1 second.
That's how long his soul's exposure to the Chaos lasted, just a minuscule second that would barely ever make a difference in a normal person's life, yet for him, it felt like a hundred lifetimes.
The first thing he saw was emptiness. A space so vast that he knew by instinct that even with a trillion years to explore he would never be able to reach its boundary, if it even had one.
The only things populating this place were mysterious atoms which he was unable to identify. An incalculable number of atoms, all moving faster than the speed of light, in completely random directions but never coming into contact with one another, never colliding.
It was a system of perfect harmony, of order. It was….beautiful!
Time did not exist here, or rather, it never existed nor would it ever. Time was a construct created by the feeble-minded to bring meaning to their limited lifespans.
1 second could be equal to a million years, and a million years shorter than the smallest measurable unit of time.
His eyes were attracted to a single atom out of all the others. This one in specific, it was different.
In this unimaginable expanse of space, a small ripple appeared around the atom, sending out wave after of energy.
As he gazed at the atom, his vision blurred and the distance between him and the atom shortened. One second he was looking at it from god know's how far, the next second he was next to it. His body continuously shrinking.
When he stopped shrinking, the atom looked like a sun. So vast and majestic that he couldn't even see it completely.
He reached out his hand and passed through its black surface, appearing in yet another space.
In this space was a single spark, flickering in the dark, about to be put out any second.
Compared to the space outside, this was just as big with no boundary in sight. The only inhabitant of this space was the flickering ball of flame.
He looked at the flame and once again found himself standing in front of it. But only after standing next to it did he realize the stupendous amount of energy it was giving off.
It was a small ball of fire, dirt, and white light, all swirling around in a circle, always chasing one another but never being able to catch up.
It stayed like this for eons. But when there was no time, how could eons have passed? Might as well have been a second.
But then something changed.
Hao Xuan felt movement next to him but could see nothing there, yet he could feel it, a presence. Something he wasn't supposed to see.
***
*Crack*
The cocoon covering his body shook once, letting out an invisible wave. This wave passed through the dozens of formations placed around the room, didn't even alert Jin Wang who was sitting not too far from him.
They spread out faster and faster, passing the kingdom of Mei, the Jia, the Empire overlooking them, the continent of Tertium, and then the entire beast world.
They passed through everything, nothing could halt their advance for even an instant.
The view zoomed out, Seven Planets orbiting one another, dozens of suns and moons between them. Each of these planets bigger than the last, with three of them watching over the other four from the outskirts.
One by one the invisible waves reached each of these planets and then passed through them like they were never there.
But a few seconds after they passed, several hundred pairs of eyes opened up from the three planets at the periphery of this boundless solar system.
They peered inward, staring at the four planets but not being to tell where the wave originated from.
"Another has awakened…the primordial spark has been seen once again."
One pair of vertical black eyes looked at the others, with intrigue, curiosity, and perhaps even amusement.
"It is still far too early to assume so. Far…far too early," another golden pair of bestial eyes replied before disappearing.
"This generation has quite a few worthy ones…"
"Haha…it will be fun. This one won't be the last either."
"We need fresh blood, the next war will soon begin."
"There is still time, we can still make it…..hopefully…."
"The inner sanctum must be protected. I can feel the power of the dark ones growing."
*Sigh*
"It cannot be helped. We are incomplete."
"No, we are flawless! They are the 'imperfect ones'."
"If only it was so…"
It seemed like the beings that those eyes belonged to hadn't talked to one another in a long time. They continued their bickering through space and time like it was the most normal thing in the world.
A pair of brown eyes that looked the most like a human's looked at another similar pair.
"Did you hear about the attacks?"
"I did. Begin preparations. The seventh Armada shall take lead. The outer tribes are getting restless, attacking the farming planets."
"I will send my disciples, one of them recently broke through. Tell the gatekeepers to open the portal. It is time to remind them of their positions in the food chain."
"…..alright."
***
*Crack*
Another crack appeared in the cocoon. Jin Wang stood up and stared at the wooden tank with squinted eyes.
Inside, Hao Xuan abruptly opened his eyes. His body was floating in the liquid, looking much different from how he first went in.
One by one the meridians on his arms and legs started glowing bright enough that they could be seen from the outside.
All four energies started moving vigorously, making their way to the last meridian on his forehead. If they were like trickling streams before, now they resembled flowing rivulets coming together.
The meridian on his forehead was starting to light up as well. But this one was shimmering with a black light, much brighter than the others.
Hao Xuan felt the incoming energies and quickly closed his eyes to concentrate and guide them according to the glaive manual.
*Bang*
*Bang*
The energies collided with the thick scab-like walls of the last meridian, making him wince from pain.
Mr. Hyde's voice echoed in his mind once again.
"Open the last door, and let it bathe in the spiritual energy."
Hao Xuan listened to him and his consciousness appeared in his Mind Palace. The entire palace was shaking and all of his 'severs' were standing around the podium, waiting for him.
"Master!"
Ensis, Monk, and Bo got down on one knee as soon as they say him. Black and White wiggled their tails and looked at Hao Xuan expectantly. If they had hands they would be outstretched, asking to be carried.
Hao Xuan smiled at them and waved at Ensis, Monk, and Bo to get up. Zhurong was sleeping once again on top of the podium.
Hao Xuan ignored him and walked up to the door in the middle.
This was the door to his soul. It was already open slightly so with just a push it burst open at once. A bright blue light shone, which blinded everyone other than Hao Xuan himself.
As soon as he opened the door, the spiritual energy from the Low-Grade Spirit stone pulsed in response.
Wave after wave of thick spiritual energy poured out and into the cocoon. Some of it went into his meridians while over 90% of it went straight to his mind palace and into the middle door.
Hao Xuan closed his eyes in ecstasy. It felt like his insides were being washed over with cold water in a hot summer day. There really was no other way to describe it.
He could feel his soul becoming stronger and stronger, it was an exponential increase in strength and ability. It felt like he was blind his whole life and now he could see for the first time.
The four energies continued their collision, making cracks in the meridian wall, but it was still not enough. At this rate it would take weeks to breakthrough.
After Hao Xuan was done feeling the changes in his soul, he focused back on the meridian. It was still shimmering with a soft wavering black light.
"Conjure the last energy, only it can breakthrough."
Hyde provided another important bit of guidance.
Hao Xuan recalled the images he saw in that small swirling black cloud, and what he comprehended from his brief journey.
"Order and Chaos go hand in hand. They are the two sides of the same coin. As everything has a beginning and an end, they always have these two states. The Chaos is the beginning and the end, while the 'order' is what comes in between."
The corner of his lips arched up into a resplendent smile, before parting.
"Where there is order, there WILL be Chaos!"
*BOOM*
It exploded. As soon as he uttered the last line, the meridian wall exploded like a grenade and a flood of black energy rushed out, connecting the five meridians together. Their density increased and thickened, turning into fast-flowing streams.
With a loud pop, his entire body shone with a bright golden light as he took his first step into the Spirit Realm.
The meridians flooded every part of his body with these energies, strengthening it even more. But the black energy moved randomly, not following the same path as the other energies.
This energy was different. Where the others were different colored liquids, this one was like plasma. It was a completely different state of matter, one that was never normally seen. It's form alternated between a liquid and a gas as it moved in and around his body regardless. It could move independently of the meridians, as if the laws of physics had no effect on it.
It could leave his body in the shape of a cloud of black gas and return to it in an instant.
Under normal circumstances, this was not possible. Once the Qi had left the cultivator's body, there was no way to recall it, but the Chaos was an exception.
And how could it not be? It was…Chaos…
****
Yangdi was sitting in his office looking over some documents when he felt the changes inside of him.
A strange energy entered his body and with a light pop, broke free like a dam.
Closing his eyes he felt his Qi thrash around ferociously in merriment as if reacting to this strange new energy. It had remained stagnant for almost a year but now it was suddenly moving. It was given permission to move, and so it did.
A feeling of strength and robustness overtook him as he felt his connection to Hao Xuan light up like a beacon in the night. For an instant, he could feel Hao Xuan's soul connect to his own. It felt like staring at the sun from a few meters away.
His cultivation which had been stuck at the top of Origin Realm suddenly broke through.
Spirit Realm 1st Stage
Spirit Realm 2nd Stage
Spirit Realm 3rd Stage
.
.
.
Spirit Realm 7th stage.
It broke through Six consecutive stages, stopping at the very top of the 7th stage.
He shot up from his seat with clenched fists. This feeling, it was like a drug.
His Qi was now denser, much denser than ever before. It ran through his veins like rampaging beasts, bringing him both pain and pleasure alike.
He keeled over to the floor while placing his right hand over the left side of his chest. His heart, it was beating like a drum.
*Ba-Thump*
*Ba-Thump*
His forehead was covered in sweat as he felt an overwhelming sense of power pass through him. His connection to Hao Xuan deepened as he could feel his existence.
He was one of the first few that Hao Xuan had taken under his wing, albeit without his consent. And due to his intellect and significantly powerful soul, he was the first one to feel the changes.
After him were Green and Red who had been waiting outside his room for the last week. They didn't even move to eat or sleep, simply standing outside his door like trusty bodyguards.
Their auras rose and reached the same power as the First stage of the Spirit Realm, but then it came to a sudden halt.
They exchanged glances with one and confirmed what had just happened. An inordinate amount of soul power entered their bodies. This wasn't the usual spiritual energy, but actual "Spirit Power".
Spirit energy was the raw form of energy that anyone could absorb, while Spirit Power was a type of soul energy being released by a living entity.
And now this power was gushing into their bodies from Hao Xuan, directly from his soul.
It entered their bodies and formed a small mass of swirling energy in the middle of their chest.
There it laid dormant, waiting for something.
The same thing happened to all the others. Even Wu Jin who was almost half a continent away felt this change like he was next to Hao Xuan.
The space between them didn't seem to have any significant effect on whatever was happening to Hao Xuan and his severs right now.
***
Jin Wang's eyes narrowed to a slit as he stared at the cocoon with bated breath.
Minuscule hairline cracks had been spreading out from the center of the cocoon for over an hour now.
Bit by bit grey and black hardened pieces of the cocoon fell down until a body came into view.
Jin Wang furrowed upon examining the bare body in front of him.
"Oi, you hear me?" he asked cautiously while taking a step back.
The body in the cocoon wasn't human, or at least it didn't look very human-like.
Its skin seemed like hardened leather.
Its fingers turning into elongated white claws. From the edge of the elbows, two bone fragments jutted out on each arm.
The feet looked like a beast's with each digit almost twice as long as a normal person decorated with nails as sharp as knives.
The face looked exactly like Hao Xuan's but with a slightly wider forehead.
A bestial aura was leaking outwards which gave even Jin Wang a bad feeling. He stared at his hands that looked like they were made for gouging out inner organs and gulped.
"OI! WAKE UP!" he shouted.
*Tremble*
Hao Xuan abruptly opened his eyes. The wooden tank shook once before bursting into tiny little pieces. It was like an explosion had gone off, dust and black particles obstructing Jin Wang's vision.
He jumped back and took out a normal looking sword. It vibrated as his Qi ran coursed through it, lighting it up.
He squinted his eyes trying to find any sign of a movement or even a shadow, but there was nothing there. The dust settled down and his eyes widened from shock. It was empty. There was an empty hole where the wooden tank was supposed to be.
'It can't be…' Jin Wang thought as he felt a faint presence over his shoulder.
"Boo."
*Prrrt*
"Argh! What the fuck! You nasty freak!"
"That's what you get, asswipe!"
Hao Xuan retched while running to the other side of the room. Just now he had tried to scare Jin Wang with a simple "Boo" and instead was assaulted by his 'gas attack'.
"I've been sitting here watching over your bitch ass for the last week and this is how you thank me?" Jin Wang looked at Hao Xuan despondently.
Hao Xuan's body looked completely normal now, although still significantly different from before. He was putting on a robe when he heard Jin Wang's complaint. He looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Before that, why the fuck did you have a sword out? Huh?"
"Cause I thought something went wrong. You looked like a damn beast hybrid. What was that?" Jin Wang retorted without a modicum of guilt.
Hao Xuan examined himself but could find nothing wrong with his body.
"What are you talking about?" he asked looking up at Jin Wang. But then he suddenly realized something.
"Wait a second, did you grow taller or..?"
Hao Xuan was now more than a foot smaller. Just a week ago he was over 8 feet, but now he was just over 7 feet tall.
He checked himself again and couldn't help but frown.
There were muscles on his body where he didn't even think they could be. His torso was about 15% wider and much thicker than before.
His muscles looked like they were chiseled from stone. There was not an ounce of fat left anywhere on his body.
As he took in a deep breath and flexed, he could feel a devastating power moving through his muscles. He looked up at Jin Wang with an evil grin and a clenched fist.
"Dear brother, let's spar for a bit eh?"
Jin Wang who was watching from afar suddenly paled and staggered backward. He pointed the sword's tip towards him while slowly moving back.
"Y-You bastard, stay the fuck away from me! I DO NOT CONSENT!!"
