Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven Chapter 519: There was never a Breathing Technique?

Back within the Nexus Domain.

"Congratulations on achieving the second stage of the 5th rank, Master."

A familiar voice reached Grey's ears, startling him.

"You are here, Alan Benson." Grey grinned as he spun around to face the bearded man, whose expression was friendly and reverent as he greeted Grey.

"Yes. I'm merely awaiting my power to fully recover. I should be able to breakthrough again in a few days," Grey responded, blinking.

Alan Benson was left utterly dumbfounded by Grey's statement.

This individual was truly a monster. Alan Benson was well aware of how Grey had cultivated to his current, astonishing level in a mere eleven months. He had personally verified that Grey Lockhart was still only seventeen years old.

He wasn't some re-incarnated ancient being from higher realms. There was so much more to this anomaly.

"Grey, who is this?" Angela inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"This is Alan Benson, the original progenitor of the Esper Path."

"I am Master Grey's newest disciple as well. Greetings," Alan Benson stated, offering a respectful bow.

"The creator of the Esper Path..."

"...is Grey's disciple?" Both Angela and Anderson were completely bewildered.

What exactly constituted the Esper Path? It was one of the most dominant evolutionary routes in this world, so much so that the Origin Will actively suppressed individuals' innate affinity for it merely to artificially preserve the world's equilibrium.

This situation stemmed from a direct agreement between Alan and the Origin Will: he was permitted to continue disseminating his path, but stringent constraints were mandated.

In truth, the Origin Will deeply desired to impose an absolute limit, or purposefully modify the genetic makeup of newly formed humans to significantly reduce their attunement to the Aether Evolutionary Path. However, this specific path transcended the very notion of limitations.

As long as a creature could draw breath, or perform any action remotely similar, this path was infinitely accessible to them.

The sole natural method to restrict this path involved compelling living beings to cease breathing entirely, which would, obviously, result in their demise.

Yet, simultaneously, the Origin Will found itself incapable of opposing it. The Aether Path was spreading with unprecedented speed, and it wouldn't be long before it officially became recognized as one of the universe's primary evolutionary pathways.

Both the Aether Path and the Esper Path posed equally profound challenges to the rigid universal balance established by the Heavenly Dao. However, the Origin Will lacked the temerity to even attempt negotiating terms with Grey.

Furthermore, it recognized that even if the Heavenly Dao detected the universe's imbalanced state and descended to punish this dimension, Grey would undoubtedly enact extreme protective measures.

"Come, I'll escort you to the tower. We can converse there."

Alan Benson readily assented and followed Grey and the others into the central structure.

However, at that precise moment, Alissa approached Grey.

"What is it, Alissa?" Grey asked, his brow furrowed in curiosity.

"There is something I wish to discuss in private," she murmured softly.

"Hm? Very well. Accompany me then." Grey smoothly guided Alissa into his personal, secluded sub-dimension.

She never sought him out without cause; whatever it was, it had to be considerably serious.

"So, what is the matter?"

"It pertains to my breathing technique."

"Your breathing technique?" Grey raised a dubious eyebrow. "You still require to breathe? Are you not already at the 5th rank?"

"It's not that." Alissa shot Grey a withering look, momentarily speechless. "It's the breathing technique you are currently employing as the bedrock of your path."

"Oh? I am listening." Grey immediately adopted a grave demeanor upon hearing this.

"I inquired with my mother about matters concerning True Source Dragons subsequent to... our recent conversation. During our discussion, she revealed that she had never been passed down any form of breathing technique."

"In fact, the primary technique utilized by True Source Dragons doesn't necessitate breathing at all."

"Huh?" Grey's frown deepened considerably at this revelation. "But perhaps Melissa merely received a different set of techniques?"

"That is precisely what I initially surmised. However, do you recall when I mentioned that my mother subconsciously guided my True Dragon evolution? She also guided me in that specific breathing technique... Yet now, she completely denies it."

"She claims she never imprinted that particular information into my consciousness."

"What is transpiring, Grey? Was someone actively manipulating my memories and the technique... and if so, who could possibly have done it?"

"..." Grey lapsed into a profound silence.

For reasons unknown, an icy chill coursed through Grey's spine upon hearing Alissa's words.

Had this been any ordinary technique, he would have dismissed it without a second thought.

But this particular breathing technique was anything but commonplace.

Grey had always operated under a fundamental misconception: that achieving a high enough power level would naturally grant one the ability to physically perceive the structural patterns of energy. However, this was entirely false; not even the gods themselves could see it.

This particular breathing technique, however, directly and flawlessly mimicked the exact structural pattern of energy itself.

"Someone... there's a hidden hand orchestrating all of this," Grey realized with a chilling certainty.

The undeniable proof lay in Melissa's complete lack of recollection regarding the transmission of the breathing technique to Alissa.

Furthermore, the demonstrable reality and active cultivation of the Aether Path by others served as even more solid evidence that he had genuinely acquired this foundation from Alissa.

A being capable of perceiving the raw energy patterns just as he could.

Grey's mind reeled with the implications.

Could it be someone who possessed a Chaos Lotus, similar to him?

Or perhaps they had True Origin Insight?

The mere existence of True Origin Insight, already possessing an official classification and name by the time he awakened it, indicated its presence prior to his own acquisition.

But who possessed it? And why was Alissa specifically targeted, to the extent that Melissa's subconscious guidance was meticulously altered?

Who would go to such terrifying lengths to meticulously craft precisely this scenario?

"Alissa, I need you to understand. This situation is absolutely not normal," Grey finally voiced, a heavy sigh escaping him.

"I don't truly comprehend what's happening either. But your breathing technique... it literally contains the foundational secret to the absolute power of the endless reality and the ascendant domain."

"It's one of the core reasons I was able to reach my current power level and successfully develop the Aether Path."

"It completely disregards all universal limitations and restrictions."

"There is definitely something, or someone, that orchestrated all of this intentionally."

"As for their purpose... I have no idea what it might be."

It was then that Grey suddenly recalled the spatial aurora from back on the Blue Star. That mysterious aurora had completely bypassed the deadly chaos turbulence of the Chaos Source Codex, solely to randomly abduct individuals from the Blue Star and scatter them across the external worlds.

Just who is behind this?