The stinging pain in his fingertip and the explosive azure light before his eyes made Cheng Mo instinctively close them. When he reopened them, the compass in front of him had vanished without a trace.
He paused for a second, then subconsciously reached out to touch the coffee table's surface, but felt nothing.
Immediately after, a massive, icy stream of information erupted without warning deep within his mind!
It was as if a memory that didn't belong to him was forcibly crammed in.
"[Detecting compatible soul fluctuation... Binding initiated...]"
"[Bound Item: myriad realms compass (Incomplete)]"
"[Sole Authority Holder: Cheng Mo]"
"[Core Function: Anchor spatiotemporal coordinates, open dimensional portals]"
"[Activation Rule: First activation requires 90 days of energy buffer, locking a single world coordinate.]"
"[Single Stay: Basic 90 natural days (can be extended by consuming spatiotemporal currency).]"
"[Time Flow Difference: Main World : Anchored World ≈ 1 day : 30 days.]"
"[Initial Portable Space: 1 cubic meter (absolute stasis).]"
"[Warning: Energy depleted... Permissions restricted... More functions require replenishment of spatiotemporal essence to unlock...]"
Countless fragmented pieces of information and rules surged through him like a tide. He felt a violent headache, his temples throbbing, and he couldn't help but hold his forehead.
"Hallucinations? Low blood sugar? Or... too much stress leading to hysteria?"
He gasped, his mind in chaos, his first thought being to suspect he was having a mental breakdown.
His sister's illness, financial pressure, his mentor's urging... all of it was indeed crushing him.
"[Basic Empowerment Initiated... Adapting based on host's potential and current energy level...]"
"[Empowerment One: Myriad Realms Physique (Preliminary) — Draws scattered energy to temper the body, the initial stage of transcending mortality...]"
"[Empowerment Two: Eye of Truth (Low Power) — Can perceive energy flow, discern partial essential information of objects, limited to objects not significantly higher than host's energy level...]"
"[Empowerment Three: Language Comprehension (Passive) — Understanding and expression, the cornerstone of communication across realms and races...]"
"[Auxiliary Function: Portable Conceptual Space (Initial 1 cubic meter) — Consciousness anchored, stores inert objects, time-space stagnation...]"
"[Warning: Spatiotemporal energy severely below maintenance threshold...]"
The Impact of the information flow slowly subsided, and the headache gradually receded, but Cheng Mo's mind still buzzed. These terms were beyond his comprehension, sounding like settings from a low-quality web novel.
"The hallucinations are getting more and more real... Is this a precursor to schizophrenia?"
He panted, leaning against the sofa, trying to explain it all with his knowledge of neuroscience, but his heart pounded uncontrollably.
Just then, that faint warm current surged from deep within his body again, clearer this time.
Wherever it flowed, muscle fibers seemed to be silently reinforced, fatigue was rapidly dispelled, and an unprecedented sense of vitality replaced the previous heaviness.
He could even vaguely "hear" his blood flow accelerating and his heart pumping more forcefully.
He incredulously raised his hand, clenched his fist, and felt a solid strength far exceeding his past capabilities.
He tried to sit up directly from the sofa, using only his core strength without the aid of his arms—
This movement, which he normally needed to leverage slightly to complete, now became effortlessly easy, even with a strange sense of lightness.
This was not a dream!
This tangible physical change could not be explained by hallucinations!
Suppressing his excitement, he tried a few quick punches and evasive movements in the cramped rental apartment, the whooshing sounds startling even himself.
Speed, strength, coordination... all completely surpassed his past self, perhaps even surpassing those top athletes on TV.
"Hey, neighbor! What kind of kung fu are you practicing in the middle of the night?! If you keep thumping, believe it or not, I'll curse you to death?!"
The dull thud of a wall being heavily pounded and a furious roar penetrated through.
It was that hot-tempered tenant next door, who usually cursed in a heavy dialect that Cheng Mo could only understand about thirty to forty percent of, even with guessing.
But today, that rapid and angry string of dialect sounded as if it had been precisely translated, every syllable corresponding to an incredibly clear meaning.
Even the local expletives mixed in were perfectly understood.
Cheng Mo abruptly froze, holding his breath.
"[Language Comprehension...]"
In the alley downstairs, the faint barks and whimpers of two stray dogs fighting over food could be heard. What used to be meaningless noise now became a "conversation" he could understand.
"Get lost! I found this bone first!"
"Hmph! Who cares about something stinky! There's half a fried chicken in that trash can!"
Dogs... arguing?
He could really understand?
He tried to recall a complex German medical term in his mind, then switched to an obscure Japanese grammatical structure... those languages he used to struggle to recall and organize now flowed as naturally as his native tongue, with impeccable pronunciation, intonation, and grammar.
He whispered them out, so fluently it was as if he had been born in those countries.
"Eye of Truth!"
Then, his mind focused on the opened, expired bread with a few green spots on the table.
"[Expired Whole Wheat Bread: Main ingredients are wheat flour, water, yeast... (Expand for detailed proportions and calories)]"
"[Contamination Status: Small amount of aflatoxin B1 (1.2 ug/kg) detected on surface, Penicillium mold spore colonies (active state). Recommendation: Toxic, not edible.]"
Clear information flowed directly into his mind.
Cheng Mo's eyes narrowed again.
He immediately looked at an old power strip plugged into the wall socket in the corner.
"[National Standard Power Strip (Generic Brand): Copper wire cross-sectional area less than 0.5 mm² (below safety standard), internal connection points severely oxidized (resistance increased by 22%), insulation layer aged (multiple tiny cracks, high risk of leakage). Status: Overheating (current temperature 48.7℃). Warning: Low fire risk!]"
He could even "see" the oxidized black parts of the inferior copper wire inside the power strip, and the tiny cracks in the insulation layer.
This ability was more than just identification; it was like X-ray vision plus an analyzer!
To verify the last item, he focused his gaze on the glass cup on the coffee table.
He concentrated, trying to activate the so-called [Portable Conceptual Space].
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he "saw" it—a transparent cubic phantom, one meter in length, width, and height, seemingly existing in another dimension, connected to his consciousness.
With his intention to "collect," the glass cup instantly vanished from the coffee table and appeared in the center of that cubic space, silently suspended.
Cheng Mo's breathing stopped instantly.
Despite the preceding information shock and physical changes, this phenomenon, which truly violated the laws of physics, still brought an unspeakable shock.
He stared intently at the cup in that conscious space, his heart pounding.
Then, with another thought—
The glass cup reappeared out of thin air on the coffee table, its position not deviating in the slightest.
He repeatedly experimented, collecting keys, books, pens... The speed became faster and faster, from initial clumsiness to almost instantaneous completion with a single thought.
A one-cubic-meter space could do so much... Euphoria like a tsunami crashed against his rational defenses.
This physical prowess far beyond human limits!
This barrier-free communication ability!
And this... this miraculous spatial ability!
With just these, even without the seemingly core, yet most dangerous, "Myriad Realms Travel," he could immediately escape his predicament!
Top-tier translator? Special worker beyond ordinary people?
Or... more directly, using this space... countless plans to quickly acquire vast wealth instantly surged in his mind, each glittering with tempting gold.
Xing Tong's medical expenses, his parents' fatigue, his mentor's pressure... all of it seemed like it could be utterly crushed in the blink of an eye.
His cold blood seemed to begin to boil, the flame of hope burning almost scorching.
Just as he was about to be consumed by this immense temptation, beginning to meticulously plan how to "safely" accumulate wealth using these abilities.
That cold, emotionless stream of information forcibly intervened in his thoughts again, like an ultimatum:
"[Warning: Spatiotemporal energy below critical collapse threshold. Maintaining existing functions and host connection requires consumption of essence.]"
"[Host must initiate first dimensional travel within 72 standard hours to absorb spatiotemporal power.]"
"[If not initiated within the deadline, the compass will completely collapse, all derived functions will be reclaimed, and irreversible damage will be caused to the host's consciousness.]"
"[Anchored World Coordinate: demon slayer (Taisho Era · Japan)]"
"[Time Anchor: Approximately one year before the start of the plot]"
"[Basic Functions Activated: Myriad Realms Physique (insufficient energy, only preliminary enhancement), Eye of Truth, Language Comprehension]"
"[Countdown: 71 : 59 : 59 ...]"
"[Countdown: 71 : 59 : 58 ...]"
The euphoria instantly froze and extinguished.
The excitement and elation on Cheng Mo's face faded little by little, leaving only an extreme calmness, even colder than his previous despair.
No luck, no retreat.
This was not a gift; it was a forced transaction, exchanging unknown danger for a known chance at survival.
He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, his fingers unconsciously tapping on his knee.
His brain began to operate at an unprecedented speed, analyzing the rules, weighing the risks and rewards.