"Commence the awakening," William said with certainty in his voice.
[Understood, Host.] Orion immediately complied with William’s command.
One notification after another appeared before William’s eyes.
[Ding! Individual Seraphine has successfully awakened the Eternal Spring Physique (Ancient).]
[Initiating 100x returns to the Host...]
[Supreme Talent: Absolute Adaptation has been activated.]
[Adjusting the returned physique according to the Host’s requirements...]
[Ding! The awakening process has begun...]
William silently read every notification until the final message disappeared.
Without wasting another moment, he purchased one of the strongest painkilling potions available in the system shop and immediately drank it in one gulp. The bitter liquid burned its way down his throat before rapidly spreading warmth throughout his body.
He slowly lowered himself onto the grass of the Infinite Domain while taking several deep breaths, preparing himself for whatever was about to happen.
The system had already warned him that receiving a Divine Physique would not be a pleasant experience and could be even worse than the last two experiences. He had believed himself to be mentally prepared.
Only after the awakening truly began did he realize how badly he had underestimated it.
Without any warning, the entire Infinite Domain violently trembled. The ground beneath William shook as though the world itself had suddenly come alive.
His expression instantly twisted. A tremendous weight suddenly crashed against his chest from within, as if an invisible hammer had struck directly against his heart.
His heartbeat became painfully loud. Each pulse echoed through his entire body with overwhelming force. William instinctively grabbed the front of his robe, clutching the fabric tightly above his chest as another violent throb spread through his body.
"Urghhh..."
A painful growl escaped between his clenched teeth. The discomfort did not resemble ordinary physical pain but something strange, which only made the feeling worse.
His entire existence seemed to be under tremendous pressure, as though every part of his body, mind, and soul were being forcefully reshaped at the same time.
His fingers dug deeply into the soft grass beneath him while he struggled to remain conscious.
"Oh... Lord..." His breathing gradually became heavier as cold sweat formed across his forehead; he could hear his heartbeats too clearly.
Orion calmly spoke inside his mind.
[Remain calm.]
[The painkiller is only capable of suppressing physical pain. What you are currently experiencing is also affecting your mind and soul. That kind of pain cannot simply be numbed away. It is completely different from ordinary suffering.]
[The only thing you can do is endure it.]
William slowly nodded despite the unbearable pressure.
"Alright..."
The word barely escaped his lips. His breathing had become noticeably uneven, but he desperately tried to regain control over himself.
Almost instinctively, he attempted to circulate his Lunar abilities to soothe his mind. Before he could activate them, Orion immediately interrupted.
[You cannot, Host.]
[Using another physique while this awakening is still taking place may cause both physiques to clash with one another. The system has already sealed nearly all of your abilities to prevent such an accident.
[Only your natural regeneration and a few restorative bodily functions are still active.]
William let out a helpless laugh mixed with pain.
"What the heck..."
Having completely run out of options, he simply surrendered himself to the unbearable heaviness spreading through every part of his body. He slowly lay flat upon the grass.
His crimson eyes stared blankly toward the bright sun hanging high above the Infinite Domain while every breath became increasingly difficult.
His vision gradually blurred. The sunlight slowly became indistinct behind the moisture gathering within his exhausted eyes.
Then suddenly something changed.
A gentle rustling sound entered his ears.
The bright sunlight above him suddenly disappeared. A shadow quietly covered his face.
William blinked several times before focusing his blurry vision.
Hovering directly above him was a large tree branch.
Its bark was ancient, thick, and covered in beautiful green vines that gently swayed despite the complete absence of wind. Countless fresh leaves spread outward from the branch, giving it an appearance filled with overwhelming vitality.
For a strange moment. William felt as though the branch was watching him with curiosity.
His instincts immediately screamed at him.
Forcing his exhausted body to move, William struggled into a sitting position before slowly looking toward the direction from which the branch had extended.
The moment he raised his head...
His breathing stopped.
Before him stood the most magnificent and terrifying sight he had ever witnessed.
The branch above him was merely a tiny extension of something unimaginably larger.
A colossal tree now towered within the Infinite Domain.
It had not existed only moments earlier.
Yet somehow, within the span of only a few breaths, it had grown out of nowhere into a gigantic tree whose crown seemed to stretch endlessly toward the heavens.
Its enormous trunk resembled an ancient mountain. Its countless branches spread across the sky like rivers of emerald and jade, while endless vines draped gracefully from every limb. Every leaf radiated pure natural energy.
Every branch carried an ancient dignity that words could never adequately describe.
William simply stared. His exhausted mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
A World Tree.
An actual world tree now stood inside his infinite domain. The overwhelming presence released by the tree was so immense that William’s already exhausted consciousness could no longer remain awake.
His heavy eyelids slowly closed. Darkness quietly claimed him.
As William drifted into unconsciousness, the enormous branches above silently began moving.
Their movements were gentle. Several smaller vines slowly separated from the massive branches before gracefully descending toward William’s sleeping body.
They carefully slid beneath him with incredible tenderness. The movement resembled a loving mother lifting her newborn child into her arms.
There was no force, no roughness.
Only warmth.
The vines slowly raised William into the air before countless additional branches quietly gathered around him. One after another, they wrapped around his body.
A cocoon gradually began taking shape. It resembled the cocoon that had surrounded Seraphine during her own awakening.
Yet the differences were immediately obvious. William’s cocoon was vastly larger. Its shape was far more majestic, resembling an enormous emerald seed suspended beneath the branches of the World Tree itself.
The intricate patterns covering its surface glowed with ancient runes made entirely from living vines. It looked less like a cocoon...
And more like a royal cradle awaiting the birth of a king. The entire structure gently pulsed.
Each rhythmic throb resembled the heartbeat of a living womb nurturing new life. Bright green radiance continuously flowed across its surface as immeasurable vitality gathered within.
Then everything changed once again. The World Tree suddenly began growing at an astonishing speed.
Its already colossal trunk rapidly thickened while its branches extended farther into the sky with every passing second.
Inside the cocoon, William remained peacefully asleep in a tightly curled position. Without warning, several long, root-like spikes slowly emerged from the inner walls of the cocoon.
They carefully approached William’s back before gently piercing along his spine. There was no violence in the movement. The roots connected themselves to his body almost naturally.
William’s blood immediately began flowing through those roots and into the World Tree itself. The vitality contained within his blood was unlike anything ordinary beings possessed.
Every drop carried astonishing life force. The moment the World Tree absorbed that vitality, its growth accelerated even further. Its trunk multiplied in size within mere seconds.
Its countless branches spread farther across the heavens until even the Infinite Domain seemed incapable of containing its endless growth.
Eventually, the amount of vitality entering the tree became too great.
Even the enormous World Tree could no longer absorb everything. The immense pressure building inside its body finally erupted outward.
Massive waves of pure life energy exploded across the Infinite Domain. The energy spread in every direction like an unstoppable tidal wave.
Curiously, the system remained completely silent. It made no attempt to interfere. It simply allowed the World Tree to continue whatever process it considered necessary.
The consequences quickly spread throughout the entire realm. The immense waves of vitality reached the slave quarters first.
Slaves who had been meditating immediately lost control of their breathing before coughing up mouthfuls of blood as their cultivation was forcibly interrupted.
Those engaged in physical training were violently thrown backward as though struck by an invisible wall. Buildings trembled. Trees swayed.
The earth itself vibrated beneath everyone’s feet. Fortunately, despite the overwhelming disturbance, nobody suffered any life-threatening injuries.
The energy carried no killing intent. It simply possessed far too much power for ordinary people to withstand comfortably.
Even so, an uneasy atmosphere immediately spread throughout the Infinite Domain. Nobody understood what had just happened.
The waves eventually reached the small house standing near the center of the realm. The powerful surges repeatedly struck the humble building.
Yet the little house remained completely unmoved. Not even a single crack appeared upon its walls.
Inside the quiet room lay someone who should never have been disturbed by the chaos occurring outside.
Even so, the constant trembling of the building, the creaking wooden beams, and the repeated slamming of nearby doors slowly awakened the sleeping figure.
After remaining unconscious for several hundred years due to time dilation within the Infinite Domain...
Lia slowly opened her eyes. Her breathing was shallow.
Her eyelashes gently trembled as consciousness gradually returned.
For several silent moments, she simply stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
Then her fingers twitched. Her hands slowly began moving on their own as sensation returned to her body.
Confusion gradually appeared across her delicate face. Her eyes had also changed.
The color of her irises no longer resembled what they had once been.
Instead, they now shimmered with the same shades as the veil essence itself, carrying an indescribable beauty hidden beneath countless layers of mystery.
Her breathing gradually became uneven. She slowly sat upright upon the bed while continuing to look around the unfamiliar room.
Nothing surrounding her felt familiar. Nothing made sense to her.
After sleeping for what felt like an eternity...
Lia had finally awakened.