alongside him. Their glowing bodies brushed against his arms as they were carried away.

  Magha’s voice rang sharply in his mind. ‘You must get out of this current and find a stable place to meditate. These fish are condensed ki incarnate.’

  ‘Absorbing them will trigger a breakthrough if done properly.’

  Eklavya agreed immediately, but the current showed no mercy.

  Its strength increased as he struggled. He was forced to activate his Supreme Body and channel every ounce of strength he possessed.

  Turning his body against the flow, he swam with all his might. The current only intensified. It dragged stones and debris from the seabed into its path.

  Smaller rocks struck his body repeatedly. Larger ones forced him into desperate evasive manoeuvres.

  Each impact sent dull shocks through his reinforced frame.

  Drawing his sword, Eklavya infused it with a large amount of ki.

  He swung it in a wide arc toward the source of the current, releasing a powerful slash intended to disrupt the flow.

  The current did not weaken.

  Instead, it roared louder.

  It grew more violent as even larger debris was pulled into its grasp.

  A second slash followed. Fiercer than the first.

  The result was the same.

  This time, a massive stone slammed into him before he could evade.

  The impact launched him violently out of the current.

  His body crashed onto a dense coral bed.

  Blood escaped his mouth. It dissolved instantly into the dark water around him.

  Pain flared briefly.

  Then he forced himself upright.

  He spotted a raised stone platform nearby. It stood slightly above the surrounding corals.

  He floated toward it cautiously, scanning the area for threats.

  Then he settled onto its uneven surface and steadied himself.

  Looking at the translucent fish drifting nearby, an idea formed.

  He retrieved a cloth from his storage ring. He quickly fashioned it into a pouch.

  Reaching out, he began catching the fish by hand.

  They were not slippery at all.

  The moment he grasped them, they transformed into jelly-like orbs.

  One by one, he placed them into the cloth.

  The process was unexpectedly calming. Even faintly enjoyable.

  Memories surfaced of childhood days spent chasing fish with his brother during family travels.

  A small smile touched his lips.

  Magha interrupted. ‘What are you thinking about?’

  Eklavya shook his head gently, pushing the memory aside.

  ‘Just remembered something from the past.’

  With renewed focus, he continued gathering the glowing orbs until the cloth was full.

  He tied it securely and placed it before him.

  Then he settled cross-legged on the platform.

  The shimmering purple light from the jelly-like orbs illuminated the waters around him as he prepared to cultivate beneath the depths of Pranahara.