[Ding! Plunder complete! Successfully absorbed Demon King remnant soul (including partial Dragon Spirit)!]
[Processing energy conversion and bloodline fusion...]
[Fusion complete! Congratulations, Host! Your Chaos Divine Bloodline has absorbed the origin power of both demonic energy and Dragon Spirit. Evolution progress increased to 85%!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your understanding of the rules of Devouring and Assimilation has slightly improved!]
A cascade of system notifications chimed in Cloud's mind, lifting his spirits considerably.
This "volunteer work" had been an absolute steal!
Not only had he scored a wave of pure energy that pushed his strength even higher, he'd also solved a major problem and earned the "gratitude" of a certain psychic pop idol.
Three birds with one stone. Beautiful.
"That's... that's it?" Sie Kensou picked himself up off the floor, staring slack-jawed at the now-normal room, then at Bao sleeping peacefully on the bed like a little piglet. His brain felt like it was short-circuiting.
That apocalyptic demonic energy had just been... sucked away? Where did it go?
Chin Gentsai's expression was full of shock and complexity. He studied Cloud as if looking at a monster.
"Cloud, my boy... you actually... swallowed that demonic energy?"
"Yep. Not bad flavor, actually. Kind of like... expired cola with a weird sweet aftertaste." Cloud smacked his lips like a food critic delivering a review.
Chin Gentsai: "..."
He was completely speechless.
Treating demonic energy powerful enough to corrupt any fighter into madness like it was "cola"?
What kind of monster was this kid?
"Master! What about me?!" Sie Kensou rushed forward, face full of desperate hope. "Can I get my powers back?"
Cloud glanced at him and shook his head. "The Dragon Spirit that was taken has already been absorbed along with the demonic energy. I can't exactly spit it back out."
"What?!" Kensou froze as if struck by lightning, collapsing to the floor again, his expression screaming "life has no meaning."
"However..." Cloud's tone shifted. "Your Dragon bloodline is still intact. Without the old qi, you can train to develop new, stronger qi. Consider it... a blessing in disguise."
He casually channeled a strand of pure life energy into Kensou's body, stabilizing his foundation.
With that done, he dusted off his hands and smiled at Chin Gentsai. "Alright, old man. Problem solved. No need to pay me for the consultation. Though I have to admit, you've got me curious."
...
Night descended. Bamboo cottage. One old man and one young man sat facing each other.
On the table sat no fine wine—only a pot of clear tea.
"Cloud, my boy. Ask whatever you want to ask." Chin Gentsai spoke first. The way he looked at Cloud had changed; he no longer saw a "junior," but rather a kindred spirit standing at the same height.
"Old man, I can't quite read your level." Cloud was direct. "If I'm not mistaken, there's a power hidden within you—something vaster and more profound than even Ultimate Power."
Chin Gentsai's bleary eyes suddenly sharpened!
He hadn't expected Cloud to see through his deepest secret!
After a long silence, he let out a slow, melancholic sigh.
"You've probably reached the limits of Ultimate Power by now, haven't you?"
"Yes." Cloud nodded.
"Then do you know what lies beyond 100% Ultimate Power?"
"No."
"It's... Cosmic Power."
A distant pain flickered in Chin Gentsai's eyes.
"It's a state where your pulse resonates with the heartbeat of the entire universe. At that level, every punch, every kick draws upon the power of the stars. Your will can even warp reality within a limited range."
"Simply put, it's the leap from being a planetary-level fighter to a cosmic-level one."
Waves of shock crashed through Cloud's mind!
He knew Chin Gentsai was revealing the path to becoming a "true god"!
"And this old man..." Chin Gentsai smiled bitterly, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Reached that realm decades ago."
"What?!" Even Cloud couldn't hide his astonishment.
This seemingly ordinary, wine-loving old codger was actually a hidden boss who had once achieved "cosmic-level" power?!
"Then... what happened to you now..."
"Ah..." Chin Gentsai shook his head, his eyes full of regret. "Back then, I had just entered the Cosmic realm. I was arrogant, thought myself invincible. But during a confrontation with my inner demons, I lost control. I made a terrible mistake."
"In my regret, I severed my own cultivation with my own hands. I fell from Cosmic Power back down to this—just a washed-up old drunk hiding in the mountains."
His words were calm, but Cloud could sense the bone-deep pain and loneliness behind them.
"Cloud, my boy." Chin Gentsai raised his head, fixing Cloud with an unprecedented gravity. "The reason I'm telling you all this... is to warn you."
"Your talent is one in a million generations. You're only one step away from that realm."
"But the closer you get, the more terrifying the inner demons you'll face become."
"They will use the deepest desires in your heart, your strongest obsessions, to tempt you, to devour you."
"You must... hold to your true self, and you will find your way."
Cloud fell silent.
He rose and bowed deeply to the elder before him, this man deserving of respect.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."
...
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