Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Back Ho and Preparations
The afternoon wore on pleasantly. Food was ordered—dishes that slled incredible and radiated faint spiritual energy. The adults ate and talked while Celestia continued to entertain Runar with stories and occasional demonstrations of tiny ice crystals forming in her palm.
His runic eyes absorbed everything, analyzing techniques, studying energy flows, observing how cultivators interacted with each other. The subtle hierarchies, the respectful nods lower-realm cultivators gave to higher-realm ones passing by, the way everyone in the restaurant gave a wide berth to a single table in the corner where a Solar Flare realm cultivator sat eating alone.
This is the world I’ll be living in, Runar thought. Social dynamics built on power, but with civilization maintaining order. Interesting.
Eventually, as the twin suns began their descent toward the horizon, Lirien stood reluctantly.
"We should head back," she said. "Jake will be ho soon, and I need to prepare dinner."
Seraphina stood as well, embracing her friend warmly. "Let’s not wait so long next ti. And we’ll let you know as soon as we’re settled in our new house. Celestia is already planning her first visit."
"I’ll bring the best spirit candies!" Celestia announced, waving enthusiastically at Runar as Lirien placed him back in the stroller. "The ones with starfruit essence! And maybe so crystal sugar treats! You’re going to love them, Baby Runar!"
Runar managed a little hand wave in return—mostly involuntary motor response, but it made Celestia squeal with delight and everyone else smile.
"See? He already likes !" Celestia said triumphantly. "Bye bye, Baby Runar! See you very, very soon!"
The trip ho was quieter, but Lirien seed genuinely happy, humming softly as she guided the stroller through the evening streets. The city lights were coming on—runes glowing to life throughout the architecture, casting everything in soft, ethereal illumination that shifted between colors.
Runar’s runic eyes drank in every detail. The defensive formations woven into building walls. The transportation arrays at major intersections. The way spirit stones were embedded into street lamps to power the lighting runes. Even the subtle detection formations that monitored for threats—he could see it all now.
This world’s integration of cultivation and technology is fascinating, he thought. Runes are the bridge. They always are.
By the ti they arrived ho, the twin suns had set completely, and the four moons were rising in the darkening sky—each one a different size and color, their combined light painting everything in a surreal mix of silver, blue, pale gold, and soft pink.
Jake was already ho, working in his study. He erged to greet them, listening to Lirien’s excited recounting of the afternoon while helping prepare dinner.
"Seraphina’s moving back? That’s excellent news," Jake said warmly. "Aldric’s a good man. Star Fusion realm at his age—very impressive. And their daughter taking such a liking to Runar..." He chuckled. "Our son’s already making connections."
If only you knew the connections I’ll be making eventually, Runar thought wryly. Though having a talented friend close to my age could be useful. Celestia seems genuinely kind, not just cultivation-obsessed.
The evening routine played out as usual. Runar was fed, changed, and placed in his crib. His parents ate dinner, talked quietly in the living room about Seraphina’s return and what it would an to have close friends nearby again, then began preparing for bed.
The house settled into comfortable silence as the night deepened.
Runar lay in his crib, his enhanced mind tracking ti with perfect precision. His parents’ breathing gradually deepened into the rhythms of sleep. The city outside grew quieter as most people either entered ditation for cultivation or simply rested.
He waited.
And waited.
At midnight exactly, when both the silver and blue moons were at their zenith and the house was completely still, Runar finally opened his eyes fully.
Now.
His runic eyes activated subtly, confirming what his enhanced hearing had already told him: his parents were deep in sleep, their breathing steady and slow. No one else was awake in the nearby houses. Even the ambient spiritual energy of the city had settled into its nightti ebb.
Perfect conditions.
Ti to prepare, Runar thought, his excitent building despite his efforts to remain calm. First, the bloodline serum and physique enhancents. Then cultivation.
He focused on his system interface.
[SYSTEM: READY TO ASSIST]
Withdraw: Primordial Essence Bloodline Serum.
A small crystalline vial materialized silently in the air above his crib, floating down into his tiny hands with perfect control. The liquid inside swirled with three distinct colors—gold for phoenix essence, silver for dragon essence, and deep blue for kun peng essence.
Runar examined it with his runic eyes, analyzing the intricate runic formations within the serum itself. The system hadn’t lied—this wouldn’t change his species. The runes were carefully designed to extract only the beneficial properties of each bloodline while maintaining perfect human genetic structure.
Phoenix: Regeneration, rebirth, fire affinity, vitality
Dragon: Physical power, longevity, pressure resistance, adaptability
Kun Peng: Transformation, spatial affinity, speed, flexibility
All the benefits, none of the drawbacks or species alterations.
Perfect.
He brought the vial to his lips—awkward with baby motor control, but manageable—and drank.
The effect was imdiate and intense.
Heat exploded through his body. Not painful, but overwhelming—like every cell was suddenly on fire. His baby body went rigid, his back arching involuntarily as the bloodline essence integrated into his very existence.
Golden light flickered across his skin. Silver patterns traced along his bones. Blue energy swirled through his ridians.
The process took thirty seconds that felt like thirty hours.
Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
[PRIMORDIAL ESSENCE BLOODLINE SERUM: SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED]
[HOST REMAINS 100% HUMAN]
[ACQUIRED TRAITS:]
Phoenix Rebirth Constitution (Passive regeneration, extrely difficult to kill) Dragon Emperor Vitality (Lifespan multiplier x10, physical capabilities enhanced) Kun Peng Spatial Affinity (Natural talent for space-related techniques and laws)
[SYNERGY DETECTED WITH UNIVERSAL REFINENT PHYSIQUE]
[OVERALL ENHANCENT:
500% TO ALL PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES]
Runar took a shaky breath, his infant body trembling from the transformation. He felt different. Stronger, more vital, more real sohow. His cells humd with new power, each one reinforced by the bloodline traits.
Good. Now the physique enhancents.
Withdraw: Physique Enhancent Essence x13.
Thirteen small jade bottles appeared, arranged in a circle around him. Each one contained a single drop of translucent liquid that seed to contain entire galaxies within.
One essence can enhance a physique by one sub-level, Runar recalled. My Universal Refinent Physique is currently Low Divine Grade. Thirteen enhancents would bring it to...
He did the math quickly:
Low Divine → Mid Divine (3 essences)
Mid Divine → High Divine (3 essences)
High Divine → Peak Divine (3 essences)
Peak Divine → Low Supre (4 essences)
Low Supre Grade physique. That’s... that would make
one of the most physically gifted beings on the entire planet.
He opened the first bottle and drank.
The transformation was different from the bloodline serum—subtler but deeper. He could feel his physique evolving, the fundantal runic structure that defined his ability to refine energy shifting, optimizing, becoming more sophisticated.
He drank the second bottle. The third. Each one building on the previous enhancent.
By the sixth bottle, his body was glowing with soft white light, the Universal Refinent Physique actively working to integrate the improvents.
By the ninth, the light had intensified to the point where Runar worried it might wake his parents. But the system seed to create a subtle barrier, containing the radiance to just his crib.
The tenth bottle pushed him to Peak Divine Grade. He could feel the threshold approaching—the barrier between Divine and Supre.
Three more, Runar thought, his baby body sweating despite the cool night air. Three more and I’ll have a Supre-grade physique before even starting cultivation.
The eleventh bottle. The twelfth.
The thirteenth.
The world shifted.
Runar felt his physique break through the barrier with an almost audible crack. Divine Grade limitations shattered like glass, and suddenly his body was operating on an entirely different level.
[PHYSIQUE ENHANCENT COMPLETE]
[UNIVERSAL REFINENT PHYSIQUE: LOW SUPRE GRADE]
[NEW CAPABILITIES UNLOCKED:]
Can now refine energy from ANY source, including previously incompatible types Efficiency increased to 99.9% (nearly perfect conversion) Passive absorption increased by 1000% Can survive and cultivate in extre environnts (including void of space) Automatically adapts to any cultivation thod or technique Physical body can now contain Supre-grade energies without damage
[SPECIAL EFFECT: PRIMORDIAL REFINERY] Can now refine and purify ANY substance, not just energy Includes: pills, treasures, techniques, even other physiques (through special thods)
[WARNING: Supre-grade physique will be EXTRELY noticeable to high-level cultivators. Recomnd concealnt asures.]
Runar lay in his crib, panting despite his enhanced body. The transformation had been profound. He didn’t just feel stronger—he felt fundantally different. More efficient. More capable. Like his body had been upgraded from a basic car to a spacecraft.
I need to be very careful about this, he thought soberly. A one-month-old with a Supre-grade physique would cause... problems.
But that was a concern for later. Right now, he had one more preparation to make.
Withdraw: Ti Dilation Increase Token.
A small, glowing token appeared in his hand. It looked like a coin made of compressed ti itself, its surface showing images that shifted between past, present, and future.
System, apply this to the Infinite Qi Realm.
[APPLYING TI DILATION INCREASE TOKEN...]
[PROCESSING...]
[COMPLETE]
[INFINITE QI REALM TI DILATION: 1:1000 → 1:10,000]
[EFFECT: 1 second outside = 10,000 seconds inside (approximately 2.78 hours)]
[NOTE: This enhancent is permanent and will scale with future system upgrades.]
Runar smiled despite his exhaustion. Everything was ready. Bloodline integrated. Physique enhanced to Supre grade. Ti dilation increased to absurd levels.
Now ca the main event.
It’s ti to cultivate.
He pulled up his system interface one final ti, reviewing his prepared resources:
World Qi Pills x100 (primary energy) Balance Qi Pills x1,000 (stabilization) Star Qi Pills x500 (supplentary) Eternal Nexus Ascension technique (ready to activate)
This is it. After this, there’s no going back. I’ll officially be a cultivator.
Runar took a deep breath—his baby lungs filling with air that felt different now, charged with potential.
Activate: Eternal Nexus Ascension. Begin foundation establishnt.
[CONFIRMING: HOST WISHES TO BEGIN CULTIVATION]
[WARNING: PROCESS WILL BE INTENSE AND CANNOT BE INTERRUPTED]
[ESTIMATED TI: 6-8 HOURS]
[RECOMND: ENSURE COMPLETE PRIVACY]
I’m sure. Begin.
[ETERNAL NEXUS ASCENSION: ACTIVATING...]
[INITIALIZING FOUNDATION PROTOCOLS...]
[PREPARE FOR TRANSFORMATION]
The technique activated, and Runar’s world exploded into sensation.
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