Kael's body still hummed with residual energy. His senses, newly awakened, revealed the world in stunning detail: the faint pulse of spiritual currents beneath the earth, the gentle shimmer of qi in the air, the subtle aura emitted by living things.
He had truly entered a new world. Not virtually. Not mentally. Physically.
Still, awe could wait—because the forest was not done with him yet.
A rustle in the underbrush snapped Kael back into alertness. He slipped behind a tree, crouching low. His system interface flickered softly in his vision, unobtrusive yet precise.
> Warning: Unidentified Lifeform Approaching. High Spiritual Pressure Detected.
Engagement Not Advised.
Kael peered through the leaves. A figure glided between the trees—tall, graceful, wearing flowing gray robes with a silver sash. The man's long hair drifted like smoke, and a faint silver mist surrounded his body.
Human… or something close enough.
The man stopped, head tilting. "You may as well come out, boy," he said. His voice was calm, but it carried a weight that made Kael's spine stiffen.
Kael stepped out slowly, hands raised. "I'm not looking for trouble. I just… got lost."
The man studied him with piercing gray eyes. "You are not of this realm."
That wasn't a question. Kael's throat tightened. "No, I'm not."
A beat of silence. Then the man's eyes widened, almost imperceptibly. "You carry a bound system. Ancient. Forbidden."
Kael's heart dropped. "Wait—how do you know that?"
The stranger didn't answer. Instead, he extended a hand and murmured a word. A swirl of wind enveloped them both—and suddenly, the forest blurred, trees spinning past like a vortex.
When the wind died, they stood on a floating stone platform high above the canopy. Towering cliffs surrounded them, each carved with symbols Kael couldn't read. Dozens of ancient statues ringed the edges, their eyes blindfolded, their mouths sealed.
Teleportation. Or maybe flight. Kael wasn't sure. All he knew was this man was far, far beyond him.
"Who are you?" Kael asked, breathless.
"I am Elder Xian of the Silent Sky Sect," the man said, turning to face the cliffs. "And you… you are a variable."
Kael blinked. "A variable?"
Elder Xian nodded. "This world is bound by threads of fate. Most lives follow patterns—some high, some low—but yours? Yours has no path. You are a flame tossed into dry fields." He turned, eyes hardening. "You will burn everything… or enlighten it."
Kael didn't know what to say to that.
Elder Xian waved a hand, and a scroll materialized, unfurling before him midair. Strange symbols glowed, rearranging themselves in real time.
"You have no cultivation background, yet you advanced to Qi Initiate in under an hour," Xian murmured. "That is not just potential. That is disruption."
Kael crossed his arms, defensive. "I didn't choose this. I didn't even know what cultivation meant before today."
"And yet," Xian said, eyes narrowing, "the heavens chose you."
Kael hesitated. Then asked, "You said the system I have is… forbidden?"
Xian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped to the edge of the platform and gestured for Kael to look over. Far below, nestled between two cliffs, was a ruined temple, overgrown and forgotten.
"That," he said, "was the Temple of Eclipse. Destroyed a thousand years ago by decree of the Nine Immortal Clans."
Kael stared, realization dawning.
"You mean… my system—Eclipse—it came from there?"
Elder Xian nodded. "The Eclipse System was one of the great celestial artifacts. It broke every rule of cultivation. It could multiply growth. Double talents. Defy limitations." He paused. "But it demanded a price."
Kael swallowed. "What kind of price?"
"No one knows. The last bearer disappeared—and the temple was razed. All knowledge of the system was purged." Xian turned back to Kael. "Yet here you stand. The system reborn, and its host… unawakened."
Kael frowned. "If it's so dangerous, why haven't you killed me already?"
To his surprise, Xian smiled faintly. "I am curious. And perhaps… tired of the old rules." His smile faded. "But others will not be so lenient. If word spreads that the Eclipse System has returned, you will not live to see your second breakthrough."
Kael took a shaky breath. "Then what do I do?"
"You learn. You grow. And above all—you hide."
Xian waved his hand again, and a scroll appeared in Kael's hand. It glowed faintly with spiritual energy.
> You have acquired: Beginner Technique - Cloudstep Pulse
Allows short bursts of speed using spiritual energy.
Tier: Mortal Grade - Movement
Multiplier Compatible: Yes
"Train with this," Xian said. "It will help you survive."
Kael's system chimed softly as it integrated the technique. Instinct flowed into his mind—a dance of footwork, breath, and flow. He could almost feel the technique seeping into his muscles.
"Thank you," Kael said, clutching the scroll.
Xian nodded once. "You may stay here until sunrise. Then you must leave. Head west. There is a mortal town called River's End near the edge of the Mistveil Mountains. Blend in. Cultivate. Survive."
Kael looked around. "But I don't even know how to cultivate. I've just been winging it."
Xian tilted his head. "Then let me teach you… just once."
—
That night, Kael sat cross-legged in the center of a glowing formation drawn in white chalk. Elder Xian stood beside him, hands clasped behind his back.
"Breathe with the world," Xian said. "Draw energy not with your lungs—but with your spirit."
Kael focused. Slowly, he inhaled—and this time, he felt it. The energy in the air, subtle and vast, trickling into his core. His body tingled as his qi pool slowly filled.
> Qi Pool: 100 → 120 / 150
Breakthrough Threshold Detected: Tier 2 in range.
"Good," Xian said. "Now circulate the energy. Follow the Eight Gates—head, hands, feet, chest, navel, spine, throat, crown."
Kael guided the qi through his body. It was like controlling a river—difficult, but not impossible. With every cycle, his body grew warmer, lighter, more alive.
> Qi Pool: 150 / 150.
Breakthrough Available. Initiate Tier Advancement?
[Yes]
Kael confirmed.
A pulse of power surged from his core—shattering invisible barriers in his body. The world grew even sharper.
---
Breakthrough Achieved: Qi Initiate - Tier 2
Stat Bonus: +2 Strength, +2 Agility, +1 Perception
Multiplier Ability Unlocked: Cultivation Gains × 2 (Cooldown: 24 hrs)
---
Kael opened his eyes, gasping. "I did it."
Xian nodded. "You've taken your first real step."
He turned away, walking toward the edge of the platform as dawn began to break.
"I cannot guide you further. If others knew I had spared you, I would be cast from the sect—or worse."
Kael stood, fists clenched. "Will I ever see you again?"
"Perhaps," Xian said, fading into mist. "If fate wills it."
And just like that, Kael was alone again.
—
As the morning sun rose over the trees, Kael descended the cliffs using Cloudstep Pulse. The technique drained qi quickly, but it let him leap from rock to rock like a ghost.
At the base, he paused, looking back at the temple ruins above. Somewhere within lay the answers to his system—his destiny.
But for now, he turned west.
To River's End.
To survival.
To cultivation.
The Infinite Path stretched before him, endless and unknown.
And Kael walked it—step by step.
_ _ _