[Ding!]
[Energy conversion rate below expected. Attempting purification.]
[Energy purification underway.]
[Energy purification successful. Proceeding.]
Elias had just recovered from the previous wave of energy passing through his body when an even powerful surge of energy appeared. The energy seemed to drill it's way through his body.
[Preliminary meridian cleansing underway.]
Strands of terrifyingly hot energy started to spread out of his abdomen in an uniform pattern. Energy was incredibly tyrannical, so much that the pain Elias felt almost made him black out.
[Preliminary meridian cleansing completed.]
[Stimulating healing factor.]
The mind-numbing pain suddenly disappeared only to be replaced by a strong feeling of itching deep inside his body. He felt as if a million ants were crawling inside him, but with itching, a strong feeling of coolness and relief came.
[Meridian network is in satisfactory condition.]
[Imprinting stem cells with new genetic patterns.]
A shiver has gone through Elias's spine.
[Initiating the final step.]
A distinct feeling of warmth appeared inside Elias's abdomen and a strand of it started to course through his body. He felt powerful, he felt like he could move mountains if he wished. Little strand of energy that was travelling through his body left a comfortable and energizing sensation wherever it passed. It was similar to a feeling before, but much more clear and pleasant. He felt as if he was a new man.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for stepping on the path to immortality.]
[Your current realm: Qi Condensation First Layer]
Elias slowly breathed out. A thin strand of white mist came out and immediately disappeared. He slowly opened his eyes.
"So this is how breaking through feels. Scary. And at the same time, incredible."
Elias stood up and stretched. If one had a strong perception, they would notice the energy around him reacting to his every move. His joints let out popping sounds as if he was sitting here for a long time, despite the fact that the breakthrough itself barely took twenty minutes. He jumped down and noticed his reflection in the water. He was covered in strange grey substance. In some places, it even was black. He touched his face.
The substance was oily to the touch. It resembled motor oil in it's viscosity, though the smell was much worse.
*Is this the rumored marrow cleansing?*
[Ding!]
[System upgrade underway.]
[Core layer 0 functions are now fully available.]
[Recalibrating...]
[Calculating host's new stats.]
[Task complete.]
[Display new stats?]
Elias was about to answer the query when he heard a familiar voice appear in his head.
[Hey kid, are you finally making some progress?]
*Whoa, you are talking again!*
[Yeah, but the same rules still apply, I don't have much time to talk.]
*The energy issue, right?*
[Exactly. Now that there is some leftover energy from the flower you ate, I can talk to you for a bit. But let me show it to you first, for some perspective.]
A counter appeared in Elias's vision. It read four hundred and ninety three but rapidly decreased.
[See what I mean? I can't babysit you or you will never reach any respectable cultivation level.]
*Why is it like that?*
[In short: energy here is not the one I am supposed to use. I can still use it, but I need to convert it and losses of conversion are really high with what tools I have.]
[Imagine this: you have a cup of latte, but the only thing you can drink is the foam on top of it, and while you are drinking it, a large portion of foam evaporates. This is the problem in energy here simplified as much as possible. You will naturally gain a better understanding as you progress.]
*But why did you reincarnate me in a world where energy is unusable?*
[Long story. You were originally supposed to go to an Immortal Cultivation world. Energy there follows slightly different laws than here. From the limited information I have, I suspect that this world is a Magical one. Hence the differences and difficulties spawned by them. I can tell you more but we don't have time. But as long as you can reach the Core Formation realm you will have enough energy capacity to support a proper talk. So do your best to reach it! Don't forget to check out the new functions available to you. I'm off! Good luck!]
[Oh, and take a bath, will ya?]
*And he's gone.*
"Sigh."
*Core Formation realm. Is it far? What I know about cultivation all comes from fiction, so I'm not sure if the information is reliable...*
If one had strong perception, they would notice the energy around him interacting with his every move.
Elias noticed the last system's query still present in the corner of his vision.
*System, display new stats.*
[Ding!]
[Recalculated stat values:]
Body - 3 → 3.9
Strength: 1 → 1.3
Dexterity: 1 → 1.3
Constitution: 1 → 1.3
Energy - 1 → 2.11
Inner Energy: 0 → 1
Spiritual Power: 0 → 0.1
Soul Force: 1 → 1.01
*Body stats are looking good. But the energy...*
*System, why do my energy stats grow so uneven? Wait. First, explain to me what they do.*
[Ding!]
[Inner Energy represents internal energy capacity. This energy can be used to boost physical attributes or execute special techniques.]
[Spiritual Power is the ability to influence the ambient energies around. If one relies solely on internal energies, it is impossible to execute techniques that require large amounts of energy. It is supposed to grow faster, but in this environment, the host's ability to manipulate surrounding energies is greatly restricted.]
[Soul Force is the measurement of the host's soul and it's power. Host was originally chosen for the innate soul potential host's soul possesses. Ordinary practitioners would require a special technique to increase Soul Force, whereas the host's soul can grow simply with each breakthrough.]
[It is still recommended to obtain information on soul enhancement methods.]
*Alright, but why did my Internal Energy grow so much compared to other stats? Physical attributes can't even match combined.*
[Ding!]
[System provides ways for Immortal Cultivation. Bodily improvement is a secondary effect. The main focus of the Immortal Cultivation path is to gather and transform energies.]
[Body cultivation is not advisable due to limited energy available. However in a resource abundant scenario, martial or bodily cultivation as a support path is encouraged.]
*Energy. Again with the energy...*
Elias sighed and started to undress. Clearing up his head with a cold swim seemed like a good idea.
----------------------------------------------
In the boundless void, a boat silently glided through space. It seemed like it was moving slowly if you stood on it's deck, but an outside observer wouldn't be able to spot it because of how fast it actually moved. On this boat a man in a black robe stood. Naturally, it was Hao Guangli. The boat under his feet was a highest grade spiritual artifact. Many would risk their lives for a treasure like this, but a flag with Spirit King's insignia on it made everyone who entertained such a thought quickly abandon it.
"The Great Void..."
Hao Guangli gazed into the empty space before him. There were no stars, no planets, no galaxies visible. He glanced back and saw a sky full of bright lights slowly shrink as he was getting further and further away. Some great minds theorized that it wasn't like that in the past. Based on what little records survived from ancient times, in the past, one could see the stars and galaxies far away, but at some point they gradually started to disappear.
However those theories did not feel like truth, because when one wanted to travel through the Great Void, one had to pass a Barrier first. And when one managed to get past the Barrier, they wouldn't be able to see the stars if they looked back. No one really knew what this Barrier was, or why did it exist. Some said that it existed from the beginning of time. Some said that the Barrier was created by Supreme God for some purpose. Some said that it is the shell of the universe. But there was no way to prove any of those theories.
Hao Guangli was quickly approaching the Barrier. He was at the very edge of the explored world, and anything past this border was dangerous and uncharted space. He stopped the boat and took a long last look at the bright lights far away.
"Sigh. Will I ever be able to return?"
Hao Guangli flipped his palm and an ancient looking compass appeared. It had an intricate design with fine stars and galaxies adorning its sides. This was something Spirit King himself gave him. The compass's needle weakly twitched in the direction of the barrier. Hao Guangli steeled his resolve and started to draw symbols in the air. Those symbols were blurry to anyone who had not enough knowledge about the laws of the universe. They started to circle around Hao Guangli who kept drawing more and more of the symbols, until he drew exactly one hundred and eight of them. Then the symbols stopped circling around him and quickly dashed towards the Barrier. Symbols started to assemble following a profound pattern until they have formed a gigantic formation.
"Open!"
Hao Guangli spat a mouthful of his essence blood onto the formation. It shined brightly and a small passage in the center of it has formed. It was barely enough for the spirit boat to pass. He did not waste even a split second and quickly flew through the passage. The passage collapsed the next moment and the area returned to its usual silence.