Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 410: Reunions and Healing

The sect had barely settled from the shocking conclusion of the Elder Summit's Martial Tournament, but that didn't stop the Lightning Sect from celebrating the spectacle that had just unfolded.

Every tavern, every street, and every dining hall across the sect's headquarters was alive with the roar and jubilation of disciples and elders alike, the occasional crackle of Lightning mana igniting the air as spirits ran high. Drinks flowed freely, the halls filled with cheers as the personal disciples and sect members relived Lassim's fight over and over, some still convinced that they had hallucinated what they had witnessed.

"Two attacks! The guy threw out two attacks, and Raizan was just gone!"

"Not just gone, the guy disappeared for a second! You saw it! The void just swallowed him! And then Lassim spat him back out like he changed his mind about erasing him!"

"If Elder Baruun's [Lightning Burst] was weaker than that attack… then what kind of monster did we just witness reach the Spirit Transcendence stage?! I bet only the Sect Master is stronger than him within the sect"

Lassim, moving through the celebratory crowds with relative ease, waved off most of the praise with a casual smirk or nod, but his focus was already set elsewhere. He had someone he wanted to find.

The energy of the sect's streets carried him forward, the atmosphere buzzing with revelry, and then—he spotted him.

Jiro.

His former servant rank friend sat at one of the many bustling sect taverns' outdoor seating area, his table empty except for a nearly empty mug as his fingers idly traced the rim in front of him. The golden embellishments of his Personal Disciple martial robes caught the flickering light of the lanterns, but what caught Lassim's eye was the way his posture was tense, his expression unusually brooding despite the laughter surrounding him.

Lassim took a seat across from him, casually pulling the mug from Jiro's grip and drinking the last remaining sip. "If you're just gonna stare at it, might as well share."

Jiro blinked out of his thoughts before snorting, shaking his head. "I'm glad you're doing well and in the Sect Master's good graces. Congratulations on the win. Plus, you sure rose quickly in strength, didn't you?"

"It is what it is,," Lassim quipped, setting the mug down. But then, his tone shifted. "Alright. Out with it. What's weighing you down and why are you taking cultivation so seriously that you even became some elder's Personal Disciple after being punished at servant rank?"

Jiro sighed, fingers clenching and fingernails digging into his palms. His eyes flickered to the side, as if checking to see if anyone was listening, but there was just the raucousness of the crowd all around that drowned out their conversation, before settling on Lassim.

"It's Mirana."

Lassim leaned forward, his storm eyes sharpening as he tensed, "What happened?"

Jiro exhaled heavily. "She was there with me… when the Sun Sect attacked headquarters last year. She and I were paired together on defensive duty. We fought, we held our little spot on the line... but—"

His jaw clenched, and for the first time in a long while, Lassim saw something rare in Jiro's eyes. Guilt.

"I was too slow."

Lassim remained silent, waiting.

Jiro's hands tightened into fists. "I was half a second too late to reach her. Just half a second—and that was all it took. One of those Abyssal-tainted Sun Sect bastards got through to her before anyone else in the line could react. She lost her entire left arm and nearly bled out."

Lassim's eyes darkened slightly.

"It wasn't a clean cut either," Jiro continued, voice low with restrained anger. "The Abyssal corruption seeped into the wound instantly, making healing nearly impossible. The sect's best contracted healers managed to triage her and regrow the limb after several hours, but the damage was still there, buried deep in her mana pathways, slowing her cultivation. Even a full year later, her left arm is weaker than her right and the lingering corruption is making it difficult for her to raise cultivation. She's been struggling and stagnant ever since, despite trying to meditate. She literally cries in pain for hours every time she attempts to."

Lassim processed the information carefully. Abyssal corruption lingering in the body that long… Even with the best of the sect's healing abilities, if the corruption had taken root that deeply, it was a miracle Mirana had kept her cultivation intact at all and didn't turn into a demon like the Sun Sect disciples had.

And then—as if summoned by their words—Mirana appeared.

She approached their table carefully, carefully balancing two mugs in her arms, her stance slightly stiff as she adjusted the grip to hold them the best she could with her normal right hand. Despite the effort, she shakily put them on the table and spilled a couple of drops. However, her face lit up at the sight of Lassim.

"You're really the center of attention, huh?" Mirana teased, carefully moving one of the mugs over to be in front of Jiro before holding onto her own with her right hand. "Not that I expected anything less after what you pulled to stop Jiro from being bullied back then."

Lassim smirked, but his focus shifted to her left arm. His spirit sense pulsed outward subtly, scanning the limb for lingering traces of what Jiro had described.

And he felt it. Not only could he see the shocking paleness of the skin, but inside—it was faint—but it was still there. Bright reddish Abyssal residue, coiling deep within her body like an invisible poison, slowing the natural flow of her Lightning cultivation. He could see how it was blocking several points and that it was even slightly multiplying, though incredibly slowly and almost imperceptibly.

Lassim stood abruptly.

"Hold still."

Mirana blinked, confused. "What?"

Before she could react, Lassim lifted a hand, summoning a pulse of his fused mana. The void storm-infused water, his signature healing technique [Lifestream Aegis] unfurling around his fingers.

A shimmering, celestial blue light wreathed in red Lightning flickered into existence, swirling as it condensed into a spiraling formation around his palm. The very presence of the technique made the air hum with vitality, and drew several eyes as the density with its essence tinged with his divine mana caused an immediate effect in the surroundings.

Jiro stiffened. "Lassim—"

"Relax," Lassim said smoothly, reaching forward slightly pressing his hand against Mirana's shoulder.

The moment his power flowed into her, she gasped.

A deep, residual sickness lurched within her body, reacting violently to the sudden intrusion of his healing mana. The Abyssal corruption attempted fight back—but it was hopeless.

Lassim's current cultivation and power had long since surpassed the normal realms of healing. His divine-infused mana, his still growing mastery over [Water], and his new dominion over the [Law of Storm], all combined to obliterate the corruption in an instant.

Mirana stiffened, eyes widening as a flood of relief rushed through her. For the first time in a year, she felt the natural flow of Lightning in her meridians return to normal—completely unhindered. The power of [Lifestream Aegis] was filled with vitality that the color of her arm returned and seemed to match the natural warm-white tone on the rest of her body.

Lassim withdrew his hand, his expression satisfied. "Give it a few weeks. Your arm will be back to full strength."

Mirana stared at him, her eyes misting over. Then—without warning—she lunged forward, throwing both her arms around him in a tight hug. It was the first time she could move the arm without pain and just that fact sent her eyes into a full on flood.

Her drink sloshed dangerously as she had bumped the table getting up, but she didn't care.

"Lassim, you—" Her voice broke slightly. "Thank you. Thank you."

Jiro, watching her reaction, exhaled deeply, relief flooding his face for the first time since their conversation started and probably for the first time in a year. Though, the resolution to never slow down and be as fast as possible so that he could reach for Mirana and protect her when she needed it seemed to become stronger. The look in his eyes intensified for a split moment and even Lassim seemed to twitch as he sensed a familiar wisp of [Speed Lightning Law] appear for a fraction of a second.

Jiro went red instantly, caught completely off guard. "M-Mirana—?!"

But Mirana just grinned. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for my body to feel normal again. You better be accompanying me back to my residence hall later, Mister!"

Lassim chuckled at Jiro's utterly flustered expression.

"Well," Lassim mused, grabbing Jiro's new untouched drink as payment and downing a swig and keeping it for himself. "Now that that's handled… How about you grab yourself a drink and let's enjoy the night, yeah?"

Mirana beamed, finally relaxing in full for the first time in months.

And with that, the celebration officially began for the trio.

As the celebrations stretched deep into the night, the Lightning Sect pulsed with life in a way it hadn't in years, somewhat erasing the scars left behind by the Sect War in more ways than one. Disciples and elders alike filled the taverns, gathering halls, and open courtyards, recounting the battles and the other non-combat competitions of the Elder Summit with boisterous enthusiasm. The streets were alive with the sound of clashing mugs, hearty laughter, and the occasional burst of friendly sparring— drunken disciples testing their limits against one another in lighthearted arm wrestling contests or games of chance.

Yet, through all the revelry, one truth remained on everyone's minds: Lassim had redefined the limits and potential of each stage's power once again.

The once untouchable gap between disciples and Elders felt blurred for the first time in sect history. The whispers of his monstrous power had not faded overnight—instead, they had only grown louder.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

Even now, hours later, the name Lassim Rohese Vanthar was a frequent topic on everyone's lips.