Day 2 After Transformation - Morning
Runar woke with the twin suns' light filtering through his window, the golden and blue rays creating strange patterns on his wall. His enhanced senses immediately catalogued everything: his parents were already awake downstairs, preparing breakfast; the neighbor three houses down was practicing a basic sword form in their courtyard; a flying vehicle passed overhead, its propulsion runes humming with structured energy.
He sat up, stretching his new body—still getting used to the longer limbs, the increased strength, the way everything felt more responsive than his baby form had been.
Today, he decided firmly, I need to solve the Meteor Forging problem.
He'd been avoiding it yesterday, dealing with social obligations and studying the Common Sense Jade. But the issue nagged at him. He was at the absolute peak of Stardust Awakening—stage 333, the theoretical maximum—yet couldn't advance.
The Eternal Nexus Ascension was ready for the next realm. He had the energy. He had the foundation. So why couldn't he break through?
First, I need to understand what Meteor Forging actually does for normal cultivators. Then I can figure out why it won't work for me.
He closed his eyes, pulling up the Stellar Ascension Method—the original Heaven-grade Qi cultivation technique that he'd incorporated into his unified system—and analyzed its Meteor Forging section.
Standard Meteor Forging Process:
Compression Cycles: The cultivator draws qi into their dantian and compresses it repeatedly, each cycle making the energy denser and more potent. Like compressing a gas into liquid, then liquid into solid. Nine stages, each requiring exponentially more compression.
Tempering Through Friction: As the compressed qi circulates, it generates "friction" against the meridians and dantian walls, tempering them like meteors entering atmosphere. The cultivator endures pain as their internal structures are repeatedly stressed and healed, becoming stronger each time.
Density Increase: The goal is to achieve qi density 100 times greater than Stardust Awakening, allowing more power in the same space and enabling the body to withstand higher-realm energies.
Foundation Refinement: The entire cultivation base is refined and purified, removing any remaining impurities or instabilities.
Runar opened his eyes, frowning.
That's the problem. My Stardust Awakening cultivation already did all of that.
His qi was already compressed to absurd levels—far beyond what normal Meteor Forging would achieve. His meridians were already reinforced with runic structures that made them nearly indestructible. His foundation was flawless, with zero impurities.
The standard Meteor Forging process was completely redundant for him.
If I try to follow the normal method, I'd just be spinning my wheels. No wonder I can't breakthrough—there's nothing to breakthrough TO. I've already achieved what that realm is supposed to accomplish.
He stood, pacing his room, his programmer's mind working through the problem systematically.
Okay. So traditional Meteor Forging won't work. I need something completely different. Something that builds on what I've already achieved instead of repeating it.
What haven't I optimized yet?
He ran through a mental checklist:
Meridians: Fully developed and reinforced ✓ Acupoints: All 365 activated and enhanced ✓ Blood vessels: Enhanced with runic filters ✓ Cells: Refined to perfection ✓ Organs: Enhanced and purified ✓ Blood: Golden, pure, perfect ✓ Soul: 50% crystallized and growing ✓ Mind: Multi-layered and expanded ✓ Qi purity: Maximum achievable at this realm ✓ Foundation: Absolutely flawless ✓
Wait. The dantian itself.
Runar's eyes widened. The dantian—the central qi core in the lower abdomen—was developed and functional, but its structure was still basic. It was just a sphere of highly compressed qi floating in a reinforced space.
Functional, yes. But not optimized.
And the bones. I refined the cells of the bones, but not the bone structure itself. The actual physical architecture of the skeleton.
Two major components that could still be dramatically improved.
That's it. That's what Meteor Forging will target for me. Not compression and tempering—that's already done. But structural optimization of the dantian and skeletal system.
He felt the familiar excitement of solving a difficult problem, the same thrill he'd gotten from debugging complex code in his previous life.
Time to design something revolutionary.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, closed his eyes, and entered the Comprehension Space.
[ENTERING COMPREHENSION SPACE REALM...]
The infinite white void materialized around him, and Runar's consciousness immediately sharpened to perfect clarity. His adult form solidified, dressed in comfortable clothes, standing in the space where time outside was essentially frozen.
With my developed brain, I can stay here for years if needed, he realized. Years of subjective time to perfect this technique. No rush. No pressure. Just pure optimization.
He created a holographic workspace, pulling up a three-dimensional model of his dantian as it currently existed.
The sphere of compressed qi glowed golden, slowly rotating, perfectly stable. Functional. Efficient.
But boring.
What if I changed the fundamental structure entirely?
An idea struck him—inspired by his Kun Peng bloodline's spatial affinity, by his understanding of gravity and cosmic forces, by his knowledge of physics from Earth.
A black hole.
Not a literal black hole that would destroy everything. But a qi structure that mimicked a black hole's properties: infinite density at the center, massive gravitational pull, constant energy processing, extreme storage capacity.
Runar began designing, his hands moving through the air, weaving runic structures and cultivation theory into something completely new.
The Black Hole Dantian - Initial Design:
1. The Singularity (Core)
At the very center: a point of infinitely compressed qi Not actually infinite (that would be dangerous) but compressed to the absolute theoretical limit Acts as the gravity well, constantly pulling in more qi Serves as ultimate storage and processing center Contains the cultivator's "true qi" in its most refined form
2. The Event Horizon
Runic structure surrounding the singularity Marks the boundary where qi transitions from normal space to extreme compression Uses circular pressure runes to maintain stable boundary Prevents singularity from collapsing or expanding uncontrollably Acts as filter—only perfectly refined qi can pass through
3. The Accretion Disk
Swirling qi orbiting the singularity at high speed Multiple layers at different velocities (closer = faster) Qi spirals inward, becoming more compressed and refined as it approaches event horizon Creates constant refinement through gravitational processing Generates tremendous power that can be tapped instantly
4. The Orbital Spheres
Multiple compressed qi spheres orbiting the black hole structure Like planets around a star, each at different distances Each sphere contains specialized qi (elemental, attribute-specific, etc.) Can be drawn upon for different techniques without disturbing the core Number of spheres = cultivation stage (9 spheres = 9 stages of Meteor Forging)
5. The Polar Jets
Two streams of hyper-compressed qi emerging from "north" and "south" poles of the structure Channels energy out of the dantian for use in techniques Can be directed through meridians at incredible speed Provide instant access to massive power reserves
Runar stepped back, examining the design. It was beautiful. Elegant. And completely unprecedented.
But it needs protection. The dantian walls need to be able to contain this structure.
He turned his attention to the dantian wall reinforcement.
Dantian Wall Reinforcement:
The walls of the dantian were currently decent—reinforced by his natural physique and basic cultivation. But to contain a black hole structure? They needed to be transcendent.
Runar designed a triple-layer runic reinforcement:
Inner Wall - Containment Layer:
Hexagonal efficiency runes tiled perfectly across the entire inner surface Creates frictionless surface for energy flow Maximizes internal space usage Allows for expansion without structural damage Function: Contains the black hole's gravity without energy loss
Middle Wall - Distribution Layer:
Circular pressure runes arranged in overlapping patterns Distributes gravitational stress evenly across entire structure Prevents stress concentration that could cause cracking Can flex and adapt to power fluctuations Function: Maintains structural integrity under extreme forces
Outer Wall - Stability Layer:
Triangular stability runes forming an interlocking lattice Anchors the dantian to the surrounding body structures Prevents spatial displacement (dantian can't be "pulled" out of position) Provides rigid support for the flexible inner layers Function: Keeps everything stable and connected
Adaptive Scaling: As cultivation advanced, all the runes would shrink. Smaller runes = more of them in the same space = exponentially stronger reinforcement. By the time he reached higher realms, the runes would be atomic-level, creating an essentially indestructible dantian.
Perfect. The black hole structure and its containment are complete. Now for the bones.
Runar created a new holographic model, this time of his skeletal system.
The bones were currently in excellent condition—refined at the cellular level, containing qi-enhanced marrow, capable of supporting his cultivation base. But their structure hadn't been optimized.
I need to reinforce the bones themselves, not just the cells. Make the skeleton into a secondary cultivation resource.
He analyzed bone structure from his knowledge as a programmer (data structures, load distribution, optimization patterns) and from the cultivation knowledge he'd absorbed.
Bone Structure Enhancement - Three-Layer Approach:
Outer Bone Wall (Cortex) - Defense Layer:
Triangular stability runes etched into the dense outer bone Creates diamond-hard exterior resistant to physical impacts Can deflect or absorb kinetic energy from attacks Distributes impact force across entire skeleton Becomes stronger with each breakthrough Function: Primary physical defense, makes bones nearly unbreakable
Inner Bone Wall (Trabecular) - Energy Conduction Layer:
Circular pressure runes arranged in the porous inner bone Creates pathways for qi circulation through the skeleton Bones become secondary meridian system Can store and channel qi independently of primary meridians Provides backup cultivation routes if meridians are damaged Function: Qi conduction and storage, redundancy
Bone Marrow Spaces - Production and Storage:
Hexagonal efficiency runes in the marrow cavities Enhances blood cell production (further improving golden blood) Creates qi storage pockets throughout the skeleton Marrow becomes cultivation resource, constantly generating refined qi Can be drawn upon for emergency power reserves Function: Resource generation and emergency reserves
Skeletal Network Integration: All bones would be connected through runic bridges, creating a unified system. Damage to one bone would be compensated by others. The entire skeleton would work as a single integrated structure, not individual pieces.
Additional Benefits:
Height growth would be controlled (won't suddenly shoot up randomly) Bones would adapt to cultivation advancement automatically Could channel techniques through skeleton for enhanced power Physical strength would scale with bone enhancement Martial techniques would become more effective
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Runar compiled both designs—the Black Hole Dantian and the Enhanced Skeletal Structure—into the Meteor Forging stage of the Eternal Nexus Ascension.
He ran simulations, testing the interaction between all the components. The black hole structure would constantly refine qi while the enhanced skeleton provided structural support and additional power channels. The dantian walls would contain the gravitational forces while the bone marrow generated supplementary energy.
Everything worked together in perfect synergy.
[METEOR FORGING STAGE DESIGN COMPLETE]
[ANALYZING GRADE...]
The system was silent for a long moment, processing.
[METEOR FORGING STAGE: EXTREME PEAK SUPREME]
[MAINTAINS OVERALL TECHNIQUE GRADE]
[SPECIAL PROPERTIES DETECTED:]
Black Hole Dantian: Qi storage capacity +10,000%, refinement speed +5,000%, power output +8,000% Enhanced Skeleton: Physical defense +500%, qi conduction efficiency +300%, secondary power reserve capacity equal to 50% of dantian Synergy Effect: Both enhancements multiply each other's effectiveness Cultivation Speed: Estimated 500,000x normal Meteor Forging cultivators Combat Power Increase: Estimated 1,000x per stage when complete
[WARNING: This Meteor Forging method has never existed in recorded history]
[Breakthrough will cause unusual phenomena]
[Recommend: Breakthrough in secure, isolated location]
Runar read the assessment three times, his mind struggling to process the numbers.
Five hundred thousand times faster cultivation than normal. One thousand times combat power per stage.
If a normal Meteor Forging Stage 1 cultivator had combat power of 10, he'd have 10,000. At Stage 9, where a normal cultivator might be 90, he'd be 90,000.
That's... that's absurd. I'd be able to fight several realms above my own. Maybe more.
But it made sense. The black hole structure was fundamentally superior to a simple compressed sphere. The enhanced skeleton provided capabilities normal cultivators never accessed.
This is what true optimization looks like.
As for the recommendation, he will just breakthrough in the Infinite Qi Realm. Problem Solved, no phenomenon.
He saved the complete technique, encrypting it with his most complex runic locks. This was even more valuable than the Stardust Awakening method—if anyone discovered this, wars would be fought over it.
[METEOR FORGING STAGE: READY FOR IMPLEMENTATION]
[AWAITING BREAKTHROUGH ATTEMPT]