Reston had slept deeply, but he hadn't realized that his sleep had lasted for a full sixteen hours. It wasn't until Lin used his authority to open the door that he discovered Reston was still asleep.
"Hey! Reston! Wake up! How are you still sleeping?" Lin snapped, his tone sharp with exasperation. This kid truly lived up to the nickname of "Sleeping God."
"Ah… haaaah…" Reston yawned, stretching as he rubbed his eyes. "Good morning, Instructor Lin… wait! What are you doing in my room?!" Still half-dazed from sleep, he froze in shock upon seeing Lin standing there, suddenly jolted fully awake.
"Don't play dumb. It's already noon. You've been asleep from 8 p.m. yesterday all the way until now. Who else is supposed to wake you up? You really are a Sleeping God." Lin scolded, like an exhausted mother worn out by her child.
"Ah… sorry, I was just so tired…" Reston mumbled guiltily, burying his head back into the pillow. "So soft…"
"You brat!" Lin yanked the blanket away and, with one hand, lifted Reston up as easily as if he were picking up a kitten.
"Waaah!!" Reston cried out in alarm, shocked at being hoisted so effortlessly with a single hand.
"You've got ten minutes to wash up. Then come see me in my office. The Commander sent over a secret manual this morning," Lin ordered.
"…Got it."
While washing up, Reston suddenly noticed something startling—his cultivation had already risen to the peak of Body Tempering. "I can't believe Cultivation of Eternal Slumber is this powerful… just sixteen hours and I've already reached the very peak?" He marveled at its effect. Truly formidable.
He quickly finished washing, then threw on a silver-gray hoodie with cat ears and a pair of black shorts, hurrying to Lin's office.
*Knock knock.*
"Come in," Lin called.
"Instructor Lin, what did you need me for?" Reston asked.
"Take this. It's a secret manual that allows you to go beyond Body Tempering." Lin handed it over.
"Beyond Body Tempering?" Reston raised a brow. "Isn't the next stage Martial Warrior?"
"You don't know. The so-called peak of Body Tempering isn't the true limit. You can push further—to the eleventh, even the twelfth layer—strengthening your foundation before breaking through to Martial Warrior." Lin explained.
"It can go that far?!" Reston was stunned. He had never imagined that Body Tempering could surpass its supposed ceiling.
"Yes. Once you reach the peak, study this manual and I'll guide you. Just because you're already at the seventh layer doesn't mean you know how to truly cultivate."
Cultivate? Reston thought. With the system's help, he'd never really learned how to train on his own…
"Follow me. We're going to the training grounds," Lin said.
...
At the training grounds—
"This place is reserved for the military. The formations here draw in the surrounding spiritual energy. Sit, calm yourself, and imagine it entering your body," Lin instructed.
Reston followed his words. Within seconds, he felt a surge of heat flow across his skin, rushing into his pores.
"So this is spiritual energy? It's this easy to feel?" he thought.
Beside him, Lin's jaw dropped. Just seconds?! The strongest genius in the base's history had taken two whole minutes! Reston… at this rate, the world might truly witness another Martial God—perhaps the strongest one in history.
Time passed. Following the manual's method, Reston quickly advanced all the way to the twelfth layer of Body Tempering. But he kept it hidden, only claiming he'd reached the eighth layer. Even so, Lin was stunned. How long had it been? That quickly?!
"With talent like this… focus on cultivating. Rest, and if there's anything you don't understand, come ask me. I'll teach you," Lin said.
"Thank you," Reston replied. After asking for directions to the mess hall, he left.
...
At the mess hall, Reston was starving. Realizing he hadn't eaten in a day, he grabbed a small portion of rice and piled the rest with carrots. Halfway through, his body refused the rice—he had to rush to the restroom to throw up. Even plain rice wouldn't stay down; only carrots could.
"This damned anorexia…" Reston cursed under his breath. He asked the cook for a few more carrots to take back, then returned to his room. Collapsing onto the sofa, he nibbled on carrots while idly scrolling his phone. After showering, he changed into a fluffy hoodie and curled up in bed, opening his system panel:
Talents: War God's Soul, Lord of the Night
Class: War God, Child of the Starry Night
Name: Reston
Age: 16 | Gender: Male
Realm: Body Tempering 12th Layer
Skills: None
Techniques: None
Innate Skills: War God's Wrath, Seven Forms of the War God, Night's Domain, Gift of the Night
Class Skills: Skyrend, Eternal Starfall, Starlit Fury
Passives: War God's Blood, War God's Will, War God's Body, War God's Eyes, Night Sovereign, Starry Dancer, Cultivation of Eternal Slumber Lv2
Companion: Skyrend Blade
"System, how many layers does Body Tempering truly have?" Reston asked.
"Replying to the host: Body Tempering has fifteen layers. Beyond the tenth, each advancement becomes increasingly difficult, as you're pushing past the natural limit—like carving a new path where the road has already ended."
"Then… can Cultivation of Eternal Slumber break past those limits?" Reston asked.
"Yes. Cultivation of Eternal Slumber is an original technique of the Omni System, not bound by this world. Naturally, it has no such restrictions."
"I see… System, can you settle today's points now?" Reston wondered if it worked outside of sleep.
"Calculating… Today, you engaged in social interaction, active cultivation, and breaking through Body Tempering's shackles. Gained: 30,000 system points."
It worked! And Reston realized the more meaningful and valuable the actions, the greater the points earned. He immediately tried upgrading Cultivation of Eternal Slumber—
"Unable to upgrade to Lv5. Requirement: 24,000 points. Remaining: 12,000."
"Not enough… hmm… the system shop?" Reston browsed the glowing interface. One item caught his attention—
"Body Tempering's Limit: One-time item. Allows breakthrough to Body Tempering's 20th Layer, forging an unshakable foundation. Cost: 12,000 points."
"The limit of Body Tempering! This is exactly what I need!" Without hesitation, Reston bought it. A cold cube materialized in his palm as he activated it.
"…Strange. Nothing happened. Maybe it only takes effect once I reach that stage." He mused, and, feeling too comfortable in bed, drifted off into sleep…