Otherworldly Medicine King

Chapter 5: Breaking the Shackles, Stepping into the Storm

Dawn arrived without ceremony.

There was no sudden brightness, no dramatic shift from night to day. Just a thin stream of pale light slipping through the lattice window, quietly finding its way across Nolan King’s face.

It was gentle enough that it did not wake him.

What did wake him was something else entirely.

A sharp, familiar sensation stirred deep within his body. It felt intrusive, persistent, like someone tapping insistently on the inside of his skull. Not painful, but impossible to ignore.

“Ah… ya… ya…”

The sound was weak and faint, barely more than a whisper. It reminded Nolan of the cries of a newborn child, small and pitiful, yet demanding attention simply by existing.

The source of the sound lay buried deep within his body, lodged in a vital inner point near his core. There, tangled in a mass of dark green, corrupted blood, the strange spirit plant he now carried trembled violently. Its budding surface pulsed as if alive, a thin opening quivering in slow rhythm, almost like breathing.

The message it sent was not subtle.

I am hungry.

Nolan yawned and stretched, arms lifting above his head. For a brief moment, he could almost pretend he was waking up in his own bed, in his own world, after a long and peaceful night.

Almost.

Ever since he had isolated the source of corruption the night before, the crushing heaviness that had plagued this body for years was gone. Completely gone. His breathing felt smooth and natural. His limbs responded easily when he moved. Even his thoughts felt clearer, as if someone had wiped dust from his mind.

He had slept better than he expected.

Honestly, he had slept better than he had in years.

If Luna had not woken him once during the night to check his fever, the night would have been perfect.

“Ah… ya…”

The weak cry came again, sharper this time. More impatient.

Nolan opened one eye and stared at the ceiling.

Then he sighed.

“All right. I hear you.”

Ever since the strange spirit plant had absorbed the corrupted blood and accepted him as its master, it had stopped feeling like an abstract concept or a game mechanic. It was no longer just an object with functions.

It felt alive.

Not in a comforting way, either.

It had instincts. Awareness. And an appetite that made Nolan uneasy.

With little choice, he sat up on the bed and crossed his legs. He lit a candle, and warm golden light spread across the room, chasing away the lingering shadows of night. He reached for the slender silver needle beside him and began the familiar sequence of movements.

His fingers worked calmly, confidently. Twist. Press. Adjust. Each motion flowed into the next without hesitation.

As his pace increased, the air around him seemed to hum faintly. The medicinal energy lingering within his body stirred in response, as if it had been waiting for his command.

The plant reacted immediately.

The moment the first stream of refined medicinal essence reached its resting place, the weak cries vanished.

Silence.

The opening on the bud widened, swallowing everything in its path with frightening speed. It consumed without hesitation, without restraint, like a starving beast that had finally found food.

Nolan frowned.

In less than fifteen minutes, nearly half of the medicinal energy he had carefully preserved was gone.

Not weakened.

Not diminished.

Gone.

He slowed his hands and inhaled sharply.

“That is a bit much.”

The plant had barely formed. It was not even close to maturity, yet it consumed energy at this rate. Nolan could not help but wonder what would happen when it grew further.

If it sprouted leaves.

If it bloomed.

If it reached full maturity.

He did not like the answers his imagination offered.

As if sensing his thoughts, the bud slowly sealed itself. The trembling faded. The spirit plant curled inward and fell silent, sinking back into dormancy as if nothing had happened.

Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Nolan shook his head.

“You really are shameless.”

Despite his complaint, he did not stop.

He adjusted the needle and shifted into the second phase.

This time, he did not direct medicinal energy toward the plant.

This time, he targeted his own spiritual power.

He guided the flow toward a major inner channel that governed the circulation of energy throughout the body. Clearing it was not optional. It was the foundation upon which everything else depended.

He began circulating his cultivation method.

Deep within him, three inner nodes responded immediately. They trembled as spiritual energy surged forward, rushing toward his fingertips and into the needle with each careful movement.

This time, Nolan did not restrain himself.

The instant the energy entered his inner channels, it felt like a massive weight crashing into still water. His entire body reacted.

The needle vibrated violently, its faint hum rising and falling. Inside him, waves of force rippled outward, colliding with long-blocked pathways.

Heat surged through his body.

His skin flushed red as warmth seeped from his pores, rising like mist into the air.

Then something shifted.

A powerful current surged upward from the base of his core.

The spiritual energy began to break down, refining itself further as it moved. Once the process began, there was no stopping it.

Green-tinged wisps of energy scattered like fog, streaming upward and pouring into his inner reservoirs.

In that moment, Nolan finally understood.

Ten years.

Ten years of struggle, pain, and relentless effort.

The energy he now controlled was terrifyingly pure.

And it belonged to him.

The inner reservoirs filled rapidly, too rapidly. Pressure built until it felt like his body might tear itself apart.

Then he sensed it.

A barrier.

Invisible, yet absolute.

“So this is it,” he murmured. “A breakthrough.”

Excitement surged through him.

His hands moved faster.

Wave after wave of energy slammed into the barrier.

The impact was explosive.

A thunderous shock echoed through his body, and Nolan’s frame jolted violently.

Then the resistance vanished.

Weightlessness washed over him. The pressure disappeared, replaced by a smooth and flowing sensation that spread through every part of him.

He had advanced.

The power increase felt unreal.

Strength flooded his limbs. His senses sharpened. His thoughts became clearer than ever.

For a brief moment, Nolan understood why people lost themselves to cultivation.

He steadied his breathing and pressed on.

The refined energy continued to flow, encountering another barrier deeper within him.

This time, he was careful.

He compressed the restless power, forcing it inward, binding it tightly until it trembled at the edge of eruption.

When the pressure reached its limit, Nolan released everything.

The energy burst free like a wild beast breaking its chains.

Cracking sounds echoed from his bones.

Pain tore through him, sharp and merciless. His muscles screamed, his limbs trembling violently as if they might fail.

Still, his hands did not slow.

Minutes passed.

Long, brutal minutes.

Then the resistance disappeared.

The inner pathways opened completely.

Energy flowed freely now. Smooth. Powerful. Endless.

Another advancement.

At the same moment, a final obstruction dissolved.

The main energy channel within his body was completely clear.

Only then did Nolan slow down, carefully stabilizing the flow before withdrawing the needle.

He collapsed slightly forward, drenched in sweat.

His clothes clung to him. His breathing was uneven.

Less than half an hour.

Two breakthroughs.

One after another.

As the exhilaration faded, reality returned.

This body was still weak.

If he had lacked experience or control, it would have collapsed under the strain.

Nolan exhaled slowly.

“Strengthening this body comes first.”

The cost was not small.

Rare medicine.

A staggering amount of gold.

Just thinking about it made his temples ache.

A knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open slightly.

Luna peeked inside and froze.

A small yelp escaped her before she slammed the door shut, her face burning red.

Nolan blinked, then quickly grabbed his clothes.

A moment later, her muffled voice came from outside.

“Uncle… breakfast is ready.”

At the table, she refused to meet his eyes.

Not even once.

Watching her fidget, Nolan chuckled softly.

In his old world, this kind of warmth would have been impossible.

Here, though, it felt real.

Comforting.

And for the first time since waking up in this unfamiliar body, Nolan King realized something important.

The chains holding him back were breaking.

And beyond them, waiting patiently, was a storm that would change everything.