Reflection, Adjustment, and Foundation Consolidation

The night wind still blew. I sat on the stone platform, my palms resting on my knees. The spirit beast lay to my right, its head resting on its front hooves, breathing steadily. The images of my failed attempts to ascend just now still replayed in my mind. Each time I rose about five meters, my body felt as if something was pressing down on it, and my spiritual power would scatter.

I looked down at my fingers, their tips still a little numb. It wasn't pain, nor was it cold, just a hollow feeling, like exerting full force but hitting cotton.

I closed my eyes. The System interface in my Sea of Consciousness was still floating there. That line of text hadn't disappeared: [Foundation not yet fully solidified. Forcing ascent will cause spiritual power backlash. Recommend temporarily halting breakthrough.]

I used to think that as long as I had enough spiritual power, enough to sustain one flight, it would be enough. Now I knew that mere quantity wasn't sufficient; it needed to be stable, dense, and controllable.

It was like carrying water. A bucket that's too heavy to lift is a problem, but a leaky bucket is a complete waste of effort.

I took a deep breath, suppressing my distracting thoughts. When I opened my eyes again, my mind was clear—I couldn't rush. The reason I couldn't fly wasn't that I wasn't strong enough, but because my foundation wasn't stable.

"System," I said in my Sea of Consciousness, "I want to know what I should practice most right now."

The interface flickered, and a new prompt appeared:

[Active query request detected]

[Analyzing current cultivation structure...]

A few seconds later, the data was displayed. The total amount of spiritual power met the standard, but its density was only sixty percent of the standard value. There were three minor deviations in the meridian running path, with congestion particularly likely at the junction of the shoulder and neck. The spiritual power mass in the Dantian was loose, with low compression efficiency.

Following this, a training plan was automatically generated, titled Basic Solidification Nine Refinements.

First Refinement: Spiritual Power Segmentation and Compression Test

Second Refinement: Meridian Micro-Control Calibration

Third Refinement: Breathing Rhythm and Spiritual Energy Absorption Matching Training

Each item was incredibly detailed. There were no promises of realm advancement, nor any rewards issued; it was purely about refinement.

I stared at it for a long time, then tapped to confirm.

Since I was going to train, I would start with the most basic.

I adjusted my posture, leaning my back against the rock face, and placed my hands back on my knees. I wouldn't perform the Great Heavenly Cycle circulation or attempt to break through acupoints for now. I simply let spiritual power flow slowly from my Dantian, travel a short distance along the main meridians, and then slowly retracted it.

This circulation was extremely slow, advancing almost inch by inch. When it reached my shoulder, it indeed snagged. I stopped and focused my intent to feel that node, discovering that the spiritual power flow there was somewhat chaotic, like water entering a fork in the road, splitting into several streams before reluctantly merging.

I tried to draw this portion of spiritual power back and reorganize it. I used my consciousness to squeeze it bit by bit, making it denser. The process was slow, like wringing out a soaked cloth; each squeeze required considerable mental effort.

By the time this stream of spiritual power reformed, I had broken into a light sweat. But when I sent it out again, it flowed much more smoothly through the shoulder.

I continued to repeat the process. Each time, I only dealt with a small segment of spiritual power, compressing, calibrating, and returning it. After each completion, the System would pop up feedback:

[Compression increased by 3%]

[Meridian patency +1]

[Energy consumption reduced by 0.7 units]

Although the numbers weren't large, things were indeed improving.

Time passed slowly. The sun cast long shadows from the west, its light sweeping across the edge of the stone platform and gradually moving to my feet. I didn't move, nor did the spirit beast, though its ears twitched occasionally, as if sensing some subtle change.

I began a new round of practice.

This time, I divided the spiritual power in my Dantian into nine streams, separating them equally like slicing a cake. Then, I proceeded to conduct compression experiments on each one. The first stream was compressed too forcefully and immediately dispersed; the second was too light, still loose after compression; the third finally felt right, shrinking by nearly half after compression with good stability.

I continued to try, recording the technique and results each time. The System updated the data in real-time, telling me which method was most energy-efficient and effective.

I discovered that compressing too quickly or too forcefully was more prone to failure. Instead, slow, gradual pressure, combined with breathing rhythm, yielded the best results. Moreover, before each compression, letting that stream of spiritual power rest for three breaths, allowing it to settle on its own, significantly increased the success rate.

This reminded me of grinding ink when I was young. My father used to say that grinding quickly wouldn't produce a rich color, but slow grinding would.

It seemed cultivation was the same.

I no longer pursued speed, nor did I aim to transform all my spiritual power at once. I proceeded strand by strand, segment by segment. If I encountered a bottleneck, I wouldn't force my way through; I would retreat and try a different approach.

Gradually, the spiritual power circulation within my body began to change. It was no longer a state of rough, outward surging, but had layers and order. It moved quickly where it needed to be fast, and stopped where it needed to pause.

The System suddenly displayed a new prompt:

[Significant increase in spiritual power circulation precision detected]

[Phase achievement unlocked for basic reinforcement: First Glimpse of the Threshold]

[Reward: Spiritual power backflow efficiency +15%, anti-interference ability slightly enhanced]

I didn't stop, merely nodded, and continued with the next cycle.

The sky darkened slightly, and the wind at the valley entrance grew cooler. The spirit beast raised its head, glanced at me, and then lay down again. Its horns glowed faintly, not in alarm, but more like a response to the fluctuations of spiritual power within me.

I knew it was accompanying me.

I also knew that this path couldn't be skipped. No matter how much I observed how others flew, it was useless. I had to solidify every step myself.

I began to try another type of training—simulating loss of control.

I deliberately let a stream of spiritual power deviate from the main meridians, rush towards a side branch, and then urgently pulled it back. At first, I was always a step too late, causing a dull ache in my chest. Later, I gradually mastered the timing, intervening to correct the deviation the moment the spiritual power began to stray.

Each attempt was faster and steadier than the last.

By the end, I could anticipate where problems might arise, even smoothing out the pathways before the spiritual power had even moved.

This felt like transitioning from passive response to active control.

I opened my eyes and exhaled a long breath. This breath was deeper than any before, carrying the turbid air from within my body as it left. Although the total amount of spiritual power in my Dantian hadn't increased, it felt noticeably denser, like a waterlogged cotton wad – solid and not floaty.

I raised my hand, palm facing up. A wisp of spiritual power extended from my fingertip. It no longer flickered erratically like before, but hovered steadily, like a thin, straight thread without a bend.

I tried to bend it, then straighten it, then split it into two crossing strands. Every movement was executed with precision, without any wasted effort.

This was control.

I lowered my hand and closed my eyes again.

Next was breathing training. I stopped all cultivation techniques and incantations, returning to the most basic breathing exercises. Inhaling through my nose, exhaling through my mouth, without drawing spiritual power or forcing acupoints, just purely feeling the process of air entering and leaving my lungs.

Once, twice, ten times...

I discovered that with each inhale, the surrounding spiritual energy would naturally gravitate towards me. Even without actively absorbing it, it would seep in through the entrance of my meridians. And when I exhaled, impurities within my body were expelled, leaving my mind clearer.

So, true fundamentals began with breathing.

I had relied too much on the advanced techniques provided by the System before, always thinking that more complex was better. But now I understood that the simpler the action, the more it revealed the depth of one's skill.

I continued practicing.

The sky had completely darkened, and stars appeared above the valley entrance. The stone platform grew cold, but my body was warm. It wasn't a feverish heat, but a gentle warmth generated by the circulation of Blood Essence.

The spirit beast suddenly stirred, its nose brushing against my wrist.

I opened my eyes.

It looked at me with clear eyes, showing no signs of distress. I looked down at my wrist; the veins beneath my skin pulsed gently, with a steady and strong rhythm.

I smiled and patted its horn.

"That's enough for today," I said.

But it didn't move. Its ears perked up, and it stared in the direction of the rock face behind me.

I turned my head to look.

Among the vines entwined in the rock crevices, there was a tiny point of light, flashing intermittently. It resembled a firefly, yet it didn't quite.