Even when they managed to maintain the structure of the acupoints through sheer mental strength, the moment their concentration slipped even slightly, the acupoints they had just formed would collapse instantly.
The backlash often caused severe injuries.
Yet these setbacks did not discourage them.
Instead, they continued searching for new solutions.
Eventually, they proposed a bold idea.
If spiritual energy could be compressed into a solid form, just like in The Art of Alchemy, then perhaps acupoints themselves could be materialized.
After a long period of difficult experimentation, the idea finally produced some results.
They successfully condensed solid spiritual-energy acupoints and meridians capable of storing excess energy.
However, new problems soon appeared.
These materialized structures became extremely hard—like steel embedded inside their bodies.
Not only did this make the circulation of spiritual energy extremely slow, it also caused their bodies to move stiffly.
Even worse, after prolonged intense activity, the hardened energy structures could crack and break.
When that happened, the fragments would pierce their own bodies from the inside.
The reason for these failures was simple.
The original Foundation Establishment system had been created by the Mechanicus through enormous knowledge reserves and a great deal of luck.
At that time, Xiao had transferred massive amounts of data from the Old Net into the Cyber Dimension.
With the assistance of supercomputers performing countless calculations, the system had finally been constructed.
The technology contained within the Old Net—whether mechanical engineering or biotechnology—was more than a century ahead of the technology available in the John Wick world.
After all, the people of the John Wick world were still obsessed with ancient rituals and assassin traditions.
Meanwhile, the Cyberpunk world could already build independent crystal palaces in outer space.
Compared with that level of civilization, the current group of Continental Hotel managers were nothing more than uneducated criminals.
Most of them had learned cultivation through simplified one-click cultivation methods.
They barely understood the true foundation of cultivation.
Even if they obtained the complete cultivation theories, independently advancing to Foundation Establishment would still be almost impossible.
Of course, given enough time, they might eventually succeed through endless experimentation.
But the biggest problem now was time.
Condensing gold spirit coins was not easy.
It wasn't like pressing a skill button in a video game.
Spiritual energy had to be slowly compressed through a lengthy and exhausting process.
For beginners, producing one copper spirit coin per minute was already the limit.
Even with a constant supply of energy, they could only create about four gold spirit coins per day.
Veterans were slightly faster.
Yet even the Continental Hotel managers—who had already reached the peak of Qi Condensation—could only produce about twenty gold spirit coins daily.
Unfortunately, the amount of spiritual energy they received every day far exceeded that amount.
And as more and more people joined the ranks of Cyber Cultivators, the incoming spiritual energy continued to grow.
Condensing spirit coins could slow the increase, but it could not solve the fundamental problem.
The situation quickly became unbearable.
The managers found themselves torn between excitement and regret.
On one hand, they watched enormous profits arrive every single day.
On the other hand, they deeply regretted their own greed.
They had created a situation that was now completely out of control.
Eventually, they were forced to consider two possible solutions.
First, they could immediately stop selling the Golden Book Jade Pages, slowing the growth of cultivators and giving themselves time to research Foundation Establishment.
Second, they could buy advanced cultivation techniques from Caine, completing their own Foundation Establishment as quickly as possible.
Clearly, the first option was the most rational choice.
But there was a problem.
Could they really afford to stop selling the Golden Book Jade Pages?
Every day, countless new cultivators were being drawn into the system.
The percentage of spiritual energy tribute continued to rise.
Gradually, the Golden Book Jade Page had evolved into something else entirely.
A carefully constructed spiritual-energy bubble.
The Continental Hotel used the Golden Book Jade Page as bait.
Like a carrot hanging in front of a donkey.
While exploiting the cultivators at the bottom of society, it also gave them hope that they might someday rise above their circumstances.
Because of this illusion of opportunity, the grassroots cultivators continued working tirelessly, accumulating spiritual energy like beasts of burden.
They dreamed of the day they could purchase their own Golden Book Jade Page and begin exploiting others.
As long as that dream existed, they would not rebel.
But if the Continental Hotel suddenly stopped selling the Golden Book Jade Page—
The entire illusion would collapse.
And once that happened, countless oppressed cultivators might rise up in anger and destroy the Continental Hotel itself.
For this reason, the managers didn't even dare to consider shutting down the system.
Left with no alternatives, they gathered their gold spirit coins and went to Caine, purchasing his exclusive cultivation techniques.
They not only needed a solution to their spiritual energy problem.
They also needed greater power to maintain their rule.
Meanwhile, the Cyber Cultivators themselves were beginning to form factions.
Many cultivation groups had grown extremely large.
Some were already powerful enough to rival the Continental Hotel.
After all, the Continental Hotel was only an underground organization.
It possessed influence—but it was not invincible.
If it truly were invincible, it would be the government itself rather than a shadowy criminal network.
As the number of Cyber Cultivators continued to rise, official governments finally began to intervene.
Those factions that chose to cooperate with official authorities gained immediate advantages.
They received manpower, resources, and infrastructure.
Their strength grew rapidly.
Soon even the Continental Hotel hesitated to confront them directly.
After all, governments possessed a unique advantage.
They could mobilize large numbers of ordinary people.
Using newly printed money, they bought up the spiritual energy painstakingly accumulated by grassroots cultivators.
For people who were hungry, unemployed, and desperate—
Money and a stable job were more than enough to buy their loyalty.
But governments were not the only new forces emerging.
Many other organizations with different visions for the future of cultivation also began rising quietly.
Because cultivation techniques and spiritual seeds had to be transmitted personally, the relationship between teacher and disciple became extremely close.
Both parties knew each other intimately.
Within this environment, Cyber Cultivators began using a new title for the elders who passed down cultivation methods.
They called them—
"Patriarch."
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