The mountain was unnaturally still.
No wind stirred the pine needles. No birds called across the ridges. Even the drifting mist seemed frozen in place, as though the world itself had paused to hold its breath.
Dao Xuan Tian stood outside his hut, eyes closed, hands resting loosely at his sides.
He was waiting.
The system interface hovered silently within his consciousness, no countdown displayed, no warning given. Only a faint pressure—subtle, patient, absolute.
Then—
The pressure collapsed inward.
System Cycle Override Activated.
Dao's eyes snapped open.
The translucent screen erupted into existence, no longer restrained by neat borders. Lines of light unfolded in cascading layers, forming structures so complex they resembled constellations rather than numbers.
Multiplier Triggered: 1,000,000×
For the first time since his arrival in this world—
Dao felt something brace around him.
Not restrain.
Protect.
---
Comprehensive Stat Evolution
Core Attributes:
Strength: 7,000,000 → 7,000,000,000,000
Agility: 12,600,000 → 12,600,000,000,000
Endurance: 9,800,000 → 9,800,000,000,000
Spirit: 18,060,000 → 18,060,000,000,000
Secondary Attributes:
Mind: Level 1 → Level 10
Cultivation: Qi Condensation Realm – 1st Stage → Peak Qi Condensation (Stabilized)
Spirit Food: 8th Grade → Immortal Grade
Tertiary Attributes:
Infinity Eyes: 1,200 → 1,200,000,000 / 1,000,000,000 (Threshold Exceeded)
Enlightenment: Heavenly Grade (10,000 / 100,000)
Core Status:
Void Core Stability: Unlocked – Absolute Stability
---
The world broke.
Not outward.
Inward.
Qi did not rush into Dao—it disappeared.
The mountains, the earth, the sky above—every trace of ambient energy within miles was swallowed into a singular point behind Dao's sternum. His Void Core awakened fully for the first time, no longer dormant, no longer restricted.
It did not shine.
It did not spin.
It simply existed.
A perfect absence that devoured excess and rejected interference.
Dao felt no pain.
No strain.
Only certainty.
His body restructured itself silently. Bones aligned into flawless conduits. Meridians widened beyond mortal limitations, yet showed no signs of stress. Flesh became irrelevant—his form now a vessel perfectly synchronized with will.
The system chimed again.
Void Core Effect Activated:
— Immunity to all external techniques
— Conceptual interference negated
— Energy intrusion denied
Dao inhaled slowly.
And the mountain answered.
The earth trembled—not violently, but respectfully. Distant peaks groaned as fault lines adjusted, reality itself recalibrating around a presence it could no longer measure.
Dao raised his hand.
Space bent.
Not torn.
Not shattered.
Bent—like water around stone.
He lowered it again.
Silence returned.
Then—
The Infinity Eyes opened.
Not flickering.
Not flaring.
They unfolded fully, the world peeling back in layers as time itself became transparent.
Dao saw—
A hawk taking flight an hour from now.
A rockslide triggered by melting frost.
Clouds forming, dispersing, reforming.
A cultivator three valleys away deciding not to step forward.
One hour.
Perfect clarity.
Perfect control.
Dao blinked once—and the visions folded away instantly, obeying his will without backlash, without strain.
"…So this is mastery," he murmured.
The system confirmed it.
Infinity Eyes: Future Insight Authority Established
Prediction Range: Up to 1 Hour
Control Status: Absolute
Dao turned toward his hut.
The pot he had left simmering hours earlier still sat over cold embers. He approached it calmly, lifted the lid—
And smiled.
The food within radiated nothing.
No glow.
No pressure.
No aura.
Yet Dao could feel it.
Immortal Grade Spirit Food.
Not enhanced.
Perfected.
Knowledge flooded his mind again—but this time, it was vast. Thousands of recipes unfolded, not bound to ingredients, but to principles. Food that nourished souls. Meals that reinforced Dao comprehension. Dishes capable of sustaining beings beyond mortality.
Cooking was no longer craft.
It was law.
Dao closed the pot.
"I won't use this lightly."
He turned his attention inward once more.
The final change stirred quietly.
Enlightenment – Heavenly Grade.
Understanding bloomed—not as knowledge, but as alignment. Dao no longer needed to force meaning from the world. Patterns revealed themselves willingly. Cause and effect aligned. Even the cultivation realms listed by the system no longer felt distant—they felt logical.
Mahayana.
Not a myth.
A destination.
Dao exhaled.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, he felt something close to awe—not at his power, but at the restraint required to wield it.
"If I step out now," he said softly, "this world won't survive me."
The system did not argue.
Recommendation:
Remain concealed.
Stabilize existence.
Advance Foundation Establishment naturally.
Dao nodded.
He sat down on the stone step before his hut, gazing at the mountains he had once thought vast.
They were small now.
But precious.
This place had shaped him. Tempered him. Hidden him while he became something that should not exist.
Dao Xuan Tian closed his eyes.
One hour into the future, he saw nothing threatening.
Good.
He would stay.
For now.
Because legends were not forged by rushing into the world—
They were forged by understanding it first.
And when he finally stepped beyond these mountains—
There would be no technique capable of touching him.