I could perceive the mana in the atmosphere now, specifically, I can feel the ley lines in my surroundings, and right now, I am on top of a ley line nexus, a point where many ley lines pass through each other increasing the density of mana in the atmosphere greatly.
What are ley lines?
That will be explained later, the only things I know are what I read from the cultivation manual and I haven't read the entire thing, it is quite long after all; it has many different subjects explained from the basics to an advanced level, from rune formation, to alchemical forging and pill making to other more exotic subjects.
But that is not important right now, I have stored enough mana and advanced to the first level of the Body Refining realm, and I can feel how my strength has increased.
To increase the level of my small realm I will have to directly manipulate the mana and spread it around my body through the circulatory system, when the whole body is completely covered in mana I will advance to the Mana Refining realm and begin claiming this mana as mine to have a permanent source of mana in my own body.
Cultivators at the Body Refining realm spread the Sea of Mana through their body to reinforce it, when they advance to the Mana Refining realm they claim this Sea of Mana as their own, providing a permanent source of mana inside the body and greatly increasing the quantity and density of the mana that the Sea of Mana can contain, this is crucial for a cultivator.
Now I don't feel like I will die the moment I step out of this house, now that I think about it I haven't even explored the house, the room I am in right now looks like a living room combined with a dining room and a kitchen.
+++
Before going out I explored the entire house, it has a basement filled with random objects, all rotten and decayed, the first floor has the kitchen-dining-living room and a bathroom as well as the entrance, on the second floor there are two bedrooms and a single large bathroom.
What I didn't expect is one of the bedrooms to be not decayed and rotten, it was quite well maintained, relative to the rest of the house that is.
I would worry about running out of food and starving but my method of cultivation solves all my problems, it's the reason I haven't started crying on the floor from hopelessness.
Most of my bodily functions are taken care of by mana, I still have to breathe but not much more, I don't necessarily have to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, or any other of those things, and sleep can be done by cultivating at nighttime so it doesn't count.
But the exploration of the house is over, now to discover the truth of the outside world.
+++
I expected it really, it was suspicious from the start but now it is confirmed.
The air smells like ash, grey clouds cover the sky as far as the eye can see, and my surroundings are just as decayed as the house I just stepped out of.
I haven't actually completely exited the house, it is covered by concrete walls in all directions with a single gate at the front, there is a relatively large amount of space between the walls and the house itself, filled with vegetation and some small ramshackle buildings that have already come down.
I moved forwards, my red hair falling behind me, I haven't mentioned it but the Solar Dragon bloodline has transformed my body, giving me a peak human body and changing my hair and eyes to a red color, not a natural red but a vibrant red that has a few strands of glowing gold in between.
If the government found me I would definitely be experimented on, that is if scientists cared enough about hair and eye color to break the law.
I stopped thinking about unnecessary things and finally reached the gate, it looked to be made of steel or some metal but I have confidence in my strength now, as a cultivator in the Body Refining realm I am noticeably stronger than normal people, even if only at the first level at the moment.
I put my hands on both sides of the gate and pushed, it was surprisingly easy to open the gate.
In moments I finished opening the gate, now looking at the apocalyptic landscape around me, broken buildings, cars turned over, and many skeletons all around the walls of the house.
It was midday but the light didn't reach the ground as much as I was expecting, like an eternal twilight that never ends.
I stopped looking at the destruction around me and focused once I heard a sound from my left, I turned my head instantly, summoning my sword and crystal the second my eyes saw what made the sound.
"Fuck" I cursed, my voice low so that the creature didn't hear me.
An undead, a zombie specifically, I let the crystal float around me as I slowly approached the zombie, sword in position to strike at any moment.
As I was closing in I could smell the stench of death coming from the zombie, this wasn't natural in any way, the mana emanating from its body looked like it had decayed beyond reason, being trapped in a dead body.
The zombie didn't notice me as I sneaked behind it, now that I approached I could see that he was male, I threw those thoughts into the sun in my mind and concentrated on the task at hand.
I prepared my sword and when I saw the zombie beginning to turn I slashed, cleanly severing his head off his body, no blood erupted out of his neck, the zombie was truly dead as he fell to the ground even more lifeless than before.
I was startled when a transparent green-black orb shining a weak light shot out of the zombie towards me, I tried to evade but it flew to the crystal and entered it, nothing obvious happened so I noted that for later when I read the cultivation manual, there is a large amount of information there.
I have to read the battle manual too if I don't want to die, the zombie was easy but I can't let my guard down, if there are zombies in this world what is preventing bandits, mutated beasts, or something even worse from appearing and trying to kill me?
I also don't want to lose this location, for some reason I don't think finding another ley line nexus is gonna be easy, I turned around and marched back inside the house, my house now, not before closing the gate, I have to read all the manuals before I even think of going out of the walls.