Gu An sat cross-legged within his nascent inner world.
A tiny star pulsed at the origin point — the very first speck of existence he created through pure comprehension. Around it, faint dust-like motes floated, the earliest sign of matter.
But today, instead of diving deeper inside…
He opened his eyes.
He had been too focused inward. The system had been silent, observing. And Gu An realized — if he only grew his inner world without touching reality, his foundation might become… hollow.
Balance is the law of all things.
To expand the universe within, I must observe the universe without.
Just then—
BOOM!
A distant explosion echoed outside his humble mountain hut.
Gu An stepped out.
Clouds swirled unnaturally. A tear in the sky crackled with lightning — a Spatial Rift Reaction. Someone was fighting. Aura waves surged so strong they trembled the mountains.
And then he saw figures streaking through the sky.
They weren't graceful immortal sages — they were young, their robes fluttering, their eyes sharp. The elite outer disciples of the continent's greatest sect:
Starlight Divine Sect.
At their lead floated a girl in moon-white robes. Cold eyes, sword like starlight. She looked not much older than Gu An, yet lightning bent around her fingers like obedient servants.
A prodigy.
Yue Lingxin — Sword Heart Prodigy
Born genius
Cold, logical, ruthless in battle
Curious toward anomalies
Her presence shook the common cultivators hiding in the forest below. One whispered:
"That's Yue Lingxin! They say she could reach Nascent Soul before twenty!"
Another spat in jealousy:
"Why does heaven bless some so much?"
Gu An remained silent.
He felt nothing toward them. Admiration? Envy? No. He simply observed. His eyes, calm like ancient stillness, didn't match his mortal-level cultivation.
Suddenly—
Her gaze snapped to him.
A million lightning sparks froze mid-air.
"You… What are you?"
Her voice wasn't hostile — merely curious. But curiosity from someone like her was dangerous.
Gu An bowed slightly.
"A minor mortal cultivator."
She stared. A heartbeat passed. Two. Her immortal-sharp senses brushed him… and found only calm emptiness.
Like a lake with unfathomable depth.
The system whispered in Gu An's mind:
[Warning: High-potential fate bearer detected]
[Avoid direct entanglement until foundation stabilizes]
Gu An smiled politely. "I was only admiring the sky."
She hesitated.
Then, she turned away — but not fully convinced.
Lightning roared again as her group resumed battle with a sky-devouring beast emerging from the rift.
Gu An watched without moving.
Not because he feared death.
But because he knew — one wrong interaction, and he could accidentally shift fate lines and attract cosmic attention too soon.
Patience.
He slowly sat back at the threshold of his hut. His universe inside would continue evolving. His universe outside had now begun to open.
And his mind whispered:
"This world is merely the first layer. Beyond this sky… are more skies."
His inner world star pulsed brighter.
His first step into the Outer Reality Path had begun.