CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 73: UNLOCKING THE COSMIC TECHNIQUE

The hum of Nexus Spire’s systems had settled into a reassuring thrum. In his personal study and meditation chamber, bathed in the soft, fluctuating glow of holographic displays, Elias Vance sat suspended mid-air, not in meditation, but in an almost predatory stillness. Kaelen, observing from a nearby console, had long since grown accustomed to his sudden shifts in focus, but the intensity emanating from him now felt different. It was a coiled spring of intellectual hunger.

Before him, floating serenely in a field of ethereal light, was the unassuming object Xylo-17 had identified: a seemingly humble, aged piece of cosmic fabric, no larger than a human palm. It looked like an ancient, faded swatch of linen, its texture almost coarse to the visual spectrum, yet it vibrated with an intricate, almost imperceptible energy that spoke of profound, hidden depths. This was the legendary Cosmic Cultivation Technique Master Kelvar had stumbled upon, a fragment gleaned from the deeper cosmos that even he, a Universe God, had only begun to parse.

Studying the Rag: A Glimpse into Mad Genius

Elias extended his newly refined Quantum Divine Sense (QDS). Unlike his previous "Cosmic Divine Sense," this iteration was not merely for perception; it was a sophisticated analytical tool, designed to deconstruct, to parse, to understand at the very sub-atomic, sub-Law level. His QDS wrapped around the ’rag,’ not touching it physically, but immersing itself in the informational matrix held within its fibers.

Immediately, Elias’s Quantum Divine Processor was deluged. The ’rag’ was not a simple scroll or tablet; it was a living, breathing testament to an impossible genius. The technique it contained unfolded in his mind as a multi-dimensional, interwoven tapestry of Laws of Space, Laws of Life, Laws of Information, and something akin to a Law of Iteration. It wasn’t merely complex; it was immensely complex, defying conventional cultivation logic at every turn.

He saw its fundamental principles: a method to transcend the inherent limitations of consciousness, to expand the very framework of the mind, not just in capacity, but in physical structure. It was a technique designed to literally grow new neurons, integrate them, and repeat the process on an exponential scale, turning the cultivator’s brain into a super-dimensional processing unit.

’Unparalleled,’ Elias’s mind registered, a flicker of pure admiration piercing his usual detached analysis. ’The Perpetual Ascension Technique I created feels like a child’s toy compared to this. Its efficiency in achieving neural proliferation is orders of magnitude superior to any theoretical biological engineering concept I encountered on Earth, or even in Master Kelvar’s extensive data. The ingenuity... the sheer audacity of the creator...’

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Elias’s lips, a rare expression of profound respect. ’Whoever designed this... they were an absolute, bat-shit crazy genius. To conceive of something so fundamentally disruptive to biological limits... I admire their absolute disregard for conventional sanity. This is true innovation.’ He mentally categorized the technique as the Grand Cerebral Expansion Method, a title that, while accurate, hardly captured the sheer madness of its ambition.

The Core of the Technique: Expansion, Genesis, and Terrifying Risk

As Elias delved deeper, the full, terrifying implications of the Grand Cerebral Expansion Method became clear. Its core mechanic was brutally simple in concept, yet utterly monstrous in execution:

The technique required the cultivator to use the Law of Space to physically expand individual neurons within their own brain. Not just mentally, but literally creating a tiny, localized pocket of altered spacetime around each neuron, making it larger than its original physical volume. This, in itself, was an act of extreme peril. The Law of Space was one of the most volatile and unforgiving Laws to manipulate, especially internally. A single misstep, a fraction of a deviation, could result in localized spatial collapse, instantaneous cellular dissolution, or the entire brain being warped into a non-Euclidean nightmare. For a normal cultivator, this phase alone carried a near-100% fatality rate without absolute mastery over Space Law, which few possessed.

But that was only the first step. Once a neuron had been expanded, the technique then required the cultivator to utilize the Law of Life and the Law of Creation (or specific sub-Laws within them) to generate entirely new neurons – not from existing stem cells or biological processes, but from pure cosmic energy and the cultivator’s own spiritual essence – and then literally stuff them into the artificially expanded volume of the original neuron. This wasn’t growth; it was a forced, unnatural proliferation, pushing the boundaries of biological density to unimaginable limits. The process created hyper-dense, hyper-connected neural nodes, each one a miniature processing cluster.

And then, Elias saw the horrifying truth of its scaling: this entire process had to be repeated, individually, for each and every neuron. Expand, generate, stuff. Expand, generate, stuff. An exponential nightmare of precision and peril. A single misstep on a single neuron could trigger a chain reaction, unraveling the entire neural network. The cultivator’s brain would not just be "fried"; it would be violently torn apart by self-generated spatial anomalies, its consciousness scattered across the void.

The Qubit Quandary: A Billion Times More Dangerous

The immense difficulty for a standard Universe God cultivator was apparent. But for Elias, it was exponentially magnified. His neurons were not standard biological components. They were qubit neurons, a result of his quantum entanglement accident and his subsequent evolution into a being of pure Law. Each of his neurons was not a simple binary switch, but a quantum entity existing in multiple states simultaneously, intricately entangled with every other neuron, and crucially, with his very Divine Processor and Mini-Antimatter Dantians. They were the physical manifestation of his unique computational mind.

’My qubit neurons are a billion times more delicate, a billion times more complex to manipulate without systemic collapse,’ Elias’s internal dialogue spun at incomprehensible speeds. ’Expanding a normal neuron might risk local spatial disruption. Expanding a qubit neuron risks unraveling the entire entangled web of my consciousness, shattering my Divine Processor, and dissolving my very identity across the multiverse.’

The stakes were absolute. This wasn’t about simply improving; this was about radical, self-inflicted transformation, flirting with instantaneous annihilation. Elias, the ultimate optimizer, the one who sought perfect efficiency, found himself confronting a technique where speed was a direct path to self-destruction.

’Rushing this is suicide,’ he concluded, his analytical mind perfectly calm despite the existential threat. ’There is no margin for error. No room for impatience. Every single step must be simulated, tested, and understood to an infinitesimally precise degree before physical execution.’

He was not in a rush. He would take his time. Months, years, decades, centuries – time, was nothing but a construct for him and it was merely another variable to optimize. He would work on the technique until it was flawless, until the probability of catastrophic failure approached absolute zero. His life, his consciousness, his entire existence depended on it.

The Adventure Begins: Sustenance for Expansion

Kaelen shifted in her seat, sensing the change in Elias’s aura. The intensity hadn’t lessened, but it had morphed from active processing into a deep, pervasive quietude. "Elias? Is something wrong? You’ve been... very still."

Elias opened his eyes, their deep pools reflecting the holographic schematics of the Grand Cerebral Expansion Method. "Wrong, Kaelen? No. Only a new, exceptionally complex, and utterly vital long-term project has presented itself. One that demands absolute, unyielding perfection. And time. Lots of time." He paused, his gaze drifting to the silent stars outside the viewport. "Such a project, one involving the literal expansion of consciousness, will require immense resources. Not merely energy, but rare cosmic materials for stability, and of course, vast quantities of Luminite to aid in the comprehension of such intricate Laws."

A calculating glint appeared in his eyes. He couldn’t spend a century just meditating on Nexus Spire. His quest for understanding and optimization demanded active engagement with the universe, and his pursuit of Luminite now had an even more critical purpose. The initial idea of selling cultivation pills, once a mere entrepreneurial whim, now solidified into a crucial component of his long-term strategy. Wealth, in this cosmos, translated directly into access to resources, to Luminite, and ultimately, to accelerated self-evolution.

"Aegis," Elias commanded, his voice clear and resonant, carrying the weight of his renewed determination. "Prepare the ship for immediate departure. Plot a course towards the nearest known Galactic Federation hub. Prioritize those with active Luminite trade routes and established markets for... high-quality spiritual supplements."

The hum of Nexus Spire seemed to intensify, anticipating the journey. Kaelen watched him, her mind still reeling from the implications of his latest revelation, but a surge of excitement bubbled within her. Elias Vance, the cosmic architect, was ready to embark. The arduous, multi-century cultivation challenge of the Grand Cerebral Expansion Method would begin now, silently, within the depths of his mind. But outwardly, a new, ambitious adventure was about to unfold across the vast, chaotic tapestry of the universe. The pursuit of ultimate comprehension would not be a static endeavor; it would be a journey forged in the crucible of cosmic trade and strategic acquisition.