He found himself in a space so large it was bigger than everything he had seen in his life so far. Before his eyes, going on to seemingly infinite distance, were bookshelves filled with books and tablets above a white marble floor. The books and bookshelves weren't only on the ground, some were also floating in the air.
This sudden sight did confuse him, but more than that he felt immense excitement and anticipation.
"Wow, what is this place?"
[Welcome to the Site of Gathering Wisdom, also known as the Primordial Library.]
Out of nowhere, floating, translucent words appeared in front of him. It was quite the jump scare, still, he managed to calm down.
"Umm, who are you?"
[I am the artifact spirit who manages this repository.]
While Shui didn't know what artifact spirits were, he guessed that it was a type of librarian. He looked around him at the endless amount of books, and almost drooled. This place exceeded his wildest imagination, but before having fun, he had to get some answers first.
"So, can I go back?"
[With your current soul cultivation, you can only spend 1 hour in reality within this space, after which you will be automatically returned.
It is also possible to leave by your own will, however in both cases, for the next 24 hours after entering, you will not be allowed back.]
Slightly disappointed Shui asked, "So I can only spend an hour in here?"
[Yes, but that one hour will be accelerated by the factor of 100 in your mind. Therefore, it will feel like 100 hours but your body will have only aged by one hour.]
Hearing that he could spend one hundred hours in this mystical space made Shui feel much more satisfied, even though he didn't understand how it worked. Now that his immediate concerns were settled, he had to think about other pressing matters.
'What book should I read?'
The library seemed to have the answer to every question he might have, so it was very hard for him to figure out what to look for. That was when he remembered.
'Please live freely.'
Those words reminded him, of what he had to do in the future, and the best way to do it.
"Uh, are there any books that can tell me why I can't cultivate?"
Shui had never let the fact that he didn't have talent in cultivation bother him, but he knew that if he wanted to live freely then he would have to be strong. Even on his way here he could have been seriously hurt if he wasn't able to defeat that boar. When he asked that question, unlike previous times, there was a noticeable lag before a response came.
[There is no problem with your ability to cultivate, however, your eyes are absorbing more energy than you are capable of attracting, and so you are not able to cultivate.]
"My eyes? What are they?"
Though he knew his eyes were special, he never asked anyone about them because he knew he wouldn't get an answer, and so his anticipation grew when he thought he might find the answer from this high-level librarian.
[Name: *Restricted*
The *restricted* eyes are energy-sensitive organs, unlike normal eyes which are light-sensitive. Even without the holder cultivating, they are capable of simulating the environment based on the energy and interactive make-up and sending this simulation to the brain. These eyes constantly absorb energy from the surroundings and so a high concentration of energy must be present for the holder to cultivate.]
It took a few moments of thinking for Shui to organize this new information, but once he did, he was ecstatic. Though inconvenient, these eyes of his were even better than he expected.
"So, why do I feel pain when I open them?"
[The amount of information that the *restricted* eyes can provide when active is too much for a nebula one-star soul to contain. At least a galaxy state soul, a divine body or a cultivation of Soul Realm is required, however, a Soul Realm cultivation will only allow minimum usage.]
The new information that was pouring in made Shui even more excited and so he continued firing off questions until he got back to his original goal.
"But where can I find a place with a high concentration of energy?"
[This space is full of natural energy, a harmonious blend of nature, divine and primordial energy and can serve as a better substitute.]
"So I can cultivate here?"
[Affirmative.]
"Then all I need now is a cultivation method."
Shui began wondering how he would get this when another string of words appeared.
[It would be more efficient if a breathing technique was used instead for a more stable foundation.]
"Oh, okay, can you show me one."
Instead of responding with a string of floating words, a thin book flew to his hands. With this book in hand, there was only one thing left for him to do.
Shui sat on the marble floor and read the book. From it, he gained a complete understanding of the basics of cultivation as well as the nature of the Mortal Realm.
Cultivation is the path for a mortal to go against the natural way of the world. By absorbing the foundational energy that makes up a world, cultivators gain the right to interfere with the world's laws. By interfering with the world's laws, spells and cultivation techniques become possible. However, in exchange, every time a cultivator does something that goes against the natural order of the world, an equivalent amount of energy must be returned. Furthermore, when a cultivator dies, all of their energy will eventually return to the world they were born in.
Normally, to learn any cultivation method, spell or art, it would be necessary to understand it first, but by using a handicapped system made by some higher being, it was possible to forgo that process. However, if this handicapped method was overly relied upon, the cultivator would never make it past the King Tribulation.
For the Mortal Realm, that is for getting used to the foundational energy, it is better to progress without a cultivation method, since this would restrict the potential of the cultivator. For example, if a fire-attribute cultivation method is used at the Mortal Realm, then it would be very difficult for that cultivator to learn an ice-attribute cultivation method or art, even with the adequate talent. However the right cultivation method can also increase the power of a cultivator compared to others at their level.
With a breathing technique, it would be easier to sense the energy in the atmosphere, but it would depend on one's comprehension and will to absorb this energy.
After reading over the book twice, Shui was ready. He put down the book beside him and took a deep breath. When he inhaled, he slowly sucked in the surrounding air through his nostrils. As the air entered him, he imagined it reaching into every part of his body. Though his eyes were always closed, by consciously thinking about it, he could turn off his sight.
Once he could no longer breathe in anymore air, he slowly expelled air from his mouth. During this process, he switched from focusing inside his body, to outside, still with his vision off. He couldn't see, but he could feel. This breathing technique was repeated until he had a clear grasp of the natural energy around him.
Next, he would have to absorb this energy and integrate it into every part of his body. Luckily, in this heightened state of awareness, it was easier for him to detect the energy being absorbed by his eyes, and so after watching his eyes draw in this energy, he imagined absorbing the energy into his pores as he breathed.
When he inhaled, the energy would enter his body, and when he exhaled, it would circulate.
While feeling utmost bliss, Shui started his cultivation.