Chapter 332: First Breakthrough

Atlas appeared in outer space once again.

Although he had decided never to open the Codex in outer space again, that did not mean he would stop coming here to train. If he attempted to break through to Astral World rank and then Emperor rank one after another, he suspected that the entire continent, or even the world itself, might be affected by the energy released during his breakthroughs, even if he remained inside a Ruin.

Without wasting any time, Atlas sat in a lotus position within the separate space he had created using Logic Alteration. He closed his eyes and immediately began the process of breaking through to Astral World rank first.

He needed to complete this breakthrough before proceeding to the next one, and he had no intention of wasting time on anything else.

However, even before beginning the breakthrough, Atlas had already altered the logic governing the speed of his cultivation and comprehension to the highest degree. Any strain caused to his mind during the process would be absorbed through Event Absorption, just as he had always done by exploiting this loophole.

With these preparations completed, he began condensing all the Aether Energy within his body into a single point at the centre of his abdomen.

The moment he began, he felt a slight sting inside his body, but he immediately altered the logic of the sensation through his ability. The discomfort disappeared before it could affect his concentration, allowing him to continue condensing the energy without interruption.

He focused entirely on gathering the Aether Energy into that single point, gradually increasing its density as the process continued.

A minute passed, and Atlas could feel the amount of Aether Energy gathered at that point increasing considerably. With each passing moment, he felt that he was getting closer to the breakthrough, but there was still something he needed to overcome before he could complete the process.

The condensed energy gradually began to change as it approached the next stage, and Atlas continued directing his energy toward the same point.

Another two minutes passed before the condensed Aether Energy finally began to liquefy. Even with his cultivation speed accelerated to the highest degree, the process still required that much time because of the enormous quantity of energy he was trying to compress.

’Damn, the amount of energy is way too much’, Atlas thought as he continued the process without stopping.

’Just a little more... I’m almost there.’ He focused on the liquid energy and began compressing it further, attempting to turn the entire mass into a solid core. The quality of the energy had already surpassed its previous limits due to the compression, and he continued concentrating it despite the time required.

Slowly, the liquid energy began gathering into a smaller and denser mass at the centre of his abdomen.

A small, round bubble began forming within the liquid Aether Energy as the compression continued. If Atlas had not altered the logic of pain affecting him, he would have experienced pain greater than anything he had ever faced before. The process was affecting his entire body, and the pressure created by condensing such a massive amount of energy into a single point was far beyond what he would ordinarily have been able to endure.

As the energy began turning into a solid mass, impurities started leaving Atlas’s body. Black oozes emerged from his skin as his veins and meridians began cleansing themselves, removing the impurities accumulated within his body.

The transformation was affecting his entire body as the Aether Energy continued changing, and the black substance immediately released a foul smell that reached his nose.

Atlas frowned slightly before temporarily altering the logic of smell for himself. Once he no longer had to deal with the unpleasant odour, he returned his attention to the energy inside his abdomen. The bubble had finally begun hardening into a solid white mass of energy, and he carefully continued compressing it until it could no longer remain in its previous liquid state.

’Who knew energy could be compressed this much? This also gives me an idea for a new technique, but I’ll think about it later.’ Atlas put the thought aside and continued focusing on the breakthrough. He didn’t want to interrupt the process over an idea that could be considered later, especially when he was already close to completing the Astral Core.

More time passed as Atlas continued compressing the energy, maintaining his focus on the forming core. Only after a full ten minutes had passed did the energy bubble finally transform into a completely solid core.

The Astral Core had been formed, marking the completion of the most important part of his breakthrough to Astral World rank.

The moment that happened...

BOOOM!

An explosive burst of energy erupted from Atlas’s body, instantly shattering the separate space he had created using Logic Alteration. Waves of energy spread outward from him at an incredible speed, reaching the nearest asteroids, planets, and stars.

Atlas remained at the centre of the expanding wave as the energy continued spreading through the surrounding space, affecting everything that happened to be within its reach.

Before Atlas could even open his eyes, he heard the sound of stones and mountains cracking in the distance. His eyes snapped open as he looked toward the destruction he had caused once again. The nearest asteroids, each almost as massive as the Moon itself, had shattered into hundreds of pieces that scattered throughout the empty space.

On the other hand, the nearest planet, which looked small compared to the other planets farther away, had been cracked in half by the sheer force of the energy wave. Atlas stared at the destroyed planet without moving, his expression remaining unchanged as he tried to understand the extent of the energy released during his breakthrough.

’I did feel a sudden breach in my limitations of strength... but to think it was this much?’

He lifted his right hand and examined it for a moment, noticing that the strength he had previously struggled to control due to the sudden increase in his attributes was now under his control to an even greater degree.

’I see, so my attributes had surpassed the limits of my previous cultivation rank, which made them difficult to control.’ The difference between his strength and his former cultivation rank had been the reason for that difficulty.

’Now that I’m in Astral World rank, it’s fully under control...’ Atlas thought before shifting his attention toward the next important matter. He had completed the breakthrough, but forming his Astral Domain would be another challenge altogether.

’It’s time to form my Astral Domain, but that’s where the hard part begins. Comprehension isn’t my forte, so I’ll need to try different mechanics.’

Without wasting any time, Atlas altered the logic governing the speed of his comprehension, increasing it a hundredfold. His eyes glowed as he began the process, but the strain immediately affected his mind despite the fact that he had already altered the logic of pain.

’Tch, the ability must not work on its own principle’, he thought, realizing that he couldn’t completely avoid the consequences of using the ability in this manner.

What he was doing was nothing more than trying to exploit a loophole in his own ability. He had already altered the logic of pain affecting himself, but he was using that same ability to alter the speed of his comprehension, which was an entirely different process.

Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that he could still feel the strain even after making those preparations.

Still, Atlas didn’t care.

Whenever the strain became an event that affected him, he simply absorbed it through Event Absorption and continued with the process. He increased his comprehension speed a thousandfold, and when the pain struck again, he absorbed the event once more. After confirming that he could continue despite the strain, he increased the speed to ten thousandfold.

This time, blood began flowing from his eyes as the strain on his mind increased further. ’Ugh!’ Atlas endured the sensation long enough to absorb the event through Event Absorption, preventing it from stopping his attempt to form the Astral Domain. Even then, he had no intention of slowing down, as he wanted to complete the process as quickly as possible.

The moment he absorbed the event...

THUMP! THUMP!

His heartbeat suddenly felt numb, and its sound rang in his ears. Despite the sensation, Atlas didn’t stop or reduce the speed of his comprehension. He had already decided to push himself through the process, and he wasn’t going to abandon it merely because the strain was increasing. ’To gain something, I must pay the price!’

Without hesitation, Atlas altered the logic of the speed of his comprehension to a hundred thousandfold!