I stared at the crimson sphere floating in my inner world, trying to process exactly what it meant to have a miniature version of a reality-warping alien sun inside me. The kind of sun that, you know, typically drove people mad and turned them into crystalline monsters.

"You're sure it's stable?" I asked Azure for probably the fifth time.

"As stable as a fragment of reality-altering cosmic power can be," he replied cheerfully. "Though I should note that 'stable' is a relative term when discussing interdimensional phenomena."

"That's... not actually reassuring."

The tiny sun pulsed gently, sending ripples of warmth through my inner world. My two-leafed seed seemed to watch it curiously, if a metaphysical construct of pure cultivation energy could be said to watch anything.

"We should probably test it," I said finally. "Better to find out what it does in controlled conditions rather than having it surprise us at an inconvenient moment."

"Maybe we should establish some safety parameters first? Given its origin, unexpected effects are likely."

I nodded, settling into a more comfortable meditation position. "Monitor everything. If anything looks dangerous—"

"I'll alert you immediately," Azure promised. "Though defining 'dangerous' might be challenging when dealing with extra-dimensional energy sources."

Right. Because nothing about this situation was simple. I took a deep breath and reached out with my spiritual sense, gently prodding the miniature sun.

The response was immediate and intense.

Crimson energy surged through my meridians like liquid fire. I watched in fascination as red lines traced themselves across my skin, following the paths of my spiritual channels. They weren't the horror-show tattoos of the Sun-Touched, but rather delicate patterns that pulsed in time with my heartbeat.

"Fascinating!" Azure's voice held that special tone he reserved for particularly interesting phenomena. "Your physical essence is increasing rapidly. Current reading shows... yes, a fifty-point increase in just seconds."

He was right – I could feel the power flooding my muscles, making me feel like I could punch through walls.

Status Update:

Soul Essence: 450/450 (Stable)

Spiritual Essence: 350/350 (Stable)

Physical Essence: 400/400 (Enhanced!)

Special Features: Red sun active, meridian lines visible

Notes: Physical enhancement active, duration unknown

Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the effect faded. The red lines disappeared from my skin, and that surge of strength ebbed away like a receding tide.

Status Update:

Soul Essence: 450/450 (Unchanged)

Spiritual Essence: 350/350 (Unchanged)

Physical Essence: 350/350 (Returned to baseline)

Special Features: Red sun depleted (23% power remaining)

Notes: Enhancement duration approximately 10.4 seconds

"The miniature sun appears depleted," Azure reported.

I examined the crimson sphere. It definitely looked dimmer now, more like a dying ember than the vibrant star it had been moments ago.

"So it can grant temporary power boosts," I mused. "But at what cost?"

"Unknown," Azure admitted. "Though the energy signature is remarkably similar to what we encountered in the Two Suns reality. "

"Yeah, that's... going to be a problem. I'm not exactly well-versed in this world's stance on demonic cultivation, but I know enough about cultivation worlds in general to be worried. Some places kill demonic cultivators on sight."

"Maybe we should be... selective about when and where we utilize this ability."

I nodded grimly. "Definitely no using it in public unless absolutely necessary. The last thing I need is some righteous cultivator deciding I'm a heretic that needs to be cleansed. I don't fancy explaining that my demonic aura comes from an interdimensional sun fragment rather than actual demon cultivation. That conversation would go great."

"Interesting," Azure mused, which immediately made me nervous. That tone usually meant he was about to complicate my life. "You know, our little crimson friend here. It's not just a power source – it's structured more like a cultivation core."

"So, it's basically a demonic core?"

"Perhaps more than that, what we just saw was its most basic function. There are multiple dormant stages I can detect, but accessing them..." He trailed off.

I groaned. "Let me guess – we need to go back to Two Suns to figure out how to progress with it."

"We do need to study the source to really understand how to advance it."

"Wait, before we go making travel plans – you're monitoring my soul and mental state, right? Demonic cores aren't exactly known for their gentle touch. Usually it's all 'unlimited power' followed by 'oops, now you're a cackling lunatic who decorates with human bones.'"

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"Your soul structure remains completely stable," Azure replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "No signs of corruption or mental degradation. Whatever this core is, it seems to affect only your physical essence at this stage. But I'll continue monitoring for any changes."

"Good. The last thing I need is to start thinking human sacrifices are a reasonable way to boost cultivation speed."

I then stared at the dimmed sphere floating in my inner world. If this really was some kind of core, maybe I could sense those dormant stages Azure mentioned. I reached out with my spiritual sense, probing deeper than I had during the first test. This time, though, something different happened.

Instead of that surge of physical power, I felt a familiar pulling sensation – the same one that preceded my unwanted reality hops. But this was... gentler somehow. More controlled.

I immediately pulled back, not quite ready to test if I could actually trigger a world-walk voluntarily.

"Azure? Please tell me you saw that."

"I did!" His voice practically vibrated with excitement. "The dimensional resonance patterns were nearly identical to those generated by Worldwalker's Sojourn. But the amplitude was much lower, suggesting a more controlled connection. It appears you may now have the ability to return to Two Suns at will."

I sat back, eyes wide. "You're saying I could just... pop over there whenever I want?"

"In theory. Though given what we know about that reality, perhaps 'whenever we want' should be carefully considered."

He had a point. Two Suns wasn't exactly a vacation destination, what with all the murderous raiders, reality-warping celestial bodies, and that terrifying Skybound that had turned my borrowed body into a monster.

Speaking of which...

"Azure, about what happened when we went back..." I frowned, trying to organize my thoughts. "Everything was exactly the same. Not just similar – exactly the same. Same people, same words, same events..."

"A time loop," Azure mused. "Though one could argue for parallel universes—"

"I don’t know about that," I interrupted. "Every word, every gesture... it wasn't just similar, it was identical. I’m thinking it’s some kind of loop."

"The evidence does suggest a temporal cycle rather than parallel iterations," Azure agreed. "Though the mechanics of how such a loop maintains stability—"

"Don't get me started," I groaned, remembering all those late-night browsing sessions from Earth. "You should see how people argue about time loops on YouTube. Half the comments are quoting Einstein out of context, like throwing around 'time is relative' somehow explains everything. Then you've got the quantum physics experts who watched one video about the double-slit experiment and now think they understand the universe."

My favorites were the endless debates about whether changing the past creates new timelines or if you're just fulfilling what already happened. Three hundred comments of 'Actually, according to quantum mechanics...' followed by the most confident wrong explanations I've ever seen. At least cultivation is honest about not making sense - we just call everything 'profound mysteries' and move on."

"Would you like me to compile a proper theoretical framework for temporal—"

"Let's not go down that rabbit hole right now," I cut him off. "I've got enough to worry about with reaching Third Stage Qi Condensation."

That was the real issue at hand. Breaking through meant I needed to choose a primary cultivation method – the basic techniques that had carried me this far wouldn't be enough anymore. And with this new... complication in my inner world, I needed something flexible.

"The sect archives do have an extensive collection," Azure noted. "Though access to the better methods requires either significant contribution points or special recommendations."

I glanced at my meager collection of spirit stones and contribution points. Not exactly impressive. But maybe...

"Wei Lin might be able to help," I said thoughtfully. "He's been in closed-door cultivation these past few days – probably working on his own breakthrough. And he knows more about cultivation methods than anyone else in the outer disciples."

"Assuming he's finished his cultivation session," Azure reminded me. "Interrupting a breakthrough attempt would be... unwise."

I winced, remembering the last time someone had disturbed Wei Lin during cultivation. They'd finally managed to get all the scrolls out of the lotus pond, but some of the koi still had a peculiar glow to them.

"We'll wait until he's done," I decided. "I need his actual advice, not just his sales pitch. With this thing in my inner world..." I glanced at the dimmed red sun. "I need a cultivation method that can handle some unusual situations."

The miniature sun pulsed weakly, as if acknowledging its questionable status. My two-leafed seed continued its serene rotation, maintaining a careful distance from its new neighbor.

"One step at a time," I muttered. "First, wait for Wei Lin to finish his breakthrough. Then find a cultivation method that won't explode when mixed with interdimensional solar fragments. Then... maybe figure out what to do about the time loop in the Two Suns world."

"A straightforward plan," Azure said. "Though perhaps we should add 'don't get transformed into a crystalline horror' to the list?"

"That's less of a plan and more of a general life goal."

But those were problems for later. Right now, I just had to wait for Wei Lin to finish his cultivation session and hope he was in a mood to offer friendly advice rather than just trying to sell me premium techniques.

And maybe start thinking about what I was going to do next time I ended up in that loop. Because there would be a next time – I was sure of that now. The only question was whether I'd be better prepared when it happened.