NOVEL WEB Chapter 307: New Ability
The corner of the black robe in Ethan's hand had vanished.
When he first spotted it, the hem had been submerged in water. The moment he lifted it, that portion instantly disintegrated into icy dust.
This was proof of just how terrifyingly cold the water in the pond was. Even if he'd brought a container, it would have shattered instantly. Strangely, despite its extreme chill, the water itself showed no signs of freezing.
"I'll teach you an arcane method to store it in your Mindscape," Morzan said.
Suddenly, a method for circulating Soul Power appeared in Ethan's mind.
"Huh…?" He froze. Wasn't this the same ability he'd envied the Whitmore family for?
Ignoring Lars' presence, he immediately began channeling his Soul Force according to the technique.
With a thought—whoosh!
The black robe in his hand disappeared.
Ethan's eyes lit up as his consciousness plunged into his Mindscape. There, the vanished robe lay discarded on the island at the center of the lake.
"Hah!" No more lugging around a backpack for him.
His consciousness snapped back to his body, and he charged into the Frostveil Cavern.
The moment he stepped inside, his eyebrows and hair frosted over once more. The biting cold sliced into his flesh like knives. Here, even the flow of his Soul Sense slowed to a crawl.
Standing at the edge of the Frostpool, he focused his will and attempted to draw the water into his Mindscape.
"Hmm?"
The pool remained unchanged. Instead, a sharp pain lanced through his skull, nearly sending him to his knees.
"Use the arcane method to manifest the Gate of Ascension in the physical world, then absorb it," Morzan said, exasperated.
Ethan had foolishly tried to wrap his will around the entire pool and haul it wholesale into his Mindscape.
Staggering, Ethan realized his mistake and switched to the method Morzan had implanted in his mind. But here, the circulation of his Soul Force was slowed by more than tenfold.
After what felt like an eternity, a shimmering portal slowly materialized above the Frostpool.
Before Ethan could react, the vines and branches coiled around his Gate of Ascension—the same ones he'd seen during his first visit to his Mindscape—suddenly writhed to life.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
They plunged straight into the water.
'What the hell?'
Ethan's shock lasted only a second before he sensed it—his Soul Force was growing stronger.
Was this… because of the vines?
The next moment, his Gate of Ascension expanded violently. From its original one-meter span, it ballooned to nearly three meters before finally stabilizing.
"Hurry up and absorb it! What are you waiting for?" Morzan barked inside his mind.
"Right!" Shaking off his daze, Ethan activated the arcane method again.
A powerful suction erupted from the gate.
Whoooosh!
A towering pillar of water erupted from the pool, arcing straight into the portal.
Inside Ethan's Mindscape, the same column of water crashed down into his spiritual lake.
Hssssss!
The moment the frigid water met the lake's surface, an explosion of white mist erupted, so cold it felt like liquid nitrogen had been poured into his soul.
Ethan's head screamed in agony—as if every neuron in his brain were freezing solid.
"Endure it! Take in as much as you can!" Morzan urged.
Ethan cursed inwardly. 'Damn it… this hurts like hell.'
Within seconds, despite the cavern's subzero temperatures, sweat beaded on his forehead. But he gritted his teeth and maintained the suction.
If Morzan said this was valuable, then it had to be. The old man had never been this excited before.
One minute passed. Then five. Ten. Thirty…
Ethan pushed himself to the limit, enduring the skull-splitting pain for a full fifty minutes. The Frostpool's water level had dropped by five meters.
"Enough! Any more and your head will explode!" Morzan shouted, stunned.
He hadn't expected Ethan to last this long. The kid's willpower was beyond anything he'd imagined.
By now, Ethan's Mindscape was completely obscured by mist, the temperature plummeting to unknown depths.
Despite Morzan's warning, Ethan held on a little longer before finally reaching his limit.
With a groan, he retracted the Gate of Ascension and stumbled out of the cavern.
Lars was nowhere to be seen.
Dazed and fighting the lingering pain in his skull, Ethan staggered toward the exit of the Silverwood family's forbidden grounds.
As he stepped out of the valley, Ethan blinked in confusion. The once-bright sky had turned a murky yellow.
Gritting his teeth against the lingering agony in his mind, he descended the mountain. The Combat Arena, which had been chaotic earlier, now lay eerily silent. Not a single person remained.
His eyes narrowed. A faint crimson barrier encased the entire arena like an inverted bowl.
"Where is everyone?"
Ethan quickened his pace, rushing toward the entrance of the Silverwood family's hidden territory. But when he reached the stone path's end, the portal he'd used to enter was gone. The passage had been sealed shut.
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the Whitmore family's quarters, spreading his Soul Sense outward.
Whoosh!
His soul perception expanded—now covering a radius of five hundred meters, five times farther than before.
When his senses brushed over the Whitmore residence, relief flooded him. The familiar auras were still there, along with several new ones.
He vaulted over the courtyard wall.
ROAR!
A golden dragon materialized before him, jaws wide. Ethan instinctively raised his arms to block—
—only for the dragon to vanish, replaced by Melinda Whitmore.
"Ethan! Where have you been?" Her face was etched with worry.
"I… went deeper into Silverwood territory," he replied, omitting the forbidden zone.
"Did you find Lyla?" Melinda glanced behind him.
Ethan's expression darkened. He shook his head slowly.
"Ethan! Help me!"
"Ethan, save my grandfather!"
Two voices rang out as Evelyn and Bobby burst from the main hall.
Ethan's eyes flickered with understanding. He followed them inside.
The room was packed.
Amber stood there, still dressed in masculine attire. Kiara, Aunt Melody, Samuel Wynn—even Iris Hargrove and her father, the head of the Hargrove family—were all gathered around a single figure.
Grandmaster Quinn lay on a makeshift bed, his breaths shallow and labored. He was on the verge of death.
"Ethan, I've barely stabilized him," Evelyn said urgently. "The poison is a complex blend—I can't neutralize it all. Can you…?"
She didn't need to finish. Ethan understood.
"Tree Form—activate!"
Hummm.
A colossal tree materialized behind Ethan, its roots coiling like a spirits limbs.
Huh?
Something felt different. The Tree Form had changed in a way he couldn't quite grasp.
Pushing the thought aside, he extended his hand and focused.
Skill: Nature's Cure!
A sphere of emerald energy materialized in his palm, threaded with swirling silver light.
Every eye in the room locked onto him.
This was… his fourth known transformation.
Only Kiara Quinn seemed to look past the spectacle, her gaze fixed on the phantom tree behind Ethan. Her brow furrowed, as if deciphering a hidden truth.