Wanderer's Realm, somewhere...

Ali then replied with what I could describe as a feeling of closeness and warmth. [You do not have to thank me, Lucas. I told you already. We are temporary partners, and hopefully we will become permanent ones in the future. Instead of talking about that topic, why don't you inspect your body's current state? I am certain that you will have a good surprise.]

A mirror then appeared in front of me and when I looked at myself, I couldn't help it. “Holy sh...”

*Cough*”I mean, is that me?” I was completely dumbstruck by my new appearance. You were probably thinking that I was exaggerating, right? Well, maybe a little... It was still surprising though! Anyway, let's just go back to the current situation.

The man I was looking at in the mirror seemed to only have a slight resemblance with the old me. Sure, I could recognize some traits of mine if I really focused on details, but they were not really apparent. Mmmhh... How could I describe it in the best way? Let's start with my head. Or my hair. Yes, I had a full head of hair and it was even shoulder-length. Seeing that, I couldn't help but smile. Not that having a receding hairline bothered me too much... Well, it did, but I got used to it. Like every men afflicted by this vicious condition!

Anyway, shiny and shoulder length raven hair. Similar to those women in those shampoo commercial... Because I'm worth it... *Cough internally* So! My face! Well, my facial traits were sharper, making me look more masculine. My beard did not grow, but I could see that when it would, it would be more harmonious that previously. Think about the fact that every part of our body is different. For example, if you measure your feet, you would notice that they were not the same length. And it went the same for your hands, ears, etc.

However, I felt like my whole body was more... Balanced? I was not certain how to better describe it than that. But to go back to my face, if I had to grade it I would give it an 8/10 compare to the 5/10 previously. An enormous upgrade for me. I was still not the most handsome guy in the universe, but at least I was attractive now. Noice!

Alright, now my body. Keep in mind that I was naked. So, I could see everything in details. Especially since my vision seemed a lot more detailed than previously. But, let's keep that for later. If I had to use one word to describe my body, it would be 'sculpted'. As in very muscular, but in a lean way. Not Conan the barbarian kind of muscles. But the kind that said explosive power coupled with an enormous amount of stamina. Oh, and it seemed bigger down there. Like, BIGGER... No more details for you. I didn't want to scare you.

Also, there was something. “Ali, am I taller?” That made her chuckle. [Did you just notice? I guess that you were entranced by your changes down there.] I rolled my eyes at her terrible innuendo. “I'm sure you can do better than that. But could you answer me? Please?” *Snort* [It was not a bad joke...] She mumbled. After a few seconds, she finally decided to answer me. [Yes, you're now 1m82 (6ft) tall.] “A twelve centimeters gain, uh? Not bad at all.” I said, smiling like a moron.

I kept admiring my upgraded body in the mirror for a few minutes, feeling like a little kid at Christmas receiving a present that he waited for years to have. When I was finally done taking everything in, I turned towards Ali and declared with a cheeky smile. “Alright, I'm done!” [Finally. I thought you would take the whole day. Don't you feel that your reaction is a bit exaggerated?] She asked with an exasperated tone.

I shook my head and replied seriously. “On the contrary! I feel like I'm very calm. You probably can't imagine what I'm feeling right now. It's even better that going from dirt poor to being a multi-billionaire. It's so great that it feels a bit unreal. After all, although it is still the same body, the changes are so incredible, that I feel like I was transferred into a new one. And a hugely better one. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it, to be honest, even if I have the 'proof' in front of my eyes.” I took a few seconds to ponder before adding. “Also, I suffered so much during the body remodeling that having this result as a reward makes me appreciate it even more. If I had it right away without effort, I would probably not care about it as much.” I laughed a little and finished with. “I guess that's human psyche for you. Full of contradictions.”

We both kept silent for a few minutes, both lost in our own thoughts. While thinking, I noticed that unlike before, I felt a lot more patient, as if the time that was passing by did not have the same meaning to me anymore. If waiting an hour without doing anything felt excruciating to me before, now it felt more like five minutes just went by. Was it caused by my Mind power or was it because of the realization that my lifespan could be counted in tens of thousands of years instead of the less than hundred years previously? Maybe it was a bit of both? The result was the same in any case, as time lost a bit of its significance for me. I could guess that as my strength kept progressing and my lifespan with it, it would get progressively more prominent.

So, that was why all those cultivators in the novels could cultivate for millions of years without being depressed or bored... Interesting... Then that meant that if time lost its meaning, what should matter was experiencing new things, or similar things but in a different way and with different people.

I could feel myself getting lost in my thoughts, and some of them started to make me nervous. However, it wasn't the same crippling fear that I had before. When I focused a bit on my own feelings, the feedback was slightly weird. Mmmhh... How could I describe it? I guess, it was as if an old and deep wound was healing. It wasn't completely healed yet, but the process had advanced by a lot.

After those few minutes of contemplation, I was pulled back to reality by Ali's voice. [Now that your body upgrade is over, you can put some clothes on.] Right, I was naked... Wait! I'm naked! Damn it! I completely forgot I was naked. I mean, I knew that I was naked but like... the situation... Anyway, I was naked!!

As I started to slightly panic, I saw a ball of weird liquid floating in front of me, appearing from who knew where. I could feel a slight attraction to it, as if something in me resonated with it. At the same time, a feeling of awe and reverence came from deep inside me too. The kind a being would feel towards a another superior being. It was a bit disturbing to be honest. After all, I was never the kind to worship other people, whether successful ones or even the so-called gods. I respected them, but I didn't worship them.

[The item in front of you is a Chaos Layer Armor Item. It uses chaos energy to morph into any item of clothing you can imagine. Not only is it extremely sturdy, but it can also be upgraded if you find the right materials. Although that will have to wait until you reach the Chaos Layer, which will take a while.] I'm not going to lie, the object in front of my face fascinated me. It felt very myst... “Mmmhh? What are you doing with my blood?” While I was lost in admiration, Ali used her power to take a drop of my blood and sent it towards that floating blob.

[Your blood is needed to bond with the Item. After all, at that Layer, every item has at least a bit of intelligence and you need it to accept you. If it doesn't, then there is nothing you can do.] As she was talking, I could see the weird colored bubble absorbing my blood. I really hoped that it would accept me. After all, such a powerful item would definitely be useful for protection. And I was sure that there were other useful functions, beside morphing and protection. Although I may be too weak to activate them for now.

Oh! I could feel a connection being established between the item and I. It had some similarities with what I felt when I bonded with Ali. As if there was something... something incomplete. I wondered why I felt like that. I didn't have to wait for long to find out the answer to my question. [You are probably feeling that there is something wrong with the bond in your mind, correct? But you do not have to worry, as it is completely normal. The reason behind that 'problem' is simply because your Layer is too low. To be honest, if it was not for the fact that your body was remodeled with chaos energy, the item would not even want to look at you. That is why, you will only be able to use a fraction of its power. And the higher your cultivation rises, the more power you will be able to draw from the item. Now, you should try to connect with it and turn it into decent clothes.]

Listening to her instructions, I closed my eyes and pushed my thoughts through the link in my mind towards what I felt was the chaos item. Surprisingly, I succeeded on the first try. I could only perceive a small response from it, which was probably because I was too weak, as Ali mentioned earlier. But I didn't let that stop me, and instead I focused my mind to push the object to turn into a grey three piece suit and then commanded it to appear on my body.

Immediately, I could feel a new sensation on my skin, akin to feathers being used as clothes. It was completely unlike when I wore my old suit previously. I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror at myself again, seeing a dashing and handsome man looking back. I couldn't help myself from smiling thinking about the well-known phrase: A suit makes a man. I couldn't deny that it gave me a touch of 'je ne sais quoi' that I really liked.

[So this is what you chose?] She asked me. “Yeah. I always liked suits. But, paradoxically, I almost never wear any.” [Really? Why?] I chuckled before replying. “For two reasons. One, the suits I had were not as comfortable to wear as casual clothes like shirts and jeans. And second, suits are annoying to take care of. You need to iron them really well, and to clean them you need to send them to specialized stores. Anyway, it wasn't worth it for me.” I paused for a second while I was still admiring myself. “But this one is amazing to wear. It's comfortable, smooth and I won't need to clean it. Oh and also I can change it into whatever clothes I want. The perfect item!” What scared me the most in life? House chores! And among them, washing my clothes! So you could probably understand how delighted I was with my new 'toy'.

[For a Mortal without any power, I can understand why it would be annoying to do it. Anyway, now that you're done with it, here is something else.] A soon as she finished talking, a small bracelet appeared on my left wrist. Wondering what it was, I chose to ask Ali directly. “Ali, what is it?” [It is a Holo-Bracelet. It is used in this universe to communicate between planets. Think of it as a smartphone for cultivators. I will help you bind it.] Another drop of my blood appeared from my finger and flew towards the object, after which it disappeared into it, as if it never existed in the first place.

“Ali, if you keep using my blood all the time, I'll die from anemia.” [No, you will not.] That made me roll my eyes. Why she would sometimes play along with my jokes and sometimes act as if I was serious was beyond me. Whatever, I guessed. As long as I found myself funny, that meant I truly was... Definitely....

While I was trying to convince myself that my 'humoristic' skills were great, I could feel another connection in my mind. Another one... If I were to go to a hospital and explain my situation, would I be diagnosed with schizophrenia? I LITERALLY had 3 entities in my mind beside myself. That was a bit too many for my poor self. *Sigh* To be fair, they were not exactly in my mind. Instead, there were links TO those entities in my mind. So, if I wanted to stop them from hearing/seeing my thoughts, then it wasn't too hard.

While I was thinking, I heard a robotic voice in my head. “Hello, master. I am the Holo-Bracelet's AI. As I am new, could you give me a name, please?” I jumped slightly from the shock of someone talking directly in my mind. Mind you, despite being bonded to Ali, she always talked to me 'normally' and not by thoughts. Thankfully, my heart was strong, so I didn't die. I exhaled to calm myself and said out-loud. “Please, don't do that again AI. I almost died from a heart attack!”

It then replied. “Noted, master. Could you please give me a name? Also, you can talk to me through your mind.” I was a bit startled and then answered it in my mind. “Very practical. Okay, since you insist in having a name, let me think of one... What do you think of John? It's simple to remember and to pronounce.” “I will be called John then. Now that you gave me a name, let me explain briefly the functions of the Holo-Bracelet. First, you will be able to connect automatically and freely to any network on your planet. Unfortunately, we are too far from any Mortal Kingdom Level Organization or higher, so you will not be able to connect to the Divine Realm's common network for now. Second, I can...”

As John kept explaining to me what it could do, my amazement grew more and more. You thought that what existed on earth was advanced technology? No, THIS was true technology. In front of it, earthlings were still playing with sticks and stones... May break my bones but whi... *Cough cough* Sorry, I digressed too much.

But anyway, it was cool. And I could even morph the bracelet into any jewelry form I wanted. After thinking a bit, I decided to turn into a silver colored watch with a dark brown bracelet to go with my suit. Although I never really cared about clothes too much before, since I could do it easily now, I might as well do it right, didn't you think?

[Your clothes and Holo-Bracelet are dealt with. Now, you will have to train a bit to control your new strength.]