The courtyard was quiet again.
Fragments of the split pillar still lay scattered across the ground, the clean cut from Jiang Chen's last strike serving as silent proof of his progress.
But Jiang Chen wasn't looking at the damage.
He was looking at the space around him.
"…Something's missing," he said.
Zhou Yan, standing a short distance away, glanced at him. "You've stabilized the technique. What more do you want?"
Jiang Chen didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he raised his hand again. Golden qi gathered, steady and obedient. A single Origin Thread appeared, thin and controlled, wrapping faintly around his fingers.
"…In a real fight," Jiang Chen said slowly, "I can strike once. Maybe twice."
He clenched his hand lightly, and the thread disappeared.
"But what happens when the opponent doesn't give me that chance?"
Han Wei leaned against a broken pillar, smirking. "Then you hit faster."
Jiang Chen shook his head. "…Not enough."
Lin Xue watched him carefully. "…You want something that doesn't rely on timing."
"…I want control of the battlefield," Jiang Chen said.
That made Zhou Yan's expression shift slightly.
"…A domain," he said.
Silence followed.
Chen Yu frowned. "Isn't that something only high-level cultivators can do?"
"It is," Zhou Yan replied. "A domain isn't just power—it's influence. You impose your will on the surrounding space."
Jiang Chen's eyes sharpened.
"…Then that's exactly what I need."
Lin Xue stepped forward. "That's not something you can force."
"I'm not trying to complete it," Jiang Chen said. "…Just understand it."
Zhou Yan studied him for a moment, then nodded. "…Then don't start with expansion. Start with perception."
Jiang Chen tilted his head slightly. "…Perception?"
"You can't control what you can't feel," Zhou Yan said. "If Origin is the foundation, then your first step is to sense how it exists beyond your body."
Jiang Chen absorbed that.
Then he closed his eyes.
At first—
There was nothing.
Just the faint flow of qi in the air.
Familiar.
Predictable.
Then he reached deeper.
Past qi.
Past instinct.
The Origin Thread appeared again, hovering faintly in his awareness.
This time, he didn't move it.
He followed it.
Slowly—
Carefully—
He extended his perception outward.
At first, it resisted.
Like trying to see through something that didn't want to be seen.
But Jiang Chen didn't force it.
He adjusted.
Aligned.
Then—
Something shifted.
Faint lines appeared in his mind.
Countless threads.
Interwoven.
Stretching through the air, the ground, the space around him.
Jiang Chen's breathing slowed.
"…I see it," he murmured.
Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. "…Already?"
Lin Xue remained silent, watching closely.
"…Not clearly," Jiang Chen continued. "But it's there."
He raised his hand slightly.
The thread in his control trembled—
Then responded.
Not by extending—
But by resonating.
The surrounding threads reacted faintly.
Just a ripple.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
Jiang Chen's eyes snapped open.
"…It responded."
Han Wei straightened slightly. "…To what?"
"…To me," Jiang Chen said.
Zhou Yan nodded slowly. "…That's the first step."
Jiang Chen looked around the courtyard again.
This time—
It felt different.
Not just space.
But structure.
"…If I can connect to it," Jiang Chen said, "then I can influence it."
Chen Yu scratched his head. "Sounds simple when you say it like that."
"…It's not," Zhou Yan replied.
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly. "…Let's try."
He closed his eyes again.
This time, he didn't just observe.
He reached out.
Not with force.
But with intent.
The Origin Thread appeared once more.
Then—
He extended his awareness along it.
Into the surrounding space.
The threads resisted.
Unstable.
Unwilling.
Pain flickered in his mind.
Not physical—
But deeper.
Lin Xue stepped forward slightly. "Jiang Chen—"
"I'm fine," he said, though his voice was tighter now.
He adjusted again.
Less force.
More alignment.
The resistance lessened.
A faint distortion appeared around him.
Barely visible.
Like heat ripples in the air.
Zhou Yan's eyes sharpened. "…There."
Han Wei grinned. "He's actually doing it."
Chen Yu blinked. "Doing what exactly?"
"…Touching the boundary," Zhou Yan replied.
Jiang Chen felt it.
A small area around him—
Responding.
Not controlled.
Not stable.
But influenced.
He took a step forward.
The distortion followed.
Just slightly.
Then—
It collapsed.
Jiang Chen staggered as the connection snapped.
Pain surged through his mind, forcing him to open his eyes.
"…Too unstable," he muttered.
Lin Xue reached his side immediately. "That's enough for now."
Jiang Chen shook his head slightly, though he didn't continue.
"…It's possible."
Zhou Yan nodded. "Yes. But not yet."
Han Wei crossed his arms. "Still, that was impressive."
Chen Yu laughed. "Yeah, most people can't even sense that kind of thing."
Jiang Chen looked at his hand again.
"…It's incomplete," he said.
"But it's there."
A foundation.
The system flickered faintly:
[New Insight Gained]
[Domain Concept: Partial Comprehension]
[Status: Incomplete]
Jiang Chen closed his hand slowly.
"…Not a technique," he murmured.
"…A state."
Zhou Yan glanced at him. "…Exactly."
Far away, in the same hidden darkness—
The observing figure spoke again.
"…He's begun forming a domain concept."