Ascension

After learning what had happened while he was unconscious, Lin Chenxing asked Xi Qing for the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method and began trying to cultivate.

However, until he could get back on his feet, entering cultivation was completely impossible.

As he lay there disappointed, Lin Chenxing realized he could apparently return to the bamboo he had inhabited before just by thinking about it.

Since his current body still couldn't cultivate, he might as well explore the potential of that other body and prepare for the future.

During the three or four days he spent lying in his hospital bed, unable to move freely, Lin Chenxing had also carefully learned about the special traits of his bamboo body.

First, a bamboo grove was a single whole with one shared consciousness, no matter how many bamboo stalks it contained, as long as they were connected by the same bamboo roots.

Second, a bamboo's main means of attack were its leaves, stalks, branches, and roots. Once all of these had been countered, it was basically doomed.

Third, the ability the bamboo grove had displayed earlier—sacrificing some bamboo to strengthen the rest—was called "Transference" in the grove's memories. Using it allowed nutrients from some bamboo to be redirected to other stalks, giving the bamboo that received them the chance to change its traits.

Finally, there was the ability to survive by cutting off part of its roots. The bamboo grove could sever some of its roots to split itself in two, with each half becoming an independent individual that did not affect the other. This was ultimately what had allowed the bamboo grove to survive, even though Lin Chenxing had beaten it to the punch.

Of these abilities, "Transference" was by far the most important to Lin Chenxing. The ability to change its traits through nutrients could accomplish many things that seemed impossible for humans.

For example, constantly strengthening the bamboo leaves until they became Bamboo Leaf Flying Daggers seemed like a highly feasible goal.

However, given the current circumstances, it would be very difficult for Lin Chenxing to carry out this plan.

He would have to wait until he became stronger and regained some authority over the base. Only then could he set his plan in motion.

At last, Lin Chenxing regained control of his body and began the rehabilitation stage, though everything was kept secret.

As Lin Chenxing's protector and caregiver, Xi Qing also took on the role of guiding his rehabilitation training.

Once Lin Chenxing could handle a certain degree of strenuous exercise, Xi Qing began sparring with him to help him regain the combat ability he'd had before falling unconscious.

After his body had passed all the tests, Lin Chenxing began practicing the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method in earnest for the first time.

Lin Chenxing crossed his legs, pointing the soles of his feet upward. Then he gently rested his hands on his legs, palms facing up, raised his head slightly, and straightened his back.

"According to Xi Qing, the Five-Heart-to-Heaven method is the most widely used among the cultivation methods available today. All the others are modifications of it, but none can significantly improve our physical fitness. Even this method requires a certain level of physical fitness to practice. But our physical fitness already far exceeds the standard, so almost no one has ever failed to cultivate it."

Lin Chenxing took a deep breath, relaxed his body, and began cultivating according to the method's instructions.

The first step, and the most difficult one in the entire method, was sensing the energy. Only by sensing the energy spread throughout the universe and Earth could one proceed to the next stages of cultivation. According to current statistics, the fastest person in the entire base had sensed the energy in just over three hours, while the slowest had taken around ten days.

This was actually related to the base's circumstances. The Martial Artists there had generally continued training intensely even after reaching the required level of physical fitness, pushing themselves well beyond the standard. Naturally, this made it easier for them to sense the cosmic energy.

Having spent time in a void space before, Lin Chenxing had developed strong control over his consciousness. In an instant, he entered a state of complete mental emptiness.

One minute, two minutes... an hour passed, and time slipped by.

Gradually, Lin Chenxing lost all sense of time, sinking completely into meditation.

In this state, he felt as though he had once again fallen into a void. Yet this void was warm, like being back in the womb.

Energy poured into his body through his Baihui Acupoint at the top of his head, the soles of his feet, and the palms of his hands. Lin Chenxing didn't notice the streams of energy and continued basking in that warm feeling.

Suddenly, a shiver from deep within his bones swept over him, making the warmth vanish.

Only then did Lin Chenxing notice faint, tiny wisps of energy approaching his Baihui Acupoint, palms, and soles, then seeping into them. He had no idea how long this had been happening.

Could this be the so-called cosmic energy? Lin Chenxing focused his consciousness and kept strengthening the thought of "absorbing cosmic energy." The wisps of energy immediately began flowing in through his "Five Hearts" like a surging tide.

His body's cells, already starving for energy, began devouring it frantically.

As the cosmic energy entered, the mitochondria in each cell worked rapidly, drawing in the energy and releasing a strange force unlike the cosmic energy. This force was quickly absorbed by other parts of the cells, triggering a series of earth-shattering changes. His DNA began to change, and his cells began to divide.

This was an evolution in the level of life itself, far greater than the evolution he had undergone after surviving the RR Virus. His skin, muscles, and bones, down to every cell and gene deep within him, were all optimized.

At the same time, Lin Chenxing's other body—the bamboo stalk—also underwent earth-shattering changes. Under his unconscious influence, cosmic energy flowed into its cells as well.

Nourished by the cosmic energy, the bamboo's appearance began to change. Its former blue-green color gradually faded to white, and its texture became entirely jade-like. Its leaves grew thicker and thicker, chiming pleasantly as the wind blew through them.

As the bamboo's life essence evolved, its original ability, "Transference," underwent a further transformation, becoming "Directed Evolution." It could still sacrifice nutrients from other bamboo to enhance one stalk, but it had also gained new means of development. By selectively cultivating bamboo from the shoots onward, it could continually alter the traits of future stalks and produce large numbers of unusual varieties.

When Lin Chenxing felt that his body was nearly saturated, he slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

Seeing his expression, Xi Qing, who had been waiting beside him, knew he must have succeeded. She reminded him, "Looks like you've completed your first absorption. Six hours have passed since you began. Judging by the changes in your expression, I think you sensed the cosmic energy after about two and a half hours, then spent three and a half hours absorbing it. No wonder you're a genius of the group. You sensed it much faster than we did, and spent quite a bit longer absorbing it, too."

Lin Chenxing clenched his fist. He could feel that the strength within his body had increased by a great deal.

"Thanks for the trouble, Xi Qing. I can feel that I'm now more than twice as strong as before. It's time to go out and give them a surprise."