Vaelor stood outside his apartment building, checking the time: 8:47 PM.
Starlight Park was approximately fifteen kilometers away. Even taking the Skyrail express, he'd arrive late.
Unless...
A small smile touched his lips as he felt the newly evolved Infinite Momentum Concept thrumming through his meridians, eager to be tested.
"Let's see what you can do."
Vaelor activated the talent.
His vitality and qi surged through the precise pathways he'd comprehended—but now amplified exponentially by his EX-Rank evolution. The seven spinal acupoints ignited in cascading sequence, each one resonating with the next to create multiplicative acceleration.
But it didn't stop there.
Spatial Displacement Intent activated simultaneously, allowing him to find the most efficient path through three-dimensional space. Thought Acceleration Intent elevated his perception to the point where reality seemed to freeze around him. Motion Flow Intent optimized every micro-adjustment of his trajectory.
Vaelor took a single step—
And vanished.
The world blurred into streaks of light and color. Buildings became vertical smears. Streets transformed into geometric patterns. He wasn't just moving fast—he was approaching the theoretical limits of velocity within physical space.
Three seconds later, he materialized at the entrance to Starlight Park, coming to a complete stop without any deceleration period. His Infinite Momentum Concept simply... stopped the momentum, converting it back into potential energy within his meridian system.
Not a single hair out of place. Not even breathing hard.
Vaelor checked his watch: 8:47 PM and twenty-three seconds.
"Fifteen kilometers in twenty-three seconds," he murmured with satisfaction. "And I wasn't even trying."
He'd averaged over 2,300 kilometers per hour. Faster than most aircraft. 2 times the supersonic speed.
And that was casual usage. If I pushed it...
He decided not to think about the maximum velocity yet. That could wait until he had proper testing grounds where he wouldn't accidentally level city blocks.
The park was deserted at this hour, streetlamps casting pools of amber light across empty pathways. In the children's play area, the rhythmic creak-creak of a swing cut through the silence.
Vaelor walked toward the sound.
A slender figure sat on the swing, silhouetted against the dim lighting. As his footsteps approached, the girl's ears twitched slightly. She turned her head, taking in Vaelor's casual appearance—comfortable pants, simple shirt, baseball cap pulled low.
"You're late," Seraphine Vex announced, though her tone carried more amusement than accusation.
"Lost track of time during training," Vaelor replied easily.
As he came closer, Seraphine's expression shifted subtly—eyes widening with barely perceptible surprise.
Compared to just two days ago, Vaelor's entire presence had transformed. Though his 1.7-meter frame remained lean rather than bulky, he now radiated an aura of compressed power. Even from several meters away, she could sense his overwhelming vitality—like standing near a furnace that burned with controlled intensity.
His eyes, partially shadowed beneath the cap's brim, gleamed with pale gold luminescence that reminded her of lightning cutting through storm clouds. The pressure emanating from him was oppressive in a way that made her combat instincts scream warnings.
Is this really the same person? Seraphine thought, momentarily dazed. The quiet boy who just trained diligently... how could he change this dramatically in two days?!
"Did you get plastic surgery?" The words escaped before she could stop them.
"What nonsense."
"Your face looks the same, but..." Seraphine studied him intently. "Why do I feel like you're a completely different person?"
Though they'd barely spoken during three years at the same academy, conversation flowed naturally now—as if the childhood friendship that had faded could be rekindled without effort.
"Weren't you the one who demanded a duel?" Vaelor asked with faint amusement. "Are we fighting or not?"
"Don't rush me!" Seraphine huffed, standing from the swing and crossing her arms. Despite her diminutive 1.55-meter height, she managed to project confidence while looking up at him. "Just because you beat that idiot Darius using martial arts doesn't mean you can beat me. Even without using talents or professional skills, my vitality measurement exceeds four—way higher than yours."
Looking at the girl's delicate face filled with proud determination, Vaelor couldn't suppress a smile. "All from supplements?"
"Yes! What's it to you?!"
"I know you can't handle the pain of real cultivation."
"Hmph! Stop talking and watch me defeat you in one move!"
Seraphine kicked off the ground, closing the distance in a blur of speed. Her elbow strike aimed for Vaelor's chest with surprising technique—some kind of practical close-combat martial art.
Vaelor's eyes flickered with rainbow radiance as Absolute Insight automatically analyzed the technique.
Modified Iron Mountain Strike. Derived from basic close-quarters combat manual. Seven major flaws in execution. Twelve optimal counters available. Efficiency rating: 43%. Actual combat effectiveness against prepared opponent: minimal.
But instead of exploiting any of the numerous openings, Vaelor simply raised his palm and caught the strike.
BOOM
Dust exploded outward from beneath his feet. His body remained perfectly stationary—an immovable object that absorbed her momentum without yielding a millimeter.
Seraphine froze, her mind struggling to process what just happened.
"...What?"
Her expression cycled rapidly through confusion, disbelief, and dawning shock.
"You blocked it? That shouldn't be possible! How did you get so strong?!"
"You're too weak," Vaelor said simply, releasing her arm.
"Bullshit!" Seraphine's competitive spirit ignited. "Watch this—Piercing Strike!"
She launched a straight punch, vitality wrapping around her fist and creating visible air distortion. The technique looked like an entry-level one-star martial art.
So many flaws, Vaelor thought with genuine sympathy. She has almost zero real combat experience...
He caught her fist in his palm effortlessly, then gently closed his fingers around it. Her hand felt small and smooth—almost delicate.
"Impossible!" Seraphine's voice rose in disbelief.
She'd used her full strength, yet he'd blocked it again with pure physical might. If he'd used Shadow Reaper skills to evade or employed martial techniques to redirect force, she could understand. But this was a direct contest of raw power—and she'd lost completely.
Seraphine struggled, trying to free her captured fist, but it might as well have been encased in steel. "What's your vitality measurement now? How are you this strong?!"
"Not sure. Probably between three and four."
"WHAT?!" Seraphine's shriek echoed across the empty park. She stopped struggling entirely, staring at him in shock. "How is that possible?!"
"You only measured 2.3 two days ago!"
"It's only been TWO DAYS! How could you improve this much?!"
She gaped at him with wide, crystal-clear eyes—looking genuinely adorable in her bewilderment.
Vaelor released her hand and shrugged. "Maybe all the beast meat I've been eating. Plus some supplements. Vitality responds quickly to proper nutrition."
"You're lying!" Seraphine jabbed an accusing finger at him. "My mother is a Master Alchemist—I know how supplements work! The effects accumulate over time. You can't possibly metabolize everything in two days!"
"Then it must be the job awakening boost."
"But Shadow Reaper is a speed-focused profession! How would that increase strength and cultivation speed?" Seraphine's brow furrowed with confusion.
Then her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait... I know! You must have awakened a second talent!"
Double talent awakening was extremely rare but not unheard of. Some of the most celebrated warriors possessed two complementary talents.
Vaelor neither confirmed nor denied, which Seraphine immediately interpreted as confirmation.
"I knew it! You awakened a second talent—one that enhances cultivation speed!" She practically vibrated with excitement at solving the "mystery." "No wonder you changed so dramatically!"
While she celebrated her deduction, Vaelor's Absolute Insight had been working in the background. Throughout their brief exchange, his enhanced perception had been analyzing every aspect of her abilities.
When she'd summoned her shadow servant earlier, he'd observed the precise meridian activation sequence. The way her vitality synchronized with ambient shadow-element particles. The structural framework of the summoning technique itself.
Her A-Rank Shadow Summoning talent wasn't just about creating servants—it was manipulation of shadow as a semi-physical substance, treating darkness as moldable material that could be given form and function.
Fascinating, Vaelor thought, filing away the complete comprehension for later experimentation. Once I get home, I can analyze and upgrade this. Shadow manipulation combined with my other talents could create some interesting combinations...
"If you don't use your real abilities soon, you're going to lose," Vaelor warned with a slight smile.
"Ha! Don't get cocky—I haven't even used my full power yet!" Seraphine's fighting spirit reignited. She thrust her hand forward dramatically. "Come forth, Shadow Sentinel!"
The darkness beneath her feet rippled like disturbed water. A towering figure rose from her shadow—two meters tall, arms hanging at its sides, standing respectfully behind its master like a silent guardian.
A-Rank Origin Talent - Shadow Summoning: Create shadow servants immune to physical attacks, possessing 100% of the summoner's attributes. Weakness: light-based abilities.
"Careful!" Seraphine warned.
The Shadow Sentinel melted into the surrounding darkness, vanishing from normal perception. A split-second later, it materialized beside Vaelor, arms spreading wide to trap him in an engulfing embrace.
Vaelor's fist shot out, wrapped in crimson Vibrational Force ripples. The impact scattered the shadow construct into dispersing fragments—
Which immediately reformed, coalescing back into solid shape within seconds.
Simultaneously, Seraphine extended her hand toward Vaelor and activated a professional skill.
"Shadow Binding!"
Multiple black tendrils erupted from the darkness beneath her feet, racing across the ground toward Vaelor's shadow. Once they connected, they'd anchor him in place through his own silhouette.
Vaelor activated Infinite Momentum Concept and simply... wasn't there anymore.
"So fast!" Seraphine gasped, head whipping around to track his movement. "Where did he—"
"I win."
Vaelor had materialized directly behind her, hand poised at her neck in the universal "you're captured" gesture.
But Seraphine didn't even turn around. Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "You're the one who lost."
"Shadow Exchange."
Her body dissolved into formless shadow. Simultaneously, the Shadow Sentinel in the distance transformed into Seraphine's solid form—the two switching positions instantaneously.
Before Vaelor could react to the tactical reversal, the reformed Shadow Sentinel wrapped around him like liquid darkness hardening into restraints. Dark tendrils bound his arms, legs, and torso with surprising strength.
Standing safely several meters away, Seraphine smiled with obvious pride. "Didn't expect that, did you?"
Vaelor nodded appreciatively. "Actually, that was clever. I'm impressed."
"I didn't think you'd use strategy—"
"I WON!" Seraphine interrupted, pumping her fist victoriously. "Finally beat you after all these—"
Vaelor's entire body vibrated.
Crimson blood-qi waves exploded outward in concentric rings. The Vibrational Force technique didn't just push against the shadow restraints—it disrupted their molecular cohesion at the fundamental level, forcing them to disperse.
The Shadow Sentinel dissolved into harmless smoke.
Vaelor kicked off the ground. Infinite Momentum Concept propelled him forward at impossible speed, covering the distance to Seraphine before she could even process what was happening.
He caught her wrist gently but firmly.
The young man smiled. "I win."
Seraphine stood frozen, her mind replaying the last three seconds repeatedly and failing to comprehend the speed at which he'd moved.
"That's... that's not fair," she finally managed, though her tone held more admiration than actual complaint. "You're like... ridiculously fast now. What even was that?!"
"Training," Vaelor said simply, releasing her wrist. "You fought well though. Your talent and skill combinations are genuinely tricky. If I'd been less careful, you would have caught me."
"Really?" Seraphine's eyes lit up with pleasure at the compliment.
"Really. Your tactical thinking is solid—you just need more combat experience."
They stood in companionable silence for a moment, both slightly winded from the exchange.
"So..." Seraphine said eventually, kicking at the ground with sudden shyness. "Want to tell me what really happened? Because I know that wasn't just from eating beast meat."
Vaelor considered his response carefully.
"I awakened something," he said, which was technically true. "Something that changed my cultivation fundamentally. I can't explain all of it yet—I'm still figuring it out myself."
Seraphine studied his face, then nodded slowly. "Okay. I won't push. Everyone has secrets. But..." She looked up at him with unusual seriousness. "Be careful, Vaelor. If you got this strong this fast, other people will notice. And not all of them will be friendly about it."
"I know." His expression sobered. "I'm being careful."
"Good." Her characteristic smile returned. "Because if some Abyss Cultist tries to assassinate you, I'll be really annoyed. We just reconnected—I'm not losing my childhood friend again."
Warmth spread through Vaelor's chest. "I'll do my best not to die then."
"You better!" Seraphine punched his shoulder lightly—then yelped and shook her hand. "Ow! When did you get so solid? It's like punching a statue!"
Vaelor laughed genuinely for the first time in what felt like ages.
As they walked together toward the park exit, chatting about inconsequential things, a small part of Vaelor's mind was already working on the problem he'd identified.
Shadow manipulation. I observed the complete activation sequence. The meridian pathways, the vitality-darkness synchronization, the structural principles...
Tonight, after I get home, I'll use Absolute Insight to comprehend Shadow Intent. Then I'll upgrade the talent and integrate it into my arsenal.
Combined with my fire abilities and momentum manipulation... the tactical possibilities are endless.
But for now, he simply enjoyed walking beside an old friend under the starlit sky, pretending—just for a little while—that he was still a normal teenage warrior rather than an impossibility that had broken the cultivation system.
The pretense wouldn't last much longer.
But tonight, it was enough.