Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 348 348: Nothing can stop me now

Lucas did not waste time after the demonstration. He moved to the center of the training ground and looked at the twelve cultivators one after another, his gaze steady and serious, carrying none of the excitement they were still feeling.

"This power will consume you if you treat it like a blessing," he said calmly. "So you will learn it properly, or you will not use it at all."

Bartho inclined his head. "We are ready."

Lucas nodded once. "Good. Pair up."

There was a brief hesitation before they moved, each cultivator choosing an opponent with care. Jennifer stepped back slightly, already assessing everyone with a healer's eyes. Lucas gestured toward her.

"You observe for now," he said. "Your role will matter later."

She bowed lightly. "Understood."

When the pairs were set, Lucas raised his hand again. "Activate the gauntlets, but limit the draw. If I feel any of you losing control, I will shut it down myself."

A chorus of affirmations answered him.

The first duel began cautiously. Two cultivators faced each other, both grandmasters, both tense. As soon as they engaged, the gauntlets flared softly, pulling Qi from the surroundings. Their movements sharpened instantly. Strikes that would normally take a full breath to gather power now came one after another, fast and precise.

One of them laughed in disbelief as he barely blocked a strike. "This feels unfair."

Lucas's voice cut through the moment. "Do not laugh. Feel where the Qi is going. Guide it. If you let the gauntlet decide everything, you are already dead."

The cultivator's expression sobered immediately.

Bartho stepped into his own duel next, facing an ascendant cultivator just below his level. The moment they clashed, the ground cracked beneath their feet. Qi surged violently, but Bartho forced it down, circulating it with brutal discipline. Lucas watched closely, arms folded.

"Better," Lucas said. "But you are relying on raw intake. Slow it down."

Bartho grunted as he adjusted mid exchange. "Like this?"

"Yes," Lucas replied. "Make the power yours. The gauntlet is a gate, not a crutch."

Jennifer moved between the duels, calling out warnings. "Your meridian flow is uneven." "Do not let it pool there." "Breathe, you are overdrawing."

Lucas glanced at her briefly and nodded in approval before returning his attention to the fighters.

As the duels continued, mistakes surfaced quickly. One cultivator lost control for a split second, Qi flaring dangerously around her arm. Lucas appeared beside her instantly, pressing two fingers against her gauntlet.

"Enough," he said firmly.

The surge cut off at once. She staggered, breathing hard, eyes wide with fear.

"You hesitated," Lucas said evenly. "On a battlefield, that hesitation would tear your meridians apart."

She bowed deeply. "I understand. I will not repeat it."

Hours passed like this. Duels ended and restarted. Pairings changed. Sweat soaked into the ground. The cultivators grew exhausted, but their control improved visibly. Movements became cleaner. Qi circulation became smoother. The gauntlets stopped feeling foreign and began responding naturally to their intent.

Bartho wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed quietly. "Leader, this is harsher than any training I have endured."

Lucas finally allowed a faint smile. "Good. War will be worse."

Jennifer approached Lucas as the last duel ended. "They are learning quickly. Faster than I expected."

"They have to," Lucas replied. "Because when we step onto the battlefield, there will be no room for learning anymore."

The twelve cultivators regrouped in front of him, breathing heavily but standing straight, eyes burning with resolve.

Lucas looked at them one final time. "Remember this feeling. Remember the control you earned today. Because the enemies we face will not give you second chances."

They all bowed deeply, not as subordinates alone, but as warriors who understood the weight of what they had just been entrusted with.

"Jennifer," he said, his tone calm but carrying authority. "Come with me."

She straightened at once. "Yes, Leader."

He then looked back at the remaining cultivators. "You are dismissed for today. Rest, circulate your Qi gently, and reflect on what you learned. Tomorrow will be harder."

Bartho clasped his fist to his chest. "We will not disappoint you."

One after another, the twelve bowed deeply. As they straightened, their eyes lingered on Lucas, filled with something that went beyond respect. It was reverence, mixed with disbelief. They watched him turn and walk away, Jennifer following a step behind, his posture unhurried yet unshakable.

A grandmaster among them spoke quietly, almost to himself. "To think someone this young could command power like that."

Another replied in a hushed voice, "Not just power. Did you see how he corrected every mistake before it turned fatal. That is battlefield wisdom, not talent alone."

Bartho exhaled slowly. "Power can be given. That kind of clarity cannot."

Their voices faded as Lucas and Jennifer moved farther away.

As they walked through the palace corridors, Jennifer finally spoke, breaking the silence that had settled between them. "Leader, thank you for earlier. You trusted me with observation before action."

Lucas glanced at her briefly. "A healer who rushes without understanding becomes a liability. You watched, learned, and corrected others without panic. That tells me enough."

Her eyes brightened with quiet pride. "I will live up to that trust."

They reached his chamber not long after. Tom was not present, likely occupied with preparations elsewhere, and the room was calm, filled with the faint lingering chill that always followed Lucas's cultivation. The ice belle was nowhere to be seen, probably indulging herself somewhere in the palace kitchens.

Lucas gestured for Jennifer to sit while he moved toward a cabinet near the wall. "What I am about to give you is not meant for reckless use," he said as he opened it. "These enhancement potions are designed specifically for healers. They sharpen perception, accelerate recovery of spiritual energy, and stabilize the mind under extreme pressure."

Jennifer listened intently, her posture straight. "That will save lives on the battlefield."

"That is the intention," Lucas replied as he brought out several small vials, each sealed carefully. "But misuse will exhaust you faster than normal healing techniques. You must know when to stop."

She accepted the vials with both hands, bowing deeply. "I will remember every word."

Lucas nodded once, satisfied. "Good. You are not just their healer. You are their anchor. When panic spreads, you will be the one to hold them together."

Jennifer met his eyes, her voice steady despite the weight of his words. "Then I will stand until my last breath."

Lucas turned slightly toward the window, his expression thoughtful. "That resolve is why I chose you."

Jennifer held the vials close to her chest, her fingers tightening around them as emotion flickered briefly across her composed face.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I will treasure these and use them well."

Lucas shook his head slowly, his expression calm and earnest. "You do not need to thank me. This is not for me, and it is not for you alone. It is for the kingdom, for the soldiers who will bleed on the field, and for those who still hope to return home."

She looked at him with renewed respect, clearly understanding the weight behind his words. Without another attempt at gratitude, she nodded firmly, then bent into a deep bow, one filled with solemn promise rather than formality.

Lucas returned the bow without hesitation, his movement unhurried and sincere, acknowledging her not as a subordinate but as a pillar of what was to come.

When she straightened, she turned quietly and left the chamber, closing the door behind her with care.

The room fell silent once more.

Lucas stood where he was for a moment, his thoughts settling after the intensity of preparation and responsibility.

His mind shifted, drawn to another presence entirely.

The empress.

It had been days since he last saw her, and despite everything that had occupied his time, a part of him had remained aware of her condition, of the immense struggle she was enduring behind closed doors. He could still remember the pressure in the chamber, the overwhelming celestial Qi, and the sheer will it must take to push past the boundary separating mortality from true immortality.

Lucas exhaled slowly.

If she had succeeded, the entire balance of the kingdom would change. If she had not, then the cost of failure at such a threshold could be catastrophic.

Straightening his robes, he moved toward the door, his expression composed but his thoughts heavy.

As he walked down the marble corridor toward the empress's chamber, he almost collided with Tom, who was carrying a small satchel of supplies.

"Master," Tom said, bowing slightly, "we were about to come look for you. The ice belle has been awake for some time."

Lucas glanced past him and immediately noticed the small figure perched lightly on the stair railing, her hair glinting faintly in the morning light. The ice belle's aura was sharper, more refined, and the energy emanating from her was unmistakably stronger.

"So she's awake," Lucas murmured, his eyes studying her carefully. "It seems that her rest wasn't mere sleep. It was more like a hibernation. She's grown… stronger."

The ice belle yawned, stretching her tiny arms with surprising elegance, her eyes glimmering with a mischievous spark. "You've been gone for too long," she said, her small voice carrying more authority than her size suggested. "I was resting, but don't think I've forgotten you leaving me behind."

Lucas chuckled softly, a mix of amusement and admiration crossing his face. "I can see the difference already. That rest has worked wonders. You feel… more alive than ever."

She tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly as if measuring him. "Of course I am. I always am. But now… I'm even more prepared for whatever comes next."

Tom, standing quietly beside them, glanced at Lucas with a hint of concern. "Master, are you certain it's wise to let fight in the war? Her power has increased, but…"

Lucas waved a hand dismissively, though his eyes stayed on the ice belle. "She's bound to me. I feel her strength. It's no longer just a trickle of energy; it's focused, disciplined, and entirely under my awareness. She can handle herself."

The ice belle, hearing this, puffed out her tiny chest proudly, letting a faint sparkle of frost dance across her small form. "See? I told you. Nothing can stop me now. And I will not waste it."

Lucas smiled, a rare softness touching his expression. "Good. Then come with me. I need to see the empress. But stay close. I want to understand the full extent of your new strength, and there's little time before the battles ahead."