Raqin sat motionless upon the ancient platform, his legs crossed in a lotus position as he waited for the next phase of the trial.
His mind, however, was anything but idle.
Ever since entering the Blood Energy Realm, he had continuously studied the transformation occurring within his body. Through countless cycles of cultivation, he observed how Nanoblade Qi tempered his skin and muscles, how it strengthened his bones and tendons, and how those refinements eventually gave birth to Blood Energy.
Blood Energy was unlike ordinary qi.
It was a condensed essence formed from the harmony of flesh, blood, and will.
Yet despite reaching the absolute peak of the Third Mortal Realm, he could not find a path toward the Fourth.
The bottleneck remained unshaken.
Unable to find an answer through conventional cultivation, Raqin entered a state of deep introspection.
As he circulated his Nanoblade Qi through his body, condensing Blood Energy and allowing it to nourish his organs, he suddenly noticed something unusual.
A tiny portion of his Blood Energy disappeared every cycle.
It wasn't dissipating.
It wasn't leaking.
It was being absorbed.
His consciousness immediately followed the trail.
Deep within his sea of consciousness rested the Spiritual Seed.
The mysterious seed that every cultivator wishes to possess.
Upon closer inspection, Raqin noticed something he had never seen before.
Tiny cracks.
Hairline fractures covered the surface of the Spiritual Seed.
More importantly, the cracks expanded every time Blood Energy flowed into it.
His eyes widened.
"So that's it..."
A possibility surfaced within his mind.
"Maybe this is the path to the Fourth Mortal Realm."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"I have nothing to lose by trying."
Without hesitation, he redirected his Blood Energy.
Instead of tempering his organs, every strand began flowing directly into the Spiritual Seed.
The cracks slowly spread.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Each cultivation cycle widened the fissures.
The seed seemed to be awakening.
Suddenly, a warning echoed from the system.
[WARNING]
[Blood Energy reserves at critical levels.]
[Continued expenditure may cripple host.]
Raqin slowly opened his eyes.
Then smiled.
"I was right."
The breakthrough method existed.
He simply lacked sufficient Blood Energy.
Rather than force the process, he began recovering his depleted reserves.
Time passed.
More cultivators gradually arrived at the resting platform after surviving the stairs to the first trial.
One group attracted immediate attention.
Seven individuals wearing matching black robes stepped onto the platform.
A scar-faced man at the front glanced toward Raqin.
"Boss," one of his subordinates said. "Looks like someone got here before us."
The leader examined Raqin briefly before dismissing him.
"Only a Third Mortal Realm cultivator."
He snorted.
"I'll admit his physique is impressive for reaching this place, but that's all."
The seven members of the Mollock Syndicate sat nearby and began recovering.
Raqin merely observed them.
Arrogant bunch.
Hopefully our paths won't cross.
I just need to survive this trial.
More cultivators arrived as time passed.
Soon dozens occupied the platform.
Everyone remained focused on recovery.
Meanwhile, Raqin continued his experiments.
For the seventh time, he guided Blood Energy toward the Spiritual Seed.
The cracks spread even further.
The seed now resembled a fragile eggshell moments away from shattering.
Then the system intervened once more.
[WARNING]
[Blood Energy entering critical threshold.]
[Further expenditure may permanently damage host foundation.]
Raqin ignored it.
His eyes blazed with determination.
"This is the closest I've ever been."
He gritted his teeth.
"Go hard or go home."
A brief chuckle escaped him.
"In my case..."
"...go hard or go harder."
He gathered every remaining strand of Blood Energy.
Every ounce of strength.
Every fragment of willpower.
Then he pushed it all into the Spiritual Seed.
The final strand entered.
Raqin instantly severed the circulation of Nanoblade Qi.
Silence.
Then—
Crack.
A tiny sound echoed throughout his consciousness.
Another followed.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
The fissures rapidly expanded.
Raqin's eyes widened.
"What—"
BOOM!
An unimaginable pressure erupted inside his sea of consciousness.
The Spiritual Seed shattered.
But instead of releasing spiritual energy as expected, thousands of streams of silver-blue light burst from the fragments.
Each fragment transformed into a microscopic blade.
Each blade contained traces of Nanoblade Qi.
Each blade carried strands of Heaven-Thunder Bloodline energy.
Each blade held fragments of his will.
The countless blades began revolving around a central point.
A colossal vortex formed.
At the same moment, Raqin's body trembled violently.
The Blood Energy Realm began collapsing.
Blood Energy flooded from every corner of his body.
His organs.
His meridians.
His veins.
Everything rushed toward his consciousness.
The system alarms rang endlessly.
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
[Host foundation destabilizing.]
[Unknown evolution detected.]
[Unable to classify breakthrough.]
[Creating new cultivation record...]
Raqin ignored them all.
His entire focus remained on the storm unfolding within his consciousness.
The silver blades merged.
The Heaven-Thunder Bloodline roared.
A deafening dragon cry exploded across his mind.
ROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!
Golden lightning erupted from the vortex's center.
Lightning intertwined with countless blades.
The dragon bloodline fused with Nanoblade Qi.
His tempered physique joined the transformation.
The dormant power hidden within his eyes was drawn into the fusion.
Everything became one.
Sword.
Body.
Bloodline.
Lightning.
Vision.
Five paths.
One source.
One spirit.
The vortex suddenly compressed.
A colossal silhouette emerged.
At first, it resembled a dragon.
Then a sword.
Then a living storm.
Then an enormous eye.
The forms continuously shifted.
Until finally they stabilized.
A majestic draconic entity appeared within his sea of consciousness.
Nearly one hundred meters long.
Its body was forged from countless silver nanoblades.
Its scales resembled sharpened sword edges.
Golden lightning flowed endlessly between them.
Its wings consisted of millions of floating blades.
At the center of its forehead rested a massive vertical eye.
Within that eye swirled stars and endless mysteries.
The creature slowly opened its eyes.
The entire consciousness space trembled.
Even the system froze.
For the first time since its creation...
Silence.
Several moments later, a notification finally appeared.
[Unique Martial Spirit Detected.]
[Classification Unknown.]
[Attempting Analysis...]
[Analysis Failed.]
[Host has awakened a Variant Martial Spirit.]
[Designation Created.]
[Heaven-Thunder Nanoblade Dragon Sovereign Spirit.]
The moment the name appeared, the spirit unleashed a thunderous roar.
BOOOOOOOM!
A pillar of silver-gold lightning surged through Raqin's consciousness.
Then descended into his body.
His flesh transformed.
His bones transformed.
His blood transformed.
His organs transformed.
The Blood Energy Realm instantly reached perfection.
Then shattered.
The Blood Energy within his body compressed into an entirely new form of power.
Spirit Essence.
The foundation of the Fourth Mortal Realm.
Spirit Foundation Realm.
Raqin's aura exploded outward.
The surrounding cultivators immediately opened their eyes.
Shock appeared across every face.
The insignificant Third Mortal Realm cultivator they had ignored moments earlier now radiated an overwhelming pressure.
Metallic light shimmered beneath his skin.
Golden lightning danced through his veins.
His pupils transformed into silver-gold draconic eyes.
Countless microscopic blades floated around him before disappearing back into his body.
A storm-like pressure descended upon the platform.
Even experienced cultivators felt their hearts tremble.
Within his consciousness, the Heaven-Thunder Nanoblade Dragon Sovereign Spirit slowly coiled around his spiritual core.
Like a dragon protecting its greatest treasure.
Raqin opened his eyes.
Silver-gold lightning flashed across his pupils.
A faint smile appeared.
"So this..."
He clenched his fist.
"...is the Fourth Mortal Realm."
For the first time since arriving in this world, Raqin had stepped beyond ordinary cultivation.
He had not simply awakened a Martial Spirit.
He had forged one.
A spirit born from the fusion of five separate paths.
A spirit that had never existed before.
As the pressure gradually faded, whispers erupted across the platform.
Everyone stared at him.
A bald cultivator suddenly stood.
"Impossible!"
His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"How did he break through?"
Questions immediately followed.
"Did the trial restrictions weaken?"
"No."
"My spiritual energy is still sealed."
"Mine too."
One Mollock Syndicate member frowned.
"Boss, weren't we told spiritual energy can't be used before completing the first trial?"
The leader narrowed his eyes.
"No."
"He definitely broke through."
A nearby cultivator scoffed.
"The Fourth Mortal Realm requires awakening the Spiritual Seed."
"The seed absorbs Blood Energy until it reaches maturity."
"Without spiritual energy, how could that happen?"
An elderly rogue cultivator slowly shook his head.
"You youngsters know nothing."
"The Fourth Mortal Realm never required spiritual energy."
"The Spiritual Seed feeds upon Blood Energy."
"The problem is surviving the process."
He pointed toward Raqin.
"Yet somehow..."
"...he became stronger."
Confusion spread.
The Mollock leader crossed his arms.
"Something wasn't normal."
Everyone turned toward him.
"When a cultivator reaches the Fourth Mortal Realm, their aura weakens before the breakthrough."
He pointed at Raqin.
"His didn't."
"It continuously grew stronger."
Silence fell.
The old rogue cultivator suddenly froze.
A terrifying thought entered his mind.
"No..."
"No way..."
A younger cultivator noticed.
"Senior?"
The old man stared at Raqin.
"What if..."
"What if he wasn't feeding the Spiritual Seed?"
The crowd frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The old man swallowed.
"What if he was nurturing it?"
The entire platform erupted.
"Nurturing?"
"Impossible!"
"That violates cultivation theory!"
The old man laughed bitterly.
"Exactly."
"Spiritual Seeds are stepping stones."
"They're meant to be consumed."
"Not nurtured."
Silence followed.
A Mollock member asked quietly,
"If that's true..."
"...what exactly did he awaken?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
The old rogue cultivator continued staring at Raqin.
Fear slowly appeared in his eyes.
"If he truly nurtured the seed..."
"...then he didn't follow an existing cultivation path."
The Mollock leader narrowed his eyes.
"You mean..."
The old man nodded.
"He may have created his own."
The crowd fell silent.
Creating techniques was common.
Creating combat arts was common.
Creating movement skills was common.
But creating an entirely new cultivation path?
That belonged to legends.
A nervous laugh escaped one of the younger cultivators.
"That's ridiculous."
The old man never looked away from Raqin.
"Perhaps."
"Or perhaps..."
"We have just witnessed the birth of something that should not exist."
At that moment, Raqin slowly turned his gaze toward the crowd.
Silver-gold lightning flickered within his eyes.
Every conversation instantly stopped.
An invisible pressure swept across the platform.
The old rogue cultivator's heart skipped a beat.
For the briefest moment...
He felt as though an ancient dragon had opened its eyes and looked directly into his soul.