Recovery brought stillness—and in that stillness, revelations found Kaizen.
On the fifth night, when his bones had fully knit and his meridians no longer screamed under circulating qi, Kaizen finally had the clarity to examine the last two items he had recovered. They had been quiet until now, as if waiting for him to be whole enough to endure their weight.
The first was another map.
Unlike the territorial chart he had already shown Arron, this one was layered—dimensionally so. When Kaizen unfurled it, the surface shimmered like water struck by moonlight. His spiritual sense brushed it, and the map expanded in his mind, unfolding not as ink and lines but as living geography.
Continents rose.
Oceans deepened.
Borders shifted with history.
Kaizen sucked in a breath.
"This isn't just a map of territories," he muttered. "It's a map of the world."
Not just the world as it was—but as it had been, and as it could become.
Mountain ranges pulsed with dormant energy nodes. Ley lines of mana—pure, untamed essence—flowed beneath forests and deserts alike. Islands drifted in isolation, starved of magical density.
One of those islands glowed faintly.
His island.
Kaizen's eyes narrowed as understanding struck.
The Zaiton territory was vast—far larger than most mainland domains—but it sat isolated, surrounded by seas that diluted ambient mana. The essence of manna, the very foundation of cultivation and magic in this world, was thin here. Stable, yes. Safe, yes.
But weak.
No wonder the family's warriors lagged behind mainland cultivators of the same rank. No wonder advancement bottlenecked so early. They weren't lacking talent.
They were starving.
A low laugh escaped Kaizen's lips.
"So that's it… we were born in a cage made of comfort."
The second item rested beside him: a thick, ancient book bound in dark silver scales. The moment he touched it, runes flared along its spine.
Book of All Knowledge.
At least, that was the closest translation his mind could form.
Kaizen hesitated only a second before opening it.
Information flooded him—not as raw overload, but as structured understanding. The book did not dump everything at once. It revealed knowledge as his mind proved capable of handling it.
Races.
Factions.
Powers that shaped the world from the shadows.
First came the Elves—ancient, long-lived beings bound to mana-rich forests and ley line nexuses. Masters of elemental harmony, archery, and spirit contracts. They valued balance, yet were merciless when their domains were threatened.
Then the Giants—towering beings born of stone, thunder, and ancient bloodlines. Their cultivation was slow but terrifying. A fully grown giant was a walking catastrophe, capable of crushing sects beneath their feet.
The Dragon Clan followed—and Kaizen stiffened.
Not beasts.
Men.
Men who could transform into dragons.
Their bloodlines were tyrannical, their pride absolute. They cultivated through dominance, hoarding resources and crushing rivals. A single adult dragon cultivator could rule a region uncontested.
High Orcs came next.
Unlike the savage myths told in island folklore, the High Orcs were disciplined, proud, and brutally honorable. Their leaders were warrior-kings whose words carried more weight than treaties. Insult an orc, and they would remember it for generations.
Then the Fairies—small, elusive, born of pure mana. They avoided conflict but controlled natural essence nodes that every major power coveted.
Demonic Beasts—creatures born from corrupted mana zones, evolving through devouring rather than cultivation. Some possessed intelligence rivaling humans. Others existed only to destroy.
Finally, the Chaos Abyss Masters.
Kaizen's fingers tightened on the page.
A ruthless, shadow-drenched organization that thrived on instability. They trafficked in forbidden techniques, soul manipulation, and chaos-force experiments. Wars, fallen sects, vanished bloodlines—many bore their invisible fingerprints.
"They're everywhere," Kaizen whispered.
And then he saw it.
Their symbol.
The same faint mark etched into Stannly's chaos-force core.
So he had never been alone.
He closed the book slowly, exhaling.
The world was far larger—and far more dangerous—than he had imagined.
Yet instead of fear, a slow smile crept across his face.
"I really was living in a small world," Kaizen said quietly.
An island with low mana density. Isolated races. Limited trade. Limited growth.
But now he knew.
And knowledge was leverage.
He turned back to the map, eyes sharp.
If manna was scarce here, then resources elsewhere were abundant.
If his land was weak, then its weakness could become its shield—while its leader reached outward.
And then another memory surfaced.
The book flipped pages on its own, stopping at a glowing passage.
Tournament of Power.
Held once every ten years.
In one month.
A neutral convergence event where all major races and factions sent representatives—officially for competition, unofficially for posturing, recruitment, espionage, and blood feuds disguised as "accidents."
Kaizen chuckled softly.
"And you all hate each other."
Elves despised dragons.
Orcs clashed endlessly with giants.
Chaos Abyss Masters manipulated everyone.
Fairies trusted no one.
A divided world.
A perfect market.
Gold coins weren't just currency—they were control. Information, contracts, transport, rare items. If Kaizen could position himself correctly, he wouldn't just strengthen the Zaiton sect.
He would turn it into a hub.
Trade rare island resources outward.
Bring mana-rich cultivation supplies inward.
Sell neutrality.
Sell information.
Sell access.
"I don't need to conquer the world," Kaizen murmured. "I just need to make it depend on me."
His smile sharpened.
"And if they try to crush me…"
His gaze flickered to the Big Bang Fist inheritance burning quietly within his soul.
"…then they'll learn why heaven-defying techniques are feared."
Outside the infirmary, dawn broke across the sea, waves shimmering with pale light. The island remained calm, unaware that its destiny had shifted.
In one month, the Tournament of Power would begin.
And Kaizen would step onto a stage far larger than an island—armed with knowledge, ambition, and a plan that could reshape the balance of the world itself.