The twin-star system pulsed in quiet harmony.
Five planets orbited steadily, three remained half-formed, and faint energy streams flowed like cosmic rivers.
Gu An sat in stillness, consciousness immersed in every orbit, every rotation, every dance of dust becoming world.
Luo Fen drifted beside one of the outer planets, shimmering softly.
"The currents are stable, Master."
Jin Tao nudged a rogue asteroid fragment away before it hit a forming moon.
"Gravity holds. No collapse."
Mei Yu floated near the innermost planet, her tone gentle as water.
"Life potential still dormant. Energy density insufficient."
Gu An nodded. These companions, born from his cultivation, helped him see deeper — but they did not replace his effort. They refined his perception rather than changing reality for him.
His universe remained young. Fragile. A spark, not yet a flame.
And yet…
Something stirred.
A Ripple From Outside
Gu An suddenly felt a faint tremor — not from his inner cosmos, but from beyond.
Not a voice, not a presence.
More like… pressure.
A breeze brushing against a window.
His awareness twitched.
The void around him darkened, then brightened — colors he had never seen flickered at the edge of existence.
"Outside…?"
It wasn't sight. It wasn't hearing.
It was the sense of something larger — not touching him, only existing.
The real universe. The true cosmos beyond his seed.
His heart trembled with awe.
Luo Fen's glow flickered uncertainly.
"Master felt something?"
Gu An nodded.
"The outer existence… just a whisper. I cannot reach it yet."
Mei Yu bowed her tiny head.
"Reaching too soon will collapse your seed. We must grow first."
Jin Tao's tone was solemn.
"Balance must be earned, not jumped to."
They didn't scold him — they guided him, reminding him of cosmic truth:
Even curiosity must obey harmony.
Gu An inhaled, steadying his mind.
If he forced connection to the outside before his inner cosmos matured, his world could shatter — and so could he.
He let go of the ripple.
The whisper faded.
Sanity and stability returned.
Expanding the System
Gu An returned to his stars.
The outer tremor had not shaken him; instead, it sharpened his focus.
To stand in the outer cosmos, I must first perfect my inner cosmos.
He stretched his hand, drawing a new strand of cosmic energy into his world-seed.
Slowly, carefully — not forcing, only guiding.
A third star began to form.
This time, the energy behaved differently — more complex, temperamental, filled with potential chaos.
Luo Fen hovered anxiously.
"This star… has instinct."
Jin Tao shuddered.
"Too much gravity. It may devour the others."
Mei Yu expanded her senses.
"Or it may birth worlds of great potential."
A dangerous star, neither benevolent nor destructive by nature — a variable.
Gu An's eyes brightened.
"Then I will observe it… not command it."
He approached the new star with reverence, letting it choose its orbit, guiding chaos into harmony without forcing direction.
The star roared — silent brilliance — then eased into a balanced path around the central gravity point.
Three stars now danced in his seed universe, forming a tri-star system:
Unstable, yet magnificent.
A true test of cosmic understanding.
A Glimpse of the Future
As the stars settled, Gu An's vision flickered again — this time voluntary.
No voices.
No visions.
Just the knowledge:
"One day, I will look beyond, not as a seedling… but as a universe."
His companions felt his conviction.
Luo Fen whispered:
"Outer worlds await…"
Mei Yu smiled softly:
"Life awaits."
Jin Tao's gravity aura pulsed:
"Strength awaits."
And Gu An simply breathed, light filling his being.
To master the stars inside… before meeting the stars outside.
The path continued — long, patient, infinite.