Night covered the city like a dark blanket. The lights of buildings flickered in the distance, and the sounds of cars slowly faded as the streets became quieter. Inside a small apartment room, Lin Tian sat cross-legged on his bed.
The faint moonlight entered through the window and illuminated his calm face.
But inside his body, a storm was about to begin.
After several nights of attempting cultivation, Lin Tian had finally stabilized the flow of spiritual energy inside his meridians. The thin streams of energy circulating through his body were slowly becoming stronger.
However, Lin Tian knew something important.
Before true cultivation could begin, his body needed to be purified.
In his past life, powerful cultivators used rare heavenly treasures, divine pills, or sacred springs to cleanse their bodies. Those treasures could remove impurities instantly and strengthen the body.
But now he was on modern Earth.
There were no immortal pills. No sacred herbs. No ancient cultivation sects.
Only a weak human body filled with impurities.
Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes.
"This body is far too weak…"
He clenched his fists slightly.
"If I want to walk the path of cultivation again, I must rebuild everything from the beginning."
He closed his eyes once more and began circulating the spiritual energy.
The thin energy threads moved slowly through his meridians, following the path of the ancient cultivation technique he remembered from his previous life.
The technique was simple but extremely effective.
The Heavenly Origin Breathing Method.
It was not the strongest cultivation method in the universe, but it was perfect for rebuilding a weak foundation.
Lin Tian inhaled deeply.
The air entered his lungs.
But more importantly, the faint spiritual energy hidden within the air began entering his body.
At first, everything was calm.
The energy flowed slowly through his meridians like a gentle stream.
But then—
Pain.
A sudden sharp pain exploded inside his chest.
Lin Tian's body trembled slightly.
His brows tightened, but he did not stop.
The spiritual energy was pushing deeper into his meridians, and that was where the problem began.
His meridians were blocked.
Years of ordinary living, unhealthy food, pollution, and lack of cultivation had filled his body with impurities.
Dark invisible toxins were clogging his energy pathways.
When spiritual energy tried to move through them, the pressure increased.
It was like forcing a river through a narrow tunnel.
Crack.
Lin Tian felt a painful tearing sensation.
His breathing became heavier.
Sweat slowly appeared on his forehead.
"Just as I expected…" he murmured softly.
The purification had begun.
The spiritual energy continued circulating again and again, forcing its way through the blocked meridians.
Each cycle pushed the impurities outward.
And each cycle brought pain.
Real pain.
Not the kind of pain ordinary people experienced.
This was the pain of transformation.
Inside his body, spiritual energy was breaking apart the layers of toxins stored in his flesh and bones.
His muscles twitched.
His veins bulged slightly.
The pressure continued building.
Suddenly—
A burning sensation spread across his entire body.
Lin Tian's teeth clenched tightly.
His body felt as if it were burning from the inside.
But despite the pain, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"This feeling…"
"I remember it."
In his past life, when he first stepped onto the cultivation path, he experienced the same purification.
Back then, he was also weak.
Also powerless.
But he endured.
And eventually, he became a warrior who could shake galaxies.
Now he would endure again.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
The pain grew stronger.
Black sweat slowly began leaking from the pores of his skin.
The smell was terrible.
Those were the impurities leaving his body.
His shirt became soaked.
Drops of dark liquid fell onto the floor.
But Lin Tian remained motionless.
He continued breathing slowly, guiding the spiritual energy through his body again and again.
With each circulation, the pressure slightly decreased.
The blocked meridians were slowly opening.
Another hour passed.
Then suddenly—
A cracking sensation echoed inside his body.
Lin Tian's eyes suddenly opened.
A powerful breath escaped his lungs.
"Huah!"
At that moment, a surge of energy flowed through his entire body.
The pain began fading.
The burning sensation slowly disappeared.
Lin Tian lowered his head and looked at his hands.
His skin looked slightly clearer.
His muscles felt lighter.
Even his breathing felt smoother.
He slowly stood up from the bed.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt it immediately.
His body was stronger.
Not dramatically stronger.
But noticeably improved.
Before, this body was weak and fragile.
Now it felt stable and energetic.
Lin Tian walked toward the mirror on the wall.
When he looked at his reflection, he noticed something surprising.
His eyes.
They looked sharper.
Calmer.
More alive.
The aura around him had slightly changed.
Although he still looked like an ordinary young man, there was now a faint sense of depth in his presence.
Lin Tian nodded slightly.
"The first purification is complete."
But then he smelled something terrible.
He looked down at his clothes.
They were soaked with dark sweat and sticky impurities.
Lin Tian sighed.
"This part never changes."
Even powerful cultivators could not avoid the disgusting aftermath of body purification.
He quickly went to the bathroom.
The cold water from the shower washed away the impurities covering his body.
Dark liquid flowed down the drain.
After several minutes, Lin Tian finally felt clean again.
When he returned to his room, the night had grown deeper.
But Lin Tian was not tired.
Instead, he felt refreshed.
His senses were sharper than before.
He could hear distant sounds from outside the building.
Cars passing on the road.
People talking in nearby apartments.
Even the wind moving through the trees.
Lin Tian sat back on the bed and slowly closed his eyes again.
Now that his body had completed the first purification, cultivation would become much easier.
But he knew this was only the beginning.
Real cultivation required countless breakthroughs.
Body refinement.
Energy gathering.
Spirit awakening.
Soul transformation.
In the universe, cultivators trained for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Some died before reaching true power.
Others became legends.
Lin Tian looked at the night sky through the window.
Far beyond the clouds, beyond the stars, the vast universe waited.
Somewhere out there existed powerful enemies.
Enemies who once destroyed his world.
Enemies who might still be alive.
A cold determination appeared in his eyes.
"This time…"
"I will return stronger."
"But first…"
He slowly inhaled again, gathering the faint spiritual energy around him.
"I must grow stronger here on Earth."
The night continued quietly.
And in a small room within the modern city, the journey of a future cosmic cultivator had truly begun.