Otherworldly Medicine King

Chapter 11: Shock

The sun stood high above the Nolan clan’s training grounds, flooding the wide stone arena with harsh golden light. Heat shimmered above the slabs, bending the air in slow, wavering ripples. Dust drifted lazily in the breeze, carrying the dry scent of earth mixed with the faint metallic tang of released spirit power.

Energy pressed in from every direction.

Nolan stopped at the edge of the field and simply watched.

Dozens of spirit masters trained in organized formations. Blue streams of water twisted through the air like living serpents. Crimson fire burst outward in violent flares, folding in and exploding again. The ground trembled in steady yellow pulses. Sharp blades of wind cut through space in spinning arcs. Threads of violet lightning snapped with a sound like splitting stone.

Five elements.

Five paths toward power.

And somehow, standing there, Nolan felt as though he were still trailing far behind.

For several days he had locked himself away in cultivation. No noise. No distractions. Just breath after breath and the steady circulation of spirit energy through his body. In isolation, progress felt quiet. Manageable. Almost fragile.

Out here it felt different.

Raw.

Heavy.

Real.

Explosions rolled across the arena in uneven rhythm. Light flashed and faded. Techniques collided and dissolved into drifting sparks. Watching it all stirred something inside him that refused to stay calm.

He did not want admiration.

He did not crave recognition.

He wanted strength.

Because without strength, nothing else truly mattered.

Among the five elements, wood was the rarest. Across the entire continent, only a handful of wood element spirit masters had ever advanced beyond the highest known realm. In three hundred years of the Nolan family’s history in Jiyang City, only two people had awakened that attribute.

Him.

And his older brother, Nie Qiong.

Nie Qiong had never cultivated.

The memory tightened Nolan’s jaw. He pushed it aside before it could dig deeper. Some thoughts were better left untouched.

Right now, the issue before him was simple.

He possessed only one genuine combat technique.

Flower Burst.

And it was incomplete.

The technique had appeared when Ravena advanced in rank, its power intertwined with her existence in ways Nolan still did not fully understand. Without her support, its destructive force dropped sharply. If she ever fell dormant or became weakened, he would be dangerously exposed.

On a battlefield, hesitation could cost a life. Dependence was a weakness.

He exhaled slowly and moved toward the northwest corner of the training grounds.

The noise softened beneath a small grove of trees. There, thick wooden posts stood planted in neat rows. Each was about half a man’s height and as wide as a basin.

Red Bloodwood.

It was known for its resilience. Even a seasoned spirit master could strike it repeatedly without leaving serious damage.

Yet durability was not its most valuable trait.

Fine spirit inscriptions were carved into each post. The patterns were faint and nearly invisible until activated. When struck, they responded immediately. A bright glow indicated strong force. A dim glow revealed weakness.

There was no room for pride or excuses.

Spirit inscription masters were rare within the clan. Only the Second Elder possessed that skill. Weapons inscribed by him were treasured and carried significance. Receiving one meant that you had proven your worth.

Nolan was not there yet.

Not even close.

For now, he needed only one thing.

Progress.

Rapid and undeniable progress.

If he advanced quickly enough, he could gain access to the second floor of the Spirit Medicine Hall. Eventually, he might earn the right to cultivate within the Ice Flame Cave behind the mountain. Those places were not mere symbols. They could drastically accelerate growth.

He stopped before one of the Red Bloodwood posts.

The surrounding world seemed to narrow.

Flower Burst.

He inhaled slowly.

Spirit power stirred within him, responding to his focus. His right palm shot forward.

A faint green blossom formed against his skin just before impact. It looked small and delicate, almost harmless.

Then it exploded.

A solid thud echoed through the grove. The inscriptions flared briefly with a soft green glow.

Dim.

Not impressive.

But stronger than yesterday.

He had already reached the sixth rank of Spirit Gathering.

The realization warmed him more than the sunlight above.

He struck again.

Executing Flower Burst required careful precision. He circulated the Five Star Transposition Art. Three apertures within his spirit soul began to vibrate in unison. Spirit power flowed through their connecting channels and gathered within the tender sprout at his core. From there it surged outward through his central energy point and along his meridians toward his palm.

In the brief instant before release, he compressed the energy.

Tighter.

Denser.

Sharper.

When the power shaped itself into a blossom, he released it. The energy burst outward from its center, spreading through invisible petals.

The more tightly he compressed it beforehand, the greater the explosion.

There was one limitation.

His primary meridians were not yet fully open. Spirit power did not flow as smoothly as it should. It resisted and dragged, like water forced through damaged pipes.

So he relied on control.

Strike after strike, he fell into rhythm.

The Red Bloodwood flickered pale green each time his palm landed. Around him, other posts flashed in brighter colors, blue, red, yellow, violet. The contrast was clear.

And others began to notice.

Someone behind him spoke quietly.

Look over there. That is green.

Another voice responded. Wood spirit power?

I thought there was only one wood element member in the clan.

Yes. Nolan King. The sick one.

Did it not take him ten years just to reach first rank?

Poor guy.

Poor? His sister in law is beautiful. I would not complain.

A few laughs followed.

More youths drifted closer but kept a respectful distance. Interrupting cultivation was forbidden.

An older boy crossed his arms. Your information is outdated.

Oh? Tell us then.

He broke past first rank days ago. Entered the Spirit Medicine Hall at third rank.

The laughter stopped.

And yesterday he struck the Spirit Testing Stone.

What did it show?

Fifth rank.

Silence fell heavily.

That cannot be true.

Two ranks in one day?

What did he take?

You cannot stack those medicines without consequences.

Unless something else is happening.

One youth leaned forward.

That is him.

Are you certain?

I live near his house. That is Nolan King.

A sharp breath spread through the group.

If he was fifth rank yesterday and the glow just now was that strong, then he must be at least sixth.

Which meant he had advanced again.

In a single night.

For ten years Nolan King had moved forward at a painfully slow pace, dismissed and overlooked.

Now he was rising fast enough to make others uneasy.

Was this the hidden potential of a wood element spirit master?

Or was something else at work?

Nolan continued striking the post.

He did not turn around, but he could feel their stares.

Curiosity.

Suspicion.

Unease.

And something new.

Expectation.

He gathered his energy once more.

This time the glow burned brighter.

He stepped back and studied the surface of the post.

Still not enough.

There was more inside him. The sprout at his core felt denser than before, almost restless.

He slowed his breathing.

He circulated the Five Star Transposition Art again, pushing deeper. The apertures vibrated more intensely. Spirit power surged with greater force.

The sprout trembled.

A faint pulse echoed through his meridians.

Something shifted.

Not a breakthrough.

But close.

The energy forming in his palm felt heavier now. More compressed. Dangerous.

He hesitated for only a heartbeat.

Then he struck.

The green blossom that formed was vivid and bright. It did not look fragile anymore.

It exploded against the Red Bloodwood with a sharp crack.

The inscriptions flared brilliantly, flooding the grove with emerald light.

The surrounding voices fell silent.

Even the leaves seemed still.

When the light faded, Nolan lowered his hand slowly.

A thin line marked the surface of the Red Bloodwood.

It was not a crack.

But it was close.

Someone whispered behind him.

That was not sixth rank.

Another voice answered softly.

It was approaching seventh.

His heart pounded.

He had not broken through.

But he had touched the threshold.

The barrier between sixth and seventh rank felt thin now. Fragile.

Within reach.

If he crossed it, everything would change.

Access to better resources.

More attention.

More scrutiny.

More danger.

Because sudden growth never went unnoticed in the Nolan clan.

And attention was rarely kind.

When Nolan finally turned to face the gathered youths, their expressions had changed.

There was no laughter now.

No pity.

Only calculation.

That unsettled him more than mockery ever had.

Strength did not only attract respect.

It attracted rivals.

He glanced once more at the faint line on the Red Bloodwood.

Was it a warning?

Or a beginning?

Deep within him, the sprout pulsed again.

Stronger.

Hungrier.

In that moment, Nolan understood something clearly.

The storm everyone feared was not approaching from the outside.

It had already begun.

And it was rising from within him.