Its waters deepened, turning into a boundless ocean that glimmered beneath a sky of swirling light.
The air of incompleteness that once clung to it vanished — replaced by harmony, stillness, and depth.
A complete Knowledge Sea.
The impossible had become real.
Lao Xie's body trembled faintly, but the agony receded like a passing tide. His mind steadied. His breathing slowed. He could feel it — the difference, the vastness now contained within him. The world itself felt clearer, sharper. He could sense every flicker of energy around him, every pulse of qi beyond his walls. His divine sense—though faint—had awakened.
Within his sea, the Soul-Nurturing Lotus floated serenely at the center. Its roots spread downward, anchoring into the glowing depths, drinking in the newly formed spiritual waters. Petals swayed gently, breathing light, each movement radiating a quiet pulse that kept his entire consciousness in perfect balance.
The system's voice returned, no longer urgent — now calm, almost reverent.
"The Integration process has been complete."
[Knowledge Sea has been stabilized. Integration completed]
"This is… Soul-Nurturing Lotus has successfully been rooted into your knowledge sea. Your incomplete Knowledge Sea has evolved into a complete form."
There was a pause — as though even the system itself were taking a moment to acknowledge what had just occurred.
"Such advancement… at the Qi Refinement Realm… statistically proven to be impossible. But you, host…"
Lao Xie opened his eyes slowly.
The world returned in silence — the pale morning light spilling into his hut, the air still vibrating faintly with the remnants of his breakthrough. His pulse steadied, but his gaze carried that same unreadable calm, like nothing had happened at all.
Lao Xie's breathing slowed, the tremor in his body easing as the tension faded from his limbs. A low groan escaped him as he rubbed his temples, the faint trace of exhaustion still clinging to his face.
"Tch… damn it," he muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse. "That was pure torture. I thought I was actually going to die this time…"
He let out a quiet sigh, leaning slightly against the wall before his gaze lifted toward the still-glimmering panel. "You could've warned me, System."
As if in response, new panels shimmered into existence before him — one after another, lined neatly in midair, each glowing faintly in a soft golden hue.
Cling~
[Knowledge Sea has successfully been reconstructed.]
[Due to the reconstruction forced by the Soul-Nurturing Lotus, your cultivation realm has increased significantly. Qi Refinement, 7th Stage → Qi Refinement, 8th Stage]
He blinked once, watching the next one appear.
[Due to the reconstruction forced by the Soul-Nurturing Lotus, your cultivation realm has increased significantly. Qi Refinement, 8th Stage → Qi Refinement, 9th Stage]
A faint hum followed.
[Due to the reconstruction forced by the Soul-Nurturing Lotus, your cultivation realm has increased significantly. Qi Refinement, 9th Stage → Qi Condensation, 1st Stage]
The golden glow flickered softly as the last panel settled.
Lao Xie stared for a moment, his brows slightly raised, and then a quiet laugh escaped him — low, incredulous.
"That hellish pain actually came with benefits?" he murmured, his voice half amused, half exasperated. His gaze lingered on the final line, and his tone dropped to a quieter murmur. "Even a breakthrough…"
For once, he didn't know whether to laugh or curse.
Before he could dwell on it, the system's voice drifted into his mind, calm and clear — almost explanatory this time.
"The reconstruction process was excessively severe," it began. "During the forced integration, the Soul-Nurturing Lotus repeatedly tore apart and repaired your Knowledge Sea. Once the process was complete, your Knowledge Sea was fully formed, and the leftover energy used in the restoration eventually transformed into Qi, causing your cultivation realm to rise. The reason for this leftover energy was that the Soul-Nurturing Lotus had been prepared in advance, in case the initial energy proved insufficient or if any unforeseen circumstances arose that might have caused the reconstruction of your Knowledge Sea to fail."
"Normally, the Knowledge Sea only evolves. But in your case, it was entirely recreated—reborn into a complete form capable of sustaining the lotus."
The voice paused briefly before continuing. "The surplus energy produced during the process flowed into your meridians, resulting in multiple breakthroughs."
Lao Xie hummed quietly under his breath. "So that's how it is…"
He shifted his gaze toward the next panel that appeared, displaying the artifact's full information.
[Item Acquired: Soul-Nurturing Lotus (Legendary)]
Type: Passive Artifact
Effect:
• Automatically nourishes and strengthens the soul continuously
• Soul realm will always be one major stage above cultivation realm
• Immune to soul corrosion, soul disruption, illusion backlash, possession, and soul attack
• Can annihilate invading souls or consciousness strands effortlessly
• Lotus roots within the Knowledge Sea will form a secondary Qi containment, acting as a secondary meridian
As his eyes trailed down the lines, his expression remained calm — until he reached the final line.
His gaze paused. A subtle flicker of thought passed behind his eyes.
"...Secondary Qi containment," he muttered under his breath, repeating the words slowly, as if tasting their meaning.
Something clicked in his mind. His fingers moved before he even thought — summoning another panel with a smooth flick of his wrist.
[INFORMATION]
Name: Lao Xie
Age: 15
Cultivation Stage: Qi Condensation, 1st Stage
Physique: Heaven-Piercing Sword Physique
Race: Human
Luck: ???
Spiritual Root: Primordial Ancient Spirit Root
Traits: Observe Lv1, Qi Absorption LvMAX
He tapped on one of the traits.
Trait: [Qi Absorption]
Effect: Grants the ability to directly absorb the Qi of any human. Only applies to the living—if dead, the body must be freshly slain within an hour. However, the Qi absorbed will not be pure—it will corrode into corrupted qi.
A faint glint crossed his eyes as he read. For a moment, silence lingered — heavy but charged with thought.
Then, a quiet murmur slipped past his lips.
"…If it's like this," he said softly, "then it's possible."
His thumb brushed the air near the Soul-Nurturing Lotus panel again. "Two Qi containments. One for pure Qi, one for the other."
A slow, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Two meridians, two paths, one body…"
The system's voice responded immediately, tone measured yet faintly curious.
"Normally, cultivating two types of Qi in one body would be impossible. They would reject each other and cause irreversible collapse. However…"
A pause. "…in your case, the two containments exist separately. It may be theoretically possible. The chance of success is slim, but it is… worth attempting."
Lao Xie's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Worth attempting, huh?" His tone was quiet, almost amused, yet his gaze carried that dangerous edge — the spark of a man already imagining what could be done with it.
He leaned back slowly, his smirk deepening. "Even you're encouraging me to give it a try? Then we'll find out soon enough."
Lao Xie's smirk lingered for a moment before it slowly faded into quiet thought. His eyes lowered, and the faint golden flicker that pulsed within them began to stir once more.
He closed his eyes.
At his will, his consciousness sank inward—like a drop falling into still water. The physical world slipped away, and in the next breath, he felt the pull of that familiar pressure from within.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the middle of his own Knowledge Sea.
It was no longer the fragile, mist-choked basin it had once been. The space stretched endlessly in every direction—a vast ocean of deep, shimmering blue that seemed to breathe with each pulse of his heart. The waves were calm, but beneath their surface, faint streams of light swirled and danced like living veins of energy.
Above, the sky arched high and boundless—neither day nor night. Faint stars glimmered within a twilight hue, their reflections rippling gently across the water below. Each shimmer carried a resonance of spiritual energy, as though the stars themselves were thoughts drifting through his mind.