I am An Immortal Painter

A Night of Change

The night was eerily silent. The moon, half-veiled by drifting clouds, cast a dim silver glow over Titan Awakener Academy.

Inside his small, unassuming dorm room, Ron sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, his breath slow and controlled. His body trembled, drenched in sweat, his muscles aching from the rigorous process of absorbing Qi. But he didn't stop.

Tonight was different.

Tonight, he was at the precipice of a breakthrough.

The tiny threads of Qi he had painstakingly gathered over the past days now surged through his body, expanding and strengthening his meridians. He could feel the change approaching, like the rumbling of a distant storm.

Then—

Boom!

A sudden force erupted within him.

His body convulsed as his meridians widened, his organs vibrated, and every cell in his body felt as if it had been reforged. A brilliant golden light burst from within him, illuminating the dark room like the rising sun.

Ron gasped, his eyes flying open—they glowed with power.

He had broken through.

Qi Refining Initial Stage.

A feeling of boundless strength coursed through him, unlike anything he had ever experienced in this life. It was as if an invisible shackle had been broken, allowing him to finally grasp his true potential.

But then—

The golden light surrounding him shifted.

It changed.

Ink-black streaks swirled through the golden glow, twisting like living tendrils. At the same time, the air around him distorted, as if time itself had rippled in response to his breakthrough.

A vast, incomprehensible knowledge flooded his mind.

And then, he understood.

Time and Ink – The Divine Attributes

Ron's breathing was ragged as the revelation settled in.

"Time… Ink…"

He clenched his fists, sensing the two newly awakened attributes flowing through his body like celestial rivers.

He had seen many extraordinary abilities in his past life—fire that could incinerate mountains, space manipulation that could bend reality, soul techniques that could control life and death.

But Time and Ink?

These were beyond rare.

He raised his hand, focusing on his Ink Attribute. A single drop of black liquid formed at his fingertip—pure, glossy, shimmering with an otherworldly glow.

It was alive.

With a mere thought, the ink slithered into the air, stretching and shifting into shapes at his command.

He flicked his fingers, and the ink transformed into a detailed raven, its eyes gleaming as it flapped its wings, hovering in front of him.

Ron stared.

"This… is painting cultivation."

He had always loved painting in his past life. It had been a passion—a way to express his thoughts, his emotions.

But now, it was power.

"My paintings are no longer just art—they are reality itself."

His gaze sharpened. He wasn't simply drawing—he was creating.

The realization sent a thrill through his chest.

And then, there was Time.

Ron turned his attention inward, sensing the golden energy intertwining with the ink. Time was the most elusive force in existence, something even ancient cultivators barely understood.

He extended his hand toward the floating ink raven—

The world slowed.

The ink raven's wings, which had been flapping rapidly, now moved at an impossibly slow pace, as if caught in a different stream of time.

Ron's heartbeat quickened.

He clenched his fingers—Time resumed.

The raven flapped its wings at normal speed again before vanishing into the air.

He exhaled deeply.

"Time manipulation… Ink creation… This combination is absurdly powerful."

Not only could he paint things into existence, but he could also control their temporal flow.

If he painted a warrior, could he accelerate its speed beyond human limits?

If he painted a landscape, could he slow time within it?

The possibilities were endless.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"It seems I've truly become something monstrous."

The Road Ahead

Ron flexed his fingers, feeling the newfound power coursing through him.

But he knew this was only the beginning.

His Time and Ink Attributes had just awakened—he had yet to master them.

More importantly, the world didn't know what he had become.

"And I intend to keep it that way—for now."

He couldn't reveal his abilities yet. If word got out that a so-called "non-awakener" possessed attributes beyond even S-rank awakeners, the consequences would be disastrous.

The academy would become his cage. Powerful factions would move against him.

No—he had to hide his strength, cultivate in the shadows, and grow until no one could challenge him.

He clenched his fist.

"I need to reach the next level quickly. Only then will I have true power."

And beyond that?

He thought of Leo Graves, the arrogant elite who had humiliated him.

Of the entire academy, which looked down on those without a system.

Of the aliens, the looming threats beyond Earth.

He would surpass them all.

And when the time was right—

"I will show them what true power is."