Three days later, she was ready to face the next step in cultivation. The foundation stage was the true start of the cultivation world. This was stage where one would form the basis for one's cultivation. For example, one who had an innate aptitude toward fire might have a foundation with a fiery aspect. In some rare cases, a species with a nature aptitude would be born and would have a foundation linked with the concept of life itself.
To form a foundation, one would condense one's built up qi and imagine an artificial world. Many would choose something familiar to them. A common theme would be a field, as it is easy to imagine. A fire attribute might be a lava-filled barren hellscape, while an ice attribute might lead to a frozen tundra. This field foundation would lead to a person drawing on the attributes contained to become stronger.
Nycta was sitting on top of a stone hill in the desert. "Ok, Nycta, think of want you what to build in your mind and use your qi to mold that image like clay."
She sat for several minutes imagining what she wanted, but couldn't think of anything.
'Easier said than done! What am I supposed to make? I don't have any attributes except whatever this glass body is.'
Fifteen minutes went by and still nothing. Thirty minutes... An hour... Finally after two hours she thought of something.
'What about the void? I was 'born' there, and I still remember the feeling there. I guess it can't hurt to try... I hope.'
She started the process of moving her qi to form a space. The space was empty of all mass and had no light. She shifted the qi to mimic the energy she felt in the void, the energy of creation. Suddenly, her qi was being used more and more. Her energy became more and more depleted, until there was nothing left. With no qi to fuel the foundation, her vitality was used in its place. Her face began to pale.
'Just what is that girl doing?! Is she trying to kill herself?' Drake pulled out a small, faintly red crystal and ran towards Nycta. He placed it in her palms and said, "Here, use this for energy."
She did as he said and tried pulling the qi from it. Her breathing became more stable, but her face still looked a little pale. Her foundation grew in size and the energy became denser. Its energy wasn't even close to the same energy as the actual void, but it wasn't qi either. After another three hours, her foundation was stable.
"Drake, I'm done with building my foundation." Nycta called out to Drake, who was standing several dozen meters away.
"Good, now all you have to do is prepare for the lightning. Lightning will appear in the sky shortly and strike you. Don't worry, though. It isn't normal lightning. For a new foundation realm it shouldn't be as strong as natural lightning."
As he spoke, clouds started to form in the sky, stretching a couple hundred meters. After a couple of minutes the first strike appeared. The glowing white energy could be seen shooting across the clouds with a faint pink hue. It struck downwards followed deafening crackle. It directly stuck Nycta, causing her to let out a small scream. She felt the raging energy run through her body.
"Don't worry Nycta, you're doing fine! Only eight more!"
'Eight! I'm regretting my decisions. I wish I had tried some chocolate before I died.'
For half an hour she was assaulted by the lightning. When the final one struck, she collapsed onto the ground, sweat dripping from her skin.
Drake ran over to her to see her condition. "Nycta, are you all right?"
"No. I am not all right, but at least I'm not seriously injured."
He tried to help her stand up, but she started shaking. "Why. The. Fuck. Am I twitching? Drake, do something!" He tried to touch her, but when he touched her the pink lightning shocked him. "Ow! You shocked me!"
After a minute of her shaking, she regained control. During the process she cut her arm on another cactus. "Do these things hate me?" Her blood dripped to the ground, but instead of soaking through it congealed.
Drake bandaged her arm and picked up one of the mysterious blood clumps.
"Hm. It isn't even squishy, it seems like an actual gemstone too. Could this be a side-effect of the lightning? Just what is your species?" He kept twirling the blood in his hands for several seconds, before Nycta stopped him.
"Will you please stop playing with my blood? I don't know what the deal is with this either."
"Sorry. Maybe your body takes on the aspect of glass like your species suggests. Quartz has properties that can convert lightning and physical force. It can also act as a battery."
She walked up to him and poked his arm. "Nope, doesn't work. I guess the battery part isn't useful. I guess I don't have any of the lightning left in me."
"Please don't use me as a test subject. Check if your foundation is stable now."
She focused her mind and looked inward. She was awestruck at what she saw. Countless stars speckled the pitch black sky. The ground was made of clear white quartz. It was a stark yet mesmerizing contrast against the ink of the sky. Despite being desolate of anything else, it had a vibrant energy everywhere. It didn't have even one millionth of the actual power as that of the void, but it was still enough to make her foundation stronger than someone of a similar level.
She explained what she saw to Drake, who then stared at her with a blank face for several seconds. He sighed before saying, "You know, what you just used as a foundation is not just abnormal, but also impossible, right? The energy you tried to recreate isn't something that even 'exists' and should only be able to be obtained once someone ascends to godhood. I read about it a while back. It's called 'origin energy' or any variant of that name. It was the energy that made of everything, hence its name. The mana and qi we use are remnants of it. If you actually came from some kind of void filled with the stuff, it would explain how you would suddenly just have mass. The energy is so powerful that even a small amount could wipe out an entire continent with ease. The energy can defy the normal laws of the universe, after all it made them. Luckily, it seems you won't have that power for a long time, if ever. Though, if you're not in the future you may just turn into a ticking bomb."
Nycta sarcastically said "Well that's just lovely, then."
"Let's just rest here for now and continue later. You need to get used to the foundation realm."