After enjoying the sunset, Lin Yun returned to the training room. The simple meditation mat in the center of the room seemed to beckon him. It was time to stop theorizing and start doing. It was time to cultivate.
He sat down cross-legged, assuming the posture that felt both unfamiliar and instinctively right. He closed his eyes, seeking the memories of the original Lin Yun on how to begin.
The path of cultivation in this world was a ladder with nine great steps, each more profound and powerful than the last.
The first step was theBody Tempering Realm, forging the physical vessel to its peak.
The second, where he currently resided, was the Qi Condensation Realm, focused on drawing the world's spiritual energy into the body and condensing it within the dantian, the energy center below the navel.
Beyond that lay the Foundation Establishment Realm, where one built an unshakable core for future growth; the Golden Core Formation Realm, where that foundation was compressed into a potent, golden core of power; and the Nascent Soul Realm, where the core hatched into a miniature version of one's own soul.
The higher realms—Soul Transformation, Void Tribulation, Great Harmony, and the pinnacle of mortality, the Void Shattering Realm—were legends to most, realms where cultivators began to touch the very laws of the universe.
Each of these nine great realms was further divided into nine levels, a testament to the long, arduous journey ahead.
Lin Yun was at the 2nd Level of the Qi Condensation Realm. It was a laughably low starting point, but it was a start.
He focused inward, on the core cultivation technique of the Lin Clan, a method known as the "Verdant Dragon's Cyclic Art." The memories supplied the knowledge: a specific pathway for spiritual energy to travel through his meridians, the body's energy channels.
He took a deep breath and retrieved the small, porcelain bottle from his system's inventory that contained the Basic Qi Gathering Pills he had yet to refine. For now, he would use the one he had obtained from the academy earlier, a standard, low-grade pill. He swallowed it.
A warm sensation bloomed in his stomach, quickly transforming into a surge of pure spiritual energy. It was like a river suddenly unleashed within him, wild and untamed.
This was the critical moment. This was where cultivators without a technique would be overwhelmed, their meridians damaged by the rampant energy. But Lin Yun had the Verdant Dragon's Cyclic Art.
He began to guide the energy. The technique dictated a specific route: from the dantian, down through the legs to the Bubbling Spring acupoint on the soles of the feet, then back up the spine, over the crown of the head, and down the front of the body to complete the cycle. It was a grand circulation, meant to temper the entire body.
As the energy began to move, something remarkable happened. Lin Yun's programmer brain, trained to recognize patterns and logic in lines of code, immediately latched onto the process.
"This... this is just an algorithm," he realized with a shock of clarity.
The cultivation technique wasn't some mystical, esoteric secret. It was a precise set of instructions—a biological program. It defined the input (spiritual energy), the processing path (the meridian cycle), and the desired output (condensed Qi stored in the dantian).
The "Verdant Dragon's Cyclic Art" was, in essence, a program for energy manipulation. A low-level one, perhaps, but a program nonetheless.
The higher the level of a technique—be it a Qi Condensation-level art or a legendary Void Shattering-level art—the more complex and efficient its "code" was, allowing for faster processing and greater power output.
"So, this is how to cultivate?"
This realization was a key turning point. While others might struggle to feel the energy flow, Lin Yun could analyze it. He could see the logic. The path wasn't arbitrary; it was designed to maximize exposure to the body's major energy channels while minimizing strain on weaker points.
He stopped fighting the energy and started directing it with conscious intent. He wasn't just following a feeling; he was executing a function.
His focus became razor-sharp. He visualized the energy as a stream of data, flowing through the precise pathways defined by the "Verdant Dragon's Cyclic Art" protocol.
The initial clumsiness vanished. The energy, which had been bucking and wavering, now flowed smoothly, obediently following the route his will dictated.
Cycle after cycle, the wild energy from the pill was tamed, refined, and absorbed into his dantian. He could feel the small pool of spiritual energy within him growing, becoming denser, more substantial.
He lost track of time, completely absorbed in the process. It was like debugging a complex piece of code, finding the most efficient loop, optimizing the process. The "Verdant Dragon's Cyclic Art" was his development environment, and his body was the hardware.
Hours seemed to pass in minutes. The spiritual energy from the pill was fully absorbed, but he didn't stop. He began drawing in the thin wisps of spiritual energy from the air around him, pulling them into the cycle.
The process was slower, but his control was now so fine-tuned that he could maintain it effortlessly.
Then, he felt it. A familiar sensation, though he was experiencing it for the first time—a tightening, a fullness in his dantian and meridians. It was like a container being filled to its very brim.
The energy, now circulating with practiced ease, began to press against the boundaries of his current level.
This was a bottleneck. The limit of the 2nd Level of the Qi Condensation Realm.
In the game, he would have accumulated enough EXP and clicked a "Breakthrough" button. Here, the process was visceral, real. The energy needed to push through, to expand the container.
He didn't panic. He understood the principle. It was an overflow. The system's presence in his mind was like a permission slip, ensuring the process was safe and guided, but he still had to provide the energy and the will.
He intensified the circulation, pushing the Verdant Dragon's Cyclic Art to its limit. He focused all his concentration, all his will, on compressing the energy in his dantian and then guiding it in a powerful, concentrated surge through his meridians.
Crackle…
A faint, almost imperceptible cracking sound, heard only within the depths of his soul, echoed through his being.
It was not a sound of damage, but of release. Of expansion.
The pressure vanished instantly. The spiritual energy, which a moment before had been straining against its confines, now flowed freely through wider, reinforced channels.
His dantian felt larger, capable of holding significantly more power. His senses sharpened; he could hear the faint rustle of leaves outside more clearly, smell the residual scent of herbs in the room more acutely.
He opened his eyes. A faint sheen of sweat coated his skin, but he felt incredible—energized, clear-headed, and stronger.
A soft chime sounded in his mind. He pulled up his system interface.
[Ding! Host has broken through to the 3rd Level of the Qi Condensation Realm!]
[B-Rank Daily Mission Completed!]
[Rewards: 100 EXP, Random Low-Grade Cultivation Technique have been placed in your inventory.]
[Current EXP: 130/1000 to Level 2.]