The night was deep and silent.
Most of the city had already fallen asleep. Streetlights glowed faintly outside, casting long shadows across the buildings.
Inside the small apartment, Lin Tian sat alone in the center of his room.
The laptop on the desk was closed.
The lights were turned off.
Only the faint moonlight entering through the window illuminated the room.
Lin Tian preferred it this way.
Darkness helped him concentrate.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, his back straight and his hands resting calmly on his knees.
Tonight, he had decided to make his first serious attempt at cultivation.
Earlier attempts had only been small tests—simple breathing exercises to confirm that spiritual energy still existed on Earth.
But now he wanted to take the first real step on the cultivation path.
Even if the progress was small, it would mark the beginning of his new journey.
Lin Tian slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing became slow and steady.
Inhale.
Exhale.
His mind gradually became calm.
All distracting thoughts faded away.
No memories of past battles.
No worries about the future.
Only the present moment remained.
Lin Tian began circulating the basic cultivation technique he had selected earlier.
It was not the powerful Star Devouring Technique he once used in the cosmic battlefield.
That technique was too dangerous for his current body.
Instead, he used a simpler method.
A foundational breathing technique designed to open the body's energy pathways.
For a few minutes, nothing happened.
The room remained completely quiet.
But Lin Tian remained patient.
He knew cultivation required persistence.
Gradually, he began sensing the faint spiritual energy floating in the air.
Tiny invisible particles drifted around him.
They were extremely weak compared to the energy he once absorbed in deep space.
But they were still real.
Lin Tian carefully guided his breathing.
Inhale.
With each breath, a small amount of spiritual energy slowly entered his body.
The moment the energy touched his meridians, a sharp pain appeared.
Lin Tian's eyebrows tightened slightly.
His meridians were blocked.
This body had never practiced cultivation before.
The energy pathways were narrow and fragile.
The spiritual energy struggled to move forward.
But Lin Tian did not stop.
Instead, he carefully guided the energy forward little by little.
The pain increased.
It felt like thin needles moving slowly through his body.
Sweat appeared on his forehead.
But his breathing remained steady.
Minutes passed.
The small stream of energy continued pushing through the blocked pathways.
Finally, something happened.
One of the minor meridians inside his arm suddenly opened.
The energy flowed through it smoothly for a brief moment.
Lin Tian immediately felt a small wave of warmth spread through his body.
His eyes opened slightly in surprise.
"It opened…"
The first meridian had been partially cleared.
Although it was only a small step, it was still progress.
Lin Tian felt encouraged.
He closed his eyes again and continued the process.
More spiritual energy entered his body through his breathing.
Slowly, carefully, he guided it toward the next blocked pathway.
But this time, the result was not so smooth.
The energy suddenly collided with a tightly blocked meridian in his chest.
A sharp pain shot through his body.
"Ugh!"
Lin Tian's breathing became unstable.
The energy lost control and scattered inside his body.
His concentration broke.
The cultivation process stopped instantly.
Lin Tian opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.
His chest still felt sore.
"That was reckless…"
He quickly realized his mistake.
His current body was too weak.
Trying to force open the meridians too quickly could cause internal injuries.
Cultivation required patience.
In his previous life, he had spent years slowly building a strong foundation before reaching the higher stages.
But now, his memories of immense power made it easy to forget how fragile the beginning could be.
Lin Tian stood up and walked to the window.
Cool night air entered the room.
He took several deep breaths.
Gradually, the soreness in his chest faded.
After a few minutes, Lin Tian returned to the center of the room.
But this time, he changed his approach.
Instead of forcing the energy through the blocked meridians, he would focus on strengthening his body first.
He sat down again and closed his eyes.
This time, his breathing technique was slower.
Gentler.
Instead of pushing the energy aggressively, he simply allowed it to circulate naturally.
The tiny streams of spiritual energy moved slowly through the pathways that were already open.
The warmth gradually spread through his body.
The feeling was comfortable.
Relaxing.
His muscles began to feel lighter.
The exhaustion from earlier faded.
Lin Tian smiled faintly.
"This is better."
Cultivation was not only about power.
It was also about balance.
By strengthening his body slowly, the meridians would naturally become wider and stronger.
Once they were ready, opening them would be much easier.
Time passed quietly.
Half an hour.
Then another half hour.
Lin Tian remained completely focused.
The faint spiritual energy continued circulating through his body.
Little by little, it nourished his muscles, bones, and organs.
Although the improvement was small, it was steady.
Finally, Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes.
The moon had moved across the sky.
Several hours had passed.
He stood up and stretched his arms.
To his surprise, his body felt slightly lighter.
The soreness from earlier cultivation had disappeared.
Even his breathing felt smoother.
"It's working…"
The progress was slow, but it was real.
This was the first step toward rebuilding his cultivation foundation.
Lin Tian walked toward the mirror again.
He examined his reflection carefully.
There was still no visible change.
But his eyes seemed brighter.
More focused.
The faint energy circulating inside his body gave him a new sense of vitality.
Lin Tian clenched his fist slowly.
Although his strength had not increased much yet, he could feel a subtle difference.
His body was beginning to adapt to spiritual energy.
He looked at the sleeping city outside the window.
Thousands of people were living their normal lives, unaware of the hidden spiritual energy surrounding them.
But Lin Tian knew the truth.
The path of cultivation had reopened for him.
And tonight marked the true beginning.
He whispered quietly to himself.
"This is only the first step."
"In the future…"
"I will rise again."
Far above the city, the stars continued shining silently in the vast universe.
And in a small apartment beneath that endless sky, the reborn cultivator had taken his first real step toward reclaiming the power he once possessed.