100X Returns System: I Dominate the Age of Gods

Chapter 383. Starting with Flux Cultivation - 2

"The Flux Realm’s cultivation system?" Tamasya asked, her surprise evident as she looked toward William.

"Yes." William nodded. "I told you about the Flux World before, remember? The cultivation system used by its natives is called the Flux Cultivation System. Compared to the cultivation methods currently practiced on Aris, it’s considerably more advanced."

As he spoke, a translucent system screen appeared before them. Rows of information floated in the air, displaying the structure of the cultivation path.

"There are nine major realms in this system."

William pointed toward the list as he explained each stage.

"Body Tempering Realm, Qi Refinement Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, Core Formation Realm, Golden Core Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Soul Transformation Realm, Empyrean Realm, and finally the Transcendent Realm."

Tamasya studied the screen carefully while listening.

"The overall strength of cultivators from that world is also significantly higher than what we see on Aris."

"Really?" she asked while narrowing her eyes at the displayed information.

William nodded. "To make a rough comparison, the Body Tempering Realm is equivalent to the Mortal Stage in our mana cultivation system. The difference is that the Flux System has a fixed progression. Every realm is divided into Low, Intermediate, and Peak stages."

His finger moved across the screen before stopping at the middle realms.

"As for us, our current mana cultivation at Absolute Godhood would roughly place us at the strength of the Peak of Core Formation Realm."

Tamasya’s eyes widened slightly while William continued speaking in a calm tone, "Rah is also around our level. However, if we truly compare ourselves to the true natives of the Flux World, especially races like the Vykers, our cultivation strength is actually considered fairly average."

For William, this information was not particularly shocking anymore. He had spent enough time processing it already. For Tamasya, however, the revelation was much harder to accept.

Ever since she had first heard about the Flux World, she had been interested in visiting it. The idea of exploring the remnants of a destroyed universe had fascinated her. In her mind, she had already begun considering the possibility of traveling there once circumstances allowed.

Now that William had explained the actual power hierarchy of that world, her perspective shifted considerably. What she had previously viewed as an adventure suddenly appeared much more dangerous.

If Absolute Godhood only equated to the Core Formation Realm, then the true experts of that world would be far beyond anything she had anticipated.

William seemed to notice the thoughts running through her mind.

"I know you want to continue following your specific path," he said. "But we also need to be realistic."

His expression became more serious. "The gods have blocked the path of ascension for the natives of Aris."

The words immediately drew Tamasya’s full attention.

"The Heavenly Will hasn’t appeared again since the incident involving Lux. I have no idea how we’re supposed to advance our mana cultivation beyond this point."

William paused briefly.

"There is also another issue." His gaze drifted toward the sky.

"We can’t even be certain that mana is the strongest form of energy anymore. Variance Energy has already proved otherwise. There may be other energies used by much stronger gods, and we don’t even sense them properly."

William still had not told Tamasya about the other tree or many of the secrets connected to the higher realms. Even now, he wasn’t sure whether sharing that information would be wise. There were too many unknowns involved, and her life might be in danger if someone sensed her talking about it.

Still, he wanted her to understand the bigger picture. Mana cultivation no longer felt like a reliable path toward true transcendence.

Tamasya understood the implications. For most of her life, her ambition had been simple.

It was to ascend and advance through every realm and stage of cultivation and break her limits.

Break the limits of this world.

Reach heights no one else could reach.

Now, for the first time in thousands of years, she could see another road stretching beyond the dead end that had trapped not just her but the whole Aris.

If she could cultivate Variance Energy and master the Flux System, then perhaps one day she would possess enough strength to challenge the very gods who had ruined her life.

The possibility ignited within her. Her eyes hardened with determination.

"Then how does one cultivate Variance Energy?" she asked directly.

William smiled faintly.

"Normally, when someone cultivates mana or spiritual energy, they absorb ambient energy through breathing and through the pores of their skin. That energy is then directed toward the core located near the center of the body."

As he explained, a simplified diagram appeared on the system screen.

"The core evolves at each stage of cultivation and allows the cultivator to store and manipulate increasingly larger amounts of energy."

Tamasya nodded. That process was familiar.

Every mana cultivator on Aris followed some variation of that principle.

"The Flux System works differently." William enlarged another diagram.

"In the Flux World, cultivators are born with something called Spirit Veins."

A network of glowing channels appeared across the illustration.

"These Spirit Veins spread throughout the body. Instead of gathering energy into a core, cultivators use those veins to absorb Variance Energy directly from the environment."

Tamasya observed the diagram closely.

William continued. "Once absorbed, the energy is circulated throughout the entire meridian network using specific patterns and rhythms. Those circulation patterns form the basis of cultivation."

The diagram shifted again. A small cluster of energy appeared near the lower portion of the body.

"As cultivation progresses, a cloud of Variance Energy begins accumulating in a space above the lower spine. This structure is known as a Proto-Dantian."

The cloud gradually condensed as the diagram advanced through the stages.

"At every realm, the Proto-Dantian becomes denser and more stable. Eventually, upon reaching the Qi Refinement Realm, it transforms into a true Dantian."

Tamasya listened with growing fascination. The system sounded completely different from anything she had ever encountered.

Naturally, she had dozens of questions. Unfortunately, William could only answer a few of them.

After several minutes, he finally raised his hands in surrender.

"That’s pretty much all I know."

Tamasya blinked, and William laughed awkwardly, looking at her.

"I’m serious. Everything I told you is basically the extent of my knowledge. I’m still a beginner when it comes to this cultivation system."

The confession caught her slightly off guard.

Considering everything William knew and possessed, it was easy to forget that there were still areas where he was learning as well.

After thinking for a moment, another question occurred to her.

"So you plan to share your Spirit Veins with me?"

William smiled.

"Not only my Spirit Veins. I’ll also share my Body Tempering cultivation."

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Then she nodded. At this point, her ability to be shocked had diminished considerably.

Ever since meeting William, one impossible revelation after another had become part of her daily life.

The existence of the soulmate mark, the system, the status windows, and his almost impossible powers. The mysterious voice named Orion and Virgo, who was now her personal system spirit.

Each revelation should have been world-shattering. The more she learned about him, the less she understood who he truly was. Every answer seemed to create new questions.

Yet despite her curiosity, she felt no desire to pressure him.

Trust wasn’t built through interrogation.

William had already shared secrets with her that he had hidden from almost everyone else. Earlier today, he had even shown her his status window, something she instinctively knew carried immense importance.

He had chosen to trust her. That trust deserved patience in return. Besides, she wasn’t exactly innocent herself.

There were countless things she still hadn’t told him. Entire Chapters of her past remained hidden.

Painful memories, family matters, and the true history of the Tenebris Clan.

When she considered that, it felt almost hypocritical to demand complete honesty from William while continuing to hide so much from herself.

One day, the truth would come out. She was certain of that.

For now, however, she was content to wait.

And as she looked at William, standing before her, confidently explaining yet another impossible cultivation system from another universe, the same question quietly surfaced in her mind once again.

"Who exactly are you, William"?