Adrian reached his room and closed the door behind him. Settling onto his modest bed, he arranged his few belongings on a small table nearby. The training manual y there, unopened—a silent promise of the teiques and knowledge that would soon shape his journey. But before beginning his practice, a question still tugged at his mind.

  He recalled the m assembly: Elder Li Tian had expihe basic stages—Ember Awakening, Flowing Veins, and Tempered Meridian—but one point remained unresolved. In the novels, each realm is clearly divided, and a cultivator knows exactly when they have reached its peak. Is there a signal here? How does one know when to move on?

  Uo ignore his curiosity, Adrian closed his eyes and reached out with his thoughts to o.

  Adrian reached out with his thoughts and asked, "o, how do we know when we've reached the peak of our current realm and are ready to advance? How would we know?"

  o replied calmly, "In this world, cultivation is divided into four internal levels: low-level, mid-level, peak-level, and perfect-level. When you reach the perfect level in your current realm, you are ready to move on."

  Adrian pressed further, "Then why didn't the instruention these levels clearly?"

  o's voice was measured as he answered, "I will not ahat question for you, Adrian. Why don't you think for yourself? sider what be the instructains by not telling you this. What do you think the other disciples will do? What do you believe will happen?"

  After o's challenge, a heavy silence filled the space. Adrian sat quietly for several minutes, his mind ing with thoughts. Finally, his eyes brightened as uanding began to dawn on him.

  He thought, If a disciple doesn't know what to do, the natural response is to ask the instructor—just as we were told to do if we are uain. But what do they gain from that? "They learn who among us reaches the peak of our current realm first. In other words, they find out who is progressing faster than the rest."

  Adrian tinued, "That way, the fastest among us bee known, and if there happens to be a hidden gem among these talents, the elders identify and nurture that exceptional potential. This system helps us not only gauge our own progress but also ehat true talent is reized."

  At that moment, o's calm voice echoed in his mind once more, "Yes, Adrian, that is exactly what you gain. By your progress, you learn who among you is more talented. It is through this knowledge that the elders identify those hidden gems."

  Adrian paused, his mind buzzing with new questions. He said to himself, "I must keep a close waty peers—observe who is the first to reach the perfect level and note how long it takes them. This will help me gauge how my talent is and how much be I gain. I want to demonstrate my talent, but I must be careful not to draw too much attention to myself. It's a delicate bance: I must progress steadily, so I gain the advantages without standing out too much."

  Adrian sat cross-legged in his room, the wooden floor cool beh him. He took a deep breath, steadying his thoughts. Tonight marked the true beginning of his cultivation journey.

  He reached out with his thoughts. "o, now I'm going to cultivate. Wish me luck."

  A chuckle echoed in his mind. "Luck? Do you think I exist just to chat with you?" o teased. "I am here to guide you, Adrian. And I have something to offer that no one in this world—or even beyond—."

  Adrian's i piqued. "Wait… Does that mean yoing to help me cultivate? Is there something I should know beforehand?"

  "Indeed," o said, his voice turning serious. "I don't want you to follow the usual path that the cultivators of this world—and even those of the higher realms—walk upon. I will give you a path that oed but was erased from the annals of history. A path so uhat even the primordial ws sought to elimi."

  Adrian's brows furrowed. "Erased? You mean… this knowledge was deliberately destroyed?"

  "Yes," o firmed. "Those who were. actally on this road were wiped out. If someoo even think of disc this path, their thinking would be stopped and ition would be blocked to think in that way."

  Adrian's body tensed. "Then why are you tellihis? Wouldn't I be erased as well?"

  "Of course not," o reassured him. "I would never offer you something that would lead to your destru. Before I decided to offer this path, I made certain preparations—enough to shield you from any interference. But I must warn you, Adrian, this path is incredibly difficult. Even with your talent, your progress may be much slower than others. However, the rewards are beyond imagination. If your talent were even slightly lower, I wouldn't have even sidered you this choice."

  Adrian took a deep breath, his gaze steady. "If I pn to transd everything, then I he stro foundation. If I don't take risks now, how will I ever stand at the peak?"

  o askes him again, "Are you sure you want to walk this path because if you do, you not will have to follow what maybe the hardest path ever to exist but you will also not be able to really enjoy the bes of enjoying the speed of cultivation with your talent, your talent could help you breeze through the realms quite easily and soon reach the top of cultivation realms a a vast knowledge reserve to satisfy your curiosity."

  Adrian eyes waver for a sed after hearing the bes but in the sed it bees unwaveringly determined, " I'll take the more demanding road"

  o tones sounds quite happy, "I am happy here that you at least choose this path and i will make it that you will nret it.

  "Wait.. what exactly do you mean," Adrias fused and asks but before he could tihe o tinues, so he quickly pays attention to it and thinks about asking him this sometimes else.

  o tinued more formally, "Very well. You have made your decision. Then listen carefully, Adrian. The path I offer you is called… the Path of Infinity."

  __ __ __

  Meanwhile—at that same pivotal moment, in a parallel reality—o poses the exact same question:"Do you want to choose the harder path, or will you take the easier route to satisfy your curiosity?"

  In this alternate realm, Adrian's eyes flicker with hesitation. "If I still trahe universe on the easier path… why bother with all the hardship? I'll choose the simpler route."

  o nods. "Yes, you'll still be able to transd, but without the more extreme challehat path remains open."

  Adrian rexes. "Then that settles it. If I reach my goal with less risk, I see no reason tle. By the way, you tell me about the other path?"

  o offers a cryptic shrug. "If you had chosen it, I would have told you more. But now… it isn't really relevant for you."

  Adrian looks briefly fused but doesn't press.

  __ __ __

  Adrian's eyes widened. "Path of Infinity? That sounds… powerful. What does it mean?"

  "It is exactly as it sounds," o said. "This path is limitless. It is a path that defies ventional cultivatiohods. Let me expin."

  o's voice took on a lecturing tone. "You already know that in the first three realms, Ember Awakening and Flowing Veins and Tempered Meridian's, your body strengthens itself, washing away impurities and preparing for cultivation. But have you ever wondered why? What is the purpose?"

  Adrian thought for a moment before responding, "To build a foundation for st Qi?"

  "Exactly," o said. "But what es ? What is the purpose of all this refi?"

  Adrian frowned slightly. "I don't know. What es after?"

  o paused before admitting, "In the major realm, cultivators form something iheir body to store Qi. This is an important step because it allows them to hold Qi even in pces where Qi is scarce. Without it, they would be uo cultivate ht effitly."

  Adrian nodded. "That makes sense. So cultivators streheir body first, and then they develop a way to store energy ihem."

  "Correct," o affirmed. "But this method has a weakness."

  Adrian looked puzzled. "What Weakness?"

  "This ste is limited," o expined. "Once a cultivator depletes the Qi they have stored ihey bee powerless. They must stantly replenish it and they only make the cer and stronger by reag a higher level of cultivation. But the Path of Infinity ges everything."

  Adrian leaned forward, intrigued. "How?"

  o chuckled. "Because you will not create a ste system at all."

  Adrian froze. "Wait… what do you mean? If I don't have a way to store Qi, then how will I use it?"

  "You won't store Qi. You will bee the source itself."

  Adrian's mind reeled. "Bee the source? How is that possible?"

  "Instead of f a single point to tain Qi, your entire body will tinuously absorb and circute Qi from the enviro. You will never run out of energy because you will never be reliant on a sie system. As long as Qi exists in the world, you will always have it flowing through you."

  A deep silence filled the room. Adrian slowly processed what he had just heard. If this was true, then—

  "This means… I won't have a limit," Adrian whispered.

  "Precisely," o said. "This is just the beginning of the Path of Infinity. There are many more aspects to it, which you will uncover as yress. But for now, all you o know is this: uhers who rely on what is within, you will rely on what is infinite."

  Adrian ched his fists. This wasn't just a teique—it was a revolution in cultivation itself. If this path truly had no limits, then his growth would be unshackled from all traditional straints.

  "Alright," he said, his eyes filled with determination. "Let's begin."

  o chuckled. "Good. Then listen carefully…"

  — — —