The room was still filled with the lingering glow, and the air shimmered with the remnants of the blinding light.
Ethan, standing in the center, felt a strange tingling in his palms.
He had just used the "Ten Thousand Medicinal Mother" seal to awaken Mia's consciousness, and the outcome was anything but predictable.
Master Wei, the elder of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, emerged from the shadows.
His voice, raspy and filled with a hypnotic quality, cut through the silence.
"Well, well, Ethan. Looks like you've outdone yourself this time. Or perhaps, you've dug your own grave."
Ethan gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Mia.
The young lady, now radiating an ethereal energy, stood with a small, knowing smile on her face.
Her eyes, once dull and lifeless, now sparkled with an otherworldly intelligence.
"It's show time," she giggled, her voice melodic and almost otherworldly.
Lucas, the chief of the Azure Cloud Sect, stepped forward, his expression a mixture of surprise and malice.
"Ethan, you fool. You've awakened a force you can't control. And now, you're going to pay the price."
Ethan knew he was in deep trouble, but he wasn't about to go down without a fight.
He quickly activated the system, and the "Absurd Ascension" pathway flashed through his mind.
"System, what's the deal with this situation?"
**System:** *Warning!
Detected instability in the target's core.
Initiating emergency protocols.
*
Before Ethan could react, Mia clenched her fists, and a blinding burst of energy erupted from her chest.
A delicate, glowing bud appeared, slowly blossoming into a radiant lotus flower.
The room filled with a sweet, intoxicating fragrance, and the air around them shimmered with the power of ancient magic.
Suddenly, the air shifted, and a thick, dark fog enveloped the room.
Master Wei, his face twisted with triumph, stepped out of the fog.
"This is the end for you, Ethan. The power of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is far beyond your comprehension."
Phoebe, one of the sect's healers, was the first to fall.
The black fog wrapped around her, and she dissolved into a cloud of aromatic powder, which then fused into Mia's body.
Mia's eyes widened, and she gasped.
"Sora… is the last guardian of the ancient medicinal beasts."
Ethan's heart sank.
He had no idea what that meant
The room was now a swirl of chaos, and Mia's body began to convulse.
Her energy, once controlled and serene, now exploded in all directions, threatening to tear the room apart.
"System, what do I do?" Ethan shouted, his voice strained.
**System:** *Warning!
Core instability detected.
Initiating emergency suppression.
Activate the Ten Thousand Medicinal Mother seal.
*
Ethan reached into his robes and pulled out the ancient seal.
With a deep breath, he pressed it against Mia's chest.
The room filled with a deafening roar as the seal activated, and a surge of energy flooded into Mia's body.
The lotus flower glowed brighter, and the chaotic energy began to calm.
But at the same time, Ethan felt a strange sensation in his own core.
His spiritual energy, once stable, now began to merge with Mia's.
**System:** *Warning!
Detected memory intrusion.
The master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is attempting to access your system.
*
Ethan's mind raced as he tried to understand what was happening.
Lucas, seeing the opportunity, snapped his fingers, and a group of puppet warriors lunged at Ethan.
"Sora, now!" Ethan shouted.
Sora, the massive, fluffy guardian, appeared in a flash of light.
With a roar, it used its fat, squishy body to roll over the puppet warriors, crushing them one by one.
The room shook with the impact, and the walls began to crack.
Phoebe's tofu defense tower, which had been a curious addition to the room, suddenly evolved into a massive panda statue.
The statue came to life, its stone body glowing with a protective aura.
It raised its massive arms and unleashed a wave of energy, reflecting the puppet warriors' attacks back at them.
Master Wei's eyes narrowed, and he channeled more of his dark power into the room.
The black fog intensified, and Mia's body began to glow even more pronouncedly.
Ethan could feel the energy surging through her, and he knew it was only a matter of time before it became too much.
Suddenly, the black fog condensed, and a figure materialized in front of Mia.
Master Wei, his presence more menacing than ever, reached out and grabbed Mia by the shoulder.
With a sickening crack, he pulled half of her spiritual energy into himself.
Mia's body convulsed again, and her eyes widened with pain.
"Ethan…," she managed to gasp.
Ethan's heart raced, and he knew he had to act fast.
"System, what now?"
**System:** *Activating emergency core separation protocol.
Brace for impact.
*
Ethan felt a surge of energy course through his body, and he was thrown back by the force of the system's activation.
As he landed on the ground, he saw Lina, the usually loyal disciple, step forward with a ominous grin on her face.
"Sorry, Ethan. But this is where it ends."
Ethan's eyes widened in shock as he felt a surge of dark energy from Lina, and the room around him began to distort.
He knew what was coming, but it was too late.
The world around him faded into darkness, and he could only hear the sound of Lina's voice echoing in his ears.
The blinding light subsided, leaving the air thick with the scent of…peaches?
Ethan blinked, trying to clear the spots dancing before his eyes.
Where Mia, the quiet, almost spectral presence of the apothecary, had stood, now stood…well, a bombshell.
Gone were the simple robes, replaced by a flowing gown woven from moonlight and mischief.
Her hair, previously pulled back tight, now cascaded down her back like a waterfall of spun gold.
And those eyes…they weren't the vacant, distant orbs he was used to.
They sparkled, alight with a knowing glint that made Ethan swallow hard.
He'd woken something up alright, something a little *too* vibrant.
"It's show time," she giggled, a sound like wind chimes in a summer breeze, and Ethan felt a shiver skitter down his spine.
He'd expected…well, he hadn't really known *what* to expect, but certainly not *this*.
Meanwhile, Master Wei, the wizened, vulture-like elder of the Celestial Secrets Pavilion, let out a dry, rasping chuckle that sounded suspiciously like two skeletons playing dominoes.
"Magnificent. Simply magnificent. The Thousand-Year Blossom, in its purest form." His gaze, sharp as shards of obsidian, raked over Mia, making Ethan feel a prickle of unease.
It wasn't exactly lecherous, more like a jeweler appraising a particularly valuable gem – calculating, possessive.
Ethan felt a knot tighten in his gut.
This wasn't going as planned.
The "Waking the Blossom" chapter in his whack-job cultivation manual, "The Eccentric Immortal's Handbook," had been decidedly vague on the specifics of what happened *after* the waking.
It had mostly focused on the fermented yak milk marinade required for the jade seal – a step Ethan was *still* trying to forget.
Suddenly, Mia gasped, clutching her head.
The playful light in her eyes flickered and died, replaced by a look of pure agony.
Tendrils of black energy snaked out from her, twisting and writhing like angry vipers.
The sweet peach scent turned acrid, stinging Ethan's nostrils.
"The backlash!" Master Wei hissed, his voice laced with a chilling excitement.
"The spirit rebels against its awakening! A perfect opportunity…"
Ethan instinctively lunged towards Mia, a surge of protective energy coursing through him.
*His* fault.
He'd done this.
He'd poked the proverbial bear, or in this case, the thousand-year-old magical flower, with his fermented yak milk stick.
Just then, the doors to the apothecary burst open, revealing Lucas, the perpetually smug and infuriatingly perfect senior disciple, flanked by two stern-faced elders.
He took one look at the scene – writhing Mia, panicked Ethan, and the gleeful Master Wei – and his expression shifted into one of righteous indignation.
"Ethan!
" he boomed, his voice dripping with false concern.
"What have you done to her?
!
This…this is an abomination!
" He turned to the elders, his face a mask of tragic heroism.
"I suspected something untoward was happening.
This…this rogue disciple has been dabbling in forbidden arts!
"
Ethan stared at Lucas, his mind reeling.
*Seriously*?
This guy had the audacity to… Suddenly, a notification popped up in his system window.
**Reward: +500 Snark Points.
One (1) Moderately Irritating Itch Charm.
**
Ethan smirked.
Well, this just got interesting.
He might not have known exactly what was going on, but he had a sneaking suspicion that fermented yak milk wasn't the only thing about to ferment around here.