Void Cultivation

Grey's eyes flickered with surprise for a fraction of a second, then sharpened. He scanned the cultivators around him. Most hovered between the peak levels of Qi Accumulation and the early stages of Foundation Establishment, yet their auras were far from ordinary.

'The Pocket Dimension is full of potent Celestial Qi and Cold Yin energy'.he thought. 'The Celestial Qi strengthens cultivators immensely.The Cold Yin energy is useful for the creatures in the Boundless River. My time here has also helped my level grow at a very fast speed.'

He remembered the dozens of creatures he had fought since arriving here. Their cultivation bases were often lower than his, but their sheer strength had forced him to unleash his most powerful attacks from the start. In this energy-saturated world, strength did not always line up with cultivation.

It's no wonder why everyone here develops fast, he thought. The cultivation base here sees a qualitative leap. That also includes the native creatures.

"Sigh… I wonder if the war has already started," Grey muttered under his breath. Loud enough for a nearby chubby cultivator to hear.

"Eh!? Did he just say war?" Bao froze, eyes wide, confusion and fear crossing his round face. Grey said nothing more. Bao could not read his intentions, and that silence alone made him uneasy.

"C-can I… i-i leave now?" Bao stammered, glancing at the magic ship rising slowly beneath them. It climbed several meters, then faster, cutting through the air with cold precision.

Grey's eyes glinted faintly purple beneath his hood. A subtle glow appeared where his eyes should have been. Bao's stomach dropped. Vertigo gripped him, nausea twisting every fiber of his body. He vomited violently, trembling on his knees.

Seconds later, Grey was behind him. His arm swung like a steel whip, striking the back of Bao's neck. The crack of bone was sharp and final. Bao collapsed, unconscious.

Grey looked at him, considering. Kill him? Keep him?

'Soulsmiths are very rare. Their works are always sought after. If not for the fact that his sentient Soul Weapon is with me, I would have tried to capture him to produce more weapons. But he could still control it through the storage bag. I wouldn't want any unfortunate accidents.'

He decided. Selling him was the better choice. A Soulsmith could fetch a high price, and as a member of the Detective Agency Department, Grey knew all the black markets near Sky Mist City. No one would question a sudden arrival of a cultivator like Bao. Even unconscious, Bao shivered slightly as if sensing the decision.

The magic ship rose further, piercing thousands of meters into the sky, drawn toward the spatial tear. Other cultivators were pulled upward too—outsiders, those above Foundation Establishment. The suction force tugged violently, threatening to destabilize Grey's stance. Darkness closed around him for a few heartbeats. He spread his perception, searching. Only emptiness answered, like a wound in the world.

Then came the sensation: his body phasing through a semi-permeable barrier. Solid and intangible at once. His bones vibrated under pressure he could not name. Every nerve burned, stretched in ways that defied reason.

'… it's like every inch of my body is being pulled apart.' he thought. 'Like my atoms are sliding past each other inside some invisible grip.' Grey said inwardly with great strain.

Roxanne screamed high and desperate. Grey's teeth clenched. The sound bounced in the emptiness, but it did not matter.

Bao's eyes rolled wildly. Every movement sent new shards of pain through him. His skin crawled as though the space itself was tearing him open, stretching every muscle, every tendon. Waves of nausea tore through him, his vision flickering with light and shadow.

Grey's eyes glinted faintly beneath the hood. He did not panic. He adjusted the magic ship slightly, guiding it through the tear. He felt the pull of the spatial currents, the resistance of the phasing barrier—but nothing more. From the corner of the chubby cultivator's eye, he could see Great standing on the bow of the ship. His expression was one of coldness, detachedness and control.

The sensation did not end. Each second was drawn out painfully. His body felt hollow, yet compressed. Every molecule seemed to scrape against itself. The pressure inside him twisted, stretched, and burned. Pain was precise. It carved awareness. It sharpened him.

Bao moaned, white-knuckled, clinging to nothing. Every inch of him throbbed with the invisible pull. His vision swam. His stomach rolled. His body felt fragile, as if the air itself could shred him. Grey remained at the bow of the ship, silent, detached. The purple glow in his eyes never wavered.

The tunnel widened. Stars stretched into long streaks of light, faint beacons marking the exit. The sensation of phasing began to subside slightly, but the residue of stretching and pressure lingered, a reminder of what they had endured. Grey adjusted the magic ship to keep it level, steady.

Then they broke through. The magic ship plunged into the Dead Sea. Corrosive water hissed against its hull, steam rising in thin, sharp clouds. The familiar acrid stench struck Grey's nostrils. Around him, dozens of other cultivators emerged from the tear, staggering, coughing, trying to adjust to gravity, water, and the overwhelming environment.

Immediately, Celestial Qi and Cold Yin energy surged into the underwater space. Currents shifted violently, pushing against the corrosive waves. Grey felt the energies coil around him, sharp and cold. Even Bao, trembling and pale, shivered as the prickling warmth of Celestial Qi and the icy touch of Cold Yin energy entered him.

Grey scanned the scene, noting the cultivators emerging from the depths. Some spat, some coughed. Few could hide their panic. He did not care. He merely observed. Strengths, weaknesses, hesitation—all cataloged for later use.

The Dead Sea's corrosive surface hissed violently, reacting to the energy surge. Grey hovered over the water slightly, letting his perception sweep the currents. The Celestial Qi and Cold Yin energy coiled through the depths like living threads. He did not flinch, did not care for the others' suffering. Advantage lay in patience and observation. That was all that mattered.

Bao's pale eyes met Grey's briefly, fear still raw, and Grey's hood fell slightly to shadow his expression. No pity. No reassurance. Just control.

The horizon glimmered faintly, hints of the Second Continent barely visible beyond the dead waters. The journey had been punishing, and the phasing through space had left its mark. But they had come out alive. That was enough.