Sunlight slipped through the cracked window, pale and quiet, touching my face.
I opened my eyes.
For a moment, I waited for pain.
It never came.
No burning nerves. No broken bones screaming with every breath. My body felt… light. Complete. As if the brutal beating from days ago had never happened.
I slowly sat up.
Nothing hurt.
That alone made my heart skip.
I stood and walked toward the window. Outside, Neo-Zhau was waking up. The twin suns rose together, casting long shadows over rusted rooftops and narrow streets. The air felt fresh—almost unreal.
Something inside me shifted.
I couldn't explain it. It just felt right. Like a locked door deep within me had loosened, just a little.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed behind me.
The door burst open.
"Brother Hao!"
Ming Hui rushed in, eyes shining, face red with excitement so intense it almost scared me.
"I did it!" he shouted. "I finally did it!"
I turned toward him calmly. "Did what?"
"I reached it!" he said, barely able to control himself. "Mana Circle—First Level!"
For a second, my mind went blank.
Then—
I laughed.
Before Ming Hui could react, I lifted him off the ground and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Heavens, you idiot!" I laughed. "That's incredible!"
"I knew it!" he shouted back, laughing just as hard. "I knew I could do it!"
We stayed like that for a moment—laughing, breathing, alive.
Then reality settled back in.
"Alright," I said, setting him down. "Let's see if it's real."
We went to an abandoned house on the edge of the district. Collapsed walls. Broken pillars. A place no one cared about anymore.
Perfect for testing power.
Inside, I pointed toward a massive stone half-buried in rubble.
"Channel your mana," I said. "Focus it into your arm. Then your fist."
Ming Hui nodded, his expression turning serious.
He took a deep breath.
Mana surged.
His fist shot forward.
Crack.
A deep fracture split the stone, spreading outward like spiderwebs.
Ming Hui froze.
Then his face lit up like the twin suns outside.
"I did it!" he shouted. "Brother, did you see that?! Mana cultivation is clearly the best system there is!"
I smiled faintly.
"Wrong."
He blinked. "Huh?"
"Mistake," I said calmly.
"But mana has nine refined circles," he argued. "Some say there's even a tenth! There are spells, elements, flight—"
"Still wrong."
He frowned. "Then Qi cultivation?"
"No."
"Spiritual cultivation?"
"No."
"Soul cultivation?"
"No."
He stared at me, completely confused.
"Then what?" he demanded. "If none of those are the strongest… what is?"
I stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then I spoke.
"Ultima."
He frowned. "Ultima?"
"Yes," I said quietly. "Ultima."
"What is that?"
I exhaled slowly.
"Five thousand years ago," I said, "a catastrophe tore through reality itself. Dimensions collapsed. Demons poured into the world."
Ming Hui's expression changed.
"The first to fall were the mana empires," I continued. "Millions died. Their systems were powerful—but rigid."
I tapped my temple.
"So the survivors created something new."
"Ultima," I said. "Not physical cultivation. Not spiritual."
"Mental."
I looked straight at him.
"An imagination-based cultivation system—where logic gives imagination form."
His breath caught.
"If you imagine something clearly enough," I said, "and understand how it should work, your mind, soul, and body begin to treat it as real."
Ming Hui swallowed.
"Cultivate mana in your imagination, and your real body follows," I continued. "Cultivate strength, defense—even concepts—and they imprint onto you."
"But…" he hesitated. "That sounds insane."
"It is," I replied.
"Ultima has backlash," I said. "Push too far and your mind fractures. Coma. Brain damage."
I paused.
"In the worst cases… the head simply explodes."
Ming Hui went silent.
I smiled faintly. "Now tell me—what system is the strongest?"
He couldn't answer.
After a long pause, he whispered, "Brother… who are you?"
I laughed.
"Idiot," I said. "That disaster is taught to children everywhere. I'm not special for knowing it."
He scratched his head. "Right… yeah… fair."
Then his eyes lit up again. "So where's the Ultima cultivation method?"
I fell silent.
"Noble families," I said eventually. "Their heirs. Their core secrets."
I clenched my fist.
"And my goal," I said, "is to get my hands on it."
"So we can be free?" he asked.
"So we can live," I replied.
He hesitated. "Brother… why is your name Zhi Long, anyway?"
I looked at him.
Then smiled.
"First," I said, "because I had no parents to name me."
"And second?"
"Because it sounds badass."
Ming Hui burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright—big badass brother!"
I threw an arm around his shoulders.
"Don't worry," I said quietly. "This badass will protect you."
As we walked out of the ruins, the wind shifted.
For just a moment—
I felt something watching.
Something ancient.
Something patient.
And deep in my chest, that warmth stirred again.
"Brother Hao," Ming Hui said suddenly, rubbing his arms. "By the way… four days ago you went out to gather information on the powerful organizations in the capital."
I glanced at him. "Sit."
We returned to the center of the ruined room and sat facing each other. Only then did I speak.
"There are ten major organizations in the capital," I said. "Each one powerful enough to crush districts without warning."
Ming Hui straightened.
"The tenth is the Black Elf Organization," I continued. "Assassins. Bounty hunters. Shadow work."
"They're led by Emily Bernet—Seventh Mana Circle. Twenty-seven years old."
"That young?" Ming Hui muttered.
"Elves age differently," I said. "And they kill efficiently."
I raised one finger.
"The ninth is the Cobra Association."
"They worship venom," I said. "Their bodies are modified—immune to most poisons. Physically monstrous."
"Criminal syndicate," I added. "Money laundering. Extortion. Underground trade."
"Their leader is Tan Mu."
I paused.
"Title: The Poisonous Psychopath."
Ming Hui swallowed.
"The eighth is the Plum Blossom Organization."
"They're peaceful—on the surface," I said. "Martial artists who cultivate Kai, an ancient and raw Qi technique."
"They teach openly," I said. "But don't mistake that for weakness."
"Their leader is Kang Luo—the King of Blossoms."
I lifted another finger.
"The seventh is the Fist Organization."
"Pure brute force," I said. "Hand-to-hand combat. Kai refinement. Underground fights. Protection contracts."
"Muscle for hire."
I stopped there.
"There are others," I said quietly. "Stronger ones. Stranger ones."
"But knowing everything right now would do more harm than good."
Ming Hui stared at me.
"…Brother," he asked, "what are we going to do with all this information?"
"Are we joining one of them?"
I shook my head.
"No."
I looked up at the broken ceiling.
"In this world," I said, "you don't get crushed only because you're weak."
"You get crushed because you don't know who you're standing in front of."
I met his eyes again.
"This is insurance," I said. "So when we cross paths with monsters… we know which kind they are."
Ming Hui nodded slowly.
The wind passed through the broken walls.
And deep inside me—
That warmth remained and in my mind i made up my decision I will grow stronger to protect the ones I love.