Ray and Arisa came out of the formation surrounded by a faint shimmer of dissolving light. The air still pulsed with lingering spiritual energy, brushing against their skin like a gentle breeze filled with fortune and luck. They had met the spirits—even the ancient tree spirit itself—and awakened their cultivation in a way no one else could within the academy's sterile Awakening Hall. The weight of their newfound power thrummed in their veins, and within their cores glowed something legendary.
Ray turned just in time to see the formation behind them crumble, the glowing runes flickering out one by one, until nothing but dust and stillness remained. Without anyone maintaining it, the ancient magic finally returned to silence. Ahead, both Granny Theresa and Diana stood waiting, their eyes filled with quiet expectation.
Granny Theresa approached first, her wrinkled face soft with warmth. "Everything went well?"
Arisa nodded, her bright smile glowing like sunlight through mist.
Diana's gaze met Ray's. "And you?" she asked softly.
Ray gave a small, victorious grin—the kind that couldn't be contained. Everything had gone well. More than well. His system was complete, his matrix had evolved, and within him pulsed a core unlike any other—dense, radiant, and a hundred times stronger than the average cultivator's. He had stepped into the Qi Stage not as a mediocre student, but as a budding genius. Maybe not the best in existence… but far from ordinary. For now, that was enough.
Diana turned to thank Granny Theresa for this chance, but the elderly woman waved her hand dismissively, though her eyes shimmered with nostalgia. "It was nothing," she said softly. "Thanks to Ray, I found my passion again. I can make clothes like I used to… After my husband ascended to the upper realm, I lost that desire. But meeting Ray reminded me of what I loved. And he even befriended Arisa—that poor girl the other children pick on."
There was a quiet moment between them, touched with gratitude and melancholy. Then, with heartfelt goodbyes, Diana and Ray bid farewell to Arisa and Granny Theresa, disappearing once more into secrecy.
Back home, the air felt still compared to the living energy of the formation grounds. Ray's mother immediately told him to solidify his foundation. He nodded obediently and retreated to his room—but instead of cultivating right away, he sat cross-legged and summoned his system. He wanted to see what had changed.
The moment the interface opened, streams of golden text flashed before his eyes, one after another:
[Congratulations! You have become a Spiritual Cultivator.]
[Your Matrix has evolved.]
[Your Bloodline has improved.]
[Your muscles and bones have become stronger.]
[Your Status has increased.]
[Your Storage space has expanded.]
[Your number of Telecommunication Towers and Mini Towers has increased.]
[You have learned Ancient Spirit Language—you may now decipher relics.]
Lines of radiant energy swirled across the screen before solidifying into his new status panel:
Name: Ray Walker
Spiritual Cultivation: 1st Qi Stage
Soul Cultivation: 4th Iron Stage
System: 3/3 [Completed]
Bloodline: Human [Common, (can be evolved)]
Telecommunication Tower: 1/4
Mini Towers: 100/200
Devices: 98,738 / 200,000
Attributes:
Strength: 65
Stamina: 75
Health: 300
Agility: 70
Intelligence: 60
Tabs: Swordsmanship | Formation | Talisman | Library | Ancient Relic | Storage
Curiosity sparked in his eyes as he clicked through each tab.
Formation: [Silver Early Stage Formation Master]
Swordsmanship: [Sword Force – Mid Apprentice Stage]
Ancient Relic: [3/9]
Storage: [50,000 acres of subspace—capable of holding items and living creatures.]
Ray's excitement surged with every discovery. His system wasn't just data anymore—it spoke to him now, a living voice rather than a cold machine. He flexed his hands, feeling his bones hum with newfound density, the faint crackle of spiritual strength beneath his skin.
But what amazed him most was his storage space. When he entered the subspace, a wave of fresh, fragrant air greeted him. Trees he had once found had grown tall and vibrant. The ground was lush with spiritual grass, rivers shimmered faintly, and tiny spirits darted through the air like motes of light, laughing as they watered the plants. The entire subspace pulsed with the law of nature itself—alive, serene, radiant.
The spirits gathered around him, their tiny forms glowing with excitement. Ray smiled softly, feeling peace settle over him before he exited the space. He still had to stabilize his cultivation—and he wanted to surprise his mother with his progress.
Back in reality, his attention drifted to another part of his system: the Telecommunication Towers. Their signal range had expanded almost impossibly—nearly spanning the entire kingdom.
When he clicked the Ancient Relic tab again, he found more secrets: the relic belonged to a long-lost spirit, still dormant. Though it couldn't yet speak freely, it could guide his instincts. When Ray asked whether the voice in his system was the relic itself, a playful emoticon appeared on the screen:
[-_-']
Ray chuckled softly. It confirmed his guess. The relic spirit had no name, so he offered one— "Daisy." The system hesitated at first, rejecting every masculine name, but when he said Daisy, it accepted. A faint warmth pulsed through the matrix—shy, but approving.
From that moment, Daisy became his companion, a spirit who would grow stronger as he did.
The thrill of discovery left Ray beaming. After all the excitement, he finally sat cross-legged again and began solidifying his foundation.
Two days later, when he finally opened his eyes, his Qi flow was stable—but when he tried to open the door, the doorknob snapped clean off in his hand.
"Eh?!" Ray froze, staring at the broken metal in disbelief.
Diana, who had come to check on him, burst out laughing the moment she saw his expression. Her laughter filled the hall like music. "You've gotten stronger, silly boy," she teased. "You just don't know your own strength yet."
Embarrassed but smiling, Ray scratched his head. Diana told him to train his control before facing the young talents in a few days. He agreed and spent the next two days in his private training ground.
Each swing, each step, each breath—he learned to balance overwhelming strength with precision. Sometimes he stumbled, sometimes he overshot and shattered training dummies, and Diana laughed from the sidelines every single time.
When Robert eventually joined, his calm, steady guidance helped Ray refine his movements until his body obeyed perfectly.
By the end, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Ray stood ready—calm, confident, and eager.
Tomorrow, he would face the younger generation.
And this time, he wasn't the same boy they once knew.