Measurement Stone Tablet, Coefficient of Reality Fluctuating wildly between 0.98000 and 1.00000. Pattern Erratic, non-cyclical, Anomaly detected Object appears to be attempting to achieve a state of perfect stability (CoR 1.00000) but lacks the inherent structural integrity to maintain it.
"Fascinating" Mobius's voice was a sharp whisper in his mind "This object exists in a state of perpetual reality flux and It is not merely unstable it is striving for an impossible perfection and failing catastrophically with every micro-second.
This is the source of the resonance Your gray qi which is exists in a balanced state adjacent to reality is harmonizing with its struggle and i think this tablet is not from this lower world, this world reject this tablet because this thing is beyond the nascent soul thing"
This was it, the thing he had felt calling to him.
He carefully picked up the tablet, It was heavier than it looked its surface cool and slightly rough to the touch, The erratic fluctuations in its reality coefficient were like a frantic, silent heartbeat under his fingers.
He carried it to the front counter, The shop attendant looked at the tablet then at Lux with a hint of surprise.
"This old thing, young master?" the attendant said, a bemused smile on his face "Are you sure? It's been gathering dust for years".
"What can you tell me about this thing?" Lux asked, feigning casual interest.
The attendant shrugged "Truthfully not that much, It was part of a collection acquired from a ruined site in the neutral territories decades ago. It's incredibly hard we've had Core Forging cultivators try to scratch it and fail. But it has no discernible spiritual energy no reactive properties, It doesn't absorb qi and also it doesn't release it too.
Even a visiting Elder from the Life Root Sect, a Nascent Soul expert examined it once. He said it was... "spiritually inert" a curiosity of nature but useless for cultivation". The man leaned in slightly "Between you and me it's probably just a very dense, very odd piece of rock".
Lux nodded his mind racing a Nascent Soul expert couldn't detect its true nature because they couldn't measure the Coefficient of Reality. They could only sense spiritual energy, which the tablet genuinely lacked. Its secret was hidden in the very fabric of its existence, a secret only he and Mobius could perceive.
"I'll take it" Lux said with calm voice "I have an interest in... unusual geological samples".
The attendant looked slightly puzzled but nodded "As you wish, Given its... lack of utility let's call it five low-grade spirit crystals."
It was a pittance Lux reached into the simple storage pouch at his waist, Unlike the spatial rings his parents now possessed or other core forging cultivators, which used advanced spatial folding principles accessible only with a powerful Spiritual Sense, this pouch was a more common tool for cultivators below the Core Forging realm.
It was crafted by skilled formation masters using inscribed arrays to create a small, extradimensional space about the size of a large trunk that could be accessed with simple Energy Sense.
It was far less convenient and spacious than a ring but it was invaluable for any traveling cultivator.
He paid the five crystals, and the attendant wrapped the tablet in a piece of coarse cloth. As Lux placed the wrapped bundle into his pouch he felt a sense of momentous occasion, as if he had just acquired a key to a lock he didn't yet know existed.
Before leaving, he spent some of his remaining personal funds a stipend provided by the sect to its Direct Disciples on cultivation resources. While the Phoenix Harmonic Sutra was a fire-affinity technique, his unique gray qi allowed him to draw nourishment from a much wider spectrum of energy. He wasn't limited by elemental compatibility. He focused on quality, purchasing a small quantity of High Mortal Grade Spirit-Condensing Pills and a vial of purified Earth-Source Essence, both known for their pure, stable energy output, perfect for his needs in the Qi Nurturing realm.
His market excursion complete, Lux returned to the inn as evening began to paint the verdant canopy in shades of orange and purple. The city, bathed in the soft glow of bioluminescent fungi and floating lanterns, was even more magical at night, but Lux had no attention to spare for the view.
Back in his room, he placed the stone tablet on the floor and sat cross-legged before it. The faint erratic vibrations were even more palpable in the quiet of the night.
"Alright Mobius" Lux thought with absolute focus "How do we stabilize this?"
"The instability is inherent worm" Mobius explained, its tone that of a lecturer "It is not a flaw that can be "repaired" in the conventional sense. The object's reality is fundamentally conflicted. Think of it as a string pulled taut in two opposing directions. Our goal is not to cut the string, but to introduce a counter-tension, a balancing force that allows it to find a new, stable equilibrium."
"So... I need to use my distortion ability? But on what? The whole tablet?"
"Negative, A blanket distortion would be inefficient and dangerous. You must target the specific points of highest stress the epicenters of the reality fluctuations. I will guide you, just activate your measurement at maximum precision."
Lux closed his eyes, and the world dissolved into a web of shimmering coefficients. The tablet before him was no longer a solid object but a raging storm of numbers, a chaotic ballet of reality constantly tearing itself apart and trying to reassemble.
"Focus on the upper left quadrant," Mobius directed. "There is a stress node fluctuating between 0.98500 and 1.00000, your target is 0.99900, apply a micro-distortion ΔCoR -0.00600 Now!"
Lux's brow furrowed with concentration, He extended a single thread of gray qi, finer than a spider's silk and directed it with impossible precision towards the node Mobius had identified. He didn't force the change he suggested it, imagining the coefficient settling, calming, finding a middle ground.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the wild fluctuation in that specific node dampened, settling into a steady stable 0.99900.
"It worked!" Lux whispered, a surge of exhilaration cutting through his mental fatigue.
"Do not celebrate prematurely, There are one hundred and seven more such nodes" Mobius stated bluntly. "This will require all your concentration and most of your energy reserves, Proceed to the next Lower right quadrant, ΔCoR +0.00450."
The night wore on, Lux moved from node to node, a digital surgeon operating on the very essence of reality. Sweat beaded on his forehead and soaked his robes, the mental strain was immense, each micro-distortion requiring a level of focus that would have shattered a lesser mind.
He felt his energy reserves dwindling rapidly, the gray qi in his dantian churning with the effort.
He lost track of time, his world shrinking to the storm of numbers and the calming influence of his will. One by one the chaotic nodes were soothed, their wild oscillations tamed into a harmonious, stable frequency.
The tablet's overall Coefficient of Reality began to climb, stabilizing around 0.99950 not perfect, but no longer self-destructive.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity Mobius gave the last command "The central core, the primary instability. Fluctuation range 0.99000 to 1.01500 this is the anchor, target 1.00000. Apply a sustained distortion, ΔCoR -0.01000 Hold it."
This was the most difficult one, The core was like a miniature star going nova and collapsing in on itself repeatedly, Lux poured the last dregs of his energy into the effort, his body trembling, his vision spotting at the edges.
He visualized a hand steadying a wildly spinning gyroscope, applying just the right pressure to bring it to a perfect, motionless standstill.
He held the distortion, his will a steel trap against the tablet's inherent chaos.
And then, it happened.
The frantic vibrations ceased. The stone tablet emitted a soft deep thrum that was felt more in the soul than heard with the ears.
The dull gray surface began to glow with a gentle internal light, the color of a twilight sky. The faint etchings on its surface blazed with silver fire, revealing themselves to be an impossibly complex, three-dimensional pattern that seemed to swim just beneath the stone.
The Coefficient of Reality locked in at a perfect, unwavering 1.00000.
Lux collapsed backward onto the floor gasping for breath, utterly drained but filled with a triumphant awe. He had done it. He had stabilized the impossible.