I stepped through the collapsing rift—
And returned to the Elder Hall.
The moment my feet touched the floor, the space behind me sealed shut.
No crack.
No distortion.
Not even a trace of the passage that had brought me home.
The hidden world was gone from sight, leaving nothing behind to prove it had ever existed.
As though an entire world had been swallowed by reality itself.
I glanced around.
Standing a short distance away was Elder Solryn.
His expression remained as composed as ever. He neither questioned my sudden appearance nor showed any surprise at my return.
He simply watched me.
Waiting.
"How long was I gone?"
"Three hours."
Three hours?
I had spent what felt like an eternity cultivating in that hidden world, absorbing its energy and uncovering knowledge that should never have been accessible to me.
Yet, only three hours had passed here.
"...I see."
I studied Solryn for a moment before turning toward the exit.
"I'll be taking my leave."
He gave a small nod.
No questions.
No attempt to stop me.
As I walked away, I heard the faint rustle of fabric behind me.
Solryn had moved toward the center of the hall.
He pulled the rug back into place, concealing the hidden seal beneath it.
The ancient secret disappeared beneath the ordinary-looking carpet.
Once again, the hall revealed nothing.
I continued toward the door.
Whatever answers Solryn sought, he would have to find them himself.
I had enough unanswered questions of my own.
---
The moment I crossed the doorway—
Something changed.
I stopped.
The air brushed against my face, carrying the familiar scents of the surrounding forest. Sunlight filtered through distant branches. The faint sounds of activity drifted across the compound.
Everything looked the same.
Yet, somehow—
The world felt different.
Sharper.
Clearer.
I could distinguish the subtle fluctuations of energy in the air. I sensed distant presences without deliberately searching for them.
But it went beyond detecting strength.
I could feel the emotions carried by those presences.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Tension.
Even the faint uneasiness of someone trying desperately to appear calm.
My eyes narrowed.
Since when could I sense all this?
Before I could investigate, I noticed the figures waiting ahead.
The elders stood together, their attention fixed on me.
At their forefront was the Patriarch.
Their expressions varied, but their intentions were easier to distinguish now.
Some were curious.
Others suspicious.
A few seemed eager to discover what had happened inside the hall.
The Patriarch's gaze met mine.
His lips parted.
Before he could speak—
SWISH!
I vanished.
Space blurred around me as I shot forward, leaving the gathering behind.
Within moments, I was already flying above the compound.
I didn't look back.
Below, the elders remained where they stood.
Then, one by one, they turned toward the Elder Hall.
Whatever had happened between Solryn and me, they intended to investigate.
Good luck with that.
The most important answers weren't in the hall anymore.
They were inside my head.
And even I didn't understand them.
---
The wind rushed past me as I crossed the forests.
For the first time since returning from the hidden world, I allowed myself to relax.
The sensation of flight was familiar, but my perception of the world had changed.
Energy no longer felt like an invisible force surrounding everything.
I could almost distinguish its individual movements.
The energy within the trees.
The faint traces left by passing cultivators.
The distant fluctuations of powerful beings.
Everything seemed connected by an intricate network I had only just begun to perceive.
I didn't know whether this change came from the Primordial Azure Beast Scripture, the knowledge I had received from the library, or the cultivation I had completed inside that world.
Perhaps it was the result of all three.
Before I could examine the possibilities, a familiar blue screen appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations on stepping onto the Path of Cultivation!]
[Reward: 500 Points]
[Reward: 100 Azure Beast Pills]
I slowed down.
"...Rewards?"
A second screen appeared.
[Master Info]
[Technique: Primordial Azure Beast Scripture]
[Realm: Body Purification]
[Stage: Great Perfection — Early]
I stared at the final line.
"...Great Perfection?"
My brows drew together.
"System, explain."
A brief pause followed.
Then the familiar blue screen changed.
[Body Purification Realm — The First Step of Cultivation]
[Purpose: Cleanse the mortal body and prepare the vessel to withstand greater power.]
[Stages:]
[Skin Tempering]
[Muscle Strengthening]
[Bone Refinement]
[Organ Cleansing]
[Blood Renewal]
[Effects:]
[Increased Strength and Speed]
[Enhanced Durability]
[Removal of Impurities]
I scanned the information.
"...Standard."
It was exactly what Caelion had described during his lecture.
The first realm of the Path of Transcendence.
The foundation upon which every subsequent realm would be built.
But that still left one problem.
I had barely begun cultivating with the new scripture.
How had I already reached Great Perfection?
Another notification appeared.
[Sub-Level System]
[Early Stage: 1–3]
[Mid Stage: 4–6]
[Late Stage: 7–11]
[Peak Stage: 12+]
I remembered Caelion's explanation.
The stages measured the depth of refinement within a cultivation realm. Each breakthrough strengthened the foundation required to advance further.
But the classification on my screen went beyond that system.
"...Then what is Great Perfection?"
The answer appeared almost immediately.
[Those stages apply to humans.]
I raised an eyebrow.
The next message followed.
[You are not human.]
"...I noticed."
My tail flicked behind me.
[Great Perfection, also called Completion, exists beyond Peak.]
[It represents the absolute limit of a realm.]
More information unfolded.
[Early Stage: Unstable foundation. The cultivator is learning to control their power.]
[Mid Stage: Stable power. Improved efficiency and control.]
[Late Stage: Near mastery. The foundation approaches completion.]
[Peak Stage: Maximum output within the realm.]
[Great Perfection: Absolute refinement. A perfect foundation.]
I studied the explanation.
So, reaching Peak meant extracting the maximum power available within a realm.
Great Perfection meant refining the entire foundation until nothing remained incomplete.
Not simply becoming stronger.
Becoming complete.
"...So I've already reached it?"
[Yes.]
"...In the first realm?"
[Yes.]
I exhaled slowly.
"...That shouldn't be normal."
[It isn't.]
For once, the System's answer came without unnecessary explanation.
I almost appreciated the honesty.
Almost.
Another notification appeared.
[Only rare human geniuses can reach Great Perfection.]
[Even among them, the probability is extremely low.]
Then a new classification appeared.
[Talent Classification — Humans]
[Chosen Rank: 0.0000001%]
[Elite Rank: 0.0001%]
[Genius Rank: 0.001%]
[Heavenly Prodigy: 0.1%]
[Heaven's Chosen: 2%]
[Anomaly: 5%+]
[Myth: 7.5%+]
[Calamity: 9%+]
[Sovereign: 9.5%+]
[Eternal: 10%+]
[These values represent the probability of reaching Great Perfection.]
I stared at the list.
"...Those numbers don't make much sense."
The System offered no clarification.
I decided not to waste time arguing with it.
Talent classifications were useful for measuring potential, but potential alone didn't determine the outcome of a battle.
I had learned that lesson the hard way.
Besides, the System had already made its position clear.
"...And me?"
[You possess a Pure Bloodline.]
[Your path is different.]
My expression became thoughtful.
A Pure Bloodline.
The phrase had followed me through multiple encounters, yet I still didn't fully understand what made it different from an ordinary bloodline.
Was it simply a matter of purity?
Or was there something more fundamental about my existence?
Before I could ask, one final notification appeared.
[Notice: Absorbing ordinary natural energy is inefficient for you.]
[Recommendation: Consume high-grade resources to accelerate cultivation.]
I looked toward the forest below.
Then remembered the hidden world.
Its rich energy.
Its ancient treasures.
The countless resources scattered across the field.
And the barren wasteland I had left behind.
"...So that world..."
[Was consumed.]
I fell silent.
The System didn't need to explain further.
I had absorbed the energy that remained available to me. The world had been unable to replenish it quickly enough to withstand my cultivation.
My gaze hardened.
I need resources.
Not merely more energy.
Better energy.
Resources capable of supporting a bloodline that apparently refused to follow ordinary cultivation principles.
I resumed my flight.
Soon, our home came into view.
---
My brother was already outside when I descended.
He floated above the ground, eyes closed, his breathing steady as he meditated.
The moment my feet touched the ground, his eyes opened.
"Welcome back. What took you so long?"
"...Nothing serious."
I brushed a few strands of hair away from my face.
"Just spoke with an elder."
He studied me briefly.
Perhaps he noticed something different.
Perhaps he didn't.
Either way, he didn't press the matter.
"Alright."
We walked inside together.
I offered no further explanation.
Neither did he ask for one.
For the moment, that was enough.
I headed straight to my room, closed the door, and allowed the silence to settle around me.
Only then did I release the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
I removed my outer clothes and sat on the bed.
The room was quiet.
No elders.
No unfamiliar Sovereigns.
No hidden worlds.
No Demon Gods.
Just me.
And the System.
"...System."
No response.
I waited.
"...Who is the Nameless One?"
Silence.
My expression slowly hardened.
"You've mentioned that name multiple times."
Nothing.
"The library showed me its name. You brought it up when I asked about the voice in the Elder Hall."
Still nothing.
I leaned forward.
"...Are you hiding something from me?"
For several seconds, the blue screen remained absent.
Then—
[You will understand when you are strong enough.]
My jaw tightened.
"...When I reach full control?"
[Yes.]
I stared at the empty space before me.
Full control.
The phrase brought back the memory of the Elder Hall.
The instant I had spoken my title, my consciousness had seemed to slip aside.
My body remained mine.
My memories remained mine.
Yet the voice that emerged from me had possessed a certainty I didn't recognize.
It had known what to say.
It had understood the Authority I could barely comprehend.
And the world itself had responded.
"...So something is controlling me."
No answer.
I clenched my fingers.
"...That wasn't instinct."
The words escaped quietly.
I remembered the sensation.
It hadn't felt like the beastly instincts that stirred within me during battle. Those instincts were raw, forceful, and driven by survival.
This had been different.
The voice had carried knowledge.
Purpose.
An understanding of Authority that my conscious mind didn't possess.
"...That voice knew things I don't."
My gaze darkened.
"...Is there another soul inside me?"
I paused.
"...Or is something trying to take over?"
For the first time, the System's response felt unusually restrained.
[Knowing now will not benefit you.]
I let out a humorless laugh.
"So you do know something."
Silence.
"Of course you do."
I leaned back and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The System had answered my questions about cultivation, explained the nature of my bloodline, and helped me understand the power I had gained.
But whenever the Nameless One entered the conversation, it became evasive.
That alone told me the subject was different.
Perhaps it couldn't explain.
Perhaps it wouldn't.
Or perhaps the truth was something I wasn't ready to hear.
I closed my eyes.
"...So I'm not alone in this body."
No answer came.
But the silence no longer felt empty.
It felt deliberate.
As though something had heard my question and chosen not to respond.
I remained still, listening to the quiet rhythm of my breathing.
Today, I had gained power.
I had gained knowledge.
I had discovered a path forward.
Yet every answer had led to another question.
The Primordial Azure Beast Scripture had given me a foundation.
The hidden library had shown me fragments of an ancient truth.
Nyxarion had recognized something within me that even I couldn't understand.
And the System had confirmed that my own existence was connected to a name older than the laws I had begun to comprehend.
The Nameless One.
Who was it?
What was it?
And why did the voice inside me seem to know more about it than I did?
I opened my eyes.
For a fleeting moment, I felt something deep within my blood.
Not anger.
Not hunger.
Not the familiar urge to fight.
Something quieter.
Something distant.
As though a presence lay beyond the reach of my senses, separated from me by a boundary I couldn't see.
I couldn't tell whether it was watching me.
I couldn't even prove it existed.
But the feeling remained.
And somewhere beneath that uncertainty, a single thought took root.
Whatever the truth is, I'll uncover it myself.
Even if the answer lies beyond the gods.
Even if it leads me to the beginning of existence.
Even if I must confront the very thing that shares my blood.
I will find it.
Because if something inside me is waiting to awaken—
I need to know whether it is the source of my power...
Or the greatest threat to my existence.