The Worldheart Chamber had become unnaturally quiet.
Only three hundred strands of corruption remained floating above the dimensional breach like fragments of black silk drifting through darkness. Compared to the endless corruption that once drowned the underground ruins, the chamber now felt almost peaceful.
Ancient formations glowed steadily across the walls.
The Worldheart pulsed calmly.
Even the dimensional instability surrounding the breach had weakened greatly.
For the first time in countless years-
Earth's hidden wound had nearly healed.
Krishak stood silently near the edge of the chamber.
Silver-gray energy flowed naturally around him while faint spatial ripples distorted the air nearby. After reaching the peak of the Void Forged Body realm, even his normal movements subtly affected the surrounding space.
The old man still found it unsettling.
Not frightening exactly.
Just...
Wrong.
As though Krishak no longer fully belonged within ordinary physical laws.
Three years of isolation had changed him deeply.
Not only in strength.
In presence.
The reckless intensity he carried in the beginning had disappeared gradually over time. His emotions had become calmer. Sharper. More controlled.
Like tempered steel hidden beneath still water.
Most importantly-
He no longer radiated instability.
When he first entered the chamber, the Primordial Origin Arts constantly struggled against the corruption invading his body.
Now
The silver-gray energy circulated through him naturally.
Smoothly.
Like it had always existed there.
Krishak slowly walked toward the countless handwritten records stacked beside the cultivation formations.
Hundreds upon hundreds of books and notes filled the chamber now.
Years of preparation.
Years of planning.
He picked up one of the books quietly.
Its cover contained only three words.
Foundations of Civilization.
Inside were detailed systems regarding cultivation education, public infrastructure, resource balance, ethical path development, and long-term social stability for awakened societies.
Not techniques.
Not power.
Civilization itself.
The old man watched silently.
"You spent three years preparing humanity for dangers they don't even know exist."
Krishak calmly placed the book back down.
"They'll eventually face them anyway."
His voice remained steady.
"If they only chase strength, humanity will collapse before reaching the stars."
That belief had become clearer to him during these years.
In his previous life, countless civilizations rose through power alone.
Most eventually destroyed themselves.
Some through greed.
Some through arrogance.
Others through internal division before external enemies even arrived.
Strength mattered.
But civilization mattered more.
Krishak slowly looked toward the remaining corruption strands floating above the breach.
Three hundred strands.
Enough for a breakthrough.
Enough to finally step beyond King Realm.
Saint Realm
Unlike lower realms, entering Saint fundamentally transformed a cultivator's relationship with the world itself.
A Saint no longer merely borrowed spiritual energy.
They influenced natural laws around them instinctively.
Their existence became partially synchronized with heaven and earth.
Ordinary Kings could destroy cities.
Saints could reshape regions.
And for Krishak-
The changes would likely become even greater
Because the Primordial Origin Arts did not follow normal cultivation principles.
The old man suddenly spoke again.
"You've delayed your breakthrough for months already.
Krishak nodded faintly.
"I needed stability first."
That answer was true.
During the past year, he could have entered Saint Realm multiple times.
But he suppressed every opportunity deliberately.
Again and again.
Because his foundation was too important.
Ordinary cultivators rushed toward higher realms constantly.
Krishak no longer made that mistake.
Not after living through an entire cosmic lifetime once already.
The stronger the foundation
The further one could walk later.
And now-
After three years of endless refinement—
His foundation had reached a level even
his previous self never achieved at the King Realm.
The old man quietly asked:
"Do you know what kind of Saint you'll become?"
Krishak remained silent briefly.
Then shook his head.
"....No..."
And that uncertainty itself was dangerous.
Because no records regarding Origin cultivation existed.
No manuals.
No predecessors.
No guidance.
Every step he walked now belonged to unknown territory.
The chamber became silent afterward.
Then unexpectedly-
The corrupted guardian slowly approached once more.
Compared to before, the remaining corruption within its body had weakened greatly. Much of its silver fur had regained its original brilliance while the madness within its eyes had nearly disappeared completely.
It stopped beside Krishak quietly.
Then lowered its head slightly again.
Krishak placed one hand gently against its forehead.
Silver-gray energy flowed briefly between them.
This time-
The corruption retreated noticeably.
The guardian released a low rumble before sitting beside him silently.
Watching the dimensional breach together.
The old man observed the scene quietly.
Then finally smiled faintly.
"You know"
His gaze remained on the guardian.
"When I first met you, I thought Earth had produced another talented genius."
Krishak remained calm.
The old man shook his head slowly.
" "But now
His eyes carried deep complexity.
I think Earth produced something it may not fully understand."
Krishak gave no response.
Because perhaps that was true.
Even he did not fully understand what he was becoming anymore.
Far above the mountains-
Human civilization continued evolving rapidly.
Cultivation cities had begun forming naturally around awakened population centers.
Independent support networks expanded globally.
Formation technology advanced rapidly.
Spirit beast coexistence systems spread steadily.
And Eastern Horizon Academy--
Had already become the symbolic center of humanity's new cultivation era.
But beneath all that growth—
Pressure continued building.
Ancient clans.
Government factions.
Hidden awakened organizations.
Many had already begun preparing for future conflict over control of humanity's path.
They simply didn't know yet-
That the person who started everything was about to emerge again.
Deep underground-
Krishak slowly sat down once more before the remaining corruption strands.
Silver-gray energy began circulating around him quietly.
The Primordial Origin Arts activated.
And for the first time in three years-
He prepared to stop suppressing his cultivation.