Boundless Cultivation
Chapter 102 - Invader of the Deep

It was one of those rare nights when Alaric shared dinner with his father and Edgar. For some reason, the meal tasted even more delicious in the presence of familiar company.

During bites, his mind drifted to old nostalgic memories, and he realized how much he missed having meals with his friends.

The conversation flowed lightly - none of them wished to discuss politics or war while dining. But Alaric did broach the subject of his reward. Both Edgar and his father had approved of the reward.

Apparently, a natural cultivation resource was much more potent than any man-made pill or elixir. However, they needed careful handling since the risk of side effects also increased with improper use.

Unlike pills or elixirs, the effects of such natural cultivation resources were unpredictable. None of them specifically knew about the mind-reforging dream-root, which emphasized the rarity of the treasure.

Fortunately, he had discovered a description of the treasure in a book on cultivation resources in the library. What he learned confirmed his speculation. It would take far longer to reforge the mind compared to reforging any aspect of the body.

Furthermore, the effects of consuming a mind-reforging dream-root could linger for months. And during that period, the unassimilated energy could play nasty tricks on the mind.

Alaric had no desire to cripple his mind before defeating the hidden boss of the Tutorial Rift. Besides, reforging his mind wasn’t urgent - it was a necessary step before ascending to Tier 4.

So, he decided to postpone the consumption of his mind-reforging treasure. At least until he found some more information about the treasure that could help increase his odds of success and reduce any potential risks.

On his way to the bedroom, he performed a reality check. When his fingers failed to push through the palm of his other hand, Alaric exhaled a sigh and sank into his bed.

Closing his eyes, he took deep breaths to center his concentration on his body. However, his excitement caused his mind to swirl with thoughts. The day had been really productive, and he had found a solution to his most immediate problem.

However the grin on his face was due to another reason - he could sense how close he was to attaining another ability.

After a while, the rhythmic deep breaths and focused relaxation technique worked their magic. Alaric slowly drifted off to sleep, still with a grin on his face.

***

The whole stadium buzzed with an electrifying excitement. Thousands of spectators bellowed his name in unison - Al-uh-ric, Al-uh-ric, Al-uh-ric - and stomped their boots on the stadium floor.

The cacophony of voices didn’t register in his mind. Alaric twisted his body mid-air, dodging a series of spears before hurling a barrage of mana blasts that smashed through the defences of two lizardmen warriors and knocked them out.

Landing on the ground, he immediately sidestepped, narrowly avoiding water jets that sliced through the stone ground. Behind him, a female teen clad in regal blue robes danced as she wielded two folding fans, launching slices of air blades and water jets at every opponent.

The battle royale wasn’t as difficult as he had anticipated. The top twenty talented cultivators of the Hakushin region clashed with one another to earn the right to the Mighty Throne.

So far, Alaric hadn’t encountered a worthy challenger. He easily weaved through the attacks of his opponents, and retaliated by wielding his trusty dragon-blade - powered by his Qi - as it soared through the air.

The dragon-blade, reinforced with his Qi, was unstoppable, piercing through elemental attacks and the guts of his enemies in the ring with ease. He alone claimed the lives of over half the competitors. It was no wonder he had quickly become the audience’s favorite.

Within ten minutes, all other participants lay dead except for his final opponent - an aged man holding a gnarled old staff that brimmed with power.

Alaric grinned, mirroring the expression on his opponent’s face. Judging by the energy signature of his opponent, the man was definitely a high-ranking elder of a powerful orthodox sect in the southern region.

The old man pointed his staff at him, attempting to launch his most devastating attack. Alaric stood passively as numerous gnarled roots sprang from the ground and rushed at him.

The old man cackled, sure of his imminent victory. However, his face soon morphed into a scowl before turning white with fear when Alaric removed the restrictions on his power.

An oppressive pressure blanketed the entire stadium, and the old man buckled under the intense pressure. The tree roots disintegrated under Alaric’s gaze within moments.

As he turned his gaze on the old man, his opponent dropped to his knees, unable to bear the overwhelming pressure. Alaric simply stood still, clasping his hands behind his back as he watched his opponent squirm with intense pain.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Within a few heartbeats, the old admitted his defeat, clearly realizing he was no match for the much younger challenger. Alaric drew a deep breath, resealing his powers, and turned towards the exit.

For just a few moments, he closed his eyes, calmly basking under the applause of the cheerful spectators. However, when he reopened them, a peculiar sight greeted him.

A cat wearing the most luxurious black fur he had ever seen, blinked at him with its emerald green eyes. For some inexplicable reason, the cat appeared to be watching - no - judging him with its unamused eyes.

Huh…what is a cat doing here? He couldn’t fathom how the cat had entered the ring, let alone survive amidst all the chaos. However, before he could reach a conclusion, something even stranger occurred.

“Beware, Alaric,” it said melodiously. “Your life is in danger.”

Alaric was astounded at the incredulity of it all. However, even before he could register the meaning of the words, his danger sense tingled.

Within a split second, Alaric formed a fist before flicking his middle finger. The old man roared behind him, before his voice turned into a gurgling mess.

Alaric slowly turned around, ignoring the collective gasp of the spectators. He simply shook his head, witnessing the old man locked in his final attacking pose - his gnarled staff glowing ominously with black tendrils and dangerously close to Alaric’s neck.

Unfortunately for the old man, Alaric’s dragonblade had skewered the old warrior’s chin and burst through his scalp, effectively killing him before he could complete his final strike.

Alaric clicked his tongue, wondering what caused the old warrior to initiate such a needless assault. In the end, it had cost him his life.

As the host declared Alaric’s undisputed victory, followed by the resounding sound of a victory bell, the audience went crazy, unable to hold their excitement after what they had witnessed any longer.

Alaric absentmindedly slid two fingers through the palm of his other hand, and immediately felt a wave of clarity dawn on him.

Hmm…how did that happen? For the first time, he really looked at his surroundings, trying to understand where he was and what he was doing.

The dead participants, the audience, and even his own body seemed unfamiliar to him. Once again, his eyes focused on his fingers protruding through his palm.

Am I dreaming? At once, another wave of clarity surged through him at that realization. His vision sharpened and his hearing improved.

Suddenly, he noticed that everything was just wrong - some corpses had two noses while others sprouted extra limbs. He even spotted ghosts from his previous life when there was no possibility of them existing in his new life.

The absurdity of the whole scenario finally triggered his lucidity, and Alaric realized that he had become conscious within his dream.

He immediately curbed the excitement bubbling in his chest that threatened to unravel the delicate dreamworld.

Alaric quickly centered his concentration on his five senses - feeling the cold stone floor under his feet, the metallic scent of blood and sweat in the air, the cacophony in the stadium and more - all in an attempt to ground himself to the dreamworld.

He managed to gain control of his dream body, and finally felt connected to the dreamworld. An overwhelming sense of detachment coursed through his form, preventing him from losing his lucidity again.

The dream world grew more vivid, almost mimicking the polish of waking reality. Alaric relished the sensation for a while before recalling he was supposed to do something.

Hmm..where is that cat? No matter where he looked, he couldn’t locate the cat anymore. His intuition warned him that the cat was not a construct of his dreamworld and its threat was more real than he had initially presumed.

Somebody had managed to infiltrate my dream world. A shiver ran down his spine as he grasped that chilling truth. Invading the dreamworld of a person required immense skill and knowledge.

Every individual possessed a natural defense mechanism around their mind that prevented such intrusions. Brute force wasn’t desirable since it immediately alerted the victim, prompting them to raise their mental defenses.

But once a foe could navigate the dreamworld of their victims, they could implant subconscious suggestions and subtly manipulate them without anybody noticing.

If the intruder was powerful enough, they had the potential to ravage the minds of their victims. The fact that somebody had infiltrated his dream world without his awareness was a cause for concern.

He would have to check the integrity of his mind as soon as possible. Still, a part of him felt that the cat didn’t want to cause him any harm. Perhaps, it had invaded his dream to warn him?

Besides, he felt a strange sort of connection to the cat - like he was destined to meet with it.

No more. Alaric promised himself that nobody would ever breach his dreamworld again. He vowed to find out who had invaded his mind.

Alaric closed his eyes and seated himself in the lotus position. Then he began meditating on his seed of insight and the truth of his current reality. His sense of detachment intensified as all his senses receded within himself.

Alaric became encased in a cocoon of blankness that threatened to pull him into a dreamless deep sleep. Before that could happen, he channeled a drop of his third-eye chakra energy, nourishing the seed of insight.

Everything except me is unreal. I alone exist - the only truth in this realm.

A lifetime of memories flashed across his vision - experiences of his previous life guiding him about how he had wielded the ability in the past. Along with it came various insights he hadn’t yet uncovered in this life.

Within minutes, the seed of insight germinated into an ability as he heard the familiar chime of the system.

Alaric didn’t need to open the eyes of his dream body to read the notification.

Congratulations! You have germinated a rare insight into an ability - [Lucid Inner World] (Rare+)

Regardless, he opened his eyes and willed the surroundings to transform. Within moments, the blankness morphed, and he found himself reclining on a sandy beach, caressed by the glistening waves of the vast blue ocean.

A bright sun hung overhead, radiating a pleasant warmth. Alaric grinned, inhaling the pure air that refreshed his entire being.

Ahh, how I missed being in this odd place. Without further ado, he checked the ability description.

Lucid Inner World - You have awakened a rare awareness that allows you to distinguish dreams from reality with perfect clarity. This passive ability grants you full lucidity in dreams, enabling complete control over your dreamscape.

Within your inner world, you are akin to God—capable of molding the environment and creating lifelike simulations as you see fit.

Here, you can train, experiment, or reflect with absolute freedom. But beware, the mind does not easily separate illusion from truth and the effects of your actions can ripple into your waking self.

Beyond training, your dream world is a bridge to your subconscious, where your untapped potential resides. With discipline and insight, it may become the key to mastering not only your skills but your very soul.

With a grin on his face, he got up and began his experimentations in his newly forged inner sanctuary where nobody could pry on him any longer.