I crawled towards the astral stone, and the moment I closed the distance, I immediately took hold of it, grasping it tightly in my hand. The stone was hot to the touch and emitted a pinkish radiance. I took a deep breath of turbid air as I began the process.
I could feel the energy of the astral ball flowing inside me. In the normal process of breaking through one's sephiric walls with the human manna within, it is an arduous task to manipulate this manna after finding it, then use it to crush and break the sephiric walls.
It felt like a vast body of water crashing against a firm dam. It would take a long time and many years of effort to even dent the wall. However, with persistence, those dents and cracks would accumulate, eventually forming an opening.
By exploiting this opening, I could break through the cracks, collapsing the sephiric wall completely and allowing me to interact with the world's manna. My wall felt very steady, as if there were only a tiny crack in the dam. I could sense my sephiric walls clearly.
Compared to the strength of these walls, my innate manna wasn't strong enough to break through. It was like a small force trying to smash through a massive barrier. However, with the astral stone, it would attack my sephiric wall and help me break through.
From what I knew, I wouldn't even need to break through on my own. I let the manna from the astral stone pierce through me, crashing against the wall. I could feel it—like a giant tidal wave continually crashing against my sephiric walls.
The tidal wave kept increasing in magnitude, and at that point, I became confused. It seemed like the tide was growing too strong.
I could feel it. The tide didn't just target the sephiric walls; it surged around my Nana vein, creating endless ripples. The process was painful, but I knew from what I had read that using an astral stone shouldn't be this painful. It was supposed to be a smooth process. If it was going to hurt this much, I wouldn't have used it.
The stone felt like countless energy poles piercing through my body. The pain was overwhelming, and I looked at it, dumbfounded.
I felt agony all over, as if I were going to explode. In the next moment, I found myself crying.
I looked at the stone, sizzling with electricity as it danced. It tried to spasm away from my hand, but I held it tightly with both hands. Could it be that I had taken a God fragment instead of an astral stone?
My mind raced as I quickly considered my options. If I stopped the flow of the god fragments now, it would cause an imbalance and make my mana veins implode. However, if I didn't, my mana veins could still collapse due to the chaotic nature of the energy from the god fragment before it could break through the sephiric walls. Only by breaking through could there be good circulation in my body, allowing me to stop the flow of mana from the god fragment.
As the pain intensified, it became increasingly hard to think. I gritted my teeth and persevered, allowing the energy from the god crystal to crash into my sephiric walls. I began to grunt. The light from the crystal glowed brightly, revealing small electric specks moving up and down its surface. When they touched my fingers, they caused a light burn. Though uncomfortable, there was nothing I could do. I closed my eyes and focused on my sephiric walls, influenced by the chaotic energy from the god fragment.
They were showing signs of cracking. The white wall was now turning a charred dark. It continued for what felt like an eternity. I thought about everything at that moment. I knew I could not lose consciousness, for if I did, the chaotic energy would run amok in my body, and I would die. I was getting dizzy.
I recalled the times I spent with the guild members, and how much fun we had being in each other's company. But was not the time to think about such things, a man must endure. I looked up. This was nothing. My head spun as I struggled to maintain consciousness, but I thought that even if I died now, it wouldn't be a big deal. There was nothing I could do. I had made a mistake and failed to identify an astral stone, instead taking a god fragment. What could be done now? I supposed it was up to fate. My eyes were dimming, and I could see nothing. This… I guessed this was the limit of this old man's body. Whether the sephiric wall completely broke down or not, it seemed to be up to fate.
I leaned against the cave walls, making sure my hands remained on the crystal. As I closed my eyes, there was nothing I could do. My consciousness was about to drift away when suddenly—crack—push! My eyes jolted open as electricity coursed through my body. I felt alive, as if I could sense everything around me. It was like the moment you unclog your airway; suddenly, the air was filled with vitality. As energy surged within me, my mind cleared, replaced by an overwhelming euphoria. I checked my body and saw that my sephiric walls had completely broken down.
"I actually did it," I said to myself. "This feeling..." I hadn't experienced such a sensation in ages. I felt capable of anything. I felt strong. I felt fast. And most importantly, I felt at peace.
The god fragment in my hand stopped glowing as it lost all its energy. I let go of it, and it fell to the ground, cracking into countless pieces. I rested on the edge of a rock, taking a deep breath. It was as though I had become one with the world. Although I had broken through my sephiric wall, I was still somewhat anxious. Where was it? I hadn't heard anything. Normally, when one breaks a sephiric wall, they are acknowledged by the world. It seemed like I hadn't received mine.
I waited for a minute, and then suddenly, I heard a voice in my head: "Congratulations, Magnus Apollyon Van Tarsus Edward Lawless Kingsley. You have been recognized by the world unit. Remain still as you are. You will now be evaluated." Suddenly, I was engulfed by a huge blue light that seemed to rise through the rock walls and envelop my body. The light soon diminished, and I heard the monumental voice again: "Congratulations, you have received the aspect: system user. Congratulations, you have received three new skills."
Upon hearing this, I was overjoyed. The system user was one of many aspects one could obtain. There were system users, naturalists, cultivators, and others. Although I hadn't experienced this before, I had studied it and was well informed. I eagerly awaited the announcement of my skills.
*Ding*
"New skill obtained: Frame Skipping."
*Ding*
"New skill obtained: Duplication : Zesty Clone." *Ding*
"New skill obtained: Procrastination Master."
"Huh?"