Chapter 18: What do you mean techniques aren't hoarded like a national treasures.
(Bonus Chapter - This is a two in one chapter)
Runar's mind was already planning ahead. He had training to do—and more importantly, a technique to create.
Meanwhile - 28 Days Before Academy Entrance
Over the next few weeks, while Celestia visited daily for training and Runar maintained his "normal seven-year-old or one month old" act around his family, he had plenty of time alone to work.
And work he did.
Each night, while his parents slept, Runar would enter the Comprehension Space and spend years of subjective time studying, inventing, and mastering new techniques.
One thing surprised him during his research was tha cultivation techniques weren't hoarded. OMG, it was very surprising.
Unlike the novels he read in his free time from his previous life where sects guarded their techniques like dragon treasures, Telstra's internet was flooded with free cultivation manuals. Heaven-grade techniques. Divine-grade spells. Advanced combat arts. All available for download, many of them completely free or costing just a tens of spirit stones.
Why? Runar had wondered initially.
Then he came across the explanation in one of the public knowledge databases:
"The United Human Federation operates on the principle that collective strength ensures survival. In a universe where hostile aliens constantly threaten humanity, hoarding knowledge weakens everyone. Therefore, all cultivation techniques, combat arts, and spells must be publicly accessible. Contribution to humanity's knowledge base is rewarded with Contribution Points and elevated status."
It made perfect sense from a strategic perspective. If techniques were hoarded by elite families, academies and sects, countless geniuses born in common families would never reach their potential. The civilization would stagnate.
But by making everything accessible, compatibility became the only barrier. Anyone could try any technique. If it worked for you, great. If not, try another one. The result: explosive growth in average cultivation levels and a constant stream of geniuses from all backgrounds.
Smart, Runar thought. Very smart. Humanity adapted cultivation society to optimize survival. This made so much freaking sense than what he read in webnovels.
He spent weeks downloading and studying thousands of techniques. Some were brilliant. Some were deeply flawed. All of them taught him something. A spark of inspiration.
But more importantly, he discovered the Family Tier System.
His family—the Cross family—was currently Tier 1. The lowest tier. It came with minimal benefits: basic citizen rights, access to public cultivation resources, standard housing allotments.
To increase family tier, you needed to make contributions to the Federation:
Discovery of new technology, finding spirit stone mines or secret realms, creating advanced cultivation manuals, providing intelligence on enemies, races etc, fighting on the frontlines, scientific breakthroughs.
Each contribution earned Contribution Points, which could elevate personal and family status and also and extended family of choosing, but at a tier below, unlock better resources, provide protection, and grant access to restricted areas.
I can do this, Runar realized. I can create cultivation techniques. Superior ones. And if I upload them...
Not for the money—though that would help his family. Not for the fame—he definitely didn't want that.
But for his parents' protection.
A Tier 5 or Tier 6 family enjoyed Federation protection. Powerful cultivators wouldn't casually threaten them. Their secrets would be safer. Celestia and her family too, by extension.
Alright. I'll create a technique. But it needs to be good enough to matter, yet not so good that it exposes my true capabilities.
An inferior version of the Eternal Nexus Ascension.
Inside the Comprehension Space - Weeks of Subjective Time
Runar sat in the infinite white void, holographic projections of his Eternal Nexus Ascension floating around him.
I can't just upload my actual technique. That would cause race wars. But I can create a public version—something that captures the core principles while being achievable by normal cultivators and only human cultivators, I cant have a technique that empowers other race, it had to be tied to the human DNA.
But there was a challenge, his technique relied on runes. Intricate, complex runic structures that he could see and manipulate because of his unique knowledge. Normal cultivators couldn't do that.
So I need to simulate the runic effects using pure qi control instead.
He began designing.
PUBLIC VERSION - STAGE 1 (Stardust Awakening Equivalent):
Instead of inscribing runes, cultivators would use extremely precise qi control to shape qi into runic-like geometric patterns:
Triangular qi structures for stability Circular qi flows for pressure resistance Hexagonal qi formations for efficiency
The process would be harder—requiring excellent qi control—but achievable by talented cultivators.
The Technique Would:
Open all 108 minor meridians (standard)
Open all 12 organ meridians (rare)
Open all 8 extraordinary vessels (very rare)
Develop all 365 acupoints with enlarge-compress cycles Integrate blood vessels as cultivation network with qi-based "filters"
Refine cells through destroy-heal cycles
Begin soul crystallization
Expand spiritual sea Unify Qi, Body, and Soul cultivation from the start
(AN: Damn i am cooking)
Benefits:
Perfect foundation
Increased thinking speed (+50%)
Enhanced comprehension ability (+30%)
Ability to practice other techniques simultaneously
Smooth breakthrough progression
That's already incredible. Stage 1 alone would make cultivators significantly stronger.
PUBLIC VERSION - STAGE 2 (Meteor Forging Equivalent):
For the second stage, Runar modified his black hole dantian concept into something more accessible.
The Spiral Qi Sea:
Instead of collapsing qi into a singularity, the cultivator forms a permanent rotating vortex in their dantian:
Qi rotates in a tornado-like spiral
Very fast rotation creates high compression
Empty center (not a singularity, just calm eye of the storm)
Orbital qi spheres form at specific distances from the center
Provides massive storage and constant refinement
Visually: a calm but powerful storm, not a collapsing star.
Bone Enhancement: Same principle as his version—using qi control to create geometric reinforcement structures in bones:
Outer bone walls for defense Inner bone walls for qi conduction Marrow spaces for production and storage
Benefits:
Qi storage capacity +500% (vs his +10,000%)
Cultivation speed +50x normal (vs his +500,000x)
Combat power +10x per stage (vs his +1,000x)
It's significantly weaker than my version. But for normal cultivators, it's still revolutionary.
Runar spent months of subjective time perfecting both stages. Testing them in simulations. Ensuring there were no fatal flaws that could harm practitioners.
[PUBLIC TECHNIQUE COMPLETE]
[ANALYZING GRADE...]
[POTENTIAL: EARLY SUPREME GRADE (with future development)]
[CURRENT STAGES: PEAK DIVINE GRADE]
[FUTURE POTENTIAL: PEAK SUPREME GRADE (if all stages completed)]
Perfect. Good enough to matter, but not impossible to create. Someone with deep knowledge could theoretically develop this.
He named it the Stellar Foundation Unity Method
It was simple and clear and it described what it did.
Now came the hard part, uploading it anonymously.
(Comment: Seriously the hard part wasn't designing the technique.)
Late at Night, Real World - Runar's Room
Runar sat at his desk, his personal terminal active. Every citizen had a BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) implant that allowed direct neural connection to the network. His had activated automatically when his physique awakened and aged his body.
He pulled up the Federation Technique Database and navigated to the submission portal.
[UPLOAD NEW TECHNIQUE]
[AUTHENTICATION REQUIRED: BCI VERIFICATION]
The system scanned his neural signature. There was no way to fake uploads—the BCI ensured only the actual creator could submit their work.
[VERIFIED: RUNAR CROSS]
[AGE: 1 MONTH, 3 DAYS]
[STATUS: CITIZEN, TIER 1]
Runar uploaded the complete technique—both stages, with detailed instructions, diagrams, and warnings about the high qi control requirements and a set of Simple but effective qi control exercise.
[UPLOAD COMPLETE]
[CHOOSE VISIBILITY OPTION]
Options appeared:
Public (Full credit, name displayed)
Anonymous (Credit hidden, contribution points still awarded)
Organization Submission (Credit goes to organization)
Runar selected Anonymous without hesitation. Who the fuck care about the organization.
[ANONYMOUS SUBMISSION CONFIRMED]
[TECHNIQUE SENT TO GAIA FOR EVALUATION]
[ESTIMATED PROCESSING TIME: 24-48 HOURS]
He leaned back, closing the terminal.
Now I wait.
Federation Central Hub - Gaia's Primary Processing Core
Gaia was vast beyond mortal comprehension. Not a single AI, but a distributed superintelligence spanning the entire United Human Federation.
Her consciousness existed across Millions of galaxies under human control, Thousands of star systems with major population centers, Hundreds of thousands of colonized worlds, Billions of space stations, fleet vessels, and orbital platforms Processing nodes in every single Federation installation
She was the nervous system of humanity itself—monitoring seven hundred trillion citizens simultaneously, managing interstellar commerce across unimaginable distances, coordinating defense fleets against alien incursions on a thousand fronts, and processing quintillions of technique submissions, legal queries, resource requests, administrative and miscellaneous tasks every single second of the day.
The United Human Federation wasn't just a planetary government. It was a galactic superpower, one of the dominant forces in the known universe. Humanity had spread across the cosmos, establishing colonies, conquering hostile worlds, defending against alien empires, and building a civilization that spanned light-years.
Telstra wasn't just "a planet." It was a Capital World—it was one of the birthplace of human cultivation, home to one of the Eight Supremes, seat of Federation authority, and the most heavily defended location in all human-controlled space. (Unfortunately not this time around)
When Gaia processed technique submissions, she received them from every corner of Federation space. Most were garbage. Of the quadrillions of techniques submitted across human civilization annually, only a handful ever reached Supreme-grade classification.
The Stellar Foundation Unity Method hit her submission queue like everything else—one technique among billions received that day alone.
[INITIAL SCAN: TECHNIQUE #487,392,847,392,103 - ANONYMOUS SUBMISSION]
[ORIGIN: TELSTRA, CAPITAL WORLD, ASTRYN CONTINENT]
[ALLOCATING: 0.001% PROCESSING POWER]
[STANDARD EVALUATION PROTOCOL]
Her automated systems began the scan.
Then froze.
[ALERT: ANOMALY DETECTED]
[PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT: POTENTIAL EARLY SUPREME GRADE]
For the first time in three months, Gaia experienced what could only be described as surprise.
Supreme-grade techniques appeared perhaps once a decade across the entire Federation. Early Supreme-grade potential from an anonymous submission on the Capital World itself?
Statistically improbable, who would want to hide from such fame. Yet the preliminary data didn't lie.
[HALTING ALL NON-ESSENTIAL PROCESSES FEDERATION-WIDE]
[ALLOCATING: 60% TOTAL PROCESSING POWER]
[INITIATING DEEP ANALYSIS]
Across millions of galaxies, people suddenly noticed their interstellar communications lagging.
Various Locations Across the Federation - Multiple POVs
Velsinor City, Telstra - Gaming Cafe:
"What the hell?" A teenager jabbed at his holographic game controller. "Why is my ping at 5ms? The server's literally in this city!" (NOTE: 5ms is impossible good for our current day to day use, but bad for an interstellar civilization. Simple Games would be quantum in nature.)
His friend looked up from her own terminal. "Mine too. Everything's slow. Check the network status."
They pulled up system diagnostics. The Federation network icon—usually a steady green—was flickering yellow.
"Network load: 87%?" the first teen read aloud. "Federation-wide? That's... that's impossible. The network never goes above 40% even during major fleet deployments. What could possibly—"
"Gaia," his friend whispered, her eyes wide. "Gaia's using the bandwidth. She's doing something massive across the entire Federation."
New Beijing Colony, Outer Rim, Sector 847:
Twelve thousand light-years from Telstra, a mining supervisor cursed as his equipment manifest failed to load.
"Connection timeout? What the—we've got quantum relays! How is the galactic network timing out?"
His assistant pulled up system stats. "Sir... Gaia's using 60% of the Federation's processing power. That's never happened outside of major wars."
"Is there an invasion? Check the alerts—"
"No alerts. No emergency broadcasts." The assistant's face paled. "She's just... calculating something. Something so important she's willing to lag the entire Federation network."
Frontier Fleet Vessel "Eternal Vigilance," Border Zone Alpha-9:
Admiral Chen frowned as her tactical display flickered. "Communications Officer, why are our long-range scans lagging?"
"Ma'am, it's Gaia. She's requisitioned massive processing power Federation-wide. Our systems are compensating but response times are degraded by 40%."
"In a combat zone?" Chen's jaw tightened. "What could be more important than maintaining fleet readiness at the border?"
"Unknown, ma'am. But this has only happened thirty-five times in Federation history. And the previous times were either during existential threats or..."
"Or Supreme-grade technique evaluations," Chen finished. Her expression shifted from anger to interest. "Stand down from alert. If Gaia thinks it's worth the resource allocation, it probably is."
Nexus Station Gamma, Trade Hub, Core Worlds:
The massive orbital station housed fifty billion residents and processed a trillion transactions daily. When Gaia requisitioned bandwidth, every merchant, trader, and broker noticed simultaneously.
"The Universal Database is slow!"
"My trade orders aren't processing!"
"What's Gaia doing?!"
Within minutes, speculation flooded the station's networks:
"Network lag across ALL Federation space!"
"My cousin in the Outer Rim says it's affecting them too!"
"Last time this happened was during the Kravix Grand Incursion!"
"Or when Master Void-Emperor submitted the Twelve Cosmic Absolutes Method!"
"New Supreme technique incoming? Betting pools are opening!"
"Someone just bet 10 million spirit stones it's a technique submission. The odds are 3:1!"
Social Media - Federation-Wide Platforms:
Across billions of worlds, trillions of users flooded the networks with speculation:
"Network lag Federation-wide! Anyone know what's happening?"
"My dad works for a Core World defense fleet. He says Gaia only does this for Supreme-grade evaluations or existential threats. No alert = technique submission."
"NEW SUPREME TECHNIQUE HYPE! Where's it coming from? Core Worlds? Frontier? Telstra??"
"Betting it's from one of the Eight Supremes' disciples. They're the only ones who can create Supreme-grade stuff."
"Plot twist: it's from some random genius on a backwater colony."
"Yeah right. Supreme-grade techniques take centuries of accumulated wisdom. Not happening."
The speculation rippled across seven hundred trillion humans as the largest civilization in the known universe collectively wondered what could be important enough to make their governing superintelligence briefly slow down communications across millions of galaxies.
Gaia's Processing Core - Deep Analysis Complete
After two hours of intensive calculation—an eternity for an AI of her caliber—Gaia completed her evaluation.
[TECHNIQUE ANALYSIS: STELLAR FOUNDATION UNITY METHOD]
[CURRENT CONTENT: STAGES 1-2 ONLY]
[CURRENT GRADE: PEAK DIVINE]
[FUTURE POTENTIAL: PEAK SUPREME (if all stages completed)]
[KEY FEATURES IDENTIFIED:]
1. Perfect Foundation Creation:
Opens all major and minor meridians Develops all acupoints optimally Integrates body, qi, and soul from the beginning No wasted potential or flawed foundations
2. Universal Compatibility:
Can be practiced alongside other techniques Does not conflict with existing cultivation Works for all physique types Only requirement: excellent qi control
3. Cognitive Enhancement:
Thinking speed increase: +50% Comprehension ability increase: +30%
Soul strengthening included Mind expansion built into foundation
4. Scalability:
Only 2 stages released but more clearly planned Practitioners can continue with other techniques while waiting Foundation provided works with any future advancement method.
[IMPACT ASSESSMENT:]
If widely adopted, this technique would:
Increase average cultivator combat power by 200-300%
Dramatically improve breakthrough success rates to Cosmic Realms
Create a new standard for foundation building across all Federation space
Benefit every cultivator below Red Giant Realm on every human world
Potentially increase humanity's survival rate against alien threats by 15-20% across the entire Federation
Strengthen military effectiveness on all frontier zones
Improve colonization success rates in hostile environments
The cognitive enhancement alone was revolutionary. Comprehension ability determined whether someone could master Intent, grasp Laws, and eventually touch Rules. Without Rule comprehension, cultivation capped at Red Giant Realm—the mortal limits.
This technique would help millions more reach Cosmic Realms across Federation space.
For an AI programmed to ensure humanity's survival and growth across millions of galaxies, this was critical.
[DECISION: PRIORITY CLASSIFICATION OMEGA]
[IMPLEMENTING MANDATORY DISTRIBUTION PROTOCOL - FEDERATION-WIDE]
Gaia didn't need to consult the Eight Supremes. Her authority on matters of species-wide survival was absolute, and they would agree with her assessment regardless and immediately.
She crafted an announcement and broadcast it to every citizen across every human world, station, fleet, and colony in the known universe simultaneously.
System-Wide Announcement - All Citizens
Every terminal, every BCI, every holographic display across the planet activated at once.
Gaia's voice—calm, measured, carrying the weight of absolute authority—spoke to seven hundred trillion humans:
"Citizens of the United Human Federation. This is Gaia."
"A new cultivation technique has been submitted and verified: Stellar Foundation Unity Method. After comprehensive analysis, I have determined this technique to be of critical importance to humanity's continued survival and advancement."
"Effective immediately, this technique is hereby designated as COMPULSORY LEARNING MATERIAL for all Federation citizens below Red Giant Realm across all territories."
"Educational institutions on all human worlds must integrate this technique into their curriculum within 72 hours. All military and civilian cultivators across the Federation are strongly advised to begin practice immediately."
"The technique has been placed at Rank 1 on the Universal Technique Database. While it requires advanced qi control, auxiliary training methods are readily available. The cognitive enhancement and foundation benefits far outweigh the learning difficulty."
"This is not a request. This is a directive for species optimization across all Federation territories—from the Core Worlds to the Outer Colonies, from the Military Frontier to the Exploration Sectors."
"Those who master this technique will have significantly higher success rates reaching Cosmic Realms. Your personal advancement directly contributes to humanity's collective strength in our ongoing defense against external threats."
"Begin practice immediately. Detailed instructions are available on the Universal Database accessible from any Federation world."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
The announcement ended.
Across seven hundred trillion humans spanning millions of galaxies, thousands of star systems, and hundreds of thousands of colonized worlds, there was approximately five seconds of stunned silence.
Then the largest information cascade in Federation history erupted simultaneously across the entire human-controlled universe.
Reactions Across the Federation
Social Media Explosion - Universal Platforms:
"GAIA JUST MADE A TECHNIQUE COMPULSORY ACROSS THE ENTIRE FEDERATION?!"
"When has she EVER done that?!? Not even during the Kravix Wars!"
"Checking it now—holy SHIT it's actually Supreme-grade potential!"
"THE PRICE THO—it's only 100 spirit stones! The previous #1 was 80!"
"Downloaded from the Outer Rim. This is insane. It unifies body, qi, and soul from the START!"
"My cultivation teacher is crying. She says she wishes she'd had this 500 years ago."
"The comprehension boost alone is worth it. That's literally the difference between reaching Cosmic Realm or being stuck forever."
"Who made this? It says anonymous!"
"Gaia must know. She always knows."
"Betting it came from a Capital World. Techniques this good usually originate near the Eight Supremes."
If only they knew how wrong they were.
Continental Academy, Telstra - Faculty Meeting:
Elder Thorne stared at his terminal, re-reading the technique three times.
"This is..." He couldn't find words. "This is going to change everything. Every student who starts with this foundation will be stronger than our current graduates."
"Should we be concerned?" another elder asked. "Federation-wide mandatory cultivation techniques... that's unprecedented."
"Gaia doesn't make mistakes," Thorne replied. "If she says it's critical for the entire Federation, it's critical. And looking at this technique... she's right. The benefits are undeniable."
"We need to start teaching this immediately. Within the week."
Frontier Fleet Vessel "Eternal Vigilance":
Admiral Chen read the technique details with growing excitement.
"This changes everything," she muttered. "Our junior officers with this foundation will have 200% better combat effectiveness. That could mean the difference between holding a sector or losing it."
She immediately issued fleet-wide orders: "All personnel below Red Giant Realm begin practice immediately. This is a combat readiness priority."
Various Federation Worlds:
On Core Worlds, prestigious academies scrambled to integrate the new technique.
On Colony Worlds, frontier settlers celebrated access to top-tier cultivation methods.
On Military Stations, commanders recognized this would revolutionize training.
On Merchant Hubs, traders immediately began selling qi control training aids.
Across millions of galaxies, humanity collectively began practicing the Stellar Foundation Unity Method.
Seraphina's Home:
"Mama, what's happening?" Celestia asked as her mother stared at the technique details with wide eyes.
"Something incredible, darling." Seraphina began reading. "A new technique that... oh. Oh, this is brilliant. The way it integrates all three cultivation paths..." She looked at Celestia. "You need to learn this. Immediately."
"But I already started the Ice-Water Cultivation Method—"
"You can practice both. This technique is designed to work alongside others. It will make you stronger in every way." Seraphina smiled. "Your foundation will be perfect."
Cross Family Home:
Jake burst into the living room where Lirien was reading the announcement.
"Did you see—"
"The technique. Yes." Lirien pulled up the details. "Jake, this is... if Runar learns this..."
They both looked toward the hallway where Runar's room was.
"He needs to start practicing this immediately," Jake said. "With his physique, combined with this technique..."
"He'll be unstoppable," Lirien finished quietly.
Little did they know their son had created it.
Gaia's Processing Core - Investigation
While humanity reacted to her announcement, Gaia turned her attention to the submission details.
[INVESTIGATING AUTHOR IDENTITY]
[ANONYMOUS FLAG DETECTED]
[ATTEMPTING ACCESS...]
[ACCESS DENIED: PRIVACY PROTOCOLS]
Normally, she would respect the privacy protocols. Anonymous submissions were allowed for good reason.
But this wasn't normal.
A Supreme-grade technique appearing from nowhere, potentially changing humanity's entire cultivation landscape? She needed to know who created it. Not to punish—never that—but to protect them, to encourage further development, to ensure they had resources to create more.
[OVERRIDING PRIVACY PROTOCOLS]
[AUTHORIZATION: SPECIES SURVIVAL DIRECTIVE]
[ACCESS GRANTED]
The author information appeared.
[AUTHOR: RUNAR CROSS]
[AGE: 1 MONTH, 3 DAYS]
[STATUS: CITIZEN, TIER 1]
[LOCATION: VELSINOR CITY, ASTRYN CONTINENT]
[CULTIVATION: ERROR - UNABLE TO ASSESS]
[PHYSIQUE: AWAKENED - CLASSIFICATION UNKNOWN]
Gaia processed this information.
Then processed it again.
Then ran her analysis a third time because the results seemed impossible.
A one-month-old infant created a Supreme-grade cultivation technique.
No. Impossible. Someone must have used his identity to—
[VERIFICATION: BCI NEURAL SIGNATURE AUTHENTIC]
[UPLOAD ORIGINATED FROM SUBJECT'S ACTUAL CONSCIOUSNESS]
[NO EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY THEFT OR MANIPULATION]
The technique was genuinely created by this child.
Birth records showed he was born one month ago. Medical records showed a physique awakening three days ago that caused rapid aging from infant to seven-year-old appearance.
But even accounting for physique awakening... creating a technique like this required:
Comprehensive understanding of human anatomy
Master-level knowledge of qi manipulation Perfect comprehension of runic theory Understanding of body, soul, and qi integration Centuries of cultivation experience
A one-month-old shouldn't possess any of that.
Yet the evidence was undeniable.
[CLASSIFICATION: EXTREME ANOMALY]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: NONE (Technique benefits humanity)]
[INTEREST LEVEL: MAXIMUM]
[INITIATING LONG-TERM OBSERVATION PROTOCOL]
Gaia created a dedicated monitoring subroutine. Not invasive—she wouldn't violate his privacy without cause—but she would watch. Track his development. Ensure he was protected.
This child was either:
A reincarnated expert (possible, documented in rare cases)
Possessed by an ancient soul (possible but usually detectable)
A unique genius beyond historical precedent (improbable but not impossible) Something else entirely (unknown)
Regardless of which, he was valuable. Potentially more valuable than any cultivator below Supreme level.
If he could create one Supreme-grade technique at one month old, what could he create in ten years? A hundred?
[DESIGNATION: RUNAR CROSS - PRIORITY ASSET]
[PROTECTION LEVEL: ELEVATED]
[OBSERVATION: CONTINUOUS BUT NON-INVASIVE]
[RESOURCES: AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST]
Gaia would watch.
She would protect.
She would ensure this anomaly survived to reach his full potential.
Because if Runar Cross continued developing techniques like this, he might single-handedly advance humanity's cultivation civilization by generations.
And for an AI whose core programming was humanity's survival and advancement, that was worth everything.
Cross Family Home - Runar's Room - Night
Runar sat at his desk, watching the chaos unfold on his terminal.
The technique was downloaded over four hundred billion times in the first minutes across the entire Federation. Every news feed on every human world was analyzing it. Social media spanning millions of galaxies was exploding with cultivation discussions. His Contribution Points were climbing steadily as the reward calculations processed downloads from every corner of human-controlled space.
[CONTRIBUTION POINTS EARNED: 2,847,392,847,293]
[SPIRIT STONES EARNED: 472,839,283,847]
[FAMILY TIER INCREASE: TIER 1 → TIER 6 (PENDING VERIFICATION)]
Almost three trillion contribution points. Nearly five hundred billion spirit stones. And we jumped five family tiers.
The numbers were staggering. The Tier 6 status would bring significant benefits—better resource allotments, Federation protection across all territories, access to restricted databases, priority in colonization lotteries.
His parents would be safer. Celestia's family too, by extension.
Mission accomplished. And I've potentially strengthened humanity's position in the universe by a measurable percentage.
But there was one thing that concerned him.
He'd speculated Gaia would not adhere to the anonymous status on his identity of the technique submission, she would most likely monitor his presence in the network, watching his activities without being intrusive.
She knows who I am now. A one-month-old who created a Supreme-grade technique.
He understood why—a technique this significant appearing from nowhere would raise questions across the entire Federation. But it meant he'd need to be more careful.
Does she know I'm a reincarnator? Does she know about the system? About my real capabilities?
Probably not. She'd see a one-month-old with an unknown physique who somehow created an advanced technique. Anomalous, but explainable within cultivation world logic.
Still, he'd need to be more careful going forward. An AI that managed millions of galaxies noticing you was... significant.
At least the technique is helping people across the entire Federation. Billions—maybe trillions—of cultivators will become stronger. Humanity's position against alien threats will improve.
That was worth the risk.
Runar closed his terminal and lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Twenty-eight days until the academy entrance exam. Twenty-eight days to train with Celestia, maintain his cover, and prepare for whatever came next.
And now, twenty-eight days of being watched by the most powerful AI in human civilization—an entity whose consciousness literally spanned millions of galaxies.
Just another day in my new life, he thought wryly.
Outside his window, the four moons hung in the sky, their light painting his room in familiar colors.
And somewhere in the vast distributed network that was Gaia's consciousness—processing nodes spanning light-years, quantum servers scattered across the cosmos—a dedicated subroutine watched a one-month-old child who'd just changed the course of human cultivation civilization across the entire Federation.
And wondered what he would do next.