Vampire Progenitor of the Immortal World

Chapter 33: Chapter 33 : A Different kind of routine

The short dao felt different once Ethan was back in his room. Not because the weapon had changed, but because he had. A few days ago, he would have looked at it as another object he needed to survive. Now, after everything he had learned in the market, he understood that survival in this world required more than keeping a blade within reach.

He placed the dao beside the bed and sat down. The room at Willow House Inn was quiet. Outside, footsteps passed along the wooden walkway before fading toward the stairs. Someone laughed downstairs. A door opened, followed by the brief sound of conversation, then closed again.

Ethan opened his pouch. The coins inside made a soft sound as they shifted against one another. He counted them once. Then again. There was no reason to count a third time, but he did anyway. The result remained the same. He had enough to live for a while. Not enough to waste.

Ethan closed the pouch and looked toward the cultivation manual resting on the table. His eyes remained there for several seconds. The manual had cost him money. His room cost money. Food cost money. The weapon had cost money. Even the small things he had begun noticing around the market had prices attached to them. Cultivation was no different. If he wanted to continue, he needed resources. That much was obvious.

The next morning, Ethan returned to the market. He did not wander aimlessly this time. He already knew what he was looking for. The first stall had nothing useful. The second had herbs that were either too expensive or meant for cultivators far beyond his current level. At the third, he stopped.

A bundle of dried roots sat inside a shallow wooden tray. Ethan pointed at them.

"That."

The seller looked at him.

"Brute Root?"

"How much?"

"Three copper for one."

Ethan picked up one of the roots and turned it between his fingers. It was dry and hard, with a rough brown surface.

"What does it actually do?"

The seller gave him a quick look.

"Helps the body recover during early tempering. Nothing special."

"Nothing special?"

"For someone at your level, it’s useful."

Ethan placed it back.

"Two copper."

The seller laughed.

"Three."

"Two."

"Three."

Ethan looked at the other herbs on the stall.

"Then I’ll take nothing."

The seller’s smile disappeared. After a short silence, he sighed.

"Two and a half."

"I don’t have half a copper."

The seller stared at him before shaking his head.

"Two copper."

Ethan handed over the coins. The root disappeared into his pouch. He continued walking.

A little farther down, he saw the familiar green leaves. He stopped. For a moment, his eyes remained on them. He had seen something similar before. Not here. Near Stonebridge. Back then, he had only been passing through. The plants had been among other goods being moved on carts, and he had paid them little attention. Now he knew what he was looking at.

"Vitality Grass?"

The seller nodded.

"Fresh enough."

"How much?"

"Four copper."

Ethan looked at the bundle.

"Three."

"Four."

"Three."

The seller looked him over.

"You bargain over everything?"

"When I can."

The man snorted.

"Three and a half."

"I’ll take one."

"Three."

Ethan paid. He didn’t buy more. There was no reason to. He had learned enough already to know that spending everything he had simply because something was useful was not wisdom. Useful did not mean necessary.

He returned to Willow House Inn before midday. The first thing he did after entering his room was put the herbs away. The second was eat. The third was cultivate.

He sat on the floor with his back straight and placed the manual beside him. The method was simple enough to understand. Doing it was another matter. Ethan closed his eyes. He breathed slowly. Nothing happened. He waited. Still nothing. He adjusted his breathing and tried again.

This time, there was a faint sensation beneath his skin. It was so weak that he almost dismissed it. He continued. The warmth appeared again. A thin thread moved through his body, following the route he had learned from the manual. It was nothing like the imagined rivers of power he had once associated with cultivation. It was small. Slow. Difficult to control. But it was there.

Ethan kept his attention on it. The sensation faded after a while. He opened his eyes. His body felt tired. Not painfully so. Just tired. He reached for the Brute Root.

The next part of the method required patience. He followed the instructions carefully. There was no sudden burst of strength. No dramatic change. Afterward, he simply sat there, breathing.

Ethan looked at his hands. They looked the same. That was expected. He had not started cultivating because he expected miracles. He had started because he needed to see what would happen if he kept going. So he did.

The following day, he worked. The day after that, he worked again. He returned to his room each evening, ate, rested, and cultivated. The routine became simple. Work. Food. Cultivation. Sleep. Repeat.

There were no dramatic changes at first. His arms still became tired after work. His stomach still demanded food. His muscles still ached after a long day. But Ethan noticed small differences. The soreness disappeared a little faster. He could carry a load without needing to stop as often. His breathing recovered sooner after physical work. None of it was enough to impress anyone. It was enough to make him continue.

On the fourth day, he bought another Brute Root. On the fifth, another bundle of Vitality Grass. He kept his spending low. Every coin had a purpose.

One evening, after finishing his cultivation, Ethan remained seated instead of standing. Something felt strange. He looked down. The warmth inside his body had not disappeared. Usually, after the Qi circulation ended, the sensation faded within moments. This time, a faint heat remained. It was not in his muscles. It was deeper.

Ethan closed his eyes again. He followed the sensation. The warmth moved with his heartbeat. Once. Twice. Then it vanished.

His eyes opened. He remained still. That had not been part of the manual. He picked it up and checked the relevant section again. Nothing. He read it twice. Still nothing.

Ethan placed the manual down. He tried the circulation again. The Qi moved through his body. When it reached the same point, the faint warmth appeared. This time, he followed it carefully. The sensation seemed to gather around his blood.

He frowned.

"Blood?"

He stopped cultivating. For several moments, nothing happened. Ethan looked at his palm. Then he looked at the manual. He tried again. The same thing happened. The Qi moved. The warmth followed. His blood seemed to respond to it.

He did not like things he could not explain. Ethan remained seated for a long time. Then he continued. He changed nothing. He forced nothing. He simply observed.

The next evening, it happened again. And the evening after that. By the seventh day, Ethan had stopped wondering whether he had imagined it. Something was happening. He just didn’t know what.

That night, after his cultivation ended, he remained seated in the dark. The room was quiet. His breathing had slowed. The faint warmth was still there.

Then the Immortal Ring responded. Not with a voice. Not with a flash. There was simply a change in the familiar silence inside his mind.

Ethan’s eyes opened. A single thought appeared.

Blood Tempering.

He stared ahead. The words remained. No explanation followed. No list of abilities. No instructions beyond the name itself.

Ethan waited. Nothing else came.

He frowned.

"So that’s it?"

Silence.

He almost smiled. The Ring had done this before. It gave him just enough to make him work for the rest.

Ethan looked down at his hands.

Blood Tempering.

He repeated the words silently. Then he returned his attention to the cultivation method. If the Ring had revealed it now, there was probably a reason. But he wasn’t going to assume he understood that reason.

He began again. This time, when the Qi moved through his body, Ethan paid attention to the warmth surrounding his blood. He did not force it. He did not try to make it stronger. He simply allowed the sensation to follow the circulation.

For several breaths, nothing changed. Then his heartbeat became slightly heavier.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Warmth spread through his chest. Ethan’s eyes narrowed. He continued. The sensation moved downward through his body, faint but steady. It wasn’t power. Not yet. It felt more like preparation.

Ethan stopped before the sensation became uncomfortable. He opened his eyes and breathed out slowly. The warmth disappeared.

He looked toward the pouch containing the remaining coins. Then toward the cultivation resources on the table. His expression remained calm. Whatever Blood Tempering was, it would require time. Time required food. Food required money. Money required work.

Ethan stood. The dao rested beside the bed. The cultivation manual lay open on the table. The small bundle of Vitality Grass sat beside it. None of them looked impressive. But together, they represented something different. A beginning.

Ethan extinguished the lamp. The room fell dark. Tomorrow, he would work again. And tomorrow night, he would cultivate again. He had no idea where Blood Tempering would lead. For now, he only needed to take the next step.

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