"So… this is enlightenment?" Vivian muttered as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.
Dark clouds rolled above him, thick and heavy. Thunder fell again and again, shaking the land as flashes of light split the heavens.
Vivian lowered his gaze and looked at his right hand.
He clenched it tightly. The feeling was real. The memories were still there, painful, sharp, and heavy.
They belonged to the old Vivian, a life filled with regret, anger, and weakness.
He had passed through countless lives, countless forms, and endless experiences.
Time had lost its meaning.
It could have been years, or it could have been an eternity. Yet, despite all of it, his face was calm.
His eyes were steady, carrying a quiet sense of age as he stared at the sky.
"So this is how it feels…" he said softly.
A warm force flowed through his body. His bones, blood, and flesh all began to change.
His cultivation rose without stopping.
