The library's ancient doors shut with a soft sound behind him, leaving only moonlight to spill across the silent hallway. His mind filled with maps, ancient borders, complicated thesis and theories and the mysterious existence of the Oblivark.
He padded quietly back to his room, the cold floors beneath his feet grounding him. It was late. The stars shimmered faintly beyond the enchanted skylight above his bed, glimmering like they too were watching.
Pausing before his bed " thank God I didn't come here as a baby, the vast knowledge is too much and the thought of stopping didn't even cross.
Sighing, he climbed onto the mattress, crossed his legs, and took a deep breath.
It was time.
Alex retrieved the cultivation manual Avalon had handed him earlier that day from his spatial ring, a gift he got from his mother after his awakening, the book cover shimmering with silver and deep azure threads. A quiet weight rested in his palms, like holding a legacy, the cover glowing faintly under his touch as if recognizing its rightful heir.
He sat cross-legged in the room prepared for his first time actually cultivating the walls of Blackstone and silent mana-crystals embedded in the corners, dimly illuminating the room. Avalon's parting words echoed in his mind:
"From now on, you may begin cultivating. This technique has shaped generations of Walkers. Make it yours."
He exhaled slowly and opened the first page.
"The Void Drift Sutra: The Walker Path to Eclipsing Horizon."
A soft hum danced in the air as he continued reading. The first phase was deceptively simple: sense the mana around you, draw it into your body with controlled breathing, then guide it through the established mana veins paths—refining, harmonizing, then storing it into the core.
N/T: Mana veins are the semi-invisible channels in the body that allow the flow and control of mana. And Cultivation techniques are graded by their quality and power: Common, Advanced, Elite, Master, Legendary, and mystic. The great families and pillars all own mystic quality techniques.
Alex had read dozens of cultivation novels in his past life. This wasn't just elegant, it was perfect. It wasn't mechanical. It was like the manual was speaking to him personally, in the quiet space between his thoughts. He guessed this must be a mystic grade technique.
Not minding much of it, Alex closed his eyes and followed the steps.
At first, nothing happened.
Then everything did.
The surrounding spatial mana—silvery-blue in hue—shimmered faintly in his perception. But instead of resisting or requiring effort to draw in, it flowed to him, like an ocean tide recognizing its moon. No struggle. No friction.
A faint breeze stirred his hair.
He pulled the mana in.
It melted into him, weaving through his meridians like warm liquid silk. Every breath drew more, and his body never strained. On the contrary, it felt like the mana was returning to where it belonged.
He directed it toward his Core.
As the energy entered, it swirled along the silver-blue runes with the purple red runes etched inside the core like circuits. A slow rotation began—calm, deliberate. Stable.
As the mana seeped in, it spiraled through the silver-blue runes, absorbed into the gaseous haze of the core. Only a trickle at first. Then a stream.
He focused on the filling process. He could see it.
One-tenth filled.
He understood instinctively. This was the Core Genesis Realm, the second realm of cultivation. And the filling of the core was what determined one's sub-stage.
One-tenth full—first stage.
Full—ninth stage.
And this... this was just the beginning.
His core was in its gaseous phase, as expected. Later stages would condense it, refine it, but for now, this hazy form was the norm.
Yet he could feel the difference.
"My core having being expanded by the primordial energy, so I will need more times the effort and time than others"
I blinked his eyes open slowly, dazed.
He had only spent thirty minutes, but had already circulated mana throughout his system with the ease of someone who had been practicing for years.
He flexed his fingers, a pulse of space rippling subtly around his palm.
But what shook him wasn't the speed—it was the sensation. He hadn't pushed. He hadn't fought. It had flowed into him naturally, like water slipping into a familiar vessel.
"…This is awesome," he muttered under his breath.
"Having a heaven defying talent really is convenient, not to forget the boost the primordial energy provided"
He looked down at his hands, veins softly glowing beneath the skin. The manual described difficulty, friction, even resistance during the first absorption. And yet here he was, not even sweating.
"Maybe this might be due to my compatibility but still…I really am a monster," he whispered dryly.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He closed the manual carefully and leaned back onto his bed, arms behind his head, eyes staring up at the stars above.
Tomorrow, I would go again
And the day after that.
And one day... I will be the strongest.
---
Only a week had passed since Alex first began cultivating.
Each night, he would sit cross-legged on his bed, steady and still, drawing in the world's ambient mana into his body. The silver-blue energy flowed in quiet spirals, pulled through his skin, channeled with deliberate control into the depths of his core. There, it met the nearly empty expanse of his Core—a translucent sphere marked with brilliant, purple-red runes from the Primordial mutation.
The mana remained in a gaseous state, swirling gently like morning mist. Just a tenth of the core had been filled—barely the first stage of the Core Genesis Realm—but this first was someone's fifth.
And he was patient.
He didn't rush. He couldn't. His father had been explicit:
"You'll cultivate at your pace, Lex. But the body must be battle-tested before the core can truly be utilize, having a solid foundation is what truly matters."
And so, as the moon marked the turning of another cycle, a sound echoed on the vast chamber door once more.
BANG!
The door slammed open.
Before he could even blink, Elder Vonn's large hand reached out, grabbed him by the arm like a sack of potatoes, and dragged him out of his room.
"break is over," the old warrior grunted. "Time to train."
"Wait—hold on, it's too early!!"
"No"
They stormed through the hallways. He tried to match the elder's brisk pace, grumbling as they passed halls and different turns. His hair was still slightly messy from meditation.
When they arrived at the training hall, Vonn shoved the doors open with a gust of wind. Inside, the space was already alive—lit with glowing runes, target dummies, and moving constructs.
"This is the real beginning," Vonn said, turning to face him with the same grim expression. "You've had a year of basic physical training. Now, you'll learn what it means to fight… as a Walker."
Alex rubbed the back of his hand were he had griped, still half-dazed. "A little warning next time would be great."
Vonn tossed him a practice sword.
"First lesson with mana. Defend yourself."
"Wait how..."
Boom!!
And just like that—
It began.
Half a brutal hour later
Alex lay sprawled on the cold stone floor, bruised and battered, every breath a struggle as his chest heaved up and down. Sweat and blood mingled on his skin, and his limbs felt heavy and sore from the relentless training. He barely had the strength to lift his head when Elder Vonn approached, his footsteps silent but purposeful.
"You know I really don't believe this is you despite having suppressed your realm" he asked a question between jagged breath.
"Although having a higher realm makes you stronger it's isn't everything" he stated " what do you think happens when people of similar levels battle"
"Well mostly draw or one win from luck" Alex answered.
"Correct but still wrong", he said to the confusion of Alex but still continued " when two people of similar strength fight it's the one with more battle experience that wins".
don't underestimate battle experience kid, it's very useful", he said as he got closer " there's this saying, The difference between man and god narrows with every scar earned in battle"
Vonn said as he knelt beside Alex and without waiting for his reply grabbed his right hand. The sudden contact made him flinch, but before he could pull away, the elder pressed a small, crystal-clear stone against the center of his palm. The cold surface was smooth for a moment, then with a forceful push, the stone pierced through the skin and embedded itself deep within the flesh.
A sharp, searing pain exploded through his hand, he cried out, a mixture of shock and agony escaping his lips. Blood quickly pooled around the wound, dripping down his wrist. His breath hitched, eyes wide as he stared at the embedded stone, unsure whether to be terrified or amazed.
"WT*!!, What… what is this?" Alex gasped, his voice raw with pain and disbelief.
Vonn's gaze softened, a hint of pride breaking through his usual stoic demeanor. "This is a special rare stone only accessible by the great families and pillars that will absorb a little bit of your mana over time. When it's full, it will emerge as a weapon most suited for you."
Raising his hand, Vonn summoned his weapon as two massive, imposing gauntlet that shimmered with a cosmic glow and intricate silver-blue runes swirling across its surface appeared on his hands equipped.
"This is cosmic Crusher, his weapon," Vonn said, voice low and steady. "One day, your stone will give birth to your own weapon.
Alex stared at the embedded stone his hand, the weight of its promise settling deep within him. The pain was still there, but the prospect of finally having a weapon suited for him brought him excitement.
"Kids are such simple creatures" elder vonn thought as he saw Alex expression immediately improved
As the gauntlet dissolved into motes of light and returned to Vonn's hand, Alex sat upright, wincing as he clutched the now-embedded crystal. The pain had dulled to a throb, but the stone still pulsed faintly—like a second heartbeat inside his palm.
Vonn folded his arms. "That's called a Weapon Core. Don't let its size fool you. It's not a toy or some enchanted trinket. It's your future companion in battle—and it'll grow with you."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Grow?"
"It absorbs mana from you, slowly. Bit by bit. Not enough to hinder your cultivation, but just enough to feed itself. Once full, it will manifest into the weapon most suited to you—your instincts, your subconscious desires, your strengths."
He lifted his hand again, summoning Space Crusher with a hum. The gauntlet gleamed under the soft training room lights, faint silver veins pulsating along its surface. "This came from his own Weapon Core. Took four years to fully awaken. Named it Space Crusher because, well… you'll understand in the future." He said with a grin.
Alex uncontrollably shivered.
His gaze fixed to the stone in his palm. The pain had settled, replaced by a strange warmth. But what truly caught his attention were the faint traces of violet and blood-red lines—delicate, serpentine runes that shimmered just beneath the surface of the crystal running along the sliver blue mana. They shimmered faintly—violet, blood-red, pulsing like living threads.
He froze. It was unmistakable. Primordial Energy."
It hadn't been drawn out on purpose. It was as if the Weapon Core, in its infancy, had instinctively absorbed some of that ancient, unknown force from within him.
He blinked, startled, and closed his hand slowly.
Vonn noticed the shift in his expression but said nothing. Instead, he spoke with a quiet finality. "You and it will become one. It'll protect you, evolve with you… maybe even define you."
Alex nodded slowly, thoughts swirling like whirlpools.
Something told him his weapon wouldn't be ordinary. Not with Primordial Energy seeping into its core.
And whatever it became… it would be his alone.