Chapter 35| The Real High Threshold

The change occurred in an extremely ordinary moment.

That evening, Li Xing had just finished a relatively simple job.

No extra profit, no intense synchronization.

He finished work, went home, and washed his hands according to his own schedule.

Everything was smooth.

Precisely because of this, when that feeling appeared, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

It wasn't spatial expansion.

It wasn't an influx of information.

It was an extremely clear sense of "separation"—like his consciousness being gently lifted, yet not truly leaving his body.

He stopped moving, without resistance or questioning.

A few seconds later, for the first time, space manifested in his consciousness in a "non-instrumental" form,

as structured feedback.

There was no sound, but a clear meaning:

—Current state: Stable

—Synchronization dependence: Controlled

—Cognitive dominance: Individual supremacy

This wasn't an assessment result.

It was a confirmation of preconditions.

Immediately afterwards, a second layer of information emerged.

Not a command,

but a choice.

The space opened up a new possibility for his use—Advanced Controllable Window, Targeted Opening.

Unlike all previous abilities, this one had clear limitations:

—Cannot be used continuously

—Cannot be used during periods of emotional fluctuation

—Cannot be used for repetitive gains

And most importantly:

—Once abused, permanently closed, never to be restored

Li Xing's breathing slowed.

This was the first time he had seen the rule of "unrestoreable."

It wasn't a threat.

It was an announcement.

The space didn't urge him.

The information remained there, as if waiting for him to draw his own conclusion.

He knew very well what this meant.

This wasn't an ability upgrade,

but a leap in authority.

It wasn't making him stronger,

but allowing him, at certain points,

to see "paths that shouldn't have been seen before."

But the price was that the power of choice was completely returned to him.

If he agreed,

from then on, all consequences of overstepping boundaries,

would no longer be the space's responsibility.

He sat on the edge of the bed, silent for a long time.

What flashed through his mind wasn't money,

or opportunity,

but the image of the space filling in for him during that previous threshold test.

He didn't want to experience that state of being taken over again.

In the end, he didn't respond immediately.

He simply did one thing—shut down his perception, completely exiting synchronization.

At that moment, the space didn't change.

It didn't retract, nor did it advance.

It was as if confirming his attitude.

The next day, he went out as usual.

He did his work as usual.

He controlled his pace as usual.

Until evening, while dealing with a particularly difficult-to-judge potential hazard,

he suddenly realized—

If it were before, synchronization would have been forcibly activated here.

But this time, it wasn't.

There was only a very slight "entry permitted" prompt.

Like a door.

Open, but not pulling you in.

He finally understood.

The real high-level threshold,

wasn't whether you could use the space,

but—

whether you could choose not to use it when you could.

That night, he wrote in his notebook:

—High-level access does not equal high-frequency use

—The essence of the threshold is self-discipline

—The space will only respond to those who exercise restraint

After writing it, he didn't think about it anymore.

Because he knew,

This door wouldn't disappear.

It would just always be there,

waiting for him to push it open himself at some truly necessary moment.

Instead of being pushed in.