I sat in the middle of the room, my palm pressed against the spirit stone. It was darker than it had been a few days ago, its glow nearly invisible, but when my fingertips pressed against it, I could still feel a trace of warmth. A corner of the beast-hide roof was lifted by the wind, letting in a gust of cold air. I did not move. I merely crossed my legs and straightened my back.
I had spent the past three days building the shelter, and my body had long since reached its limit. My shoulder wound hurt at the slightest touch, and the blisters on my palms had scabbed over, only to split open again whenever I moved. But I could not stop now. I had finally built this place. I needed to begin cultivating as soon as possible.
I closed my eyes, but my thoughts were still on what had happened last night. I could still clearly remember raindrops striking my wrist. In that instant, I had suddenly realized that I could not keep surviving on luck. The prehistoric world was too vast and held too many dangers. Without strength, I would not even survive a night of rain.
My breathing gradually settled. The moment I sat down, the system's voice rang in my mind. "Detected that the host's spiritual energy perception threshold has reached the beginner standard. Activating the foundational chapter of the Profound Origin Breathing Technique."
Immediately afterward, a line of words appeared directly in my consciousness—"Inhale as a deep valley gathers clouds; exhale as a stream returns to the sea."
I did not say it aloud, but silently memorized it once. Then, following its rhythm, I took a deep breath. The air entered through my nose, carrying the dampness of the valley. It was cool. I tried to press it downward and guide it toward my dantian.
At first, nothing happened. My lungs swelled, then emptied. I tried again, but it still did not work. On the third try, my abdomen grew faintly warm, as though a tiny ball of warm water were swaying inside.
I stopped and waited for the warmth to spread. Then I tried again.
After repeating it again and again, I did not know how much time had passed before the warmth finally stopped darting around and settled steadily in my lower abdomen. I treated it as a starting point and continued along the route in my mind.
The system prompted, "Guide spiritual energy downward along the Conception Vessel. Remain at the Huiyin Acupoint for three breaths."
I did as instructed. My will pushed forward little by little, as if I were feeling my way through darkness. After every stretch, I had to stop and regulate my breathing. If I rushed even slightly, the warmth would disperse.
Half an hour passed like that before I completed only half the route. Sweat beaded on my forehead, not from exhaustion but from intense concentration. I could hear every rustle of grass outside. The slightest movement of the curtain at the southern entrance would distract me.
On my fourth attempt, I finally sent the spiritual energy to the Weilu Acupoint. Just as I was about to raise it upward, it suddenly got stuck. It was as if a thread had tangled around it; no matter how I pulled, it would not move.
I gritted my teeth and persisted, the veins on my forehead throbbing. But the harder I forced it, the worse the blockage became. My chest felt tight, and my breathing grew uneven.
Just then, the system spoke again. "It is recommended that you use a Qi Condensing Pill to assist in breaking through the bottleneck."
I remembered it. The medicinal pill I had received for answering the question correctly in Chapter Two had been left unused. When I took it out and looked at it, it was a grayish-white pellet the size of a grain of rice, nearly invisible in my palm.
I put it in my mouth. It was dry and tasteless. After swallowing it, I waited several seconds.
Then a surge of heat suddenly welled up from my stomach. It was not the mild warmth from before. This time, it was like a floodgate had opened, rushing straight up my spine. The blockage instantly loosened, and the flow of energy shot upward along the Governor Vessel, passing the Mingmen Acupoint, Zhiyang Acupoint, Dazhui Acupoint...
By the time it reached the back of my neck, it slowed. I could feel it struggling, as if climbing the final step of a staircase.
"Relax," the system said. "Do not force it forward."
I unclenched my fists and let my shoulders relax as well. My breathing returned to the rhythm of the technique.
The spiritual energy continued to rise, passing the Fengfu Acupoint and Shangxing Acupoint before lightly striking somewhere at the top of my head.
In that instant, every pore on my body opened. The roots of my hair tingled, and a layer of goosebumps rose on my arms. I opened my eyes. Nothing in the room had changed, but the way I saw things had.
The light was clearer. I could even make out the patterns of moss in the cracks between the stones by the wall. My hearing had sharpened too. The sound of the distant stream became distinct, and I could even tell which stretches flowed faster and which were blocked by rocks.
I raised my hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. My strength had returned, and it felt heavier than before. When I moved, the air itself seemed to offer a little resistance, like water.
The system prompted, "First spiritual energy cycle complete. Cultivation has entered the Early Stage of Qi Refining Layer One."
I said nothing. I only felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration in my chest. It was neither excitement nor joy, but a feeling of solidity. At last, I was no longer someone who could only take a beating.
I closed my eyes again, preparing for another round. This time, I no longer needed the technique to remind me. My body remembered the route on its own. The spiritual energy circulated far more smoothly. Though it was still weak, it had already taken shape.
After two cycles, beads of sweat seeped from my forehead. It was not heat, but depletion. I knew I could not be greedy, so I stopped to regulate my breathing.
The sky outside had not changed. Mist still swirled through the valley. I lowered my head and looked at my hands. My knuckles were reddened, covered in calluses left from moving stones over the past few days. They were still there, but the owner of those hands was no longer the same.
I tried projecting spiritual energy outward. Following the system's instructions, I sent a thread of energy into my palm, then pushed it out.
A faint palm wind brushed over the ground, stirring up a small puff of dust. It was not much, but it had truly moved.
This was the first time I had actively affected the outside world.
After resting briefly, I decided to consolidate my gains. I sat cross-legged again and adjusted my posture. This time, I focused on the details—the ratio between inhalation and exhalation, the speed of the spiritual energy's circulation, and how to gather it back at the end of each cycle.
Just as the third cycle began, the system suddenly issued a prompt. "Detected improvement in the host's physique. Nervous system reaction speed increased by twelve percent."
I nodded, thinking, No wonder I could see things so clearly just now.
For the next several hours, I repeatedly practiced the basic circulation. Each round was steadier than the last. There was not much spiritual energy, but it became increasingly obedient.
By evening, I could complete five consecutive cycles without interruption. There were two moments of sluggishness along the way, one at the Jianjing Acupoint and another near the Baihui Acupoint. I resolved both by pausing briefly and regulating my breathing, without relying on another pill.
When I finished the final cycle, the sun had not yet set. The room was dim, but I could clearly see where every vine was tied and how every stone had been stacked.
I stood and moved my body. My knees were a little stiff, but otherwise I felt much lighter. My shoulder used to ache whenever I walked, but now I could barely feel it. I reached up and touched the wound on my right shoulder. The edge of the scab had curled up, revealing tender pink flesh beneath.
I walked to the southern entrance and lifted the curtain. The wind blew straight at me, carrying the scent of stream water and earth. I took a deep breath and pressed the spiritual energy into my dantian.
I turned back and sat beside the spirit stone pit, preparing for my sixth cultivation session of the night.
Just as I closed my eyes, the system suddenly displayed new information. "Detected that the host has completed Foundation Establishment of Basic Cultivation Method. Next-stage mission unlocked: Complete three full cycles every day for seven consecutive days."
I silently accepted.
My breathing gradually steadied.
Spiritual energy rose from my dantian and slowly advanced along the familiar path.
When it surged past the Baihui Acupoint for the second time, my eyelashes trembled slightly.
Outside the shelter, a dead leaf fell from the vines, spinning as it drifted down beside the threshold.