The mist of morning energy still clung to the Peak of Rising Flame when Lux Noctis opened his eyes. Today was supposed to be a milestone in his cultivation journey: the peak of the Body Forging Realm. The almost nine-year-old boy sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, assuming a position that had become routine over the past few weeks.
"Wake up, worm. Time to finish this primitive stage," Mobius voice echoed in his mind, his arrogant tone unchanged despite everything they had been through together.
Lux nodded in his heart, taking a deep breath. The air in his room, with a coefficient of 0.99960, felt like intoxicating spiritual wine, full of pure fire energy ready for him to absorb. It had been two months since he received the Phoenix Harmonic Sutra, and his progression had amazed everyone, even the Grand Elders, since he began his cultivation.
"Nine months," Lux murmured, remembering how cultivators usually needed years just to reach this stage for average geniuses, it took almost 2 years just to reach the peak of body forging. "Today I will perfect the Body Forging Realm."
He began the cultivation session that had become familiar, then his small hands formed energy seals, drawing spiritual fire energy from the surroundings. The energy coefficient around him fluctuated: 0.99965... 0.99967... 0.99970... Everything was normal so far.
"Proceed with caution, worm. I detected a minor anomaly in your energy patterns last night."
Lux ignored the warning; he was too close to perfection. With full concentration, he guided the energy through his main meridians, following the flow of the Phoenix Harmonic Sutra with a precision that would have astonished senior cultivators.
But then something strange happened.
As the energy reached the point between his shoulder blades, there was a sensation like glass cracking. Not pain, but a feeling that something that should have been solid suddenly became fragile.
"What's wrong?" Lux opened his eyes, confused.
"I warned you," Mobius snapped. "Scan your body. Now."
Lux closed his eyes again, this time shifting his attention from cultivation to measurement. He visualized the Möbius Gauge in his mind, directing it to scan his own body.
The results made his blood run cold.
LUX'S INTERNAL SCAN BODY FORGING REALM ANALYSIS
Bone Structure: CoR 0.99985 (Target: 0.99995+)
Meridian Network
Primary Channels CoR 0.99975
Secondary Pathways CoR 0.99965-0.99970
Micro-branches CoR 0.99955-0.99960 (3 fracture points detected)
Spiritual Veins CoR 0.99970 (Qi leakage detected - 2.3% efficiency loss)
Dantian Foundation CoR 0.99980 (Structural instability detected)
"No way..." Lux murmured, his voice trembling. "I followed the manual perfectly. Every step, every energy cycle..."
"You followed the manual, worm. But you didn't follow nature," Mobius said, his tone now serious. "Every time you used the power of Distortion to speed up the process, you made your body skip the natural adaptation stages."
Lux stood up, walking to the spiritual mirror in the corner of his room. On the surface, he looked the same seven-year-old boy with silver-gray eyes that were too wise for his age. But with his measurement perception, he could see the fine cracks in his spiritual foundation.
"Show me," he asked Mobius.
"As you wish."
His vision changed. Now he saw his body as a complex network of energy. Most of it shone with a stable coefficient of 0.99975-0.99985, but there were dark spots where the coefficient fell below 0.99960. Those spots were like cracks in a beautiful crystal vase invisible to the ordinary eye, but deadly to the integrity of the structure.
"Here," Lux whispered, pointing to an area on his right arm. "CoR is only 0.99958. Why didn't I notice it before?"
"You were too busy chasing progression to pay attention to the foundation," Mobius scolded. "You're like an engineer building a skyscraper without checking the quality of the foundation."
The analogy made Lux flinch. It was exactly what Xuan Ming, the engineer from his previous life, would say to his careless students.
He sat back down, trying to draw energy once more. This time, he focused on one of the fracture points. As the energy passed through the area with a CoR of 0.99957, he felt a clear resistance, like water trying to flow through a dented pipe.
"Measure the energy flow at fracture point #3," Mobius ordered.
Lux turned his attention to the area near his heart. The measurement results horrified him.
ENERGY FLOW ANALYSIS FRACTURE POINT #3
Input Energy 100 %
Output Energy 94.7 %
Efficiency Loss 5.3 %
Energy Leakage 3.1 %
Structural Stress Increasing at 0.02 CoR/min
"Every time I cultivate, I'm damaging my own foundation?" Lux asked, his small voice filled with terrifying realization.
"Exactly. Every energy cycle through those fracture points is like water eroding stone. Slowly but surely, it will destroy it."
Lux's fist tapped the marble floor. "But I have to be strong! I have to find my friends! If I slow down..."
"If you continue like this, worm, you will never find anyone. You will become a crippled cultivator who can't pass the Qi Nurturing Realm, let alone reach the level to cross worlds."
The truth was like a punch to the gut. Lux remembered his five lost friends: Liu Wei with his confident smile, Chen Lin with his meticulousness, Zhang Wei, Li Hao, Wang Jing with their enthusiasm. He promised to find them. But how could he keep that promise if he was ruining his own path?
He stood up and began to pace, his engineer mindset taking over. "Okay, data. Let's analyze. There are three major fracture points. Each has different characteristics."
He made a mental note
FRACTURE POINT ANALYSIS
Right Arm Meridian (CoR 0.99958) Energy leakage, efficiency loss 5.3%
Spine Junction (CoR 0.99956) Structural weakness, risk of meridian collapse under stress
Dantian Access Point (CoR 0.99959) Qi corruption risk, foundation instability
"At least you're back to using logic instead of panic," Mobius commented. "Now, what's your plan?"
"First, I have to understand the scope of the problem," Lux said, already calmer. "I need to map every fracture point, understand its cause, and then develop a repair protocol."
He sat back down, this time with a different goal. Instead of absorbing energy, he began to scan every inch of his body with the Möbius Gauge, creating a detailed map of his spiritual foundation.
Several hours later, he had a clear and more frightening picture than he had imagined.
COMPREHENSIVE FOUNDATION ASSESSMENT
Total Fracture Points: 17 (3 major, 14 minor)
Average CoR Reduction 0.00025 from optimal
Projected Breakthrough Failure Rate: 68% to Qi Nurturing Realm
Estimated Time to Critical Failure 3-6 months with cultivation current pace, "Seventeen..." Lux leaned against the wall, feeling exhausted. "I thought there were only three major ones."
"Small cracks can become big under pressure," Mobius said. "Like a bird's wing with damaged feathers might still fly, but a strong wind will tear it apart."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Lux? Elder Liam wants to see you. He says it's important."
The servant's voice made Lux tense. Did Elder Liam already know?
"Calm down, worm. Show a neutral face. Don't let them see your weakness."
Lux took a deep breath, hiding his panic. He opened the door with a small smile. "Thank you. I'll go see him right away."
The journey to Elder Liam's room felt like a trip to execution. Every step reminded him of the fracture points in his body. Every cultivator they passed seemed to stare at him with secret knowledge; they knew he was flawed, unworthy of being a Direct Disciple.
Elder Liam was waiting in his meditation room, his face uncharacteristically grim. Usually, Liam's energy coefficient was stable at 0.99985; today, there were subtle fluctuations indicating concern.
"Lux," he greeted, pointing to a cushion across from him. "Sit."
Lux obeyed, trying to keep his breathing steady.
"You reached the peak of the Body Forging Realm this morning," Liam said, not as a question. "But something is wrong, isn't it?"
Lux looked at him, surprised. "How does Elder Liam know?"
"Your energy... is noisy," Liam replied simply. "At the peak of Body Forging, your energy should be as smooth as polished glass. But your energy is like cracked glass still reflecting light."
He held out his hand. "Allow me to examine you."
Lux nodded, extending his own hand. As Liam's fingers touched his wrist, there was a subtle flow of diagnostic energy. The energy coefficient of that diagnosis was 0.99988, very stable and controlled.
Liam's face furrowed as he scanned. "I see... cracks in your secondary meridians. And there is instability in your Dantian foundation."
He withdrew his hand, his sharp blue eyes radiating a disappointment that made Lux feel worse than anger.
"You rushed," Liam said finally. "You used... something... to accelerate your cultivation. And now you are paying the price."
Lux looked down, ashamed. "I... I just wanted to become strong faster."
"True strength does not come from rushing, Lux," Liam said gently but firmly. "True strength comes from a solid foundation. You built a sandcastle when you should have built a stone fortress."
He stood up, walking to the window overlooking the mountains. "I have to report this to Grand Elder Shen. And I must forbid you from breaking through to the Qi Nurturing Realm until this is fixed."
Lux felt his world collapsing. "How... how long?"
"Based on the level of damage?" Liam looked at him with pity. "Two months for basic repairs. Maybe six months until it's completely stable. Maybe longer."
Six months. For an ordinary cultivator, that was nothing. But for Lux, who had promised to find his friends, every day mattered.
"But Elder Liam, I..."
"No 'but', Lux," Liam interrupted. "This is for your own safety. If you try to break through in this condition, your best-case scenario is a ruined cultivation base, and you will be unable to advance to the foundation realm. The worst case scenario..."
He didn't need to finish the sentence. Lux already knew - spiritual death, or worse, becoming a crippled cultivator forever.
"Return to your room," Liam said, his voice softer. "We will begin treatment tomorrow. And Lux..."
"Yes, Elder Liam?"
"Whatever method you used to accelerate your cultivation... stop it. Now."
The journey home felt heavier than the journey there. The bright sky seemed to mock him, the abundant spiritual energy felt like poison.
When he reached his room, he collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Mobius," he whispered in his mind. "Did... did I make a big mistake?"
There was an unusual pause before Mobius answered. "A mistake? Yes. Big? That depends on what you do now, worm."
"Can you fix it?"
"I can show you how. But you have to do the work. And it will... hurt."
Lux closed his eyes, feeling every fracture point like a throbbing wound. For the first time since coming to this world, he doubted his path.
He remembered Sect Master Klahan's words "True strength is not about how fast you advance, but how strong your foundation is."
Now he understood. And that understanding came at a price that might be too high.
He stood up, looking at the mirror again. The child behind the glass was still the same, but now he saw the cracks not only in his spiritual body but also in his soul.
The journey to repair the cracked foundation was not just about cultivation. It was about fixing everything that made him rush, every fear that drove him forward too quickly.
And that, he realized, would be his first real obstacle so far.