Stage Seven

Chapter 95 — Stage Seven

Aether sat beneath the stabilized Origin Heart.

The massive sphere continued rotating above him, releasing a steady stream of Origin Energy.

The others kept their distance.

No one disturbed him.

Aether guided the energy through his body and toward his Origin Core.

The pressure continued increasing.

His cultivation had already reached the limit of Origin Awakening — Stage 6.

Now, the barrier separating him from Stage 7 was beginning to crack.

Aether remained calm.

He had experienced breakthroughs before.

This was simply another step.

Inside his mind, the System appeared.

[Breakthrough condition fulfilled.]

[Origin Awakening — Stage 7 breakthrough initiated.]

Aether's Origin Core began compressing the energy surrounding it.

The pressure became stronger.

His muscles tightened.

His breathing remained steady.

Then—

CRACK!

A visible sensation of something breaking spread through his entire body.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The barrier shattered.

A powerful wave of Origin Energy erupted from Aether.

The ground beneath him trembled.

Lyra took a step backward.

"He broke through."

Seris carefully observed him.

"His energy is stabilizing."

Aether continued circulating his energy until the surge gradually disappeared.

The System appeared again.

[Breakthrough successful.]

[Current cultivation: Origin Awakening — Stage 7.]

[Origin Points: 0 / 900.]

Aether opened his eyes.

Stage 7.

He immediately noticed the difference.

His Origin Energy was denser, his body stronger, and his senses sharper than before.

He slowly stood.

Lyra smiled.

"Congratulations."

Aria approached him.

"You've become stronger again."

Sylvara looked at him curiously.

"The pressure around you feels completely different."

Aether nodded.

"It is."

Seris examined him with Life Sense before relaxing.

"Your body is stable."

Aether looked toward the Origin Heart.

The breakthrough was useful, but he didn't allow himself to become complacent.

Blackridge still possessed Stage 8 and Stage 9 cultivators.

And somewhere above them was the person directing everything.

Evelyn walked over.

"What are we going to do now?"

Aether looked toward the path leading back to the surface.

"We need information."

"About Blackridge?"

"Everything."

Aether looked toward the map they had obtained earlier.

"We need to understand their forces, find their headquarters, and discover who their real leader is."

Evelyn nodded.

"And the formation?"

"We leave it alone for now."

Elara looked toward him.

"What about the sixth key?"

Aether glanced at her.

"We already have it."

He paused.

"But we're not activating the full formation again until we understand exactly what it does."

Elara nodded.

The group began preparing to leave.

Aether walked at the front.

Lyra followed nearby, while Aria and Seris walked together behind them. Sylvara stayed with the group, and Evelyn followed with her remaining warriors.

They had entered the underground network searching for answers.

Now they were leaving with something far more valuable.

Information.

But far away, inside a hidden Blackridge fortress, the Stage 9 cultivator knelt before a figure concealed within darkness.

"The five keys are active," he reported.

"And the sixth?"

"Still with them."

A brief silence followed.

Then the hidden figure spoke.

"Good."

The Stage 9 cultivator looked up.

"Good?"

A faint smile appeared in the darkness.

"Let them continue gathering the keys."

The man frowned.

"Why?"

The figure's voice remained calm.

"Because Blackridge never needed to gather all six."

The Stage 9 cultivator's eyes widened.

"We only needed someone else to gather them for us."

Silence filled the chamber.

Far beneath the continent, the six connected pillars pulsed once.

The game surrounding the Origin Heart had only just begun.