Chapter 47: Decade of Insights

After walking a hundred paces, his body was soaked. His bones itched from the vibrations echoing through the tunnel.

Exhausted, yet the fire in his eyes burned brighter.

The origin artifact tempered his bones. Each step refined his Abyssal Physique.

In a hundred paces, he opened another meridian.

Thirteen meridians.

For ordinary fighters, twelve was the limit. It was the point where physical force transformed into inner breath.

Theo had surpassed the boundaries of the Body Cleansing realm.

And he wasn’t stopping... One hundred and forty paces.

"The pressure is growing unbearable."

Every step became a struggle. His body reached its breaking point. Fine blood streaks appeared on his skin.

He did his best to mitigate the lethal gravity using his physical density control, but an origin artifact was still an origin artifact.

"I still have system credits left."

"Otherwise, I would have to stop here today."

Theo wanted to push further.

But the moment he took another step, the lethal aura surged from all directions.

Blood seeped from the cracks in his skin. His body was on the verge of collapse. He hastily retreated.

"Fine. No more struggling."

Theo sighed. He finally acknowledged the artifact’s might.

He didn’t want to rely on shortcuts. But reality left him no choice.

Hard work alone wouldn’t claim the peak’s foundation.

"Let’s start with a basic upgrade."

Theo focused his mind. He opened the system shop and purchased Physical Mastery Tokens.

[Five years of physical insight successfully injected.]

[Year One: Observing the origin artifact, you gain deeper understanding of your Abyssal Physique. You ponder the essence of density control.]

[Year Four: You finally master physical density control to perfection.]

Theo rubbed his face. He faced reality once more.

A tactical blade art, taught personally by Liana, cost him over a century of insights.

Upgrading his innate physical traits cost a fraction of that.

"Fine."

Theo activated his perfected physical control.

Instantly, the frenzied gravity around him grew docile.

With renewed determination, he strode toward the Crucible of Genesis.

One step. Two steps.

Ten steps. A hundred steps.

In no time, only fifty paces separated him from the core forge boundary.

But the moment he crossed that threshold.

Boom.

A thunderous strike echoed in his mind.

The lethal aura surged once more. It was like stepping into a whirlpool, battered by relentless currents.

"No wonder the Crucible forged the supreme blades."

"A single shockwave would shatter named steel."

Theo felt like a blade himself, being tempered by the forge.

The founder of the Armory Peak was a true powerhouse. Even an Inner Scenery expert might not qualify to stand before this thing.

"What kind of monster wielded this freely?"

Theo shook off the thought.

No time for doubts. He had credits to burn.

He purchased another decade of insights.

[Year One: Studying the artifact, you grasp the concept of Body as Forge. You learn to emit your own gravitational field.]

[Year Three: Your personal field resonates with the Crucible, complementing each other.]

[Year Twelve: You reach the pinnacle of mastery. Your comprehension rivals the founder.]

[Insight complete. Physical Control ascends to Transcendent Pinnacle.]

Theo raised an eyebrow. He was slightly surprised.

After struggling with tactical blade work for days, he wasn’t used to such efficiency.

"Body as Forge."He murmured the words.

In the next moment, his body radiated the same gravitational density used to temper him.

It wasn’t strong... Compared to the Crucible, it was like firefly light against the moon.

But.

He pushed his control to the transcendent pinnacle. He could leverage minimal force to shift immense weight.

The pressure dwindled drastically. Theo controlled how much he endured at will.

The remaining fifty paces?

He sprinted.