7 — System Evolution: Level 2
Kael did not stop walking until the market noise faded behind him.
He moved through layered streets, eventually reaching the quieter eastern district of Blackwind City — a region filled with modest cultivation residences rented by wandering practitioners.
Only when he entered a small sealed courtyard did he allow himself to breathe fully.
The system pulsed again.
Not sharply.
But steadily.
Like something approaching ignition.
He sat cross-legged on the stone floor and stabilized his breathing. Blood Refinement — Late Stage energy circulated smoothly through his meridians. The legacy assimilation had strengthened his structural density significantly, but there was still instability beneath the surface.
And beneath that—
The system.
[ ───── SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION CHECK ───── ]
[ Host Stability: Confirmed ]
[ Heavenly Monitoring: Active ]
[ Synchronization Progress: 49% → 61% ]
[ Level 2 Evolution Threshold: 100% ]
[ Estimated Completion: Imminent ]
[ ───────────────────────── ]
Sixty-one percent.
It was accelerating without additional extraction.
The legacy core had triggered deeper integration.
Kael closed his eyes.
If evolution requires structural compatibility… then breakthrough prepared the foundation.
The memory of the other anomaly resurfaced.
The young man at the weapons stall.
Artificial augmentation host.
Meaning—
Not natural inheritance.
Constructed.
Engineered.
That implied either:
Another civilization left behind artificial systems.
Someone else had tampered with Heavenly Code.
Both possibilities were dangerous.
The system pulsed harder.
[ ⚠ SYNCHRONIZATION SPIKE DETECTED ⚠ ]
[ Foreign Data Threads Integrating ]
[ Debug Authority Expanding ]
[ Concealment Load Increasing ]
[ Concealment Integrity: 51% ]
Pressure descended.
Not from the sky directly—
But from everywhere.
The air inside the courtyard felt heavier.
Kael's breathing slowed instinctively.
It's happening.
The system flared.
[ ═════ SYSTEM EVOLUTION INITIATED ═════ ]
[ Heaven's Debug System — Level 2 ]
[ Structural Rewrite in Progress ]
[ Expanding Privilege Access ]
[ Reconfiguring Interface Architecture ]
[ Do Not Interrupt ]
[ ═══════════════════════════════════ ]
Pain erupted behind his eyes.
Not physical pain.
Cognitive strain.
As if thousands of invisible threads were being reconnected in real time.
The previous clean interface dissolved.
Lines shifted.
Modules reorganized.
Then—
It stabilized.
[ ═════ HEAVEN'S DEBUG SYSTEM — LEVEL 2 ═════ ]
[ Host: Kael Ardyn ]
[ Realm: Blood Refinement — Late Stage ]
[ Core Attributes ]
[ Strength : 18 ]
[ Agility : 13 ]
[ Vitality : 17 ]
[ Spirit : 5 ]
[ Luck : 2 ]
[ New Modules Unlocked ]
[ Combat Projection — Advanced ]
[ Attribute Storage Mode ]
[ Minor Structural Editing (Self Only) ]
[ Fate Thread Visualization — Limited ]
[ System Level : 2 ]
[ Concealment Mode: Reinforced ]
[ Concealment Integrity: 54% ]
[ ═══════════════════════════════════ ]
Kael's heartbeat slowed.
Level 2.
Combat Projection — Advanced.
Attribute Storage.
Structural Editing.
And—
Fate Thread Visualization.
His eyes sharpened.
"Activate Fate Thread Visualization."
For a brief second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The world shifted.
Faint silver threads extended outward from everything.
From buildings.
From objects.
From distant cultivators.
Most threads were thin.
Stable.
Flowing predictably.
But some—
Some were brighter.
Thicker.
Interwoven with greater density.
His gaze moved instinctively toward the direction of the market district.
Toward where he had seen the other anomaly.
There.
A thread.
Brighter than surrounding ones.
Not natural.
It flickered erratically.
As if being recalculated repeatedly.
[ ─── Fate Visualization Active ─── ]
[ Anomaly Signature Confirmed ]
[ Probability Divergence Rate: High ]
[ Interaction Likelihood: 63% Within 30 Days ]
[ ───────────────────────── ]
Kael exhaled slowly.
So fate was not fixed.
It was structured probability.
And anomalies distorted it.
He disabled visualization.
The threads faded.
At that exact moment—
The sky above Blackwind City trembled faintly.
Not visible to civilians.
But perceptible to him.
The system reacted instantly.
[ ⚠ HEAVENLY RESPONSE ESCALATION ⚠ ]
[ Multiple Irregular Growth Nodes Detected ]
[ Monitoring Intensity: Moderate → High ]
[ Concealment Mode: Reinforced Suppression ]
[ Concealment Integrity: 48% ]
The drop was sharp.
Level 2 had increased his authority—
But also his visibility.
Kael stood slowly.
He tested the new Combat Projection module.
He drew his sword and performed a simple forward slash.
The system overlaid faint predictive lines across his vision.
[ Combat Projection — Active ]
[ Efficiency Optimization: +11% ]
[ Muscle Tension Adjustment Recommended ]
[ Wrist Rotation Correction: 2.4 Degrees ]
He adjusted mid-swing.
The blade cut cleaner.
Sharper.
Faster.
This was no longer reactive analysis.
It was real-time correction.
He switched to Attribute Storage Mode.
[ Attribute Storage: Enabled ]
[ Stored Points: 0 ]
[ Future Extractions Can Be Allocated Manually ]
That meant he no longer needed immediate absorption.
He could strategize.
Delay.
Optimize breakthroughs.
Finally—
He tested Minor Structural Editing.
[ Structural Editing — Self Only ]
[ Temporary Optimization Window: 30 Seconds ]
[ Cooldown: 12 Hours ]
[ Warning: Excessive Use May Trigger Heavenly Detection ]
So even self-editing carried risk.
He sat back down.
Level 2 was powerful.
But Heaven had responded immediately.
Which meant—
Level 3 would be dangerous.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
Soft.
Controlled.
Kael did not move at first.
Then the knock came again.
He stood and opened the courtyard gate slightly.
The young man from the weapons stall stood outside.
Calm.
Composed.
Eyes sharp.
"I sensed something earlier," the young man said evenly.
"Did you?"
Kael replied.
The young man smiled faintly.
"The fluctuation was subtle. But not natural."
Silence hung between them.
Then—
"I am Ren Kaelith," the young man said.
"Independent cultivator."
Kael studied him.
The system pulsed faintly.
[ External System Signature Confirmed ]
[ Classification: Artificial Assistance Interface ]
[ Compatibility: Unknown ]
[ Risk Assessment: High Potential ]
Ren's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Interesting."
Kael's expression did not change.
"What is?"
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"Nothing."
A pause.
Then—
"The world is changing," Ren said calmly. "The Southern Continent is destabilizing. Larger powers are moving."
"And you are telling me this why?" Kael asked.
Ren's smile returned, but it did not reach his eyes.
"Because anomalies draw anomalies."
Silence.
Two irregular threads standing face to face.
High above—
Heaven adjusted its observation priority once more.
[ Heavenly Monitoring Update ]
[ Anomaly Interaction Probability: Rising ]
[ Correction Protocol Readiness: Preparatory Stage ]
Back in the courtyard, neither spoke further.
But both understood something fundamental.
This was no longer about survival.
It was about trajectory.
And trajectories that diverged from Heaven—
Eventually intersected with correction.
Kael closed the gate slowly.
Inside, his system remained active.
Level 2.
New modules.
New rival.
And Heaven watching closer than ever.
The game had escalated.
And it had only just begun.