Published at 11th of July 2026 6:29 am

Chapter 1839: Inner Sanctum

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Adam’s temporary housing was simple yet comfortable.

It was one of the rooms at the Rabbit Hole. A sturdy wooden bed occupied one corner, its mattress thick but surprisingly soft. Beside it stood a small bedside table, while a plain wooden cupboard rested against the opposite wall.

A narrow door led to a private bathroom. It contained a washbasin, a toilet, and a small bathing area supplied with running water through pipes.

The room’s most attractive feature, however, was the window.

Set into the outer wall, it overlooked the bustling streets of Trade Borough below. Merchants, travelers, and adventurers flowed through the district at all hours of the day, while the lights of shops and taverns painted the streets in warm shades of gold after sunset.

Not like Adam had the time to admire such a wonderful view, anyway.

As mentioned earlier, his housing was temporary. Depending on the vacancy of rooms at the inn, he would either occupy one of the empty ones or sleep in the cellar when all the other rooms were occupied.

The cellars were clean and safe, and that was enough for him.

Currently, he sat on the bed of one of the rooms on the fourth floor. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was stable.

He had retreated to his inner sanctum.

To the mysterious space within the Lotus.

"Been a while," he said softly as he looked at the light orbs inside the mystical place.

Compared to before, the number of souls inside had increased exponentially!

He had, after all, participated in a war not so long ago where the combined number of soldiers on both sides had nearly reached a million. Although Adam had spent most of the time away from the main battlefield, he had still absorbed a considerable amount of remnant souls.

The sheer number far exceeded the souls he had found when he first acquired the Lotus over a hundred years ago.

Clap! Clap!

Adam clapped his hands together, a faint, expectant smile on his face.

He spread his senses outward, locking onto the souls that he had absorbed back on Tron. These were the weaker ones — Mana Core Rank and below.

Perfect for nourishment.

Back on Tron, he was unable to absorb them because of the limits imposed by the planet. During his first nine months on Myrrandor, his life had been filled with too much danger and despair to even consider strengthening his soul. The following three months had been spent working and settling into life in Davos.

Now, exactly one year after he arrived on Myrrandor, it was finally time to take his soul to the next level.

Adam spread his hands wide. A moment later, he flexed them and brought them together in front of him, the right palm hovering above the left.

A faint ripple spread outward, and the mysterious space responded.

One by one, the weaker, dimmer motes of light drifted toward him. Drawn by an invisible force, they spiraled into the growing whirlpool between his palms.

Then they vanished into it.

Devoured.

Countless remnant souls poured into the vortex, their lights snuffed out as they were consumed and transformed into pure nourishment for his soul.

The Eternal Soul Lotus strengthened the soul. It nourished the soul. It purified the soul.

Like a patient gardener tending a seedling, it gently refined the soul, removing impurities while allowing it to grow stronger with each passing day.

After a long time had passed, Adam slowly opened his eyes inside the mysterious space.

For several moments, he remained floating there in a daze. His expression was completely blank, as though he was still recovering from the high.

Then his eyes sharpened.

In the next instant, he let out a long, loud, graceless burp.

"My goodness," he softly exclaimed. "That was the most souls I’ve ever absorbed in one sitting!"

The feeling of absorbing souls and strengthening his own was incredibly euphoric. Adam truly believed that, if not for his temperament, he would have become a mindless murderer, constantly killing to devour souls.

He really had to thank his parents and Anna for his upbringing.

He felt his spirit sea expand and his spirit body grow stronger. The invisible limits he had once faced in Tron were gone.

His soul now surpassed the boundaries of a Mana Core Magus and reached a level comparable to that of a newly advanced Mana Seed Magus.

He began to realize that the higher he advanced through the arcane ranks, the more souls he required to strengthen his own.

In many ways, the Mana Core Rank felt like the true first leap in a Magus’ journey.

Adam could still devour a little more before he started feeling "full".

But he had no intention of absorbing the weaker souls. Instead, he set his sights on one that contained memories.

He planned on devouring the soul of a being slain by Magus Stockholm himself!

He chose a random direction and flew through the mysterious space. Guided by instinct, he eventually arrived before a giant orb of light with multicolored hues shimmering across its surface.

This soul was powerful. Powerful enough to satiate him completely.

Adam stared at it for a long moment before slowly thrusting his hands into the sphere.

***

A young monk stood barefoot upon a narrow wooden post high above a mountain cliff.

Cold winds howled around him, yet he remained motionless. Behind him, stern masters watched as he learned the first lesson of the famed monastery — perfect balance.

The years that followed flashed by.

He sparred endlessly beneath ancient pines, learning combat rhythm and efficient movement. His masters corrected every wasted step, every misplaced strike.

They taught him how the body generated force, how a shift of the hips could shatter stone, and how pressure points, joint locks, and grappling techniques could disable stronger, bigger opponents.

Day after day, he endured reaction training until his body moved before conscious thought.

The scenes changed. Years turned to decades. The figure of the monk overlapped with that of a raven-haired youth with a small patch of bone-white hair.

Adam stood beneath waterfalls, practicing the Temple’s [Adamantine Body Method]. He meditated for months, sometimes years at a time, mastering breath control, meditative focus, and the still mind. Blindfolded, he learned to sense killing intent. Surrounded by disciples, he entered the battle trance, remaining calm amid chaos.

The decades became centuries.

The young monk grew into a master, an exceptional Paladin. He watched duels and instantly perceived flaws invisible to others. He learned predictive combat, reading opponents before they moved.

He embraced the philosophy of One Strike, One Kill, ending battles with ruthless efficiency. His [Master’s Eye] saw weakness in every stance, while his esoteric comprehension allowed him to understand the mysteries of nature and the universe.

The memory faded, leaving behind a lifetime of wisdom.

And the philosophy of the Celestial Bodhi Temple.

Share