The Price of a Closed Loop

"This... it's a success?"

Shen Heng skipped a beat.

He never expected that his previously abandoned idea would actually succeed at the last minute.

However, before he could feel too much joy, a massive amount of Origin Power had already surged towards that closed loop.

Shen Heng tried to regulate the speed at which the Origin Power flowed in, but found that he had no control over it at all and could only let the Origin Power rush towards this closed loop.

Shen Heng frowned.

Without time to think further, he immediately tensed up, ensuring his mind was clear to prevent the process from spiraling out of control.

Just as he was doing his best to maintain the stability of the inner landscape, the Origin Crystal outside seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, and the originally thin tributaries suddenly became thicker.

They transformed into streams of solid, liquid-like, dazzling light, rushing eagerly towards every part of the body.

Wherever it passed, muscles and bones groaned in pain from the unbearable strain.

But soon, it was reshaped under the forceful nourishment of this surging Origin Power, becoming more resilient and with greater potential.

Along with it grew a torn spirit.

"Is breaking through to the Fourth Tier really that painful?" Shen Heng's temples were bulging with veins, and beads of sweat were dripping down his face.

The video tutorials for breaking through Fourth Tier have mentioned this.

During a breakthrough, the Origin Power will reshape the body and spirit, forcibly elevating them to a level that meets the requirements of the Fourth Tier.

It will definitely hurt during this process, but it doesn't seem to have been mentioned that it will hurt to this extent!

Shen Heng's body trembled slightly.

He clenched his teeth tightly, ensuring he remained absolutely conscious.

Actually, he could tolerate the pain.

What truly alarmed him was the closed loop that was still continuously devouring the Origin Power.

That closed loop accepts everything that comes in, frantically devouring all the Origin Power that pours in.

The light emanating from it grew even more brilliant with the infusion of Origin Power.

During this process, the structure also becomes solidified and stable at a speed visible to the naked eye...

Just as Shen Heng was pondering whether this closed loop would engulf all the Origin Power, and what he should do if it wasn't enough after engulfing it,

The raging torrent suddenly stopped.

A golden ring appeared in Shen Heng's dantian.

Then, it slowly began to rotate and change.

During this process, a strange frequency emanated from its core.

Under the pull of this frequency, the Origin Power threads in the dantian, as well as the Origin Power distributed throughout the body, all surged towards the closed loop.

However, this time they are no longer flowing into a closed loop.

Instead, they arranged themselves around it.

They did not coalesce into a fixed form, but instead continued to change, just as they had before when they were disordered.

Sometimes it swirls like a nebula, sometimes it shimmers like water, and sometimes it reveals fleeting, blurry geometric crystalline forms...

A moment later.

"Hahoo... Hahoo..."

With heavy breathing, Shen Heng opened his eyes.

He looked down at his hands, then manipulated them, making a grasping motion.

A sensation that seemed capable of tearing the earth apart emanated from the ground.

"This means... a successful breakthrough?"

Shen Heng muttered to himself.

He ignored the illusion and focused his mind back into his inner vision.

After glancing at the ever-changing shapes of the silk threads, Shen Heng quickly turned his gaze to their center.

There, a striking, glaring ring slowly rotated.

Its form is also constantly changing.

Sometimes it resembles 0, sometimes ∞, and sometimes it seems like an eternally still Ө...

The only thing that hasn't changed is that throughout this process, its beginning and end remain connected.

What the hell is this thing?

Shen Heng gazed at the scene within the interior.

Although, during the experiment, he had considered that what he constructed might be something he had never seen before.

But this constantly changing form was something he hadn't anticipated.

Compared to the ever-changing outer ring of threads, the small golden ring at the core has far fewer possible forms.

But this is simply because it is just a circular ring with its ends connected, and there are really not many different shapes it can take.

If you focus and look closely, you can find it.

Although the central ring sometimes appears in the same shape, its orientation is always completely different.

This time it might be upright, next time it might be upside down, and the time after that it might be tilted.

Shen Heng temporarily suppressed this thought in his mind and didn't dwell on it any longer.

His physical condition told him that he had broken through to the Fourth Tier.

In other words, this is indeed a Configuration.

However, whether this Configuration can be considered successful... remains to be seen.

Shen Heng opened his eyes, then raised his hand and grabbed to the side.

He precisely captured several invisible and intangible yet undeniably real sound waves in his hand, which became as docile as tamed fish.

Only then did he clearly feel an unprecedented sense of smoothness and control, as if it were his own arm.

With a slight thought, the sound waves danced.

Its rapid response and precise control are far superior to those of the Third Tier order.

This is not a simple one plus one, but a deeper harmony and unity that originates from the source.

They did not stop.

Shen Heng's mind stirred again, and the several sound waves he held in his hand immediately began to change drastically.

Upclock! Increase frequency!

The frequency of the sound waves increased dramatically at an unprecedented speed.

In the blink of an eye, it surpasses the perception range of the human ear and even many instruments, entering the realm of ultrasound and even higher frequencies.

At the same time, the energy it contains also increases exponentially.

"Crack!"

A faint popping sound echoed in the air.

The dust was pulverized by the high-frequency sound waves.

The entire process was incredibly smooth, without the slightest lag.

After breaking through to the Fourth Tier, the efficiency of gathering and outputting Origin Power was much higher than he had expected!

but...

Shen Heng released his hand, letting the sound waves dissipate quickly, and then once again focused his mind into his inner vision.

After a moment, he came to a conclusion that made the corner of his mouth twitch slightly:

That closed loop now consumes a full 30% of his Origin Power.

This 30% of the Origin Power was completely solidified within that constantly changing ring-shaped form.

Although it is still a part of oneself and can be perceived, it cannot be invoked like other Origin Power.

Their existence seems to be solely for the purpose of maintaining the operation and stability of that Configuration itself.

"..."

Shen Heng was speechless for a moment.

When others break through to the Fourth Tier, their total Origin Power increases by more than ten times.

He was in a predicament; he had just made a breakthrough when he discovered that the "liquid cash" he could use had been reduced by 30%, and a full 30% of his "fixed assets" were frozen in a single project.

Was this a success or a failure?

Shen Heng wasn't entirely sure.

However, he wasn't too worried, since if it didn't work out, he could just change the Configuration later.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Shen Heng, as if he had thought of something.

He closed his eyes, Origin Power within his body attempted to shake against that closed loop...

A moment later, Shen Heng slowly opened his eyes, a look of indescribable emotion flashing across them.

Damn it, it seems like things have gone awry...