Julian’s mind flickered back to the time when he had balanced the three energies. The death and cosmic energy had clashed violently causing him to cough blood and nearly die, while lightning energy seemed scared to intervene.
He frowned as he recalled how it felt.
No, that cannot be it,
he thought.
Lightning energy wasn’t scared but rather it felt insufficient, incomplete, as though it was missing something crucial.
It lacked something fundamental, and that’s why it hesitated when faced with the raw force of the other two energies.
Julian’s mind drifted to the other elements: fire, water, wind, light, dark, and earth. He thought deeply,
If lightning has its own elemental energy, then surely the others do as well. Does that mean I should combine all these energies?
He paused as uncertainty filled his thoughts.
Is that even possible?
The idea of fusing all the elemental energies seemed almost beyond impossible, but the more Julian thought about it, the more intrigued he became by the concept.
Julian then recalled a piece of advice from Alden. ”
As you reach higher realms, you can use any element you want.”
Julian closed his eyes and began focusing on the mana around him. He could feel its presence everywhere. It flowed through the air, the ground, and even the very walls of his room.
With steady breath, he began absorbing the mana. Although Julian might have become stronger, he had never cultivated diligently before as he relied on his system for breakthrough.
But now as he continued to absorb the mana, he felt a deep connection to the mana. The experience was new to him, as he had never paid attention to the finer details of cultivation that other diligent mages would have learned from years of practice.
Julian continued to absorb the mana, focusing for hours, but despite his best efforts, nothing significant happened. He could feel the power flowing through him, but it didn’t seem to be leading to any significant breakthroughs.
His frown deepened as frustration began to set in.
What am I missing?
he thought.
There has to be something crucial I’m overlooking.
Julian continued and time seemed to stretch as his mind worked relentlessly to uncover even the smallest change, no matter how insignificant it seemed.
Just then, Emma knocked gently on the door. “Lord, the dinner is ready. Everyone is waiting for you.”
Julian immediately commanded. “Emma, I won’t be coming out of my room for some time. Do not let anyone enter.”
She hesitated for a moment, but nodded as she replied, “Yes, my lord.”
The night passed, and the first light of morning broke through the window. However, Julian was still there in the same position while the mana continued to pour into him. It felt as though he was the vessel for containing mana but despite this, no any change occurred.
As the afternoon arrived, Julian still felt no change.. The words of Marcus replayed in his mind, about relying on shortcuts.
Am I really no one without the system
? he thought but he quickly dismissed it.
Julian continued throughout the day as he pushed himself harder with each passing hour. Occasionally, Emma would stop by to check on him, so would Eva and even his grandfather Augustus.
Each time, Julian responded with the same words assuring them that he was fine.
After the fourth day of his intense meditation, a monumental change finally occurred. Julian’s eyes shot open wide, and he attempted to stand, only to immediately collapse due to his numb, sleeping legs.
He widened his eyes in shock and stared at the empty air in complete disbelief. “What is this?” he asked himself. His gaze quickly shifted around his room, as if he was seeing ghosts.
Julian immediately limped out of his room. He saw Emma standing nearby and immediately walked toward her.
As he approached, Emma rushed to his side. “My lord, what happened? Are you fine?” she asked, her voice filled with worry.
Julian grabbed her arm and urgently pointed to the empty air around them. “What is this?” he asked, his voice trembling. He was trying to make sense of the strange view that surrounded him.
Emma looked at Julian in disbelief as her eyes scanned the empty air, but she could find nothing unusual. She turned back to him and gently spoke, “My lord, there is nothing.”
Julian’s heart raced at her words and a cold sweat formed on his forehead. The fact that she could not see what he was seeing made him uneasy.
Julian slowly made his way back to his room. Once inside, he closed the door behind him and took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down.
Julian called out to the system. “What is the thing I am seeing?” he asked, hoping for an answer.
The system who was normally all-knowing responded with confusion. “What are you referring to, host? I see nothing.”
Julian’s heart sank at the words of the system. His hand instinctively reached to his mouth as he tried to supress his fear of unknown.
He whispered to himself, “So, even you cannot see this?”
Julian gazed at his surroundings, still unsure of what was happening. What once seemed like empty air now appeared different to him.
As he concentrated, his eyes glowed blue, and the space around him shifted. The once invisible air was now filled with tiny, almost imperceptible points. They were so small that Julian himself was surprised at his ability to see them.
And their number was so overwhelming that his brain could not fully register what he was seeing.
Everything around Julian seemed pixelated, as if the world had broken down into countless tiny fragments. But what truly surprised him was how the pixels seemed to be divided to seven distinct colors.
These colors were so dominant that it felt as if the entire reality was shaped by this seven colors. The walls, the air and even the space itself felt governed by these seven colors, as if they were the building blocks of the world.