CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 83

Stars scattered outside his window, a gentle reminder of the world’s vastness beyond the quiet walls of Starfall manor.

Ethan lay awake, long after the birthday festivities had faded into memory, the sweet taste of honey cakes lingering on his tongue.

Fifteen years old. In the ordinary eyes of the Drake family, it meant only that he was closer to adulthood. But Ethan’s reality far outstripped the mundane. Tonight, the system pulsed within him, whispering promises of a gift as momentous as the milestone itself.

He waited, letting the night deepen, until even the birds had quieted and the moon was high.

Finally, he sat up, breath steady for what came next. This was his secret space, a world beyond the reach of even his parents’ watchful eyes—the space where miracles awaited.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the crystalline sensation that marked his connection to the system. Reality shivered. Then, as it always did, the world fell away in waves of blue-white light.

The System Void

He found himself in the system space: an infinite, midnight domain awash in starlight. Here, the boundaries of the physical seemed to melt; knowledge, possibility, and power crystallized with the clarity of thought. The System Interface floated before him, translucent as ever, pulsing with gentle anticipation.

[SYSTEM ALERT:

Congratulations, Host. Fifteen years have passed.

Birthday Reward: PEAK PRE-CELESTIAL RANK CLONE

Status: Awaiting Claim]

The words hovered in the air, a promise and a challenge. Ethan read each line, letting it soak into his mind.

In the world outside, the pre-celestial rank was a legend—patriarchs and prodigies spent lifetimes chasing it, most falling short. And yet, here—a clone, not merely at the rank’s apex, but crafted by his system, its strength unshackled by mortal limits.

[Do you accept and wish to deploy your clone?]

Ethan suppressed a smile and responded internally, "Yes."

Manifestation

It began as a ripple across the void.

Air thickened and pulsed with raw energy.

Threads of light snaked toward a central point, weaving themselves into a sphere, growing brighter and bigger until it outshone even the distant system stars.

The hum crescendoed; the void trembled. Ethan shielded his eyes—a reflex, even though physical light couldn’t harm him here.

A surge of energy exploded outward.

The sphere split and shrank, contracting into the shape of a young man—his mirror image in form and expression, but impossibly more.

The clone hovered for a moment, suspended in a maelstrom of swirling energies.

Where Ethan’s own aura was calm and disciplined, the clone’s was wild but perfectly controlled, like a storm tamed by will alone. Energy radiated in waves—so pure, so dense, that the system space itself seemed to bend.

The System Interface flickered again, presenting details in crystal clarity.

[Clone Status:

Peak Pre-Celestial Rank

Artificial Perfection Cultivation

Attributes:

Regeneration: Extreme

Spirit Core: Nine Heaven Spirit Core

Cognitive Synchronization: Full

Genetic Optimization: Limitless]

Ethan stared, awe blooming in his chest.

The clone was beyond merely strong—it was transcendent. On the human continent, this clone would not just top the charts but redefine them.

It held a presence that suffocated weakness, its pressure roiling, heavy as mountains.

If a master cultivator witnessed this, they might mistake it for a god descending.

The clone straightened, solidifying. Amethyst eyes—so like Ethan’s own but touched with distant, icy clarity—opened and fixed upon Ethan.

The resemblance was perfect, down to the tilt of his jaw, the curve of his smile. But this version of Ethan radiated an authority fierce enough to silence armies.

It bowed deeply.

"Host. Clone assembled and awaiting orders."

Ethan approached, feeling the reverberations of power even in this ethereal domain.

He reached out, and the clone’s aura embraced him—familiar, yet impossibly potent. In that moment, he understood:

This was not just a soldier. It was an extension of ambition, crafted to shatter every limit.

"Show me your strength," he requested softly.

The clone nodded, stepped forward, and released a sliver of its power. The system space darkened. Currents of invisible force pressed against Ethan, threatening to drive him to his knees—yet he held firm, protected by system authority.

Sparks fizzed along the boundary of the void as the clone manipulated energy, conjuring patterns

Ethan knew only from ancient legends: bolts of flame, condensed blades of wind, shifting fields of gravity. Each display was effortless, practiced; every technique executed with a grace that was almost inhuman.

Ethan’s heart pounded.

The clone’s cultivation base was peak pre-celestial—refined, unyielding—but its power surpassed even that level. In a contest of force, it could dominate anyone south of true celestial rank. Probably more.

The Aura of Supremacy

If unleashed on the continent, Ethan realized, this clone would tip the scales in any conflict. No drake heir—no emperor, no warlord—could challenge it outright. It was, by every measure, the strongest entity ever to walk the lands as a "human."

He walked around the clone, studying its aura intently.

Dense, layered, swirls of power flowed freely, interwoven with runes and sigils he had never seen. Genetic optimization ran deep—there was no wasted energy, no flaw or hesitation.

Ethan reached out to touch the clone’s shoulder. It felt like stone warmed by fire, solid and calm.

"You are more than just a copy," he said, voice nearly a whisper.

"You’re a new possibility."

The clone met his eyes, something flickering in its gaze.

"I exist to serve and evolve, Host. My potential knows no ceiling within these confines."

The Side Mission: Evolution Beyond All Limits

The interface pulsed again, sharper this time.

[Attention:

Side quest: Training Path—Kill 10 Pre-Celestial rank monsters.

Note: You can only kill with the clone’s strength and cannot borrow or use strength from external forces.

The task limit is 5 years.]

Ethan’s breath caught. The celestial rank was more myth than reality, spoken of in hushed tones, referenced in ancient texts that most called fiction.

But if the system wished—he could turn legend into reality.

A thousand ideas raced in his mind:

Could he use the clone to execute cultivation experiments too dangerous for himself?

Could the clone infiltrate realms where only peak masters dared tread?

Might it defend him from threats none else could answer?

More than that: The system was inviting him to reshape what it meant to pursue power.

Celestial, as understood on the continent, was the ceiling. But what if he could punch through, create a new echelon—one uniquely his?

A Test of Will

Ethan signaled to his clone. "Let’s attempt synchronization."

The clone nodded and knelt.

Ethan closed his eyes, focusing on the bond. Instantly, information flooded into his mind—a torrent of genetic data, cultivation techniques, and combat simulations.

The speed and clarity were exhilarating; the clone not only obeyed commands but could offer advice, perceive weaknesses, and amplify Ethan’s strategic vision.

He felt the potential—it was like wielding a lightning bolt, with himself as conductor.

They spent minutes in silent communion, exchanging thoughts and ideas at the speed of light. Ethan tested the clone’s boundaries, having it execute forbidden techniques and convoluted cultivation arrays. Each test returned success rates far superior to even the greatest masters recorded by the Drake family.

It was staggering. With this clone, and the system’s guidance, transcending the greatest limit was not just possible—it was practically foretold.

The Destiny of the Clone

Ethan stood in silence, letting the implications roll through him.

Tomorrow, he would devise a plan:

Searching for forbidden scrolls and lost techniques.

Mapping a path to break open the pre-celestial threshold.

But for now, he simply basked in the presence of power so immense it warped the air. The clone knelt before him, every atom of its being aligned to serve and grow alongside its creator.

He affirmed, "Your side mission is evolution. Together, we’ll reach heights that no one in history has ever touched."

The clone’s eyes gleamed, the promise of future triumph embedded in their depths. "I will not fail, Host."

Returning Home

Ethan dismissed the clone to a side chamber in the system space, his mind thrumming with plans and possibilities.

Then he closed the interface, letting reality reconstitute itself around him. He was back in his room, the gentle sounds of the manor filtering in.

The stars outside seemed brighter, as if salute to the power rising in secret within the house.

He lay back, the journal his mother had given him now beside the greatest secret he held—the birthright of a pathbreaker, a creator of legends.

He drifted toward sleep, a half-smile on his lips. If the world only knew of the storm brewing beneath its surface—if only they knew what had been crafted in silence tonight.

On the horizon of tomorrow, destiny waited. And this time, it looked like Ethan—only stronger, faster, and ready to shatter every limit ever conceived.