Chapter 22: Crossing the Threshold (in Secret)
The emergence of the second God Eye, held by a rival power, lit a fire under Ran. The vague sense of unease crystallised into sharp focus: the situation was unstable, unpredictable, and potentially aimed squarely at him if his identity as the Creator was ever exposed. His accelerated cultivation wasn't just desirable anymore; it felt like a race against time, a desperate need to build power before the consequences of his creation spiralled completely out of control.
He poured every ounce of his concentration, amplified by [Enhanced Comprehension], into managing the relentless flood of Dividends. Thousands of players questing, fighting, exploring, and dying in Ascension Heaven generated a tidal wave of Bio-Energy that washed over him continuously. His Qi Condensation Stage 4 (High) cultivation base churned, refined, and compressed under the onslaught.
He used his [Eye of Genesis Insight] not just to monitor the two distant, manifested God Eyes (Vance's analytical coldness, Lin Xiaoyu's turbulent chaos), but also to analyze the very flow of Dividends entering his body. He could perceive subtle variations in the energy, trace faint connections back to player activities, understand how different actions generated different 'flavors' of energy. It was like tasting the ingredients in a complex soup, allowing him to optimize his absorption, guiding the energy more efficiently than simple passive reception.
Days blurred into a cycle of intense, secret cultivation. He maintained his facade during brief interactions with family and the increasingly perplexed Master Thorne, relying heavily on the passive [Shadow Veil] and the active, energy-consuming [Void Veil Cloaking Art] whenever he felt his burgeoning power might leak through. The Void Veil was particularly effective, creating micro-distortions around him that didn't just hide his Qi level but actively dampened his energy signature, making him seem far less significant than he was. It cost SEU to maintain actively, but with his income, it was a negligible expense for invaluable security.
He could feel the barrier approaching – the threshold between Qi Condensation and the Foundation Realm. It felt like a vast, locked gate, radiating pressure. Breaking through required not just immense energy, but also a deep understanding, a qualitative leap in Qi control and spiritual awareness. His Enhanced Comprehension provided the understanding; the ceaseless Dividends provided the raw power.
One evening, while meditating deeply, channeling both the Dividends and his own rapidly accumulating Qi, Ran focused his intent on that barrier. He visualized the lock, analyzed its structure using insights gleaned from countless cultivation manuals now easily understood, and directed the torrent of energy like a perfectly aimed battering ram.
CRACK!
A soundless resonance echoed through his soul. The barrier didn't just break; it dissolved. Energy surged through the opening, flooding into a previously inaccessible space within his spiritual core. His Dantian expanded, his meridians widened and toughened, and his very perception of Qi shifted. It wasn't just external energy to be gathered anymore; it felt like an extension of himself, a medium he could shape and command with far greater authority.
His spiritual sense exploded outwards, momentarily overwhelming the dampening effect of the Void Veil before he consciously reasserted control. For a dizzying instant, he felt connected to the ambient Qi of the entire Sayfrid compound, sensing the individual energy signatures of his family, the guards, even the sleeping birds in the trees, with startling clarity.
[Host Unit Cultivation Advancement Detected!]
[Congratulations! You Have Successfully Established Your Foundation!]
[Current Realm: Foundation Establishment - Stage 5 (Initial)]
[System Analysis: Significant increase in Qi capacity, control, purity, and spiritual sense range. You are now officially 'Not Completely Useless'. Well done.]
[Recommendation: Maybe update your 'Clan Heir Who Couldn't' mental monologue? Just a suggestion.]
Ran took a deep, shuddering breath, reigning in his expanded senses, reinforcing the Void Veil until his perceived presence settled back to the familiar low-Stage 2 range. Foundation Realm. Stage 5. He had done it. Weeks ago, he was struggling at Stage 1. Now, fueled by his digital empire, he had crossed a threshold most cultivators in his clan, even elders, never reached.
He felt a surge of immense power, a profound confidence settling deep within him. He focused his [Eye of Genesis Insight] outwards again. He could still sense the distant God Eyes, but now, through the lens of his Foundation Realm senses and filtered by his Insight, their signatures felt less overwhelming, more… quantifiable. He could analyze their resonance patterns with greater clarity, begin to understand their function on a deeper level without needing direct exposure.
Most importantly, he scanned for any sign of detection. Any indication that his breakthrough, or his constant connection to the System, had tripped an alarm somewhere. Nothing. The Aether Veil Rank 2 felt like an impenetrable shield against the background noise of the world's energy fields. His Genesis Insight confirmed no focused probes, no suspicious energy tendrils seeking him out.
He felt secure. Secure in his anonymity, secure in his rapidly growing power. The Void Veil would handle close-range observation, his Insight gave him early warning of System-related threats, and Aether Veil 2 protected him from remote discovery. He could continue to operate from the shadows, pulling the strings of his creation, accumulating power, all while the world remained oblivious to the true source of the chaos unfolding within Ascension Heaven.
Foundation Realm. It was just the beginning, but it was a very, very good beginning. He allowed himself a small, genuine smile in the darkness of his room. The 'Clan Heir Who Couldn't' was dead. Long live the Hidden Creator.