The sun was high in the sky when Lux finally left his room. Two hours had passed since his meeting with Elder Liam, and every minute felt like torture. He walked through the Direct Disciple Pavilion corridor with heavy steps, aware of every glance from the servants following him.
"They know," Lux whispered in his mind, feeling the energy coefficient around him fluctuate with curiosity and... pity?
"Of course they know, worm," Mobius replied. "In the cultivator community, failure is more interesting than success, especially the failure of a prodigy."
Lux clenched his small hands. He wouldn't let them see him fall. His body's coefficient might be cracked, but his determination wasn't.
Elder Liam's meditation room was at the highest peak of the Pavilion, with a near-perfect coefficient of 0.99987. As Lux entered, he found Liam talking to Grand Elder Shen. Shen's coefficient of 0.99994 made the room feel heavier, more serious.
"Lux," Shen greeted with an unreadable face. "Elder Liam has told me about... your condition."
Lux bowed, trying to keep his voice steady. "Grand Elder Shen."
"Based on Elder Liam's report," Shen continued, "we have three options. Let's discuss them one by one."
Liam nodded, activating an energy map showing Lux's body. "Our first option is to stop your cultivation completely for six months, letting your body heal itself naturally."
The diagram showed his coefficient slowly increasing from 0.99985 to 0.99995 in 180 days. "But that means I can't cultivate at all?" Lux asked, panicked.
"Correct," Liam replied. "No energy absorption, no spiritual practice. Just basic meditation and simple physical exercises."
"Six months wasted," Mobius grumbled.
"Option two," Shen continued. "We use the forced technique of the Phoenix Rebirth Elixir. It can repair the foundation in two weeks, but..."
"But there's a 40% risk of your cultivation base dropping one level," Liam finished. "And the pain... is unbearable for adult cultivators, let alone children."
Lux bit his lip. He remembered reading about the Phoenix Rebirth Elixir a poison that heals, a fire that purifies. The elixir's coefficient was 0.99999, almost too stable for a mortal body to process.
"Option three?" Lux asked, hopeful.
"The most difficult option," Liam said. "We repair the manual, point by point. Using a combination of herbal treatment, energy guidance, and... something only you and I know."
Shen's eyes narrowed. "What does Elder Liam mean?"
Lux felt his heart pounding. Did Liam know about Mobius' Distortion ability?
"Lux has... a unique measurement talent," Liam said carefully. "He can detect energy fluctuations at a micro level. We can use that for targeted repair."
Shen nodded, accepting the explanation. "Good. Which option do you choose, Lux?"
Lux didn't have to think twice. "Option three, Grand Elder. I want to fix this with my own efforts."
Shen smiled, the first warm expression of the day. "A wise choice. Elder Liam will oversee your treatment. And remember, Lux - this is not a punishment. It's an investment in your future."
After Shen left, Liam looked at Lux with a serious expression. "Now, let's start with a complete assessment. I need to know everything about... your acceleration method."
Lux felt his throat dry. "I... I'm not sure..."
"Don't lie to me, Lux," Liam said, his voice low but authoritative. "I've been a cultivator mentor for 200 years. I know when someone is using external help."
He approached, his stable energy coefficient seemingly demanding honesty. "Is it a meteor inheritance? Or something else?"
"Tell a partial truth," Mobius suggested. "Say you can 'see' energy in high detail. That's not entirely wrong."
Lux took a deep breath. "I can... measure energy with very high detail. I can see where energy flows inefficiently, where there are blockages, where..."
"Where your foundation is cracked," Liam finished, his blue eyes widening. "So that's why your formation learning is perfect, and your alchemy is efficient... you're not guessing, you're measuring."
Lux nodded, relieved not to have to lie further.
"Show me," Liam ordered. "Measure my energy."
Lux focused, "activating Möbius Gauge, Elder Liam's Coefficient 0.99985 Stable, But there's a... small fluctuation in the left arm meridian. 0.00002 deviation. Old injury?"
Liam was stunned. "An injury from 50 years ago. Even the Grand Elder couldn't detect it." He sighed. "Your ability... is extraordinary. And dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Lux repeated.
"You can see people's weaknesses," Liam explained. "That makes you a threat to those who hide their weaknesses. But for now... let's focus on your own weaknesses."
Liam took out a series of crystal bottles containing different spiritual fluids. Each coefficient was different, reflecting its unique properties.
"We'll start with herbal baths," Liam said. "Three times a day, each bath with a different composition."
Morning Bath "Sunrise Purification"
Coefficient: 0.99975
Ingredients: Phoenix beast Tears, Sunrise Blossom, Pure Spirit Water
Effect Cleanses meridians of energy residue
Noon Bath "Meridian Reinforcement"
Coefficient 0.99980
Ingredients Ironwood Sap, Earth Dragon Scale powder, Mountain Root
Effect Strengthens meridian walls
Evening Bath "Spiritual Calming":
Coefficient 0.99970
Ingredients Moonlight Petal, Silent River Water, Starfall Moss
Effect Calms energy and repairs micro-fractures
"Each bath takes two hours," Liam continued. "During that time, you must maintain concentration to guide the herbal energy to the fracture points."
Lux did a quick calculation. "Six hours a day just for herbal baths? When do I..."
"When do you cultivate? You don't," Liam interrupted. "During Phase 1, there is no active cultivation. Only repair."
"This will be a tedious process, worm," Mobius commented. "But necessary."
That morning, Lux entered the herbal bath room for the first time. A large marble tub was already filled with a golden liquid with a coefficient of 0.99975. The aroma was like flowers and metal, the spiritual energy felt like millions of fine needles piercing the skin.
"Get in," Liam ordered. "And start measuring. I want you to report every change in qi in detail at your fracture points."
Lux entered the liquid, a strange sensation immediately spreading throughout his body. With Mobius' help, he began to scan:
INITIAL SCAN FRACTURE POINT #1 (Right Arm)
Pre-treatment CoR 0.99958
Current CoR 0.99959 (+0.00001)
Energy Flow Improvement 0.7%
"Slight improvement," he reported.
"Good," Liam said. "Now, turn your attention to the Spine Junction. It's the most critical."
Lux focused on the area near his spine. The results were less encouraging
FRACTURE POINT #2 (Spine Junction)
Pre-treatment CoR 0.99956
Current CoR: 0.99956 (no change)
Energy Resistance: Still 12% above normal
"No change," he reported, frustrated.
"That's normal," Liam said. "The Spine Junction is the hardest to repair. It takes time."
Two hours felt like a whole day. When Lux finally got out of the bath, he felt spiritually exhausted, not physically. The constant measurement and concentration required to guide the energy were more tiring than cultivation itself.
As Lux returned to the Pavilion, he met Kaelen in the corridor. Kaelen's usually 0.99940 coefficient felt... different today. There was a slight, unusual fluctuation.
"Lux," Karion greeted, his tone unusually neither condescending nor friendly. Neutral. "I heard you're... taking a break from cultivation."
Lux nodded, trying not to show emotion. "Foundation repair."
Karion looked at him for a moment, his sharp blue eyes as if trying to read something. "Have you ever considered... that maybe this isn't a coincidence?"
"What do you mean?" Lux asked, wary.
"Foundations don't crack for no reason," Karion said, his voice low. "Especially not with progression as fast as yours. It's... unnatural."
Before Lux could respond, Karion had already turned and left, leaving Lux with more questions than answers.
"He might be right, worm," Mobius said. "These cracks are too... regular. Like directed damage."
"Sabotage?" Lux thought, feeling a chill run down his spine.
That afternoon, Liam introduced the most frustrating aspect of the treatment for Lux Energy Restriction Cuffs.
"We need to restrict your energy to prevent further damage," Liam explained, showing a pair of silver bracelets with a coefficient of 0.99990. "These will limit your energy output to 30% of normal."
Lux put on the cuffs and immediately felt the effect. The world around him suddenly felt... dim. The energy coefficient that was usually clear and vibrant was now muted, like looking through frosted glass.
"How can I measure with these restrictions?" Lux protested.
"You'll learn," Liam replied. "This is part of the training. Precision under constraint."
He was right. With limited energy, Lux had to be more careful with his measurements. Every use of the Möbius Gauge now required three times the concentration.
In the evening, an unexpected guest arrived Grand Elder Lina Windwhisper. Her coefficient of 0.99995 made the room feel more... calculated.
"Lux," she greeted, her green eyes radiating analytical intelligence. "Elder Liam told me about your measurement ability. Very interesting."
She took out a small crystal device. "This is an Energy Efficiency Analyzer. It's usually used to evaluate spirit stones. Try measuring it."
Lux took the device and began to measure its Coefficient 0.99982. "It's... inaccurate. There's a slight error in its calibration."
Lina smiled, a thin smile full of meaning. "Exactly. And you detected it in three seconds. Senior cultivators take some time."
She approached. "Your ability is valuable, Lux. Not just for cultivation, but for many things. Once you recover, I'd like to recruit you for the Resource division."
This was the first time someone had seen value in his "deficiency." But Lux suspected there was another agenda behind the offer.
The second day of treatment brought an unexpected development. With the Energy Restriction Cuffs, Lux found that his measurements actually became more... precise.
"Limitation forces efficiency," Mobius said, sounding impressed. "You're learning to use 30% of the energy to achieve 90% accuracy. Interesting."
In the midday herbal bath, Lux made a breakthrough. Instead of trying to repair all the fracture points at once, he focused on one small area a micro branch on his right arm.
TARGETED REPAIR MICRO-BRANCH #7
Initial CoR 0.99957
After 1 Hour Concentration 0.99961 (+0.00004)
Efficiency Improvement 3.2%
"Elder Liam!" Lux called, excited. "I managed to repair one micro branch!"
Liam came over, scanning the area. His face showed approval. "Good. But don't rush. Consistency is more important than speed."
The same principle that Lux held as an engineer quality over quantity.
That night, alone in his room with the Energy Restriction Cuffs still on, Lux reflected on the day's lessons.
He was beginning to understand that this treatment wasn't a punishment it was an education. Liam wasn't just repairing his cracked foundation he was teaching him discipline, patience, and precision that he wouldn't have learned with normal cultivation.
"Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, worm," Mobius said. "You're learning foundation work that will be useful in the higher realms."
Lux nodded in the dark. He measured his body once more
PROGRESS REPORT
Fracture Points Repaired 3 of 17 (minor ones)
Average CoR Improvement +0.00003
Energy Efficiency Increased 2.1%
Treatment Compliance 100%
Slowly, very slowly, he was repairing the damage he had done to himself. And in the process, he was learning something more valuable than cultivation speed resilience.
He looked at the moon outside the window, the moon's stable coefficient of 0.99999 like a reminder of the perfection he could one day achieve.
Not by rushing. But with a solid foundation, one repair at a time.