Spiritual Energy Ascension

Lin Chen opened his eyes and looked out. When he looked again at the mountains and waters, he felt as though a veil of mist had been swept aside, revealing a wondrous world made up of countless streams of spiritual energy!

Whether it was the stone wall, the Spirit Pearl, or the incense burner, each now seemed to possess a life of its own! Each had that trace of spirituality belonging solely to itself!

Especially in the air—every corner seemed to hold something indescribable, something ineffable, yet brimming with vigorous vitality, like the newborn morning sun.

That was—spiritual energy!

"Is this the [Spiritual Sense] that only emerges after a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator's soul undergoes transformation?" The scene before him had been recorded in the sect's classics, and Lin Chen quickly realized what it was.

He had never expected that this accident would allow his soul to complete its initial transformation, giving birth to the Spiritual Sense possessed only by Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators.

Though it could not compare to that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in quality, nor could it forcibly interfere with the spiritual energy in the air, it still allowed him, much like a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, to cast illusions that affected cultivators whose souls were weaker than his own.

And with this ability, he could effortlessly influence anyone whose soul was inferior to his.

Having reached this stage, even if the mortal world assembled an army of a million, it would pose no threat to him!

It could even be said that only upon reaching this stage could one be considered, to a certain extent, beyond the mortal world. For at this moment, the Dao of Gathering the Masses wielded by mortals in this world could no longer threaten him in the slightest!

Of course, for Lin Chen, the most important thing was not combat power, but the vision granted by Spiritual Sense.

That view in which everything Between Heaven and Earth seemed filled with vitality made him feel as though he had seen the true face of the world!

It was like an ordinary person in his previous life suddenly becoming able to perceive electromagnetic waves, gravity, or even four-dimensional space—at that instant, they would feel as though they had glimpsed the essence of the world!

"No wonder the classics record that only upon reaching Foundation Establishment can one be said to have truly opened the gates of cultivation!"

"Because Foundation Establishment is an elevation of one's very essence, and from then on, one's perspective on all things is no longer the same as that of mortals!"

Lin Chen muttered.

He had never expected this upheaval to be a blessing rather than a disaster. This vision alone would bring untold benefits to his future research.

Of course, more importantly, this vision that could distinguish spiritual energy gave his [Non-toxic Qi Pill] experiments a chance of succeeding!

"And the changes don't end there..." Lin Chen rubbed his brow, sat down cross-legged, and entered meditation. In an instant, he felt as though he had arrived in a certain region.

This region was indescribable and ineffable; even its boundaries could not be determined. Yet Lin Chen sensed within it an unfathomable, boundless aura.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the embryonic form of the Mud Pill Palace, as well as the stage corresponding to Foundation Establishment Late Stage in this world's cultivation system—the [Purple Mansion Realm]!"

The Purple Mansion was the most perilous hurdle within the Foundation Establishment Realm. Countless cultivators had their heads explode while attempting to break through it, yet Lin Chen had opened it up ahead of time.

This meant that Lin Chen would face no further obstacles in his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation. Considering his age, even if he did no research from now on and focused solely on cultivation, he would at the very least become a Golden Core cultivator in the future!

But clearly, Lin Chen would not stop at the Golden Core Realm. In his eyes, the Golden Core Realm was merely the first step toward immortality!

"But this is truly strange. I haven't even advanced to Foundation Establishment, so why was I able to open the Mud Pill Palace? Even if it's only an embryonic form, could it be related to the boundless darkness I experienced when I transmigrated, or the dimensional reduction before my transmigration..."

Lin Chen let out a long breath, opened his eyes, and fell into thought.

But after thinking for only a short while, he abandoned this speculation.

After all, he had no information at all right now. Wild guesses were meaningless; he would be better off focusing on the present and thoroughly investigating the Mud Pill Palace he had opened.

From what he understood, the Mud Pill Palace was also known as the "Yellow Court." It was the most important part of the human body, capable of overseeing all spirits and illuminating divine sense. Those who pursued the Dao drew Qi into the body and tempered themselves. Thus, the Mud Pill was the spirit above form, the spirit of the entire body.

Simply put, the Mud Pill Palace was where a cultivator's soul resided, and the Purple Mansion in this Side World was the same.

"I had previously guessed that souls in this world are not only related to consciousness, but likely also to spiritual energy."

Lin Chen calmed himself and continuously analyzed the situation based on what had just happened.

"I had already concluded that spiritual roots should be the portion of spiritual energy within the human body that remains active."

"And what I just saw proves that the formation of the Mud Pill Palace seems related to the spiritual energy supplied by spiritual roots..."

"During the advancement of Foundation Establishment, during the leap in energy level, spiritual roots produce spiritual energy? No, it would be more accurate to say that they activate the dormant spiritual energy within the human body, then use it as a resource for the soul's transformation."

"Consciousness, consciousness... In my view, consciousness consists of two parts. One is memory, and the other is perception. Memory determines who I am and where I came from, while perception determines the continuation of memory, and thus where sentient life itself is headed."

"During advancement, perception combines with spiritual energy and gives birth to [Spiritual Sense], allowing me to sense the spiritual energy of the world. And memory, as it blends with spiritual energy... hmm."

Lin Chen suddenly thought of something. If memory continuously fused with spiritual energy, then in the end, would memory ultimately merge into spiritual energy itself?

Following that line of reasoning, was the essence of cultivation to raise the Spiritual Energy Level within one's body, integrating one's memories, perceptions, and bodily information into spiritual energy?

Then in the end, would the cultivator themself become a wisp of spiritual energy possessing self-awareness?

Qi Refining, Qi Refining—did it mean refining oneself into a wisp of Qi?

Lin Chen then thought of how, in the Cultivation World, one could only perform Body Seizing upon reaching the Golden Core Realm, while the Primordial Spirit of legend could Gather and Disperse Without Form. He could not help but feel that this conjecture was Highly Likely to be the truth.

After all, consciousness existed because of the physical body. How could it possibly seize another's body out of thin air? There must be a corresponding vessel to carry it!

Although turning the human body into spiritual energy seemed bizarre, Lin Chen believed that the human body was easily damaged and incapable of longevity; even one's own thoughts and will were subject to the body's control.

But if the human body were refined into a wisp of spiritual energy, one could cast off the limitations of flesh and blood, roam freely Between Heaven and Earth, and achieve the same lifespan as heaven and earth, shining alongside the sun and moon!

Moreover, this process was not one of abandoning the physical body. It was similar to the Daoist practice from his previous life of Slaying Three Corpses and Nine Worms and refining the Three Flowers and Five Qi—removing the body's flaws and completing an elevation in the essence of life.

It was simply that cultivators in this Side World were far more direct than those of his previous life. They directly elevated the human body from a flesh and blood body into a spiritual energy creature!

"No, it isn't merely elevation. It is also a method of returning from the acquired to the innate. After all, in this Side World, flesh and blood as matter itself evolved from spiritual energy..."

The more Lin Chen considered this idea, the more plausible it seemed. Just by looking at the names of the realms later on the path of cultivation—Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation—one could see that they mirrored the process of a human embryo growing into an adult.

And whether it was a Golden Core or a Nascent Soul, weren't they all formed from spiritual energy? So wouldn't what ultimately grew be a spiritual energy creature?

Even Body Cultivators who specialized in the flesh combined Spiritual Energy with flesh and blood, then fused their will into it. At the end of the day, weren't they also a different kind of Spiritual Energy Creature?

"If my guess is correct, then by tracing to the source, returning to the innate state, casting off the shackles of flesh and blood brought by birth, and ascending into a creature of Spiritual Energy, one could embrace an endless future—perhaps even live as long as heaven and earth, shining alongside the sun and moon..."

Lin Chen slightly closed his eyes and muttered.

"Spiritual Energy ascension—the essential elevation of one's life dimension. By perceiving this world's essence, one could thus open up a Heaven-Reaching Great Dao..."

Lin Chen opened his eyes, bearing a trace of shock and admiration.

By harnessing the characteristics of Spiritual Energy, they had created a Cultivation System. They had cast aside the inadequacies of flesh and blood and ascended into Spiritual Energy Creatures.

Such a great feat—comprehending the world, grasping its essence, and completing the ascension of one's own life—was by no means something that could be accomplished easily. The hardship and suffering within it were simply unimaginable!

Yet even so, the Ancient Times' Dao Seekers had still achieved it. They had even opened up a Heaven-Reaching Great Dao and established a vast Cultivation Civilization!

Lin Chen had to admit that the Ancient Cultivator heroes of This Side World truly possessed great wisdom and great courage!

Their elegance and spirit, their wisdom and courage, remained shining brightly in civilization's starry sky even after the washing of countless millions of years!

"The feat of opening up a path alone is enough to show the vastness and splendor of the Ancient Times. After millions upon millions of years of development, it should have become even more brilliant—so why had it turned into a cultivation mafia that only cared about fighting over resources? I really don't know what happened afterward..."

"Or is it only like this in the Lingnan Great Land, while the outside world is completely different?" Lin Chen pondered for a moment, but found no answer and could only give up.

But then, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

The opening of his Purple Mansion this time had allowed him, following the leap in his Spiritual Energy Level, to once more lift a corner of the veil over the Cultivation System.

If he could further clarify the mysteries of different realms, then the path of cultivation, incomparably difficult for other cultivators, would no longer be an obstacle for Lin Chen, but a bright and smooth path!

Let me explain the setting.

Everyone probably knows that the author does not possess the ability to create an entire system of physics completely different from reality. If I had that ability, this work shouldn't be published on Qidian—it should be published in Nature and Science.

Therefore, the setting of This Side World is that it resembles reality on the macroscopic level, with Spiritual Energy added as a patch in the microscopic world.

Because of all kinds of interference from Spiritual Energy, its fundamental constants have changed to a certain extent. Thus, the experiments of his previous life do not work—not because those things do not exist, but because they have been affected by Spiritual Energy. The Protagonist simply does not know it yet.

At the same time, I must state that this is an imaginary world. As long as the setting is relatively reasonable, that is enough; it is truly impossible to make it flawless in every respect.

And if some readers insist on using the settings of other books or reality itself to forcefully argue against this book, there is nothing I can do about it.

Also, some readers complain from beginning to end. If what they say is right, I will listen. But the problem is... sigh. People choose books, and books also choose people. If it does not suit you, you can go read something else that interests you. Life is already hard enough, so why torture yourself with a book you cannot bear to read and affect others in the process...? I suggest you switch to one that can make you happy. Let us part on good terms.

Also, when the Protagonist's strength is still low in the early stages, the focus is on exploration. Only later will it become about creation and changing the world.

As for adapting the technology of his previous life into this life, I will do my best to give it a Xianxia art style—for example, changing electromagnetic force into Yuan Magnetic Force—so as to avoid it feeling too out of character.