The Blackblood Lord nodded upon hearing his daughter's words, visibly pleased.
"That's good. You've been working hard these days."
The Blackblood Lord looked at his daughter with soft eyes for a while before turning toward Aksai. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder and said, "Come, let me introduce you both."
He gestured to his daughter. "Aksai, this is my daughter, Humeyin. She's Haitin's younger sister."
Aksai gave a polite nod, trying to hide his curiosity, though it was clear in his eyes. "It's a pleasure, Lordess Humeyin," he said softly. He made sure to use the honorifics used for all the Core Formation Lords as a formality.
Humeyin returned the nod with a gentle smile. "Likewise."
But her strange appearance still held Aksai's attention. His gaze couldn't help but linger—her transparent form, the refraction of light around her, the way her presence seemed to ripple in the air like moonlight on water.
Humeyin looked too unreal to be human, and yet her calmness and grace grounded her.
Her beauty was right in front of him, and yet it was obscured. It was like watching a reflection in moving water—making one feel that the reflection would be washed away at any moment, and yet it still lingered in the same place.
Seeing this, the Blackblood Lord let out a quiet sigh. "You're wondering about her condition, aren't you?"
Aksai turned to him and nodded, not denying it.
Hayaat gave a small nod. "She possesses a rare physique. It's called the Light Devour Physique."
Aksai frowned, unfamiliar with the name.
"She absorbs every bit of visible light that touches her body," the Blackblood Lord continued.
"And it's not just absorption for warmth or comfort. Her body converts the light directly into Spirit essence.
In short, just standing under the sun or moon helps her cultivate. And not just a little—her Spirit cultivation speed is manyfold faster than even the most talented geniuses of the Dadangar Subcontinent."
Aksai sucked in a breath. He looked at Humeyin again, stunned. "Converting light essence into Spirit essence? That… that's just incredible."
For some reason, Aksai was reminded of the solar panels from his previous homeworld. Except for the fact that the solar panels weren't invisible and didn't have the feminine charm to them, they were essentially identical to the function of Humeyin's special physique.
The Blackblood Lord chuckled.
"Haha. She is even more talented than your imagination, boy. She was only thirty when she broke into the Core Formation Realm. And now, ten years later, she has already reached the fifth stage of the Core Formation Realm.
Technically speaking, she is about two decades younger than you."
Aksai's eyes widened further. "Fifth stage…?" he whispered.
What kind of monstrous genius was this? Aksai doubted even the core regions of Dadangar World would have anyone with similar cultivation talents.
Unless someone possessed a special Physique, it was impossible for regular cultivators no matter how talented and hard working they are to compete with Humeyin.
Becoming a Core Formation Lord at the age of 30? Entering the mid-stage of the 3rd Spirit realm in just 10 years?
That kind of progress was unheard of. Even Haitin, hailed as the Blackblood Sect's top talent, couldn't compare. This was the first time Aksai had met someone whose cultivation path seemed more like a miracle than hard work.
But then, remembering Haitin, another question came to his mind. He turned toward Hayaat with a puzzled look.
"Forgive me for asking Master Blackblood, but if Lordess Humeyin is so talented… why haven't you introduced her to the outside world? Wouldn't her presence alone keep enemies away? And why didn't she attend Haitin's wedding?"
Hayaat sighed again. This time, it was heavier, filled with hidden weight.
"Yes, her physique is powerful," he said slowly. "But it is also cursed."
"She can't stay under the sun," Hayaat explained.
"The more she's exposed to it, the more damage it causes to her Spirit veins. Not just that—it burns her life essence.
Even standing in sunlight for a few minutes causes her great pain and long-term harm. The more she absorbs beyond her body's limit, the more it harms her."
Aksai felt his throat dry up. In a way… the monstrous and beautiful talent in front of him was a malfunctioning solar panel.
He looked again at Humeyin, who stood quietly, her smile no longer present but her eyes calm.
"She can only cultivate safely under moonlight or starlight," Hayaat went on. "Even that carries risk. But it's manageable."
"So she is completely invisible in normal circumstances? But then what about her appearance?" Aksai asked, hesitating.
"It was the Frostbound Lord who found a way to help her," Hayaat said, his tone softening with gratitude.
"He used an ice-elemental technique to temporarily change the properties of her skin with her cooperation. It now behaves like glass—it only absorbs what her body can convert safely, and refracts the rest. That's why she looks the way she does."
Aksai nodded slowly, realization dawned on him. "I see. So… it's not that you didn't want to show her to the world…"
"It's that I couldn't risk it," Hayaat said firmly.
"If word spread to the Yaksha Lord or to the righteous faction's Core Formation Lords, they would see her as a future threat. And they might try to remove that threat while they still can.
After all, my daughter has the potential to break into the Nascent Soul Realm one day. And when she becomes a Nascent Soul Queen, she would rule over all of the Dadangar Subcontinent by default."
"Even if she doesn't push herself too hard, she will get there. But that very potential is what makes her a target.
How many of the existing Core Formation Lords do you think will be willing to act as subordinates for my daughter? How many of them will be willing to step down their respective thrones and bend their knees to her?
My daughter is not someone who would provoke anyone just because she can. However, it is difficult to see someone as one's ally when you know they are in a different class.
So until my daughter becomes a Nascent Soul King, I will not risk her life… not for politics, not for sect reputation. Not even for war.
Unless my sect's existence itself is in grave danger, Humeyin would not show herself to the outside world." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net