Over the next week, cultivation became the central focus of our family's daily routine. My parents threw themselves into the Mountain Foundation Art with surprising dedication, though their progress came slower than Christine's explosive advancement. Dad's earth affinity proved particularly strong, his body growing noticeably more solid and resilient as he reached Body Tempering fourth layer. Mom's water and wood elements worked in harmony, her skin taking on an almost luminous quality as she also achieved layer four.
"I feel like I'm twenty years younger," Mom said one evening as we shared dinner in the Core Region garden. She flexed her hand, watching spiritual energy flow beneath her skin like gentle streams.
"The higher spiritual density here compensates for our age disadvantage," Dad added, examining his own transformation. His once-soft engineer's hands now looked like they could crush stone.
Christine had become a force of nature. Her lightning affinity responded to the Thunder Phoenix Art with frightening efficiency, crackling energy occasionally dancing across her fingertips when she got excited. At Body Tempering sixth layer, she could probably arm-wrestle professional athletes and win.
As for me, I finally carved my first four meridians and broke through to the Meridian Opening Realm. The Chaos Genesis Body Art baptized each pathway with every element simultaneously, infusing my meridians with all the elemental affinities of chaos.
Finally, I could circulate spiritual energy properly, channeling it through my body and refining it into vital energy instead of just absorbing it passively.
The biggest surprise came when Tyler finally walked through the American City portal, looking simultaneously impressed and irritated.
"So this is what you've been up to," he said, finding me in the commercial district.
I led him to the mansion entrance, noting how he maintained his typical emotional distance even while clearly amazed by everything around him.
"Your spiritual aptitude shows strong wind and fire elements," I told him after running the analysis. "This should suit you perfectly."
I reached out through the Heavenly Dao, sending the Gale Flame Scripture directly into Tyler's mind. His eyes widened as the knowledge flooded his consciousness, followed by combat techniques that would complement his dual affinities.
"That's intense," he muttered, pressing his palm against his temple.
I transferred several thousand merit points to his identity token next, then pulled a low quality storage ring from my collection.
"This is a storage ring. About ten feet of pocket space inside. Drop some blood on it to bind it to yourself."
I handed him the ring along with a lancet. Tyler examined both items with the same analytical focus he applied to everything, then pricked his finger without hesitation. The ring absorbed the blood, and the look on his face changed as he felt the binding complete.
"Come stay at the mansion with us," I offered. "Plenty of room."
"I appreciate everything, Ben. Really." Tyler's expression softened slightly. "But I need my own space. Always have."
I nodded, understanding completely. Tyler had fled to Boston the moment high school ended, putting three thousand miles between himself and family obligations. That he'd accepted my help at all spoke volumes about feelings he'd never actually voice.
"The mansion's always open if you change your mind," I offered.
"I know." He squeezed my shoulder briefly. "Thanks for thinking of me."
After Tyler left to explore the city on his own terms, I turned my attention to a growing problem. Thousands of cultivators now filled American City, with more arriving daily as the portal anchors continued their global journey. Many were nearing Body Tempering fourth layer, and it was only a matter of time before they exhausted the basic knowledge injection they'd received upon entry and became hungry for more advanced techniques.
The merit point economy was functioning well, but people needed something meaningful to spend their points on beyond food and housing. Although the city had training facilities to practice combat techniques, without learning any techniques, they had little use to rent the spaces. The time had come to create public cultivation libraries where dedicated practitioners could access higher-quality techniques and specialized knowledge.
Standing in the central plaza of American City, I felt the weight of thousands of eyes upon me. Cultivators had gathered in concentric circles around the monument, their conversations dying to whispers as they recognized my divine aura. Some pointed at their identity tokens, probably checking their merit balances in anticipation of whatever announcement was coming.
I raised my hand, and perfect silence fell across the plaza.
"Fellow cultivators," my voice carried effortlessly to every corner of the massive space. "Your dedication to the cultivation path has been remarkable. Many of you approach the limits of what basic knowledge can provide."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Several cultivators near the front nodded eagerly, their expressions hungry for advancement.
"Today, I establish the Foundation of All Paths."
I gestured toward an empty space beside the plaza, and the earth began to shift. Obsidian blocks rose from the ground in perfect formation, assembling themselves into a magnificent seven-story structure. Each floor expanded outward as it rose, creating a pyramid-like silhouette that commanded attention. Crystalline windows appeared along the walls, and intricate carvings depicting various cultivation techniques decorated the exterior.
"This library contains knowledge spanning every elemental affinity, every cultivation path, every combat style, knowledge of higher technology, and even cultivation trade skills like pill concocting, array formations, and talisman creation," I continued as the building completed its formation. "The first floor welcomes all cultivators. Each subsequent floor requires higher cultivation realms to access and provides correspondingly powerful techniques."
The crowd pressed closer, excitement building as they stared at the towering structure.
"However," I raised my voice slightly, "knowledge has value. Each technique requires merit points to acquire. Techniques will be transferred directly into your mind upon purchase."
I walked toward the library entrance, the crowd parting before me. Inside, thousands of small pedestals materialized, each holding a perfectly cut gemstone that glowed with soft inner light. The gems contained introductory knowledge about various techniques, enough for a cultivator to understand what they were purchasing without revealing the actual methods.
"Browse freely," I announced. "Study the introductions. When you find a technique that calls to you, simply will the purchase in your mind, and the library will complete the transaction by transmitting the technique knowledge directly to you."
What I didn't mention was the elegant restriction built into the Heavenly Dao. When any technique knowledge was injected into someone's mind, it came with an inherent limitation that prevented them from sharing the technique with others until the recipient achieved true mastery of that technique. This wasn't greed or cruelty, but necessity. Techniques shared prematurely often resulted in crippling injuries or cultivation deviations. The restriction also ensured each cultivator invested their own merit points, providing another method to keep the points flowing.
The first cultivators rushed into the library, their excited voices echoing off the polished walls as they examined the glowing introduction crystals.
I stepped back from the completed library and activated my teleportation ability, appearing instantly in African City. The red earth construction rose from the savanna with the same elegant precision, though only a handful of scattered cultivators witnessed its creation. Russian City came next, the obsidian structure looking striking against the pine forest backdrop. Chinese City, Brazilian City, and German City followed in rapid succession, each receiving its identical Foundation of All Paths library.
The sparse populations in these newer cities meant my work went largely unnoticed, unlike the excited crowds that had gathered in American City. Soon enough, as the portal anchors completed their global circuit, these libraries would see the same eager rush of knowledge-seekers.
Returning to Earth, I settled into my San Jose apartment and flipped on the news. Every major network had cultivation stories dominating their headlines. CNN ran a banner reading "Cultivation Crisis: Superhuman Powers Challenge Law Enforcement." Fox News featured a panel of experts debating whether the portals represented divine intervention or alien invasion. Even local stations had abandoned their usual traffic reports in favor of interviewing newly returned cultivators.
I pulled up my laptop and browsed social media. Reddit's front page was entirely cultivation-related posts. Twitter buzzed with videos of people demonstrating their newfound abilities. YouTube channels dedicated to cultivation techniques had exploded overnight, though most contained dangerously incomplete information that made me wince.
The excitement, however, came with darker undertones. As people gained superhuman strength and speed, conflicts that might have ended in shouting matches now resulted in hospitalization or worse.
"Breaking news from Detroit," the anchor announced. "A domestic dispute turned deadly when thirty-year-old Joshua Williams, recently returned from what witnesses describe as the 'cultivation realm,' struck his girlfriend during an argument. The blow, which would have been minor before his transformation, instead sent the victim through a concrete wall. Williams is currently in critical condition himself after the woman's brother, also a cultivator, retaliated."
I switched channels, finding similar stories across the country. A road rage incident in Phoenix where a cultivator had literally thrown another driver's car into a storefront. A bar fight in Miami that left the entire building structurally damaged. Bank robberies where criminals could tear through vault doors with their bare hands.
The most interesting case came from Chicago. Security footage showed a man named Robert Guerrero robbing a jewelry store, his Body Tempering fourth layer strength allowing him to rip the security gate apart like tissue paper. When police sirens approached, Guerrero sprinted toward the nearest portal, clearly planning to escape into the Eastern Region where fighting was prohibited.
The officers' body cameras captured their shocked expressions as Guerrero dove through the portal's dark entrance, only to stumble right back out onto the Chicago sidewalk as if he'd turned right around and come back.
"What the hell?" Guerrero shouted, staring at the portal in confusion. He turned to try again, but officers tackled him to the ground easily, Guerrero too bewildered by the portal's rejection to resist effectively.
A follow-up story caught my attention on a smaller news site. Investigative journalist Maria Santos had compiled dozens of similar cases over the past week.
"After extensive research, a clear pattern emerges," Santos reported. "Every individual who has used their cultivation abilities for criminal purposes and attempted to flee through these mysterious portals has been rejected. The portals appear to function normally for law-abiding citizens, but criminals find themselves unable to enter."
Her article included interviews with several failed escapees, all expressing identical confusion about why the portals wouldn't admit them.
"Even more intriguing," Santos continued, "non-cultivators with criminal records also face rejection. James Morrison, convicted of armed robbery three years ago, attempted to enter a portal in Los Angeles out of curiosity. Despite having no cultivation abilities and no recent criminal activity, the portal refused him entry just as it did the active criminals."
She concluded with speculation that made me smile: "This suggests the entities governing these cultivation realms possess some form of moral screening technology or divine judgment that evaluates each person's character before granting access. Whatever forces control these portals, they appear determined to exclude those who might misuse the power they offer."
The Heavenly Dao's screening protocols were working perfectly. Every portal entrance analyzed a person's moral character, recent actions, and fundamental intentions. Those who sought power for selfish or harmful purposes found themselves permanently barred, while those with genuine desire for self-improvement and positive intentions passed through freely.
It was exactly the kind of elegant solution that would keep the Eastern Region from becoming a haven for criminals and power-hungry individuals.
The news coverage continued to evolve as I flipped through channels. A materials science segment on Discovery Channel caught my attention immediately.
"These samples represent a revolutionary breakthrough in metallurgy," Dr. Amanda Chen explained, holding up gleaming metal bars that seemed to shimmer with inner light. "Cultivators have discovered what they're calling 'spirit iron' and 'vital steel' in mountainous regions beyond the cultivation cities. Initial testing shows these materials possess tensile strength nearly ten times greater than our best titanium alloys."
The camera zoomed in on stress test footage. A thin rod of spirit iron withstood pressure that completely shattered comparable steel samples. When they finally managed to bend it, the metal snapped back to its original shape without any permanent deformation.
"The implications are staggering," Dr. Chen continued. "As more individuals gain superhuman strength through cultivation, our existing infrastructure becomes inadequate. Prison bars that could once contain any human are now useless against someone who can bench press a car. These spiritual metals might provide the solution."
A follow-up segment showed engineers already incorporating spirit iron into prototype security systems. Bank vaults reinforced with vital steel plating. Police stations upgrading their holding cells with spirit iron bars. Even the Pentagon had apparently placed massive orders for the materials, though specific applications remained classified.
Bloomberg ran an entire special on the economic implications. "Cultivation Incorporated: The New Gold Rush" featured interviews with several entrepreneurial cultivators who had formed mining and exploration companies.
"We've mapped mineral deposits across nearly three thousand square miles beyond American City," explained Marcus Rodriguez, CEO of Eastern Horizon Mining. "The spiritual energy saturation in certain areas creates metals that simply don't exist on Earth. Our teams have identified at least twelve distinct alloy types, each with unique properties."
His company's stock footage showed cultivators using their enhanced strength to extract ore from mountain faces that would have required heavy machinery on Earth. Teams of Body Tempering third layer miners could work faster and more efficiently than traditional mining operations.
"The profit margins are extraordinary," Rodriguez continued. "A single pound of refined vital steel sells for approximately fifty thousand dollars on Earth markets. Our operational costs are minimal since we don't need expensive equipment, just dedicated cultivators willing to work in the field."
Another company, Frontier Exploration LLC, had taken a different approach. Their CEO, Jennifer Walsh, described their focus on mapping and territorial claims.
"We've established outposts nearly five hundred miles from the nearest cultivation city," Walsh explained. "The Eastern Region is vast beyond imagination. Our scouts report everything from crystalline forests to floating island chains. Each new region offers unique resources and opportunities."
Her company specialized in selling detailed maps and territorial surveys to other organizations, essentially becoming the real estate brokers of the cultivation world. They'd identified prime locations for future city expansion, resource-rich mining areas, and even potential sites for agricultural development using spiritually enhanced crops.
The military coverage proved most intriguing. CNN's Pentagon correspondent reported on Operation Cultivation Shield, a classified program integrating cultivator soldiers into national defense.
"Sources confirm that over three thousand active duty personnel have achieved Body Tempering third layer or higher," the correspondent announced. "These enhanced soldiers are being deployed in specialized units designed to counter emerging threats from hostile cultivators."
Footage showed soldiers demonstrating impossible feats. A sergeant casually lifting a Humvee over his head. Marines sprinting at speeds that blurred on camera. Special forces operatives leaping between building rooftops during urban training exercises.
"The strategic implications extend beyond domestic security," a retired general explained during the interview. "As cultivation spreads globally, military power balances are shifting dramatically. A single cultivator soldier can potentially accomplish missions that previously required entire squads."
The report mentioned international concerns about cultivation-enhanced military capabilities. Several nations had reportedly accelerated their own cultivation programs after observing American progress. The Pentagon was apparently developing new tactical doctrines specifically designed around superhuman capabilities.
What struck me most was how quickly human society was adapting. Less than a month since the first portal appeared, and already entire industries were reorganizing around cultivation. Companies were rewriting safety protocols for superhuman employees. Insurance firms were developing new actuarial tables. Universities were establishing cultivation studies programs.
The transformation was happening faster than I'd anticipated, and it was only the beginning.