Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

The next thing Sorin experimented with was Hand of the Medicine God. He circulated his mana in the usual pattern, but this time, the ability resonated with his bones. He suddenly became aware of all poisons and medicinal substances in his immediate surroundings, including his blood. Further, he was able to pull the blood toward his body without making direct contact. The speed at which he could absorb it through his skin was also greatly improved.

Speaking of skin, a thin layer of transparent scales now covered it. It wasn't something visible to the naked eye, but rather, something only Sorin, who cultivated Ten Thousand Poison Canon, could detect.

The layer had resisted the two-star dagger slightly as it cut into his flesh and was the product of a new skill he gained, Toxic Metamorphosis. With each breakthrough in his cultivation, he would molt his old scales and grow stronger ones. These scales were effective against physical damage, magic damage, and, of course, external poisons.

As for Hand of the Medicine God, it hadn't changed substantially after his breakthrough, but it had grown more potent in some respects. It still granted him the ability to channel poisons and manipulate poisons with his bare hands, something that would typically require at least a ring.

To test this effect, Sorin summoned a poison needle using his upgraded mana. Due to the sixteen-fold increase in the potency of his mana, the simple spell framework he utilized collapsed. The experiment confirmed both that his Ring of Poison Manipulation was basically useless, and that he could pull back the mana from failed spells back into his body using Hand of the Medicine God.

I have no immediate way to test Toxic Metabolism, thought Sorin. But it stands to reason that my tolerance to poison and corruption has increased. Moreover, it seems like the corruption in my body was greater than blood-thickening cultivator could handle. This explains my uncontrolled violent outbursts and confirms that it wasn't my sealing method that was lacking, but rather, my strength.

Like Hand of the Medicine God, Adder Rush received only minor improvements. He was now faster, more agile, and more flexible than before and could cut sharper arcs when attacking his enemies.

Cobra's glare was similarly enhanced. Though he had no test subject to try out the technique on, it felt the same. Just… more. His greatly improved spiritually naturally helped with this.

Surprisingly, the greatest change to his abilities lay with Python Coil. "Amazing," muttered Sorin as he used the ability to summon a nearly solid python out of mana without the need for any spells. It could grow to a length of fifty feet and could grow up to thirty centimeters thick. Regardless of length, it retained its coiling abilities. The python's mana composition could be freely manipulated.

Currently, Sorin's most potent poison was a ten-poison acitoxin. But because of his enhanced bones and improved mana, his manatoxins, hemotoxins, and neurotoxins had all reached the two-star grade. He could also wield the necrotoxins he'd absorbed while trying to treat Gabriella at the two-star grade. Each of these poisons were considered simple poisons and were much less effective than ten-poisons.

Thinking of Gabriella, Sorin wondered how she was doing in the Kepler Clan. More likely than not, they'd taken her directly to the clan's headquarters in Olympia to be nurtured. With her awakening as a God Seed, her cultivation had likely broken through to the bone-forging realm.

I'll find her eventually, thought Sorin with a sigh. With her status as a God Seed, they shouldn't mistreat her. But before I find her, I need to go to Delphi and get a better understanding of my parent's background and my family's situation.

Sorin continued inspecting and manipulating the python near his body. The combination of flexibility and solidified mana was novel to him. The drastic increase in the skill's power was very welcome.

It didn't take him long to discover why it had changed. A tarnished golden glow now accompanied Python Coil like it did Hand of the Medicine God.

Has Python Coil been elevated to a divine ability? thought Sorin, confused. But isn't a python just an animal? The name of the technique hadn't changed, yet now, it seemed to bear more weight.

Having thoroughly assessed the condition of his body and his techniques, Sorin turned his attention to two golden orbs that had appeared inside his mind. He reached out to the one that looked like thousands of coiled serpents, and as expected, it transmitted the second stage of the Ten Thousand Poison Canon before hiding from his awareness once again.

Concentrated knowledge gushed into his mind. The knowledge covered two-star poisons and how to concoct and nurture such poisons, as well as the simplest three-star poisons and their manufacturing methods.

There was also information on herb nurturing, as well as information on how to condense something called a poison flame. Unlike an earth flame, a poison flame wasn't suitable for normal ingredients and could only be used to refine poisons.

Regrettably, Sorin gained no further skills aside from Toxic Metamorphosis. Still, he had the distinct feeling that he could assimilate other suitable high-level skills should he encounter them. He decided that Stephan was the best person to ask about how to procure them. With luck, he would obtain one during the upcoming Wish Fire Festival.

Having confirmed his direction with the Ten Thousand Poison Canon and the requirement to assimilate more than ten-poisons going forward, Sorin turned his attention to the final orb of information. With trepidation, he touched it and scoured the information it provided before hiding itself away once again.

The gods have fallen; read the introduction. The old order is no more. It falls to me to uplift my broken clan, along with the few powerhouses that survived the Cataclysmic Emergence.

We've lost too much, and the Myths have sided with the Seven Evils. Countless species now roam the land, corrupting it and transforming the once-peaceful animals into ferocious demons.

We have no one to rely on. We can't even trust our minds.

Though I loathe myself for doing so, I have resigned myself to doing everything in my power to uplift the Kepler Clan. To uplift humanity. Sirius's abandoned research is the key. His experiments were too conservative, and we now have ample test subjects to confirm several new theories.

After meridian opening comes bone unsealing; it stands to reason that if poisons can be used for one, they can also be used for the other, assuming we can find the right materials in our much-changed world rife with corruption and absence of divinity.

I know that many will oppose me. I also know that many will support me. Moreover, there are no gods to pass down verdicts or judgments, no deities to condemn my actions.

If these experiments go as planned, we will gain the power to retake Delphi within the decade.

My only fear is the growing influence of the Seven Evils and the questionable motives of the chained fox the populace has begun to worship as the Eighth Evil, Hope.

--Barrabus Abberjay Kepler, Kepler Medical Institute, Year 12 of the New Era.

What followed was atrocious experiments akin to those Sirius Kepler had conducted. There was even a batch of experiments carried out solely to confirm that Sirius's work and the meridian opening tinctures he'd discovered were still effective in a godless world filled with evil and corruption.

Thousands of bone-forging cultivators, mainly in the form of corrupted humans or war prisoners, were sacrificed in the name of progress. Eventually, a series of bone-unsealing tinctures were developed, along with bone-sealing tinctures that could be applied as required.

On paper, the tinctures could unseal anything up to the bronze bone level with relative ease. But even with the Ten Thousand Poison Canon, unsealing silver bones was extremely difficult and carried a high risk of death.

Fortunately, silver runes could be awakened by cultivators in stressful and life-threatening situations. The notes that this occurred in the same fashion as the heroic Conception Vessel Opening method.

Barrabus's research notes then proceeded to include diagrams and some details on how the tinctures were applied. Regrettably, the process wasn't as straightforward as the meridian opening procedure. Unsealing bones required the careful application of tinctures to draw runes that countered those found on the patient's bones.

These markings varied greatly between cultivators. An expert on spell formations was therefore required to decode the bone runes and determine approximate counter runes, though it was noted that the talented future head of the Abberjay Branch had potentially discovered a method with which to simplify the process. No further mentions of this simplification were made.

"Well then," said Sorin, turning back to the sleeping Lorimer. "That settles it. My ancestors were all garbage. No wonder everyone in Delphi hates them and wants them dead."