At this point, Ceceada's mind went blank due to the extreme euphoric feeling that he is experiencing, hundreds if not thousands of times better than the euphoric feeling that he experienced before when he upgraded his physique to Low Basic Physique.
Not known by him, The mana inside him is being compressed into the center of his core, making banging sounds for kilometers on the forest as they attempted to implode inside his core!
For a few hundred meters near Ceceada, one will see that there are no trees anymore, not even ashes anymore as they had already scattered on the atmosphere, caused by the continuous and exponentially stronger shockwaves being released due to the implosion of his mana.
What does this scene imply? He is breaking through the Elemental Formation Realm!
Although it seems like it that he only upgraded for only a level of difference between the Low Basic Physique and Mid Basic Physique, their difference is too wide and very incomparable.
If Low Basic Physique can still tolerate being inside a cultivator with Body Refinement Realm, the Mid Basic Physique won't allow that to happen because those geniuses with such physique are innately born with Elemental Formation Realm cultivation at the very start. Thus, Ceceada's body directly attempted breaking through the Elemental Formation Realm the moment it gained such a powerful physique!
Such physique is so rare that even for the entirety of Rook City, no one knows the existence of such physique!
This is the reason that Ceceada didn't have a single clue that this will be the effect of such transformation.
When breaking through the Elemental Formation Realm, the cultivator will experience immense change. Even though Elemental Formation Realm cultivators won't see huge difference in their physical strength, their overall combat power will still skyrocket because of one reason- That is the ability to control and manipulate the laws of nature purely based on their whim!
In the center of Ceceada's core, a small and black spheroidal seed is forming. The seed is gluttonously absorbing the mana in Ceceada's body, not letting any bit to escape. Because of the suction force of the seed, it seems like mana is imploding inside Ceceada's core.
Although not noticeable, the seed's size is increasing bit by bit as it absorbs mana.
After a while, all of the mana inside Ceceada's body are absorbed by the seed and now, it is the size of a rice. However, as if unsatisfied, the seed started to absorb mana that are outside of Ceceada's body greedily, instantly distorting the air around him.
For a few kilometers around him, the thin bluish layer of mana on the atmosphere started to spin around Ceceada, while slowly being pulled on his vortex-like body.
With more mana to absorb, the seed started to grow little by little until it occupied the entirety of Ceceada's core. When it finally can't occupy more space in Ceceada's core, it suddenly stopped its suction force.
As if a freed bird, the mana that are yet to be sucked also suddenly stopped spinning and started escaping back to the atmosphere.
Ceceada's core that is now entirely occupied by the black seed started emit smoke.
Crackle...
The sound of fire burning started to hum in his core. On the surface of his transparent core, faint small cracks started appearing, glowing orange-yellow apertures slowly being revealed on the cracks, resembling a burning ember.
Still unconscious due to the divine feeling, Ceceada does have null knowledge on what the heck is happening in his body. He expected breaking through to the elemental formation later, not today.
After some time, his core is now fully engulfed with burning yellowish color, resembling the sun.
Although the light being emitted by his core is not entirely visible, a faint reddish light can be seen on his chest.
Bang!
A loud and sudden explosion resounded from Ceceada's chest.
Alongside the explosion is an orange fire that is escaping Ceceada's body, slowly burning his robe that is also mending itself with mana.
If Ceceada is conscious right now, he will notice that his the supposed to be green color in his digital health bar is yellowish right now, filling only half of his health bar. It is also decreasing slowly, threatening to turn reddish!
He is slowly burning himself alive...
After few hours, the fire now engulfed his entire body, his robe still fighting for itself, quickly absorbing the mana and mending itself.
Ceceada slowly regained consciousness because the extreme euphoric feeling is now slowly being replaced with mental pain!
When he slowly opened his eyes, all he can see is fire blocking his vision!
What the f**k?!
He looked around and saw that his entire body is completely engulf in fire!
Did someone try to burn me alive?!
He quickly looked at his health bar to check his condition and was shocked by what he saw.
He can see the he only have 5-10% of his health bar remaining, with the remaining health bar perfectly colored in red!
Although he is not in physical pain because of the existence of his health bar, he felt like it is getting painful mentally. It looked like that although he won't experience physical backlash from being hurt, his mind will still suffer.
Although in panic, he felt like this fire is different from normal fire. If this is normal fire, he still shouldn't be damaged at all because of his physique.
He quickly looked around him, looking for the perpetrator in vain. However, he didn't find anyone in the forest.
He gritted his teeth to try shaking off the mental pain affecting his mind, quickly trying to brainstorm to escape in his predicament.
After racking his brain for a moment, he assumed that his robe is serving as the perfect perpetual fuel for the fire, so he quickly took it off!
His refined and metallic body was revealed. Although it didn't visibly change, he can feel hidden and unexplored strength in his body.
However, even when he took it off, he still can't get the fire off his body, still burning himself slowly!
Seeing that removing his robe have no effect, he frowned and tried another idea that came into his mind.
Completely nude, he quickly ran with all his speed in an instant, attempting to extinguish the fire with his speed!
Whoosh!
Unfortunately, the fire on his body is unaffected no matter how fast he moved, still burning carefreely in his body!
"Sun Palm!"
He quickly conjured the healing skill when he learned that all of his efforts to extinguish the fire are fruitless.
However, he is bound to be disappointed because he noticed that he doesn't have a tiniest bit of mana in his body, like a completely parched reservoir!
Shocked, Ceceada immediately checked his core to check his situation using his mind.
What the hell happened?!
When he saw what happened to his core, even when he is literally burning, he felt a chill spread on his body because he can't believe on what he had seen...
Although he is excited to find out that he had broken through to the Elemental Formation Realm, his core is burning like a charcoal. Smoke coming out of it while it produces cracking sounds intermittently, indicating that his core is burning. Aside from that, the surface is entirely covered with burning ember!
Being an Elemental Formation Realm is extremely rare in Rook City. There is not enough knowledge base on the effects of breaking through such realm, even if there is an information about it, it will be mostly gatekept by the upper echelons.
Thus, Ceceada does not know that having your core suck up your mana is very normal when breaking through the Elemental Formation Realm. However, since breaking through that realm is very rare, the method or way is often not shared publicly by large sects; this is also one of the way that sects would attract powerful cultivators, promising to let them know how to properly break through if they let themselves be the slaves of the sects.
Since the proper way to break through is not generally known, few of the promising geniuses who are supposed to break through the Elemental Formation Realm died miserably because they refused to be the slaves of the sect!
Although cruel, this is one of the best way to prosper your sect!
Ceceada is just like those geniuses who didn't get to know the proper way of breaking through this realm!
In fact, it is not just breaking through the Elemental Formation Realm that is dangerous, every break through even in Body Refinement Realm is also dangerous. However, since he is breaking through with such physique, he didn't really feel anything.
Ceceada's eyes is closed at this moment, trying to rack his brain of the best way to escape in the situation.
He had already checked his rings, but didn't find anything useful that can help him at the moment, at least, that's what he know.
Alongside this, he also tried extinguishing it by submerging himself in the nearby lake, but just like every plan, nothing changed.
Seeing his health bar slowly decreasing, he frowned as despair took over his mind.
He can only wait for his inevitable death?
"No way..." Ceceada's eye opened and his resolve swept away all the despair in his mind!
He quickly continued forming a plan in his heart, trying to find a solution.
'Maybe this will work.'
In the face of death, Ceceada's eye showed determination as he quickly came up with a plan.