Arthur didn't rush into the next phase of the experiment. After dozens of failures and incremental refinements, he had reached a point where every adjustment mattered, and careless execution would only waste time and resources.
The artificial body lay motionless on the platform before him, its genetic structure and energy pathways were perfectly stable, waiting for further input. It was neither alive nor dead in the conventional sense, just a vessel without a soul, one that would help him validate his theory.
He stepped forward slowly and placed both hands on the chest of the body, his palms resting lightly over the sternum. He steadied his breathing and his mind became calm, but his brain was already operating at full capacity.
Without hesitation, he began injecting both spiritual energy and mana into the body simultaneously. The two energies flowed from him in controlled streams, neither opposing the other, both energies were guided inside the energy pathways of the body without overwhelming it.
This time, there was no randomness in the process. Arthur followed the cultivation method he had designed, guiding the two energies along separate pathways he had constructed through a fusion of runic logic and formation theory. Mana moved through channels that resembled energy circuits. Spiritual energy, on the other hand, followed patterns closer to traditional cultivation, more fluid yet bound by the framework he had imposed.
The two energies circulated through the body side by side, never directly clashing, yet constantly brushing against one another. It wasn't smooth, not yet, but it was at least somehow controlled. Arthur's awareness remained locked onto every detail, tracking fluctuations in flow, measuring saturation differences, and adjusting deviations in real time.
Seconds passed in silence. Then, gradually, something began to take shape.
Within the lower abdomen of the artificial body, two distinct centers of energy started to condense. The process wasn't violent like before, nor was it unstable. It was controlled, deliberate… and almost natural. One core formed within the mana pathways, while the other formed within the spiritual framework, the process was fluid yet cohesive.
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly as the two dantians stabilized.
"…So it works."
He stopped injecting energy immediately, cutting off the external supply and allowing the system to sustain itself. The artificial body remained intact, and the two cores continued to exist without immediately collapsing. That alone marked a clear advancement over every previous attempt.
But Arthur didn't allow himself even a moment of satisfaction. Instead, he shifted to analyse the two cores.
Closing his eyes briefly, he extended his perception inward. His divine sense spread through the artificial body like an invisible net, mapping every layer of its existence.
Divine Sense is a high-level psychic ability essentially a mental radar or manifestation of a cultivator's soul/consciousness. It allows them to scan surroundings, detect enemies, control items, and perceive spiritual energy far beyond physical sight.
But Arthur's divine sense was a bit special as it allows him to detect the lifeforce of a being. Even if someone concealed their cultivation completely, masked their aura, or suppressed their energy to nothing, their lifeforce would still remain. It was a deeper truth, one that was far harder to hide. There were exceptions, of course, but those exceptions were rare enough to be irrelevant in most cases.
His perception locked onto the two cores. He analyzed them carefully, breaking down their composition, structure, and internal energy flow.
And then… his brows furrowed. "…It's not clean."
The result wasn't what he had hoped for. While the two cores had successfully formed, they weren't fully isolated. There were traces of mana within the spiritual core, and fragments of spiritual energy within the mana core. The separation existed, but it wasn't absolute.
Arthur's mind immediately began calculating the deviation. "Approximately twenty-three percent impurity…" he muttered quietly.
That number alone told him everything he needed to know. The system worked, but it wasn't refined enough. Over time, that level of impurity would destabilize the cores, eventually leading to collapse.
He remained silent for a moment, staring at the artificial body as he processed the result. Then he exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly.
"…Still it's progress." Because it was.
For the first time, he had created a stable dual-core system. The flaw wasn't in the concept, it was in the precision. The pathways needed refinement, the separation needed to be precise and the guidance of the two energies needed to be more exact.
He dissolved the artificial body without hesitation, clearing the workspace in a single motion before shifting his attention back to the herbs. There was no reason to dwell on partial success. The next step was to refine the cultivation technique and that needed much calculation.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of experimentation. Arthur processed different herbs, extracted their essences, tested reactions, and cross-referenced the results with what he had learned from the books. Each interaction between substances added another layer to his understanding, each failure narrowing the margin for error.
By the time the sun began to set beyond the forest canopy, he had already completed dozens of minor experiments, each one feeding into the larger objective. Only when the light faded completely did he finally stop.
He stored the ship, and returned to the city without drawing attention.
…
Back in his room, Arthur sat cross-legged on a mat on the floor, surrounded by hundreds of spirit stones. Their faint glow illuminated the room as he began absorbing energy, the process so efficient it appeared almost effortless. Streams of spiritual energy flowed into him continuously.
At the same time, his mind remained active with continuous calculations to improve and refine the dual-core cultivation method. The cultivation method evolved further with each passing moment, and everything was proceeding as expected.
Until suddenly… Something changed, the room became too quiet.
It wasn't just the absence of sound. There was no air, even the ambient flow of energy seemed to vanish, as if the world itself had been muted. If not for him being able to survive in vacuum he would have started suffocating.
Arthur's eyes opened slowly, and he froze at the sight in front of him. He was no longer in his room.
Before him stretched an enormous throne hall, its scale so vast it defied comprehension. The ground beneath his feet gleamed like polished marble, reflecting faint light that seemed to come from nowhere. At the center stood a throne, it was massive, radiant, and impossibly grand.
Its back extended upward endlessly. There was no ceiling, only an infinite expanse above with glittering stars.
Arthur stood still, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings as his senses expanded instinctively. The space felt… unnatural.
He could sense no movement or any life here. And yet… He knew he wasn't alone.
Whoever had brought him here had done so without him noticing. That alone was enough to tell him the difference in power between them.
Then…
A voice echoed through the hall. "Fascinating…"
Arthur's head snapped toward the throne instantly, his gaze sharpening. But there was no one there. "Who are you… and where are you?"
For a brief moment, there was no response. Then the voice returned, carrying a faint hint of amusement. "Ah… I nearly forgot. You cannot see me, you are too weak to observe my form."
Arthur didn't react outwardly, but his senses surged forward instinctively, focusing entirely on the throne. If the voice originated from there…
"I would not recommend that."
The warning came too late. A sharp, splitting pain tore through Arthur's mind, as if something sharp had forcibly pushed back against his perception.
"Argh…!"
He staggered slightly, immediately withdrawing his senses. The pain faded quickly, but the message was clear. He couldn't perceive the entity.
Arthur steadied himself, his gaze fixed on the throne once again, this time without forcing his awareness.
"…What are you?" he asked quietly.
A soft chuckle echoed through the space. "Ha… ha ha…"
"You may call me Ananke… or Fate, if you prefer."
Arthur frowned slightly, the name was unfamiliar, yet the weight behind it was unmistakable.
"But I can see why Ahriman is interested in you," the voice continued, its tone shifting slightly. "You truly are… fascinating."
That only deepened his confusion. "Ahriman?" Arthur repeated. "What are you talking about?"
There was a brief pause, as if the entity was deciding how much to reveal.
Then it spoke again. "Some difficult times lie ahead of you, child. The gaze of Ahriman is already upon you."
Arthur's expression hardened slightly. "What does that mean?"
A quiet sigh echoed through the vast hall. "You have taken something very important from him," Ananke said calmly. "And he will go to great lengths to retrieve it."
Arthur's thoughts immediately began scanning everything he had acquired since his transmigration. Nothing stood out, at least nothing obvious.
"Do not worry," the voice added. "Unless you reach the level of a Creator, he cannot directly interfere with you."
Arthur's eyes narrowed again at that statement.
"However… he has already sent his agents after you, so beware of them."
Silence followed.
Arthur absorbed the words slowly, his mind repeating the warning as he processed the implications.
"So you're saying," he said carefully, "someone named Ahriman is after me… and he's sending others to retrieve something I took from him?"
"That is correct."
"What did I take?"
"That… you must discover yourself."
Arthur sighed quietly, frustration appearing beneath his composure. Of course it wasn't going to be that simple.
Then the tone of the voice shifted again, becoming slightly lighter. "I see you possess some… interesting tools," Ananke said. "Let me upgrade it for you."
Before Arthur could react, a wave of blue energy surged around him. It enveloped his entire body instantly, flowing through it.
His vision blurred, and the last thing he heard before losing consciousness was.
[System Upgrading]
…
"…This is the most I can do for you, child."
The voice sounded distant now, as if it was fading from this realm.
"Any further… and our fates would intertwine too deeply."
A brief pause followed. "…I hope we meet again."
…
Arthur's eyes opened slowly, he was back in his room. The spirit stones lay exactly where they had been before and nothing appeared out of place.
But something had changed, a blue screen appeared in front of his vision.
[System Upgrade Complete]
Arthur remained still, his gaze fixed on the interface. He recognized it immediately, it was the same system that had formed when the ECHO serum was injected into his body.
But now… it felt a bit different. Yet even as he observed it, his thoughts remained elsewhere.
Ananke.
Ahriman.
The more he thought about it, the more questions surfaced, each one leading to another without resolution.
Arthur exhaled, he frowned slightly as he stared at the screen.
"…What exactly did I get dragged into this time?"
***
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