My second year on Terra Nova unfolded with a relentless, internal rhythm of cultivation that dwarfed the slow, plodding progress of those around me. Each tick of time for the inhabitants of this rustic village meant another exponential leap in my internal energy refinement, another layer of understanding peeled back from the System's vast knowledge base. My parents, Elara and Theron, continued to dote on me, their lives revolving around their small farm and the simple routines of village life. They were good people, their concerns limited to crop yields, the health of their livestock, and the occasional minor ailment. They remained utterly oblivious to the cosmic entity quietly calculating optimal energy distribution in their infant son's burgeoning meridians, let alone the cynical, ancient mind within.
My [Genesis Void] had expanded, growing from a mere cubic meter to a more comfortable, though still finite, two cubic meters of pure blackness. Within this personal cosmos, my dominion was absolute. I could shift its internal temperature with a thought, create a faint, shimmering light to banish the void, or even exert a subtle pressure on its ethereal boundaries. It was my sanctuary, a truly private retreat from the baffling physical limitations of infancy and the even more baffling complexities of human social interactions. In here, I was not merely a baby, but a nascent architect of reality, meticulously planning my own destiny.
My mind, ever the analytical one, quickly processed the fundamentals of Terra Nova's Qi cultivation. It was inefficient, almost painfully slow, compared to the optimized pathways the System constantly suggested. The villagers spent decades trying to reach the Qi Gathering Realm, while my System informed me I had reached it months ago, meticulously suppressing my aura to avoid suspicion. I couldn't help but feel a detached amusement at how much effort went into such limited gains. This amusement often found its outlet in subtle, mischievous ways, little tests of my ever-growing control over unseen energies.
Daily life in the village revolved around Qi. Farmers used it to boost crop growth, infusing the soil with their vitality. Healers channeled it to mend broken bones or soothe fevers, their hands glowing faintly with concentrated life force. Even simple tools like axes and plows were subtly reinforced with ambient Qi, making them more durable. It was a pervasive, fundamental part of their existence, but their understanding of its deeper mechanics remained rudimentary, almost instinctive. They wielded Qi like a blunt instrument, while I was learning to use it as a surgeon's scalpel, aided by my unique connection to Mana and Aether.
The [Subtle Energy Manipulation (Mana-infused)] blueprint the System had granted me was a constant source of fascination. It wasn't just about Qi; it was about integrating trace amounts of those elusive, higher energies – Mana and Aether – into my Qi, allowing for effects previously impossible on Terra Nova. I would sneak away to the secluded parts of the forest, away from any wandering eyes, and practice. I'd focus on a single leaf, guiding a minuscule Mana current to make it shiver independently of any breeze. I'd send a thread of Aether to subtly shift a pebble, making it roll uphill for a brief, bewildering moment. It was painstaking, precise work, requiring absolute concentration, but each success filled me with a quiet, profound satisfaction.
My pranks, of course, grew more sophisticated, less about simple clumsiness and more about subtle, almost undetectable manipulation. Old Man Grumbles, the village's resident gossiping elder, remained a favorite target. He was perpetually complaining about his fishing luck, blaming everything from "too many river sprites" to "that damn newfangled fishing pole of Theron's." One crisp morning, he was regaling a small crowd with a particularly elaborate tale of his "biggest catch that got away." He punctuated his story by vigorously tapping his favorite, perfectly balanced fishing rod against the ground. I, sitting quietly nearby, appeared absorbed in playing with a handful of smooth river stones.
I focused. A minuscule thread of pure Aether, imperceptible to anyone else, flowed from my developing Aether-infused dantian. I guided it to the very tip of Old Man Grumbles's fishing rod. My intent was precise: a minute spatial distortion, causing the tip to vibrate at an incredibly high frequency, just enough to gently, subtly, snap the fishing line, creating a single, clean break at the point of greatest tension.
Snap! The sound was barely audible above his booming voice. Old Man Grumbles froze mid-sentence, staring down at his now useless fishing rod, its line severed clean. He blinked. Then he looked at the sky. Then at the river. His face went through a comical series of expressions – bewilderment, outrage, then a profound, almost religious conviction.
"It's the river spirits!" he shrieked, waving the broken rod wildly. "They broke my line! They demand sacrifice! I told you, they don't like my new bait!" He dashed off, leaving behind a bewildered crowd of villagers who clearly thought he'd finally lost his mind.
I let out a contented gurgle, burying my face in Elara's shawl. She chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, that Old Man Grumbles. Always imagining things." She was completely oblivious, and my inner cynic reveled in the perfect, subtle chaos I had wrought.
My cultivation continued its quiet, unstoppable climb. As I neared my third birthday, the Qi within me was consolidating rapidly, refining itself into something new, something denser and more powerful. I knew what was coming.
Meanwhile, the world outside our peaceful village began to shift. The vibrant greens of the surrounding forest seemed to dim, taking on a subtle, unhealthy pale hue. Farmers complained that their crops grew sluggishly, and the wild game seemed less abundant, less energetic. A subtle, almost metallic tang, like distant ozone mixed with decay, began to permeate the air, especially from the north. The villagers, though not understanding the cause, felt it. They talked of "bad humors" in the air, or "the earth feeling tired."
Then, the first clear sign of danger presented itself. A young farmer, returning from his late-day chores, stumbled into the village square, clutching his arm, his face a mask of profound terror. His sleeve was torn, and beneath it, a gaping, angry wound pulsed with a sickly green glow. It was an energy I immediately recognized from the System's data: corrupted Qi.
"A Corrupted Beast!" he sobbed, his words tumbling out in a desperate gasp. "It was like... like a shadow! It moved so fast! It drained my Qi! It felt so cold, so wrong!" His fear was visceral, contagious, speaking of a terror that went beyond mere physical injury.
My parents, Elara and Theron, rushed to his side, their faces grim. The elder hobbled over, his ancient eyes narrowed, peering intently at the pulsating, black wound. A collective shiver ran through the crowd that quickly gathered. "The Blackwood Clan," he whispered, his voice hoarse with burgeoning dread. "Their array. It must be leeching the very Qi from the land, twisting the natural energy, creating... abominations. It's happening faster than the legends foretold."
My mind whirred, processing the data. The [Earth-Binding Array] wasn't just about resource depletion; it was actively corrupting the ecosystem, twisting fundamental energies and warping life itself. This was a new level of problem entirely. And a new, terrifying type of enemy. My pragmatic mind immediately began calculating optimal countermeasures.
Suddenly, a guttural snarl ripped through the air, chillingly close. From the darkening edge of the forest, a creature emerged. It was a Shadow Wolf, but unlike any the villagers had ever seen. Larger, its fur matted and dull, its eyes glowed with a malevolent, sickly green light that pulsed with dark, corrupted energy. Its Qi signature was unstable, flickering between faintness and violent, uncontrolled surges, making its movements erratic and unpredictable. It moved with an unnatural jerkiness, sniffing at the withered grass, its corrupted senses locked onto the fear of the gathered villagers. This was a true Corrupted Beast, a monstrosity born of a desecrated land.
[Threat Detected: Corrupted Shadow Wolf (Qi Foundation Realm Equivalent). Energy Signature: Highly Volatile/Unstable. Threat Level: Moderate. Optimal Engagement: Target core Qi nexus, disable with Mana-infused strike, then attempt Beast Soul Integration.]
The villagers screamed, scattering, their flimsy Qi defenses useless against such a perversion of life. The corrupted wolf lunged, directly at Elara and Theron, who stood frozen in protective stances before me, their faces etched with terror.
This was my moment. No time for subtle pranks or invisible nudges. I had to act.
My small hand, now humming with precisely channeled Mana, shot out. It wasn't a blast, not a fireball designed for raw power. It was a thread of energy, a precise, invisible needle aimed at the core of the wolf's Qi circulation, directly behind its left foreleg.
The wolf, mid-leap, its snarling jaws wide, suddenly stiffened and spasmed violently in the air. Its eyes rolled back into its head, and it collapsed in a heap, utterly motionless, like a puppet whose strings had been abruptly severed. There was no visible wound, no scorch mark, no physical trauma. Just... dead. Silently dead.
A stunned, horrified silence fell over the villagers. Even the faint, sickly green glow from the dead beast seemed to drain away, leaving only an unsettling stillness. "What... what was that?" someone whispered, their voice trembling with a mixture of terror and awe.
Theron, wide-eyed, stared at the unmarred corpse, then frantically scanned the dark perimeter, searching for an unseen savior. "Did its Qi... explode inside it? But who... who could do such a thing without a trace?"
I, meanwhile, allowed a small, perfectly timed, innocent yawn to escape my lips, rubbing my eyes with my tiny fists. Elara, still trembling, hugged me tighter, a nervous, bewildered chuckle escaping her lips. "Oh, my brave little man! You must have startled it with your gurgle!" she cooed, desperately trying to find a rational explanation for the inexplicable.
They spent the rest of the night checking the perimeter, finding a few more dead, unmarred corrupted wolves, fallen silently like the first. The village elder hobbled among them, his face a mix of profound wonder and deepening concern. "Such strange energy... like a cosmic whisper. No brute force, no overt spell. A blessing from the heavens, perhaps! Or... a new kind of spiritual anomaly!"
I watched them, my mind already dissecting the encounter. The Mana infusion had worked perfectly, disabling the targets with surgical precision. No hesitation. No wasted energy. My ruthlessness, such as it was, was simply optimal problem-solving. This world was dangerous, far more so than my last. It had its own insidious threats, its own hidden horrors. But I had the System, and with it, the tools to navigate, control, and ultimately, conquer. This was going to be fun, indeed. Even if no one else knew why.
[Quest Complete: First Engagement. Successfully defended the village against a Qi-infused threat. Reward: Subtle Energy Manipulation (Mana-infused) blueprint unlocked. Insight Points: 25.]
[New Quest Activated: Abyssal Corruption. Investigate the source of escalating spiritual and energy corruption in the surrounding wilderness. Reward: Beast Soul Integration Module unlocked. Insight Points: 75.]