Continuing Cultivation, Spiritual Power Greatly Increases

Sunlight pierced through the dispersing clouds, gently falling upon me as the wind quietly subsided.

I supported the spirit beast and slowly walked forward. My legs were still stiff, and each step required me to push off the ground with effort. The spirit beast wasn't much better off; its body swayed a bit as it walked, but it could still follow me. The two of us shuffled along, step by step, towards the valley.

The sky had already brightened, and the clouds had scattered. All the floating stones in the wasteland had fallen to the ground. The storm from earlier seemed as if it had never happened, but I knew it had. The feeling of being torn apart still lingered in my meridians, my spiritual power circulating sluggishly, like water flow choked with sand.

By the time we reached the valley entrance, the sun was casting a slanted light into the depths of the valley. The cultivation dwelling was still in its original spot; the stone platform hadn't collapsed, and the vines hadn't broken. I sat down leaning against the stone platform, letting the spirit beast lie down beside me. As soon as it touched the ground, it closed its eyes, its breathing stabilizing somewhat.

I began to regulate my breathing as well.

First, I used the Turtle Breath Absorption Technique to gather the residual spiritual power bit by bit. It was difficult at first, as if my Dantian was being suppressed, unable to let energy in or out. I could only proceed slowly, taking a breath, circulating it a short distance within my body, and then exhaling slowly. Over and over again.

The System interface reappeared at this moment, faint like a newly powered-on light. There were no answer options or quest prompts, only a line of small text: "Meridian oscillation detected, please guide spiritual power circulation."

I did as instructed.

I stopped thinking about recovering quickly or rushing to improve my cultivation. I focused solely on each breath, feeling the trajectory of the spiritual power as it moved slowly through my meridians. Gradually, the feeling of stagnation began to lessen.

I recalled what happened in the Chaos Wind.

The moment before the shield activated, the entire world fell silent. Not quiet, but truly still—the wind didn't move, stones didn't fly, even my heartbeat seemed to pause for half a beat. I didn't think much then; I only knew I had to protect the spirit beast, that I couldn't let go.

Looking back now, that state was actually very similar to "meditative absorption" during cultivation. But before, I always meditated in a safe place, using cultivation techniques and incantations to gradually draw energy into my body. That time was different; it came suddenly, forced out by the brink of life and death.

I tried to recapture that feeling.

Closing my eyes, I stopped actively pushing my spiritual power and instead let myself sink. I could hear the wind and birdsong outside, but I ignored them. I focused only on that single point of warmth in my Dantian, letting it spread naturally.

Before long, my body responded.

The scattered spiritual power began to converge on its own, no longer requiring my guidance. Like streams that had found their path, they flowed along the meridians towards the main channels, their speed increasing. I barely controlled it; one Heavenly Cycle was completed.

The second Heavenly Cycle was even faster.

By the third, the spiritual power was already accelerating on its own within the major circulation. I dared not relax, continuing to guard my mind and prevent loss of control.

The spirit beast stirred at this moment.

It didn't open its eyes, but the runes on its horns lit up, flashing intermittently at a frequency similar to the fluctuations of spiritual power within me. Noticing this, I tried to adjust my breathing rhythm to synchronize with the flashing of the runes. To my surprise, doing so made the circulation of spiritual power even smoother.

It was as if it were helping me.

By the completion of the fourth Heavenly Cycle, the throbbing pain in my meridians had vanished. In its place was a sense of fullness, like a dried-up riverbed finally receiving the spring flood. The fifth and sixth followed in quick succession; I didn't stop.

At the seventh, the System suddenly popped up a new notification: "Abnormal spiritual power amplification detected, initiating safety calibration program."

A gentle stream of light seeped out from my Sea of Consciousness, flowing down along my meridians. It didn't feel like an external force; rather, it was like an invisible hand, helping me sort out the excessively fast airflow. Several points that were about to become blocked were gently pushed open, and excess spiritual power was guided to storage nodes.

I breathed a sigh of relief and continued circulating.

As the eighth minor Heavenly Cycle began, the pressure in my Dantian noticeably increased. The spiritual power was no longer a trickle but rolled in clumps, becoming denser and denser as it circulated. I could feel it compressing, its density increasing.

Halfway through the ninth Heavenly Cycle, a problem arose.

A surge of heat rushed violently towards my chest, as if about to explode. I clenched my teeth, placed my hands on my knees, and used my will to forcefully suppress that mass of spiritual power. It couldn't scatter, nor could it explode. I had to stabilize it.

Just then, the spirit beast opened its eyes.

The light from its horns intensified abruptly, and a silver line shot out from the runes, tracing an arc along the ground that connected precisely to my seated position. Immediately after, the spiritual power within me seemed to be drawn, and the previously turbulent parts suddenly calmed down.

Seizing this opportunity, I focused all my will on my Dantian.

Compress, and compress again.

The mass of spiritual power first shrank to the size of a fist, then suddenly contracted, becoming as small as a fingernail. The instant it was about to collapse, it expanded with a boom.

A power far exceeding anything before erupted from my Dantian, surging through my entire body.

My arms, legs, the Baihui Acupoint on my head, every inch of my meridians was filled. I felt as if I had been lit up, a faint halo glowing beneath my skin. My breathing became extremely light, yet each breath drew in a large amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy.

The System's voice sounded at this moment: "Spiritual power level increased, current cultivation has entered a new stage."

I didn't open my eyes immediately.

I was still continuing the last Heavenly Cycle. This time, the spiritual power flowed like water, without any obstruction. Places that previously required deliberate guidance now completed their circulation automatically. Even several meridian nodes that had always felt awkward were now unblocked.

By the time I completely finished my practice, the sky had darkened somewhat.

The setting sun's light shone in from the valley entrance, falling upon the stone platform. I sat there, my body feeling light and my mind clear. Unlike the grogginess when I first returned, or the tension during the breakthrough, it was a sense of calm fullness.

The spirit beast hadn't moved.

It lay to my right, its head resting on its front hooves, its eyes half-closed. The runes on its horns were no longer lit, but I could feel a faint energy fluctuation within it, synchronized with my current rhythm.

I reached out and stroked its back.

Its fur was still cool, but its body temperature was higher than before. Its ears twitched slightly; it didn't flinch or lift its head, only let out a soft hum.

I was tired too.

So much had happened throughout the day. Setting out from the valley, encountering the Chaos Wind, nearly being swept away, and finally being influenced by that silver shadow, my mind had been constantly on edge. Now that I had finally recovered a little, weariness began to set in.

But I couldn't sleep.

My newly broken-through realm was not yet stable. If I were to pass out now, it might leave hidden dangers. I had to sit for a while longer, allowing the spiritual power to fully settle.

I lowered my head and looked at my hands.

A faint light was flowing at my fingertips, not particularly bright, but visible. This was something that hadn't happened before. It indicated that not only had the quantity of spiritual power in my body increased, but its quality had also changed. It was no longer just energy, but more like something imbued with a certain rule.

The System interface was still there, but it showed nothing beyond basic monitoring. The Q&A function remained grayed out; it would likely be some time before it recovered.

I wasn't in a hurry.

The surge of improvement just now had been sudden, but it was also reasonable. Things understood at the brink of life and death were more effective than ten years of normal practice. My control over spiritual power was no longer solely reliant on cultivation techniques or System rewards. I truly understood how it should flow, when to be fast, and when to be slow.

The valley was quiet.

There was only the sound of wind rustling through the vines and the distant dripping of a stream. A few spirit grasses around the cultivation dwelling swayed gently, their leaf edges glowing with a faint green light. They must have sensed the change in my aura and were spontaneously absorbing the overflowing spiritual power.

I glanced at the cliff face above me.

There was a protruding platform there, which I had discovered a few days ago. It was high up with a wide view, suitable for trying some new things. Like... ascension.

But now was not the time.

I was still one step away. Although my spiritual power had greatly increased, I hadn't fully mastered this state yet. Acting rashly could lead to problems.

I closed my eyes again and began my second round of breath adjustment.

This time, it was for consolidation. To press down the power I had just gained, little by little, until it became something truly mine. The spirit beast lay beside me, its breathing steady. I could feel its body temperature slowly recovering.

Time trickled by.

It was getting dark, and the light in the valley was dimming. The shadows on the stone platform stretched long, reaching all the way to my feet. I remained seated, unmoving. The spiritual power within me continued to circulate, round after round.

Suddenly, the spirit beast raised its head.

It looked towards the valley entrance, its ears perked up. I didn't open my eyes, but I extended my senses. There was nothing unusual outside; the wind direction was normal, and the spiritual energy flow hadn't changed.

But it kept looking.

A few seconds later, it turned its head back and nudged my wrist gently with its nose.

I opened my eyes.

Its gaze was clear, not one of surprise or alarm. It felt more like... a confirmation of something. I looked at it, and it looked back at me.

Then it lowered its head, lay down again, and rested its head on its front paws.

I reached out and gripped a corner of my sleeve.

The fabric was a little wrinkled, still bearing the marks of being torn by the wind. I slowly smoothed it out, my fingers stopping at my wrist.

The night breeze blew in, carrying a hint of coolness.