[: Daniel's POV :]
I sank to my knees, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
The golden streaks in my hair shimmered under the ambient light of the cosmic library, and my violet eyes—now laced with molten gold—seemed to see the universe differently, as if nothing was hidden from me.
A rush of realisation hit me, sharp and intoxicating.
This… this isn't just power. This is broken. I haven't even begun cultivating, and yet…
My pulse quickened, every heartbeat echoing like a drum of inevitability.
I flexed my fingers, feeling the weight of infinity coursing through my veins, the eternal scripts flowing like molten ink, reshaping me with each thought.
The sheer magnitude of my bloodline, my spiritual physique, and my spiritual root pressed down on me like a tidal wave.
I could face entire armies of mortal cultivators without breaking a sweat… and I haven't even truly begun.
A mixture of awe, exhilaration, and something deeper—dangerous, intoxicating confidence—settled into me.
My mind raced, contemplating what a cultivator at the 5th stage mortal realm would feel if they stood before me now.
They would… crumble. They wouldn't even comprehend what was happening.
I could end battles before they even started.
I could bend the rules of reality around me without lifting a finger.
And yet, beneath that overwhelming power, a strange calm took root.
I wasn't arrogant—I wasn't foolish enough to believe I'd mastered everything.
The path ahead of me was infinite, riddled with pain, growth, and unknown challenges.
But for the first time, I understood just how far ahead of the world I already was.
A small, almost incredulous smile tugged at my lips. I… I am already untouchable.
Even before I take my first true step on this path, I could contend with mortals who have spent lifetimes cultivating.
I'm… broken.
Gloriously, irreversibly broken.
I exhaled slowly, feeling the infinite energy settle within me like a storm calmed.
And somewhere deep down, a flicker of something I hadn't felt before rose—anticipation.
I leaned back, letting the awe of my new form settle for a moment, but my mind didn't rest for long.
The System had opened doors I hadn't even imagined, and one feature caught my attention like a beacon: the Reality Stimulation.
Curiosity gnawed at me.
''What exactly is this?''
I asked aloud, eyes glinting with anticipation.
[: Host, it is a function that allows you to enter a controlled, accelerated environment where time flows differently than the real world. :]
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
[: You may enter once per day. One day inside the Reality Stimulation equals one hour in the outside world. :]
My mind practically hummed at the thought.
One day of intense cultivation, training, or testing… while the world barely notices an hour has passed?
The possibilities were staggering.
"Wait… so I could spend an entire day honing my powers and barely a blink would pass in the real world?"
I asked, my voice trembling slightly with excitement.
[: Correct. It is recommended for Hosts seeking rapid growth or testing new abilities. :]
I felt a spark ignite within me.
This wasn't just a training room.
This was a crucible, a forge where I could push myself beyond limits, accelerate my potential, and experiment with powers without fear of wasting time.
A grin spread across my face, a mixture of eagerness and thrill.
Then I'll try it out. I want to see what this Reality Stimulation can do.
I activated the function, feeling the familiar hum of the System resonate through my body.
The world around me blurred, light stretching and bending as if the very fabric of reality were reshaping itself.
[: Entering Reality Stimulation now, Host. One day inside will pass while only one hour flows outside. :]
My heart raced as I stepped forward, anticipation coursing through every cell of my body. The air around me felt thicker, denser, alive with possibility.
I took a deep breath and whispered, Let's see how far I can go…
And with that, I crossed the threshold, plunging into a world where time was mine alone.
The moment I stepped into the Reality Stimulation, my entire body stiffened.
The sight before me ripped through my mind like a nightmare made flesh.
"What… what is this!?" I gasped, voice trembling, my heart hammering.
The world around me was in ruins.
Cities crumbled like sandcastles, their skeletal towers clawing at a sky painted in deep, violent reds.
Smoke twisted into black serpents from shattered buildings, and the streets were littered with debris, scorched vehicles, and broken lives.
My stomach lurched, bile rising, as my eyes scanned the devastation.
Every detail screamed death and desolation.
Broken walls, scorched stone, collapsed bridges—all carried the oppressive weight of utter annihilation.
And then the horrifying realisation hit me.
I recognised it.
Every ruined street, every shattered square… it was my city.
Slightly altered, slightly warped, but unmistakable.
A city I had lived in—now reduced to ashes.
My chest constricted, my hands trembling as I reached out instinctively, wanting to touch it, to convince myself it wasn't real.
"No… no… this… this can't be real," I whispered, voice cracking.
[: Host, this simulation is… different. It is not merely a test. :]
My head snapped up, violet-and-gold eyes wide.
"Different? What do you mean?"
[: This is a glimpse. A projection of a potential future. One path that may unfold if the current trajectory of events continues. :]
My stomach dropped.
"A future… my city… destroyed?" I stumbled forward, my hands brushing against crumbling walls as if anchoring myself to reality could help.
"Why… why would this happen?"
[: Your cultivation realm is too low for the system to answer :]
I staggered back from the ruins, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached.
My chest heaved, and my violet-and-gold eyes burned with disbelief.
"Impossible…" I muttered, voice tight with frustration.
"This… this can't be the only future. There has to be a way to stop it!"
[: Host, your cultivation level is too low for the System to provide further answers :]
I froze, my teeth grinding.
"Too low?!" I shouted, the words echoing off the shattered buildings and blood-red skies.
"Do you know what this means?! This—this is the future! You're just telling me… I'm powerless to understand it?"
My mind raced, anger sparking in every nerve, yet beneath it, a creeping chill of fear began to worm its way in.
I wasn't an idiot. I understood, even without the System telling me, that this simulation wasn't random.
It wasn't just a nightmare conjured to terrify me.
It was… a warning.
A glimpse of a possible reality.
My knees buckled slightly as I sank to the rubble-strewn ground.
"A danger… a real one… coming in the future…" I whispered, almost to myself.
"And if this is what it could become… if this happens…"
My hands gripped my hair, tugging slightly, heart hammering in my chest.
"Even ten Eternal Sovereign families… even all the power in the world… wouldn't be able to stop it."
I swallowed hard, bile rising in my throat. "Then… how… how can I stop it?"
[: Your realm is too low for the system to answer Host. :]
The words felt like a punch to the gut.
My chest tightened, and I felt the weight of inevitability pressing down on me.
My vision blurred with the onset of despair.
"So… there's no hope?''
I pressed my palms to the ground, breathing unevenly, the dust and ashes of the ruined city smearing against my skin.
"If even the strongest of families couldn't stop this… then how could I?"
A strange, icy silence fell over the simulated city.
The wind moaned through shattered buildings like a funeral dirge. Smoke curled and twisted above, forming shapes I didn't want to recognise.
I clenched my fists tighter, trembling, my body trembling not from exhaustion alone, but from the cold realisation of my insignificance in this vast, broken future.
"This… this is what I'm supposed to prevent?!"
I yelled, voice cracking, echoing against the destroyed skyline. "And I'm supposed to stop it alone?!"
[: Host… the future is mutable. :]
I froze, eyes narrowing, a glimmer of hope struggling through the despair.
"Mutable?" I whispered, voice barely audible. "So… it's not set in stone?"
[: No path is fixed. Every action, every cultivation, every decision alters what is to come. :]
I exhaled shakily, a shiver running through me.
"Then…" I muttered, jaw tightening.
"Then I have to be strong enough. Strong enough to change everything… before it even begins."
My pulse raced, a mixture of fear, frustration, and determination battling within me.
The ruined city stretched out before my eyes—a horrific, familiar vision—and yet, somewhere beneath the terror, my resolve solidified.
"I… I'll figure it out," I whispered, voice trembling but firm.
"No matter what. No matter how impossible it seems… I'll rewrite this future."
Even as the despair lingered, a spark ignited in my chest, fierce and unyielding. This nightmare was a warning.
And I… I would make sure it never became reality.