Kanoru's eyes slowly fluttered open to the dim, crimson-hued world.
For a brief moment, his vision was blurred.
The faint glow of the blood moon filtering through the cabin window mixed with the golden sunlight, creating a soft, dreamlike haze.
He blinked a few times, his pupils adjusting to the gentle light.
His body felt… strangely light—as though a heavy weight had been lifted.
There was no lingering pain, no ache from his previous wounds.
He felt comfortable, as if he had just awoken from a peaceful slumber.
But then—
The memories surged back into his mind.
The battle.
The invader's monstrous strength.
The wind sword pierced through both of them.
The sensation of his life slipping away.
His eyes snapped wide open.
In an instant, he sat up abruptly, throwing the light sheet covering his body aside.
His hands frantically ran over his torso, his fingertips searching for the gaping wound that had torn through his belly and back.
But there was… nothing.
No injury.
Not even a scar.
Kanoru's hands hovered over his stomach in disbelief, his breathing quick and shallow.
The sudden movement startled the two occupants in the room—one sitting on each side of his bed.
They stirred awake with a sharp intake of breath, their bleary eyes blinking rapidly as they focused on the figure sitting upright.
Both pairs of eyes—one fiery and sharp, the other soft and gentle—widened in shock.
It took them only a second to register what they were seeing.
And then—both women lunged forward.
"Asuna? Mingzhu?" Kanoru barely had time to say their names before he was wrapped in their arms.
Both women clung to him, burying their faces against his chest, their bodies trembling slightly.
Their arms squeezed him tightly, as if afraid he might vanish if they let go.
Kanoru's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He felt wetness against his skin and heard the faint sound of muffled sobs.
He could feel their tears soaking into his shirt.
His brows knit together in confusion.
"…Why are you two crying?" he asked softly, his voice still slightly hoarse.
Asuna's shoulders shook faintly, and she lifted her head slightly, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Her voice cracked with raw emotion.
"W-we thought…" she choked out between sobs, "w-we thought you were going to die…"
Her voice trailed off, breaking at the end.
Kanoru's arms, still stiff with surprise, slowly relaxed.
He wrapped them around both women, holding them tightly.
He could feel their trembling frames pressed against him, their warm tears dampening his skin.
He slowly nodded, understanding their fear.
But in the back of his mind, he was still confused.
He had felt himself dying—he was sure of it.
And yet… he was alive.
And his body was fully healed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What happened?" he asked slowly.
His voice was low and slightly rough.
He glanced between Asuna and Gu Mingzhu, his eyes filled with puzzlement.
"Who saved me?"
He frowned slightly.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought perhaps one of his comrades had used a rare spiritual treasure or some unknown power to revive him.
But Asuna shook her head, her tear-streaked face lifting to meet his eyes.
"No one saved you," she whispered softly.
Her voice was steady, but her eyes were still wet with emotion.
Gu Mingzhu sniffled slightly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You saved yourself."
Kanoru's brows furrowed slightly.
He stared at her, confused.
But before he could ask, she gripped his hand tightly, her eyes brimming with joy.
"Your cultivation realm advanced…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Her lips parted into a soft, trembling smile.
"…to the Spirit Realm."
Kanoru's eyes widened in shock.
For a moment, he froze, his thoughts grinding to a halt.
"What…?" he breathed softly, barely registering the word.
Without another word, he closed his eyes.
He quickly turned his focus inward, activating his inner vision.
And then—he saw it.
His eight gates were now permanently unlocked.
Completely open.
And more than that—they were linked.
His chakra channels now formed a continuous, circular flow, creating an entirely new chakra circulation.
Wind elemental energy flowed through his meridians effortlessly, without obstruction or resistance.
It surged through his body, replenishing his vitality—even without his conscious control.
His eyes snapped open.
Slowly, he raised his right palm before his eyes.
He took a slow breath and willed his chakra to the surface.
A faint, silvery-blue mist of chakra swirled around his hand.
And then—
With just a thought, he manipulated it.
The mist shifted, bending and stretching.
It twisted into the shape of a blade, thin and sharp.
Then it melted into a serpentine form, slithering along his fingers.
With another thought, it morphed into a sphere and floated just above his palm, rotating slowly.
His breath hitched slightly.
This was the ability of the Divine Samurai Realm—the spirit realm.
The ability to manifest and shape chakra with mere will.
He had finally advanced.
After twenty-eight years of coming into this world…
He had finally broken through.
He could feel it—the new vitality surging through him.
His muscles felt lighter and stronger, his senses sharper.
And though he could not tell precisely how much his lifespan had extended, he knew one thing for certain:
If he were not killed in battle, he could now easily live for more than a century.
His heart was still racing slightly.
He lowered his hand, his eyes flickering between Asuna and Gu Mingzhu, who were both watching him with tearful smiles.
Neither of them said anything.
They simply watched him take it all in.
A few minutes later, the door burst open.
Asuna had already shared the news with the rest of the crew.
One by one, the members of the ship flooded in to see him.
Some were laughing with relief.
Some were still wiping away their tears.
Others knelt before him, clutching his hands in gratitude and reverence.
And for the next few hours, the entire ship celebrated.
Warlocks came to see him one by one, offering their joy, their relief, and their admiration.
But after a while, Kanoru gently raised his hand.
He gave them a tired but grateful smile.
"Thank you… for coming," he said softly.
His voice was warm but slightly strained with exhaustion.
"But… I need some time alone."
The warlocks hesitated briefly, concerned for his well-being.
But seeing the calm determination in his eyes, they slowly bowed their heads and began to file out of the cabin.
One by one, they left.
Until only Asuna and Gu Mingzhu remained.
Kanoru slowly looked at both of them.
He gave a faint, reassuring smile.
"I'm fine," he said softly, his voice warm.
"I just… need to check the changes in my body."
Though reluctant, the two women slowly nodded.
They both leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
And with tearful smiles, they quietly left the room.
Kanoru slowly leaned back against the headboard, closing his eyes.
Kanoru took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes once more.
The soft hum of the ship's creaking frame and the faint sound of waves lapping against its hull faded into the distance.
His consciousness turned inward, sinking into the depths of his being.
It was time to truly explore the changes brought by his advancement to the Spirit Realm.
---
He started with his body.
Slowly, he sent his perception flowing through his limbs, his chest, and his core—carefully sensing every part of himself.
And immediately, he noticed the difference.
His cells—once only capable of holding chakra—were now brimming with it.
But more than that—they had changed.
His chakra was no longer the same—it was now infused with wind elemental energy.
Every single cell of his body carried tiny, shimmering traces of wind energy, making his entire form feel weightless and swift, as though he were part of the wind itself.
His skin, his muscles, even his bones were subtly enhanced—their density and flexibility increased by the fusion of chakra and wind elemental power.
But that was only the beginning.
Kanoru pressed deeper, turning his attention to the Eight Gates.
He sensed the familiar warmth of the seventh gate—once the pinnacle of his mortal cultivation.
But now, there was more.
His brows furrowed slightly in concentration.
He realized the eighth gate was no longer separate.
It was… within the seventh gate.
The two gates had merged into one, forming a large, expansive space within him.
A boundless void-like chamber where chakra and vitality mingled and fused together.
His heart quickened slightly.
The chakra source.
Before his advancement, every cell in his body had acted as a source of chakra.
But now—there was another.
The chakra source, or spirit source, was a core reservoir of power—a space that continuously gathered and refined chakra mixed with wind elemental energy.
This source was far more potent than his previous reserves.
He could feel it—pulsating steadily like a second heart, overflowing with energy.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly in focus.
While fighting, he would now consume chakra from this source first.
Only when it was depleted would his cells begin supplying chakra.
This meant his combat endurance had increased significantly.
His energy reserve had at least tripled—and it was still improving.
Even now, the evolution of his body was ongoing.
He could feel it.
His entire being was slowly but surely merging with the wind elemental spirit.
His body was becoming one with the wind, making him incomparably compatible with the element.
He slowly lifted his hand and twitched his fingers ever so slightly.
Instantly, a razor-thin wind blade formed at his fingertips.
It hovered for a brief moment, its edge shimmering with a faint silvery-blue glow.
Then—with a mere flick—it whipped through the air, leaving a thin, soundless line in its wake.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly.
That small, effortless motion…
And yet, he could sense its lethality.
Even such a simple, casual attack could now slice through the body of a higher-rank enemy.
The realization made his heart pound slightly.
The leap in power was astounding.
And he was still evolving.
---
Satisfied with his physical condition, Kanoru shifted his focus inward once more.
He entered his spiritual world.
The moment he did, his breath hitched slightly.
Floating around his soul was a faint, shimmering rune, slowly shifting and evolving.
It pulsed softly, its ethereal glow ebbing and flowing like the wind itself.
Kanoru slowly reached out his consciousness, brushing against the rune.
The moment he made contact, his mind flooded with a sudden, overwhelming clarity.
He could feel it—every fragment of understanding he had ever gained regarding wind elemental energy.
The cutting edge of a blade, the invisible pressure of a gust, the mournful wail of a storm—every sensation, every experience of the element—was contained within that rune.
And more than that—it was still growing.
A soft breath escaped his lips as he stared at it in awe.
He could feel it in his bones—this rune was a gift from the world itself.
A reward for reaching the Spirit Realm.
With this rune, his comprehension of wind elemental energy would continue to deepen.
But more importantly—
He could create spells from it.
Spells that could help his descendants and close ones understand wind elemental energy.
He could pass down his insights, making it easier for them to advance to the Spirit Realm in the future.
For a brief moment, he stared at the rune, the faint light reflecting in his eyes.
Then he slowly pulled his consciousness back.
---
Kanoru sat on the bed, his eyes half-lidded in thought.
His hands slowly clenched and unclenched as he processed everything he had discovered.
His power had soared.
But his journey was far from over.
He knew—from the fragments of information he had gleaned about the Spirit Realm from others—that advancing in this realm was not about cultivating more chakra.
It was about deepening his understanding of the element.
Currently, he had only 1% comprehension of wind elemental energy.
The road ahead was long.
He would have to refine and expand his insight, allowing his understanding to grow.
At 31% comprehension, he would advance to the Spirit Lord Realm.
And at 61%, he would reach the Spirit King Realm.
Kanoru's eyes glimmered faintly with determination.
He wanted to start practicing immediately.
The desire to immerse himself in the wind—to deepen his understanding—burned fiercely in his chest.
But he slowly exhaled, reining himself in.
There were other matters that required his attention.
The ship.
The journey to the Sacred Continent.
He had been unconscious for hours—possibly longer.
He needed to see how their voyage was progressing.
With a faint sigh, he slowly pushed himself off the bed.
His body felt light and swift, filled with vitality.
He walked toward the cabin door, his steps soundless, as though he were gliding on the wind itself.