Chen Wuya's hand was still pressed against the Royal Seal, heat burning against his palm. The warmth swiftly turned cold, like icy water crawling up through his meridians. He did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he fed Misaligned Force into it bit by bit.
A system prompt surfaced in his mind: [Host does not possess Snow Demon bloodline. Fusion success rate below 17%]
He said nothing, only gave a cold laugh. He had heard that sort of thing too many times. The academy instructors had said he could never cultivate proper internal arts, yet he had survived to this day by sending his qi down chaotic paths. This time would be no different.
He adjusted his breathing, splitting the Misaligned Force within him into two streams. One ran backward through the extraordinary meridians in his left arm, while the other surged in reverse through the eight channels of his right leg. When the two currents of true qi met at his chest, they collided violently, forming a twisted cycle. This was not the circulation method of any orthodox martial art. It was a crooked path he had cobbled together himself.
Yet this crooked path made the Royal Seal tremble.
The runes on the ice wall flashed for an instant, then dimmed again. The system prompt changed: [Error Rationalization activated—Misaligned Force Mimicry successful. Compatibility increased to 68%]
Bai Zhi stood nearby, fingers resting on her sword hilt. She watched Chen Wuya's complexion shift from red to white, fine sweat beading at his temples, yet he never loosened his grip.
Mo Feng lowered his head to stare at the instrument display and said softly, "The energy fluctuations are stabilizing, but there's a rejection reaction inside the Royal Seal. Forcing it any further could damage his meridians."
No one answered him.
Footsteps suddenly