The breakthrough came during a routine practice session.David was standing in the meadow near the silver river, his eyes closed, his spear planted in the ground beside him. He had been practicing the three pillars in sequence teleporting from one point to another, then locking down the space he had just left, then strangling a target at the midpoint. It was a drill he had performed thousands of times.But this time, something was different.He teleported. But instead of moving through space, he felt as if he had become space as if his body had dissolved into the fabric of existence and reformed at his destination. The transition was seamless, effortless, so smooth that he could not tell where the movement ended and the stillness began.He locked down the space around his previous position. But instead of freezing the threads of space deliberately, he simply willed them to stop and they stopped. Not because he commanded them, but because his will and the will of space were the same.

Albert stepped forward. His ancient eyes, which had seen eons pass, were bright with something that might have been pride. "You have exceeded every expectation. The eldest disciple asked you to reach Universe Venerable in a thousand years. You have done it in half that time. And you have done so with a mastery of Space that rivals the Dark Lord's own disciples."Athena nodded. "The foundation is laid. The path to the God realm is just the beginning. And the universe outside..." She paused, a faint smile crossing her ageless face. "The universe outside will not know what hit it."David rose to his feet. His body, stabilized at eight feet, moved with a fluidity that defied its size. His spear, which had been with him since the beginning, hummed in his grip as if it too recognized the transformation.He looked toward the pagoda, but his thoughts were already moving forward. There was still one more mystery to explore: the Law of Time. It would determine much of his future, and he could n

David felt a cold weight settle in his chest. Fifty years ago. That was recent enough that the emergency might still be ongoing."Nothing more specific? No news reports?""Nothing on the public network, sir. However, I did locate a personal message from Robert Cooper to several close associates, dated approximately forty-eight years ago. The report stated that the Cooper family was facing 'political difficulties' and would be returning to the capital to address them. The tone of the message suggests... concern."David's jaw tightened. "Political difficulties. That's a polite way of saying someone was trying to destroy them.""It would appear so, sir.""Trippy, set course for the exit portal. We're going to the Galactic Empire capital.""Sir, the exit portal requires passing through Base 14's security checkpoint. Your cultivation level will be detected. There is no way to bypass this."David had known this was coming. The portals were designed to register every warrior who passed throu