The Strength Beneath The Surface

Chapter 137 — The Strength Beneath the Surface

Three days had passed since the group entered the ancient cultivation chamber beneath Frostveil, yet none of them had any intention of leaving. The environment inside the chamber was simply too valuable. Seven enormous cultivation platforms surrounded the underground Origin River, each one carved with ancient formations that continuously drew the energy from the river, purified it, and released it into the chamber. The Origin Energy here was not only dense but unusually pure, and every person in the group could feel the difference in their cultivation. Even breathing inside the chamber felt different. Their bodies naturally absorbed traces of Origin Energy with every breath, while deliberate cultivation accelerated the process several times over.

Aether had spent most of those three days cultivating in the center of the chamber. His cultivation had not broken through, but that was exactly what he wanted. He had already reached the ninth stage of the Origin Tempering Realm, and the gap between his current stage and the tenth was considerably greater than the gaps he had experienced at the earlier stages. Rather than forcing himself forward, he was continuously refining his foundation and increasing the quality of his Origin Energy. Every cycle of cultivation strengthened his body, expanded his reserves, and allowed his Infinite Origin Physique to absorb more of the compatible energy surrounding him.

[Origin Tempering Realm — Stage 9.]

[Infinite Origin Physique — Development: 0.90%.]

Aether silently observed the notification before closing his eyes again. The development of his physique had been painfully slow for a long time, but Frostveil had changed that. The environment beneath the mountain seemed almost perfectly suited to his physique. Every time he circulated his cultivation technique, the refined Origin Energy was absorbed into his body, and the Infinite Origin Physique slowly processed the energy into nourishment for itself. The increase was still measured in tiny percentages, but Aether could feel the difference. Before coming to Frostveil, reaching even a fraction of a percent had taken an unreasonable amount of time. Now, the number was actually moving.

[Infinite Origin Physique — Development: 0.91%.]

Aether's breathing remained steady.

He didn't rush the process.

The Infinite Origin Physique was not something he could simply force to develop by throwing massive amounts of Origin Energy into his body. His cultivation, physical resistance, energy capacity, and compatibility all affected the process. If he absorbed too much energy too quickly, the energy would eventually become a burden rather than nourishment. Aether had learned enough about cultivation to understand that strength built too quickly could become unstable strength.

He continued circulating his technique.

Another cycle passed.

[Infinite Origin Physique — Development: 0.93%.]

Aether's eyes opened slightly.

A faint sensation had appeared throughout his body.

It was subtle, but he could feel something changing.

The Infinite Origin Physique was becoming more responsive.

Whenever he absorbed a trace of compatible Origin Energy, his body no longer merely refined it. There was now a faint resonance afterward, as though the physique itself was recognizing certain characteristics within the energy and attempting to understand them.

Aether didn't interfere.

He simply observed.

This was one of the reasons he had continued cultivating instead of chasing every opportunity outside Frostveil. His System had already revealed that the first major milestone for his physique was one percent. Once he reached that point, the Physique Copy and Integration Function would become available.

He didn't expect it to make him invincible.

If anything, Aether expected the opposite.

The stronger the physique he encountered, the more difficult it would be to integrate its characteristics. Compatibility, cultivation difference, Origin Energy capacity, and physical resistance would all matter. But even a limited version of that function would give him an entirely new path of growth.

Especially when it came to rare physiques.

Aether's thoughts briefly moved toward Vaelira.

Her Voidmoon Physique was still partially integrated into his own physique, but the process had been difficult. He had only managed to incorporate a small portion of its characteristics, and even that had required considerable effort. At his current cultivation, he couldn't simply absorb the entire physique of another cultivator as if it were ordinary energy.

That would be unreasonable.

But if the Infinite Origin Physique continued developing, the resistance would gradually decrease.

That was enough.

Aether closed his eyes again.

Across the chamber, Aria was also cultivating.

Unlike Aether, however, she had reached the point where her current foundation could no longer contain the energy she had accumulated. Her aura began fluctuating slightly, and the Origin Energy around her started moving toward her body in increasingly dense waves.

Aether noticed immediately.

Aria was about to break through.

He didn't speak.

Neither did anyone else.

The others had already become accustomed to recognizing the signs of a breakthrough, and nobody wanted to disturb her concentration. Aria's expression remained calm as she guided the surrounding energy through her meridians. Her cultivation had been steadily approaching the next stage since entering Frostveil, and now the opportunity had finally arrived.

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She took a slow breath.

The Origin Energy inside her body suddenly surged.

Her aura rose sharply.

The surrounding energy began circulating around her like a small vortex, while Aria carefully compressed every strand of energy into her foundation. The breakthrough wasn't instantaneous. Her body needed to adapt to the increased pressure before the new stage could stabilize.

Aether watched silently.

Aria's foundation was considerably stronger than before.

She wasn't simply increasing her cultivation level. She had spent the previous days reinforcing every part of her Origin Energy, which meant the breakthrough was occurring naturally rather than being forced.

A faint golden light appeared around her.

Then the pressure erupted.

A wave of Origin Energy spread across the chamber.

Aria's hair lifted slightly from the force before settling again.

A few seconds later, the energy surrounding her stabilized.

[Breakthrough successful.]

[Aria has reached Origin Tempering Realm — Stage 9.]

Aria slowly opened her eyes.

For several seconds, she simply remained there, feeling the new strength flowing through her body. Then she looked toward Aether.

"I made it."

Aether smiled.

"Stage 9."

Aria's smile became brighter.

"You already knew?"

"I could feel the change in your aura."

Aether didn't mention the System.

That information belonged to him alone.

Aria stood and stretched slightly before looking at her hands. "The difference is bigger than I expected."

"It should be," Aether replied. "A breakthrough isn't just an increase in energy. Your body and foundation have to adapt to it."

Aria nodded thoughtfully.

"I understand."

Lyra, who had been cultivating nearby, opened one eye.

"Congratulations."

Aria looked at her and grinned. "Thanks."

Lyra gave her a small smile.

"Don't look so proud. I'm not far behind."

Aria laughed. "Then catch up."

There was no real hostility between them. Their competition had become something closer to motivation. Neither wanted the other to remain weak, and neither would be happy if the other failed.

Aether watched the exchange with a faint smile before returning his attention to his cultivation.

He liked this.

Everyone was becoming stronger.

Nobody was simply waiting for him to solve everything.

That was important.

He didn't want people who followed him because they believed he would always protect them. He wanted companions who could stand beside him when the situation became dangerous.

Another fluctuation appeared.

This time, it came from Elara.

She had been cultivating near one of the smaller formations, her expression becoming increasingly serious as the Origin Energy inside her body accumulated. Compared to the others, Elara's cultivation had always been slightly behind, but that didn't mean her progress was poor. She had simply started from a weaker foundation.

The Frostveil chamber was giving her the opportunity to close that gap.

Her aura began rising.

Aether looked toward her.

Elara gritted her teeth as she guided the Origin Energy through her meridians. The pressure increased gradually until her entire body began trembling.

She didn't give up.

She continued.

The energy within her suddenly erupted.

Her aura surged.

The surrounding Origin Energy was pulled toward her body before being absorbed.

Then the pressure stabilized.

[Breakthrough successful.]

[Elara has reached Origin Tempering Realm — Stage 7.]

Elara opened her eyes.

For a moment, she looked confused.

Then she realized what had happened.

"I broke through."

Seris smiled from nearby.

"You did."

Elara looked at Aether.

"Stage 7."

Aether nodded.

"Good."

Elara's expression brightened.

It wasn't just the breakthrough that made her happy. It was the feeling that she was finally catching up with the others instead of constantly remaining behind them.

Aether understood that feeling.

He gave her a small nod of approval before returning to cultivation.

[Infinite Origin Physique — Development: 0.93% → 0.95%.]

Aether's expression became slightly more serious.

Only five hundredths remained before the one-percent milestone.

He could feel the difference more clearly now.

The Infinite Origin Physique was becoming increasingly active.

The energy entering his body was being refined faster, and the faint resistance he had previously experienced when attempting to integrate compatible characteristics had decreased slightly.

It wasn't enough to attempt a major integration yet.

But it was progress.

Aether slowly circulated his Origin Energy through his body.

His physical strength had also improved significantly since reaching Stage 9. His Origin Energy reserves were larger, his body more resilient, and his control over his abilities had improved. Shadow Step was becoming smoother, and his Origin Sense had also expanded compared to when he first acquired it.

His Origin Shadows were developing alongside him as well.

Blackfang remained his fastest shadow.

Ironhide remained the strongest physically.

Grimhorn had become his most balanced combat shadow.

The three could now cooperate far more naturally than when Aether had first created them.

Aether opened his eyes briefly.

The shadows around him were completely still.

Yet he could feel them.

They were connected to him.

Three warriors born from his victories.

Three creatures that could return from destruction as long as he remained alive.

Aether's expression became calm.

His path was becoming clearer.

Cultivation.

Physique development.

Origin Shadows.

Eventually, all three would become parts of a much larger system of power.

But he wasn't going to rush any of them.

Aether looked around the chamber.

Aria had begun consolidating Stage 9.

Elara was stabilizing Stage 7.

Lyra remained at Stage 7.

Seris was still at Stage 7, but the Life Essence surrounding her had become noticeably denser.

Sylvara was also steadily strengthening her Stage 7 foundation.

Evelyn remained at Stage 6 and was absorbing the surrounding energy at a steady pace.

Vaelira sat beside the spatial formation, completely focused on her own cultivation.

Aether watched her for several moments.

The silver-haired woman had changed since joining them.

She was still calm and independent, and she clearly didn't intend to rely on anyone unnecessarily, but she had become more comfortable around the group. She no longer watched everyone with the same cautious distance as when they had first met.

Her Voidmoon Physique was also reacting strongly to Frostveil.

Spatial Origin Energy gathered around her body in thin silver strands, disappearing into her meridians before returning as increasingly refined energy.

Aether could sense that her understanding of space was improving.

"How is it?" he asked.

Vaelira opened her eyes.

"Better than before."

"Your physique?"

"My understanding of space."

She raised one hand.

The space above her palm distorted slightly.

A tiny silver ripple appeared.

"I can feel the structure around me more clearly now. It's almost as though Frostveil is showing me something I couldn't see before."

Aether looked at the ripple.

"Then keep looking."

Vaelira smiled faintly.

"I intend to."

She closed her eyes again.

Aether returned to his own cultivation.

The ancient chamber once again became quiet.

The only sounds were the distant flow of the underground Origin River and the subtle movements of Origin Energy through the formations.

The group had been inside Frostveil for several days, yet their journey had barely begun.

They had already encountered Blackridge.

They had discovered the ancient chamber.

They had fought powerful enemies.

And beneath everything, Aether could still feel the faint mystery surrounding the mountain.

Something had created these formations.

Something had carved the cultivation platforms.

Something had guided the underground Origin River through this chamber.

And if the ancient stone door they had passed earlier was any indication, the deepest part of Frostveil had not yet revealed itself.

Aether closed his eyes.

[Infinite Origin Physique — Development: 0.95%.]

He continued cultivating.

The next milestone was close.

And beyond it waited a new ability.

But before he could reach that point, there was still another stage ahead of him.

Stage 10.

The final step before the next major realm.

Aether smiled faintly.

He had no intention of rushing.

He would reach it when he was ready.

Until then, Frostveil still had much more to offer.