He knew that even if Crystalline did end up waking up, it could not be until many years from now, but Azmond was quite the optimistic person, so he was partial to believing that Crystalline would wake up sooner rather than later.
She was a very special woman, after all. She reached the Late-Golden Core Realm by the time she turned 19, and she had already broken through into the Nascent Soul Realm with the assistance of some mystical forces.
Azmond refused to believe that someone so talented would not be able to wake up from a simple cultivation coma within a short period of time.
.....
"Back to working on expanding the size of my Qi cyclones. I can't brood over Crystalline's matter forever, or else, I really will end up going insane before I reach the Apex of existence." Azmond lectured himself with a small, wry smile, as he had already approached the giant spiritual stone garden before he scanned the area, looking for the only spiritual stone for him.
He, of course, saw Crystalline in the corner of his eye on the way over, but he tried to distract himself with a mindset focused only on getting stronger.
Azmond shook his head to divert his attention away from the voluptuous ice beauty before beginning to walk in the direction of the trusty spiritual stone he had been cultivating with for months.
"It is just me and you now, buddy." Azmond lightly slapped the spiritual stone.
An amiable aura permeated around him as he 'kindly' smiled at his companion.
'Leave me Alone, you Monster!!' However, the giant spiritual stone was having none of Azmond's nonsense, as it felt like blowing itself up and taking Azmond down with it.
Azmond noticed the sudden change in intensity of the glow being emitted from the spiritual stone and responded with complete stoicism. "He must really like me a lot, huh?"
"..." The spiritual stone wanted to kill itself.
Amidst the lingering aftermath of Azmond's spectacular display of power, he found himself standing thousands of miles away in a large garden full of giant spiritual stones with a huge mysterious tree in the middle of them all.
A tree that Azmond had yet to begin unraveling the mysteries of.
As Azmond contemplated his next steps, his attention shifted from the remnants of his cosmic spectacle to what he considered his new home.
The giant spiritual stones and the huge tree were the only things in the area, but Azmond could care less.
As long as his Crystalline was here, then this place was the best home he could ever hope for.
Azmond's gaze traveled from his Little Ice Flower and instead moved toward his trusted companion. "Are you ready to assist me again, Mr. Stone?" Azmond asked with a kind smile plastered on his face.
However, the spiritual stone that Azmond had been using for the last few weeks was seemingly resistant to Azmond's attempts at camaraderie, emitting a reluctant glow, reflecting the inner turmoil within its crystalline core.
"You always seem to glow whenever you are happy, Mr. Stone. Don't make such a big deal every single time I come around,"
"For I reciprocate your feelings, as my mood also improves significantly when I have you by my side." Azmond patted the gigantic spiritual stone before sticking one of his thumbs in the air.
'...I hate you...' The spiritual stone had officially given up as it went back into its non-sentient state and completely ignored the existence of Azmond.
Azmond, although amused by the antics of his companion, was filled with a sudden mix of weariness and determination. He acknowledged the need to focus on enhancing his Qi Cyclones and Dantian.
He had an enormous amount of Qi already, but if one day he ran out of Qi and his Little Ice Roll was harmed because of him,
Well, let's just say that global warming would become a very serious concern for the the world of Asterion...
...
The daunting task of pushing his limits further loomed, and his power-hungry mindset never subsided, yet his thoughts frequently veered towards Crystalline, still ensconced in her deep slumber.
As he began to meditate, Azmond's internal struggle became palpable. His desire to wake Crystalline clashed with the necessity of honing his strength.
A melancholic mood permeated his thoughts, but determination surged within him—a relentless will to get stronger for himself and for his Love.
A will that refused to give in!
"I just need to get stronger!" Azmond declared, the obsidian darkness in his pupils reflecting a resolve that bordered on obsession.
Azmond needed to convince himself that relentlessly cultivating was always going to be the correct choice to make on his journey to the top.
Contemplating the immense strength required to assist someone in the Nascent Soul Realm weighed heavily on Azmond.
The destructive path he carved through the mountains seemed worlds away from the level he needed to reach.
In response to his resolve, he once again started his tortuous way of cultivating.
Azmond needed to become stronger, no matter the cost.
...
Blood started to leak out of every part of Azmond's body, but he was too absorbed in gaining more power to be worrying about something as ridiculous as pain.
...
2 months later...
The domineering figure of a tall, nude man was witnessed by the world. The scent of iron could be smelled from miles away, as the man in question was covered in blood from head to toe.
The man's blood-stained eyes began to slowly open as Azmond's dazzling blue eyes were seen in clear view.
"It looks like I have reached the absolute limit of the size I can increase my Qi Cyclones and Dantian to." The indifferent voice of Azmond sounded out as he took a good look at the inside of his Dantian space with his divine sense.
The magnificent sight of 15,000 swirling masses of condensed Qi were orbiting around a massive dantian that dwarfed the Qi Cyclones 5 to 1.
Azmond took one good look at this sight and could not help but be left in awe at the beautiful view before him.
The Qi Cyclones orbiting around Azmond's dantian were 2000 meters in diameter, and the huge dantian in the center trumped even the Qi Cyclones. As it had reached a size of 9999 meters!