The Black Dragon Fortress descended through layers of concealment formations that Babata had spent the last three minutes perfecting. Not simple invisibility—that would be detectable to cultivators of Shi Yi and Shi Hao's caliber. Instead, the AI had created what he termed "narrative displacement"—a technique that convinced observing consciousness that the fortress was narratively irrelevant, something their minds would naturally filter out as background detail unworthy of attention.
"It's exploiting cognitive bias inherent in cultivation progression," Babata explained as they approached optimal observation distance from the Kun Peng nest. "High-level cultivators focus on threats scaled to their power level. We're presenting as spatial phenomenon too weak to matter and too stable to be interesting. Their brains will literally edit us out of their perception unless we do something that breaks the pattern."
"How long can we maintain this?" Su Chen asked, his Dual Pupils already tracking the energy flows around the ancient nest. The formations activating there were beyond anything he'd previously encountered in this realm—spatial compression, temporal dilation, and what appeared to be conceptual testing that would evaluate worthiness through methods he couldn't immediately categorize.
"As long as we remain passive observers," Babata confirmed. "The moment you activate Absolute Copy on either Shi Yi or Shi Hao directly, the energy signature will break narrative displacement and reveal our presence. You'll need to copy their techniques indirectly—observing what they do and replicating the principles rather than directly targeting them as sources."
"More challenging but still viable," Su Chen assessed. "Esdeath, environmental monitoring. I want to know the instant either Shi Yi or Shi Hao detects something anomalous. Xiao Yi Xian, prepare emergency extraction—if this goes wrong, I want us out of this realm before either of them can respond. Bibi Dong, soul-level observation. If they're communicating through spiritual sense or hidden channels, I need to know what they're saying to each other."
His team deployed across the fortress's observation deck, each taking positions that maximized their sensory coverage while maintaining the passive profile that kept them concealed. Below, the Kun Peng nest's formations reached critical activation threshold, and Shi Hao stepped forward to attempt the inheritance.
The protagonist looked different from Su Chen's previous observation. Older—not physically, but in the depth behind his eyes that suggested accelerated growth through trials Su Chen hadn't witnessed. His cultivation base had advanced several minor realms, and the destiny weight surrounding him had intensified to the point where Su Chen's Dual Pupils could perceive it as visible distortion in causality itself.
"He's close to breakthrough," Bibi Dong observed, her soul-sensing tracking the energy circulation within Shi Hao's meridians. "Whatever inheritance this nest contains, he's timing his attempt to coincide with cultivation advancement. He's not just claiming legacy—he's using the inheritance trial itself as catalyst for realm ascension."
"Protagonist efficiency," Su Chen muttered. "Normal cultivators would prepare for years, ensure perfect conditions, minimize every risk. He walks in at the edge of breakthrough and turns the trial into growth opportunity. The narrative protection is almost insulting in how blatant it is."
The Kun Peng formation activated fully, and space around the nest transformed. What had been solid stone architecture became fluid probability—multiple versions of the same structure existing simultaneously, each representing different trial paths that Shi Hao might take. Su Chen's analytical mind immediately recognized the testing methodology: the inheritance was evaluating not just power but decision-making, forcing the challenger to choose which version of reality they wanted to pursue.
Shi Hao chose without hesitation, stepping into the probability branch that appeared most dangerous—the path where the Kun Peng's spiritual remnant manifested as actual combat opponent rather than puzzle or meditation trial. Typical protagonist behavior: when offered safe growth versus challenging combat, always choose combat.
"Impressive confidence," Esdeath observed. "He's not even testing the other paths. He saw combat option and immediately committed. Either he's reckless or he knows something about his own capabilities that makes direct confrontation preferable to alternatives."
"Both, probably," Su Chen assessed. "Protagonists develop instincts for which choices lead to growth. His narrative weight is guiding him toward the path that will forge him most effectively. Watch carefully—whatever techniques he demonstrates during this trial are what we're here to copy."
The Kun Peng's spiritual remnant materialized—and Su Chen's breath caught despite his normally imperturbable composure. It was magnificent. A creature that embodied transformation itself, its form shifting between enormous fish and cosmic bird with such fluidity that the transition points were imperceptible. Each movement demonstrated mastery over spatial principles that made conventional techniques look crude by comparison.
And Shi Hao fought it with growing understanding that was genuinely impressive to witness.
The protagonist didn't try to overpower the remnant through brute force. Instead, he studied its movements, adapted to its rhythm, and gradually began mirroring the transformation principles it demonstrated. Fish became bird became fish again, and with each cycle Shi Hao's comprehension of the underlying spatial laws deepened.
"He's learning by doing," Xiao Yi Xian observed with professional appreciation. "Most cultivators would try to defend and survive until they understood the technique theoretically. He's replicating it through direct combat, refining his understanding through application rather than analysis."
"Absolute Copy works similarly," Babata noted. "Master, you should be able to replicate what Shi Hao is doing without difficulty. The Kun Peng techniques he's demonstrating are compatible with your existing spatial manipulation abilities."
Su Chen focused his Origin Mirror on the combat below, carefully avoiding direct targeting of Shi Hao himself while copying the principles the protagonist was demonstrating. The Kun Peng transformation wasn't just movement technique—it was fundamental restructuring of existence itself, treating physical form as negotiable parameter rather than fixed constant.
**[Absolute Copy Activated]**
**[Analyzing Kun Peng Transformation Principles...]**
**[Compatible with existing Spatial Manipulation foundation]**
**[Integration commencing...]**
The knowledge flooded Su Chen's consciousness—not abstract theory but embodied understanding of how to compress space through fish-form and expand it through bird-form, how to transition between states by treating the transformation itself as the technique rather than the beginning and ending shapes.
"Master, integration is proceeding faster than normal," Babata reported. "Your existing Dual Pupil bloodline and spatial cultivation base are providing foundation that makes Kun Peng principles intuitive rather than foreign. Estimated time to basic competence: seventeen minutes. Estimated time to Shi Hao's current level: six hours of dedicated practice."
"Mark it for training rotation after we extract," Su Chen commanded, still observing the trial below. "But don't pause observation—there's more to learn."
Indeed, as Shi Hao's comprehension deepened, the Kun Peng remnant escalated the trial's difficulty. Now it was demonstrating combination techniques—spatial compression merged with temporal dilation, bird-form flight that existed in multiple locations simultaneously, fish-form swimming that treated dimensional barriers as permeable membrane.
Su Chen copied each principle methodically, building comprehensive understanding of the Kun Peng legacy piece by piece. This was the advantage Absolute Copy provided—where Shi Hao had to fight and struggle for each fragment of understanding, Su Chen simply observed and acquired, accumulating knowledge without risk or effort expenditure.
Then Shi Yi arrived, and the situation's complexity multiplied exponentially.
The Dual-Pupil genius appeared at the trial's periphery, his presence announced not through dramatic entrance but through subtle reality distortion that suggested he'd been observing for some time before making himself visible. His expression carried calculation that made Su Chen immediately wary—this wasn't someone reacting to unexpected development. This was someone executing planned intervention.
"Shi Hao," Shi Yi called out, his voice cutting through the trial space despite the formations that should have isolated the inheritance area. "You're attempting breakthrough at precisely the wrong moment. The Kun Peng legacy will anchor your cultivation path toward spatial transformation, which will make you vulnerable during the coming Convergence. Withdraw now, and I'll allow you to seek different inheritance better suited to your survival."
Shi Hao didn't pause his combat with the Kun Peng remnant, but his spiritual sense extended toward Shi Yi with suspicion that was almost tangible. "You want me to abandon inheritance because you're concerned for my wellbeing? That's insulting lie even by your standards, Shi Yi. What's your real motivation?"
"Preventing catastrophe you're too shortsighted to recognize," Shi Yi stated. "But if you insist on proceeding despite warning, then I'll do what's necessary to preserve realm stability."
He moved—not attacking Shi Hao directly, but instead targeting the inheritance formation itself. His Dual Pupils flared with power that made reality scream, and probability branches around the trial space began collapsing. He was attempting to force-close the inheritance, ejecting Shi Hao from the trial before completion and potentially causing backlash that would damage the protagonist's cultivation foundation.
"That's violation of ancient trial laws," Bibi Dong observed with shock. "Interfering with inheritance trials is forbidden across most cultivation realms—the karmic backlash alone should be enough to destroy anyone who attempts it."
"Unless you're powerful enough to endure the backlash," Su Chen noted grimly. "Or unless you've prepared countermeasures that redirect karmic consequences. Watch his technique—he's inscribing formations that deflect the trial's retaliation toward... somewhere. I can't perceive the target, which means he's redirecting backlash across dimensional boundaries to location we can't observe."
"Sophisticated," Esdeath acknowledged. "Evil, but sophisticated. He's essentially making someone else pay the karmic price for his interference."
Shi Hao's response was immediate and violent. The protagonist's combat instincts recognized existential threat, and his cultivation base surged with power that shouldn't have been accessible at his current realm. Destiny weight he'd accumulated across multiple life-or-death encounters crystallized into temporary strength amplification, and he struck at both the Kun Peng remnant and Shi Yi simultaneously.
It was chaos. Beautiful, terrifying chaos that demonstrated exactly why protagonist-level entities were so dangerous.
The Kun Peng remnant, recognizing that external interference threatened the trial's integrity, shifted from testing Shi Hao to defending the inheritance space. Its transformation speed increased geometrically, creating spatial distortions that made tracking its position impossible for anyone without enhanced perception.
Shi Yi, forced to defend against both the remnant and Shi Hao's assault, revealed techniques he'd clearly been concealing during their earlier negotiation. His Dual Pupils weren't just enhanced vision—they were conceptual weapons that could impose absolute truth or absolute falsehood on target phenomena. When he declared that Shi Hao's attack "had not occurred," reality briefly restructured to match that assertion, causing the protagonist's technique to simply cease existing.
And Shi Hao, pushed to the absolute edge of his capabilities, broke through.
The cultivation advancement wasn't gradual progression—it was explosive transformation that shattered his previous realm's limitations and catapulted him into new tier of power. Destiny weight that had been accumulating discharged in burst of causality-warping force that made every formation in the area scream with overload.
"Copy that!" Su Chen commanded his Origin Mirror urgently. "Whatever just happened, I need the principle recorded even if I can't replicate it immediately!"
**[Absolute Copy Activated]**
**[Analyzing Destiny-Weight Breakthrough Phenomenon...]**
**[WARNING: Principle incompatible with current cultivation framework]**
**[Reason: Requires protagonist-level narrative protection]**
**[Alternative identified: Artificial destiny accumulation through controlled conflict exposure]**
**[Marking for advanced research protocols]**
So his earlier assessment had been correct—whatever made Shi Hao special couldn't be directly copied. But Babata's analysis suggested there might be workarounds, methods to artificially replicate the effects even if the fundamental mechanism remained inaccessible.
The breakthrough's energy discharge created opening that Shi Hao exploited with ruthless efficiency. He completed the Kun Peng trial in single devastating sequence—comprehending the final transformation principle, absorbing the remnant's acknowledgment, and claiming the inheritance legacy in timeframe that should have required hours compressed into seconds.
Then he turned his full attention to Shi Yi, and for the first time Su Chen saw genuine killing intent in the protagonist's eyes.
"You tried to cripple my foundation during sacred trial," Shi Hao stated, his voice carrying power that made the surrounding space vibrate. "That's not competition—that's attempted murder under circumstances where I couldn't properly defend myself. I'm returning the favor."
The technique Shi Hao unleashed was pure Kun Peng principle applied with newly acquired mastery. He compressed space around Shi Yi while simultaneously expanding his own movement range, creating impossible geometry where every direction the Dual-Pupil genius could move led back toward the protagonist's striking range.
Shi Yi's response demonstrated why he'd been confident enough to attempt trial interference—he simply refused to accept the spatial manipulation's validity. His Dual Pupils flared, and reality restructured to match his assertion that Shi Hao's technique "was incompatible with local spatial laws." The impossible geometry collapsed, returning them to normal three-dimensional combat space.
"This is stalemate," Shi Yi stated calmly despite the violence surrounding them. "Your Kun Peng legacy gives you spatial superiority. My Dual Pupils give me conceptual authority. We can fight until this realm collapses, or we can acknowledge mutual deterrence and withdraw to prepare for actual conflict during more appropriate circumstance."
"Or I can kill you now and eliminate threat before you become stronger," Shi Hao countered. But his combat instincts were clearly warning him against prolonged engagement—the destiny weight discharge from his breakthrough had left him temporarily vulnerable, and continuing to fight at current intensity would risk damaging his newly stabilized foundation.
"You could try," Shi Yi agreed. "But success isn't guaranteed, and failure would leave you weakened before Convergence begins. Strategically inadvisable. Withdraw, consolidate your gains, and we'll settle this when stakes are clearer and circumstances favor decisive outcome rather than pyrrhic mutual destruction."
Shi Hao's killing intent didn't diminish, but his rational mind apparently agreed with Shi Yi's assessment. He withdrew—not fleeing, but tactical repositioning that maintained combat readiness while creating distance. Shi Yi mirrored the movement, both geniuses extracting from potential battlefield while maintaining threatening postures that promised future violence.
Within minutes, both had departed the Kun Peng nest area, leaving only dissipating energy signatures and damaged formations as evidence of what had transpired.
"They're gone," Esdeath confirmed through sensors. "No observers remaining in detection range. We're alone."
"Then we move quickly," Su Chen decided. "Babata, drop the concealment. I want maximum scanning priority on the inheritance space—there are fragments of techniques, formation principles, and possibly physical resources that both Shi Yi and Shi Hao were too focused on each other to properly extract. We're going to claim everything they left behind."
The Black Dragon Fortress descended toward the now-undefended Kun Peng nest, its scanning arrays fully active. Su Chen stepped out personally, his Dual Pupils analyzing every centimeter of the ancient structure for resources that had been overlooked during the violent confrontation.
What he found exceeded expectations.
The inheritance trial had been designed with multiple reward tiers—basic legacy for anyone who completed the challenge, advanced techniques for those who demonstrated exceptional comprehension, and hidden treasures for individuals perceptive enough to locate concealed caches while under combat pressure.
Shi Hao had claimed the basic and advanced tiers through his breakthrough and trial completion. But the hidden treasures—ancient jade slips containing Kun Peng cultivation insights, spatial law comprehension aids, and even fragments of the original Kun Peng's shed scales that could be refined into weapons or armor—remained untouched because neither Shi Yi nor Shi Hao had possessed time or focus to search thoroughly.
Su Chen claimed them methodically, his Absolute Copy duplicating each resource before storing both original and copy in his dimensional inventory. Jade slips became pairs. Kun Peng scales multiplied exponentially. Within thirty minutes, he'd extracted more material wealth from the inheritance site than most cultivators would accumulate in lifetimes.
"This is almost too easy," Xiao Yi Xian observed. "They fought over the inheritance itself while ignoring the surrounding treasure trove. Either they're less thorough than their reputations suggest, or they were both too focused on each other to conduct proper resource extraction."
"Protagonist tunnel vision," Su Chen explained. "Shi Hao focuses on challenges that forge growth—material wealth is secondary to advancement opportunity. And Shi Yi was too busy trying to prevent Shi Hao's success to optimize his own gains. Their single-minded focus on the narrative conflict between them created vacuum we're exploiting."
"Master," Babata interrupted. "I'm detecting something unusual in the inheritance formation's core structure. There's additional layer beneath what Shi Hao accessed—deeper legacy that requires specific bloodline key to activate."
"Dual Pupils?" Su Chen guessed.
"Confirmed," Babata agreed. "The Kun Peng's ancient remnant left inheritance specifically for descendants or inheritors of the Dual-Pupil bloodline. Shi Yi should have been able to access this, but he was too focused on interfering with Shi Hao to notice it existed."
"And I can access it because I copied the Dual-Pupil bloodline during previous observation," Su Chen concluded with satisfaction. "Show me the access point."
Babata directed him to formation node hidden beneath the trial's primary structure. Su Chen's Dual Pupils activated—the copied bloodline ability proving sufficient authentication for the ancient security—and the hidden layer activated with smooth precision that suggested it had been waiting millennia for worthy inheritor.
What emerged was knowledge that made everything they'd extracted previously look like preliminary preparation.
The true Kun Peng legacy wasn't just transformation technique or spatial manipulation. It was complete cultivation methodology that treated existence itself as negotiable framework—philosophy that aligned perfectly with Su Chen's own approach to reality manipulation through Formation Arrangement and Absolute Copy.
**[Absolute Copy Activated]**
**[Analyzing True Kun Peng Legacy...]**
**[Compatibility: MAXIMUM]**
**[Integration Level: Complete Cultivation Framework Replacement Possible]**
**[WARNING: Implementation will fundamentally restructure Master's advancement path]**
**[Recommendation: Defer integration until current realm is fully stabilized]**
"Defer integration," Su Chen agreed immediately. "But preserve everything for future implementation. This is too valuable to rush."
The knowledge transfer completed, and Su Chen felt the weight of what he'd acquired. This wasn't just technique or treasure—this was foundational principle that could elevate his entire cultivation approach to new tier of sophistication.
And he'd obtained it by simply being thorough while others fought over surface-level prizes.
"Extraction complete," he announced to his team. "We've acquired more from this operation than either Shi Yi or Shi Hao claimed through direct confrontation. Mark this as successful deployment of parasite strategy—observe conflicts, copy principles, extract overlooked resources, depart before participants realize they've been robbed."
"What about the forty-eight hour investigation period Shi Yi demanded?" Esdeath asked. "We're not even twelve hours in. Do we maintain presence in this realm, or extract now while we're ahead?"
Su Chen considered. Remaining meant potential additional observations as Shi Yi and Shi Hao continued their conflict. But it also meant risk of being drawn into direct confrontation if either genius discovered his presence and interference.
"We extract," he decided. "I have enough data to make informed decision about alliance proposals, and staying longer risks diminishing returns versus escalating danger. Babata, prepare dimensional transit. We're returning to Earth."
"What will you tell Shi Yi when he contacts you through the jade slip?" Bibi Dong asked.
"The truth," Su Chen replied. "That I investigated thoroughly, consulted with dimensional mechanics experts, and concluded that alliance with him would be strategically inadvisable. He won't be happy, but he established the terms that allowed independent assessment. I'm simply following through on parameters he accepted."
"He might consider that betrayal," Xiao Yi Xian warned.
"He might," Su Chen agreed. "But I'm betting he's professional enough to accept outcome of negotiation he initiated. And if he isn't—if he decides to pursue hostile action based on my refusal—then I'll have learned valuable information about his character that will inform future interactions."
The dimensional gate opened, reality tearing to reveal pathway back to Earth. The Black Dragon Fortress transitioned through with practiced efficiency, leaving the lower realm behind.
As they emerged into Earth's dimensional space, Su Chen activated the jade slip Shi Yi had provided.
"Investigation complete," he transmitted simply. "Alliance declined. I've determined that your proposed strategy conflicts with intelligence regarding Fate-Anchor mechanics from sources I consider more reliable than probability projections. I appreciate the negotiation opportunity, but I'm pursuing different approach to Convergence preparation. No further contact necessary."
He crushed the jade slip before Shi Yi could respond, severing the connection permanently.
"Burned that bridge decisively," Esdeath observed.
"Yes," Su Chen confirmed. "But bridges can be rebuilt if circumstances change. For now, neutrality serves my interests better than alliance with either protagonist or his opposition. Let them fight their narrative battles. I'll continue harvesting opportunities from the chaos they create."
Babata's hologram flickered with what might have been approval. "Master, updated assessment of acquired resources from the Kun Peng operation: total value equivalent to seventeen months of normal cultivation progression compressed into single afternoon. Return on investment is exceptional."
"Note the methodology," Su Chen commanded. "Parasite strategy works because protagonists and their rivals focus on each other while ignoring peripheral opportunities. We're going to refine this approach and apply it systematically across future operations. Why fight for resources when we can copy fighting techniques and steal prizes while combatants are distracted?"
"Morally questionable," Xiao Yi Xian observed.
"Strategically optimal," Su Chen countered. "And in cultivation world, optimization matters more than morality. We're not harming anyone—just being more thorough than they have time to be while they're busy with their narrative conflicts."
He settled into the fortress's command chair, already planning next operations. The Kun Peng legacy would require months of study to fully integrate. The resources extracted would fuel his team's advancement significantly. And the intelligence gathered about Shi Yi, Shi Hao, and Fate-Anchor mechanics would inform strategy for approaching Convergence.
The harvest continued. But now Su Chen understood something fundamental about his role in the multiverse's power dynamics—he wasn't protagonist or villain. He was the third party who profited from their conflicts while they were too focused on each other to notice him extracting value from their struggles.
It was position that suited him perfectly.