"This… how is this possible?"
Li Xian's pupils shrank.
*Fifth-stage state of mind… and I still didn't notice?*
He had been dragged into sleep—silently, irresistibly. No warning. No trace. No resistance.
That alone was terrifying.
The only reassurance was this—
He knew he was dreaming.
And yet… something felt off.
His thoughts sharpened. His mind reflected everything with unnatural clarity, like a mirror wiped clean. Fragments surfaced—buried memories, forgotten truths—
—then snapped into place.
When his vision stabilized, he was no longer in his room.
An endless ice plain stretched beneath his feet. Mountains sealed the horizon in all directions like a prison.
Above—
The sky churned.
Clouds formed an inverted canopy, pressing downward. Purple lightning flickered within, each flash carrying a suffocating pressure that weighed on his soul.
Li Xian's breathing slowed.
Then—
His eyes widened.
"Wrong… this isn't a dream."
A chill ran down his spine.
"This is… the Dream Domain."
A forbidden memory resurfaced.
In his previous life, this place had *existed*—but somehow, it had been erased from everyone's minds. Including his own.
Even if remembered, it would've sounded like a myth.
But now—
He was standing inside it.
And he knew.
Because his current state of mind… was no longer that of a naive youth.
"This place…" His gaze flickered. "It's connected to the rise of powerhouses."
His thoughts raced.
Treasures?
No.
After the world's transformation, treasures would be everywhere.
So what remained?
His heartbeat quickened.
"Inheritance."
A smile slowly spread across his face.
But beneath it—
Gravitas.
"So that's why…" he murmured, eyes darkening, "those factions were so eager to recruit people."
Inheritance.
The foundation of everything.
In his previous life, he had been mediocre—not due to lack of effort, but lack of *path*.
Without inheritance, there was no future.
Humans weren't born strong.
They had to *learn* how to become strong.
And he hadn't.
Not then.
But now—
A sudden killing intent snapped him out of his thoughts.
He turned—
—and saw it.
A massive white wolf lunging toward him, its icy breath freezing the air itself.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
No time to think.
Li Xian lifted his hand instinctively.
The world froze.
The wolf—
—collapsed mid-air.
*Crack.*
It shattered into countless ice fragments.
Silence.
Li Xian stared.
"…Mind power?"
Then—
He laughed.
Wild. Unrestrained.
"Hahahaha—! So that's how it works!"
The falling shards halted in midair.
Suspended.
Obedient.
His eyes gleamed.
"In this place… imagination is reality."
Confidence surged through him.
He took a step forward—
—and vanished.
The next moment, he reappeared miles away.
Another step.
Another leap across space.
As if distance itself had lost meaning.
Calm returned to him, like this was only natural.
Perhaps—
This was the true power of a fifth-stage mind.
Then—
Something blocked his path.
A shadow.
Li Xian stopped.
Before him stood a behemoth—far larger than the wolf. Its body towered into the clouds, its presence distorting the air.
He didn't hesitate.
He raised his gaze.
Then—
*Snap.*
The sky exploded.
Purple lightning converged, raging violently as if provoked. In an instant, a storm formed—vast, furious—
—and descended.
Boom.
Boom—
BOOM!
Thunder swallowed the world.
The behemoth didn't even have time to struggle before it was erased—completely obliterated.
Nothing remained.
Li Xian exhaled slowly.
"So what if you're massive?"
His voice was calm.
"You still can't escape nature."
He turned—
—but stopped.
A golden symbol hovered in the void before him.
Incomplete.
Ancient.
Before he could react—
—it shot into his forehead.
Gone.
Li Xian froze.
"What… was that?"
No answer came.
But his instincts screamed—
This mattered.
A lot.
His gaze sharpened.
*This place… isn't simple.*
Without hesitation, he moved forward again, crossing vast distances in mere steps.
Soon—
A vast plain appeared.
At its center—
A pillar.
It pierced the heavens.
Ancient. Boundless. Beyond reason.
Li Xian's breath hitched.
"I've seen this before…"
A memory surfaced.
A similar structure—
Used to bestow legacies.
His eyes burned with excitement.
"This… is an inheritance pillar."
But instead of rushing forward—
He stopped.
More cautious than ever.
This place…
Rewarded power.
But it also—
Tested it.
Just as he prepared to move—
The ground beneath him collapsed.
No warning.
No sound.
His body vanished—
—and reappeared high in the sky.
Wind roared past him.
He looked down.
The land where he stood was gone—replaced by a massive crater.
At its center—
Something moved.
Roots.
Countless thick, writhing roots.
"…Plant life?"
He narrowed his eyes.
In a frozen wasteland?
Impossible.
Then again—
This wasn't reality.
Here—
Anything could exist.
Anything could happen.
As long as one believed.
His gaze flickered.
"So this was the secret…"
Deep sleep.
Mass awakening.
Powerhouses rising.
And then—
Forgetting everything.
A cold realization settled in.
"If I hadn't been reborn…"
He wouldn't even *remember this place existed.*
His eyes darkened.
This world—
Was hiding something terrifying.
He looked back at the pillar.
Then—
At the roots below.
An idea formed.
A dangerous one.
He raised his leg.
Power gathered.
"Eat this—"
His voice rang out.
"Sky-Trampling Leg!"
He stomped down.
The heavens trembled.
A colossal phantom leg manifested, crushing downward like divine judgment.
Impact.
The world exploded.
The ground caved in. Roots shattered. The entire area was annihilated in an instant.
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then—
A golden symbol formed again.
Li Xian descended, eyes blazing, and let it merge into his mind.
Another piece.
Another mystery.
He didn't stop.
He moved toward the pillar again—
Faster this time.
But halfway—
He froze.
A sound.
Soft at first.
Then louder.
Rushing.
Roaring.
His head snapped up.
A wall of water surged toward him—
A tsunami.
Blotting out the horizon.
His pupils contracted.
"…Tch."
A curse slipped from his lips.
But—
No fear.
Only anticipation.