Adrian listened ily as o tinued, his tone carrying an almost revere.

  "This is just the beginning, Adrian," o said. "There are many more aspects of the Path of Infinity that you have yet to unlock. Uhers who fihemselves within limitations, you will walk a path where even your own uanding will deny what is truly infinite."

  Adrian ched his fists, his mind rag. This path sounded powerful, yet he noticed a gring problem.

  "What if I enter a pce with no Qi?" he asked, a serious expressioling on his face. "What happens if I'm sealed in a ppletely devoid of energy? Won't I be pletely helpless?"

  o didn't hesitate to answer.

  "That is a valid ," he admitted. "The Path of Infinity, while superior in many ways, does have fws. But it also has ways to teract them."

  He paused for a moment before expining.

  "First, while your body doesn't store Qi like others, you still create an emergency reserve—a small amount of Qi that cycles within your body. It won't be as rge as a cultivator's core, but it will allow you to sustain yourself for a limited period in pces where Qi is pletely absent."

  Adrian nodded, but he still wasn't fully vinced.

  "And if I'm pletely sealed away? If I run out of even that emergency reserve?"

  o chuckled.

  "That is where the deeper aspects of the Path e in. You see, as you advance, you will gain the ability to form Qi links—not just within your current location, but across different realms. Even if you are standing in a pce without Qi, your body will remain ected to these distant sources, drawing Qi from afar as if you were still there."

  Adrian's eyes widened.

  "You mean… even if I'm trapped in a sealed space, I could still absorb Qi from another world?"

  o firmed with an amused hum.

  "Exactly. The moment you unlock this ability, you will no longer be bound by location. Your e to Qi will remain unbroken."

  Adrian's heartbeat quied. This wasn't just about infinite Qi—it was about never being cut off. No matter where he was, he would ruly be powerless.

  o wasn't finished.

  "And there is more."

  Adrian focused.

  "The Path of Infinity does not just absorb Qi—it absorbs energy itself. As you refine your body, you will gain the ability to vert various forms of energy into Qi. Heat, kiic force, even life ford soul energy—as a st resort. Though you don't yet uand soul energy, you will in time."

  Adrian's breath hitched. This was insane.

  "But perhaps its most terrifying advantage is this," o said, his voice l. "You will develop the ability to absorb the Qi within teiques themselves."

  Adrian froze and o tinued, "If an oppo attacks you with a Qi-based teique, your body will naturally strip away the Qi iaeutralizing it. A fireball, a lightning strike, a sword energy ssh—so long as they are formed from Qi, your body will devour their strength, rendering them iive. This makes you nearly immuo any Qi-based teiques that rely oernal energy."

  Adrian ched his fists tighter. This was no ordinary path. This was the path of endless endurance, of never exhausting, of turning an enemy's strength into his own.

  "Of course," o added, his voice carrying a note of warning. "This path is not without its difficulties. It will take time before you master all of its aspects, and there are hidden dangers along the way. But as yress, all weaknesses will be resolved, and you will uand the true essence of Infinity."

  Adrian exhaled slowly, then nodded. "Then I will walk this path."

  o chuckled again, the light within the cube pulsing softly.

  "Good. The your jouroward the infinite begin."

  Adrian sat cross-legged, his back straight, eyes sharp with anticipation. He had spent years preparing for this moment, and now, at st, he was about to take his first step into the world of cultivation.

  He took a slow breath, steadying himself. "So, what do I o do first?"

  o's voice resonated in his mind, steady and instructive.

  "First, you must sehe QI in the air. But not through any teique."

  Adrian's brows furrowed slightly. "Without a teique? But isn't that what teiques are for? To guide energy absorption?"

  A deep chuckle echoed within him. "That's exactly why I don't want you to rely on one."

  Adrian listened carefully as o tinued.

  "Teiques act as a crutch. They help, but they also impose limitations. If you rely solely on structured methods, your trol over QI will always be restricted by their framework. However, if you learn to sense and manipute QI naturally—without any teique—your mastery over energy will be unmatched. You will not be bound by a set path, and your ability to manipute energy will be closer to perfe, at least within your current realm."

  Adrian's eyes gleamed with uanding. "So, if I do this, my trol over QI will be far superior to anyone else at my level?"

  "Exactly."

  o's voice held a note of approval. "Although it won't pare to those in higher realms, at your stage, you will surpass nearly everyohat is the first step of the Path of Infinity—mastery of energy at its most fual level."

  Adrian nodded. "Alright, how do I start?"

  "Close your eyes. Breathe. Let yourself bee aware of the QI around you. Don't force it—just feel it."

  Adrian sat cross-legged, his posture straight, his breathing calm.

  Following o's instrus, he closed his eyes and focused, trying to sehe QI in the air without using any teiques.

  Minutes passed. Then an hour.

  Nothing.

  Yet Adrian didn't waver. He simply adjusted his breathing and tried again.

  Two hours.

  Still nothing.

  Even as more time passed, he remained calm. He khat if cultivation were easy, everyone would succeed.

  Finally, after nearly three hours, he opened his eyes and asked, " I doing something wrong?"

  His voice wasn't impatient—just thoughtful, as if analyzing a puzzle.

  o chuckled. "N, but ineffit. You're assuming QI is the same everywhere. But it's not."

  Adrian frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

  o expined, "QI gathers iain pces while being thinner in others. Instead to se everywhere at once, shift your focus. Try feeling the air he ground, then near your hands, then above your head."

  Adrian nodded and did as instructed. Instead of passively waiting for something to happen, he searched.

  And then—he felt it.

  A slight resistance above his head, like denser air. It was subtle, faint, but unmistakable.

  His eyes lit up. "I think I felt something."

  med approvingly. "Good. You're starting to uand. QI is everywhere, but a true cultivator learns to find it where it's stro and adapt to it."

  Adrian exhaled slowly. This was only the first step, but he had taken it.

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