Liam was seated on his bed and he wasn't ready to sleep yet. There were still things he needed to understand.

He was thinking about cultivation… and the perfect foundation the System wanted him to build.

He hadn't performed his daily sign-in yet, deliberately delaying it. He wanted to speak with the System first, to clarify a few things.

"System, how many sign-ins will it take before I can get what is required to build the perfect foundation, from the magic universe?" He asked.

[Approximately seven sign-ins, Host. One week minimum before full access to the mana universe's cultivation system can be achieved.]

"A week…" Liam murmured, thoughtful. "And when you say 'full access,' what exactly do you mean? And what do you mean by awakening?"

[Awakening, Host, refers to the process of aligning your body and consciousness with the mana universe's cultivation framework. In simpler terms, it is the moment you 'plug in' to its laws.]

Plug in? he muttered. "Like forming a mana core or awakening as a hunter?"

[Exactly, Host. Similar to how a cultivator forms a core, or a player in a mana-apocalyptic world activates their interface. The process grants you the right to harness that universe's energy directly.]

That made sense — almost too much sense.

Liam had read enough web novels and theories to understand the idea, but something still bothered him.

"I understand the concept," he said slowly. "But tell me this — do I really need to awaken? The Origin Devouring Body can absorb and refine any form of energy. Maybe even electricity. Shouldn't I just… absorb mana directly and skip the awakening process?"

[Host misunderstands the mechanics of the Origin Devouring Body. While it is indeed a supreme talent, its nature remains tied to the laws of the cultivation universe. It does not rewrite them — merely transcends their limits within that realm.]

"In other words," Liam said quietly, "it still follows the rules of the cultivation system."

[Correct. You can absorb mana, yes, but the process will convert it into spiritual qi, not pure mana essence. The body will interpret mana through the lens of your original universe's laws.]

Liam frowned. "So even if I take energy from another universe, it gets converted?"

[Indeed. To fully harness foreign energy sources, you must be awakened within their systems. Only then can you use their native energy in its true form.]

Liam went silent for a few seconds, digesting the explanation. He could feel the weight of understanding settle into him like a puzzle piece clicking into place.

"So when the description said the Origin Devouring Body could absorb 'any form of energy'…" he began.

[It referred to supreme cultivation energies, Host — not mundane power like electricity. Examples include poison qi, demonic qi, yin and yang qi, elemental qi, arcane mana, demonic mana — energies that are alive within their universes' laws. Such energies possess structure, essence, and alignment. They can fuel growth. Electricity cannot.]

Liam nodded slowly. That clarified everything. He understood now why his talent, as powerful as it was, still needed a proper foundation.

"So in my home universe," he said, "the only comparable energy would be… dark energy."

[Correct. Dark energy is the sole supreme form present in your universe. Everything else is elementary by comparison.]

That meant only one thing: if he wanted to create a foundation that surpassed boundaries, he'd need to unite energies from all three universes — cultivation, magic, and his home universe.

The thought made his pulse quicken.

"I see," Liam murmured, half to himself. "Then awakening isn't optional. It's necessary."

[Affirmative. Once awakened, your foundation will no longer be restricted by a single set of cosmic laws. You will exist beyond universal classification.]

Liam gave a soft laugh when he heard that. But there was more he wanted to know.

He straightened slightly and asked, "Then tell me, System — what exactly will I need to create this perfect foundation?"

[You already possess what you need from the cultivation universe, Host. The next step is learning how the Void Beasts passively absorb dark energy and to awaken within the mana universe to complete the triad. There's no fixed sequence to it.]

"That's all?" Liam asked skeptically.

[It is that simple, Host.]

After the system's explanations, Liam felt that he now understood everything — at least conceptually.

The Origin Devouring Body was powerful, but it was still tethered to the cultivation universe's laws.

The perfect foundation would sever that tether and rebuild it on his terms — a convergence of three realities into one.

He could already imagine dark energy, qi, and mana interwoven, refined into a single, higher essence. A new form of energy that transcended all known systems.

He wondered what the System would call. But what he knew was that whatever it was, it would change everything.

For a while, he just sat there, his eyes half-closed, letting the thoughts wander through his mind and he also imagined the endless potentially, terrifying possibilities.

Thinking about it again, Liam got even more excited and wanted nothing more than to visit the magic universe immediately, but he knew that it won't yield any result for him.

The system had told him that it will take a week before he can awaken, which means he should wait until after his second weekly sign-in before going there.

He was really curious about how the worlds in the magic universe would be like and what world he will find himself. He hopes there's a mana apocalyptic world or something along that line, where there are hunters and players.

Liam smiled and sighed as he thought about it.

Patience was part of the process, he muttered.

His gaze drifted toward the window. The night sky above Holmby Hills shimmered faintly, the faint glow of the city giving the stars a muted halo. There was still so much for him to do across the three universes and he hasn't even gotten started.

His smile faded as his mind shifted to more immediate concerns. Lucy had informed him earlier that there had been multiple hacking attempts — intrusions on his accounts, trackers buried in data streams, and even probes directed toward his friends' social media.

Which mean that someone, somewhere, was trying to get close to him. And he couldn't allow that.

Security, both digital and physical, had to be absolute. The world might still see him as a billionaire or a prodigy, and also someone with lack of clear affiliation. This makes him a target to everyone who didn't understand him.

"All right," he murmured. "Time to tighten the walls."

He immediately put a call to Daniel. The line picked up on the first ring.

"Good evening, sir," came Daniel's composed voice.

"Evening, Daniel," Liam said, his tone steady. "I need you here first thing in the morning. There's something important we need to discuss."

There was no hesitation, as Daniel responded, "Understood. I'll be there."

"Good," Liam said. "We'll talk then. Get some rest."

"You too, sir. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The call ended, and the room returned to silence.

Liam placed the phone aside and lay back, sinking into the sheets. He decided to stack up his sign-in, to get better sign-in rewards on his second weekly sign-in.

He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift and exhaled slowly. Tomorrow was going to be busy because Lucid will be delivered to the gamer streamers, starting another round of commotion.

Liam smiled and exhaled once more, as he cleared his head. And within minutes, he drifted into sleep.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.