In the hush before dawn, the heavens cradled the remnants of night's embrace. The eastern sky blushed with the first whispers of daylight, the dark colors in the sky slowly fading away, the smell of the night still lingered in the air.
Wei Wushang's eyes slowly parted. He pushed aside the thin silk blanket and rose, assuming a seated position. Cultivation could not substitute for sleep, Wei Wushang's developing body required ample rest to grow.
He composed his mind, letting his consciousness slip into the spirit sea. Within the dantian, the cobalt blue essence had restored itself to 90%. The surface of the sea was calm like a mirror, broken only by fleeting ripples that graced the seawater from time to time.
Wei Wushang directed a thought, causing the spirit sea to ebb and flow as waves upon waves of spiritual essence crashed against the aperture walls, nurturing them.
'Rise,' Wei Wushang issued another command, and the tiny creature, which had been resting at the bottom of the spiritual sea, slowly dragged its battered body and ascended above the sea surface, while giving off a weak and feeble aura.
This small creature was his Vital Rooh!
When chance led Wei Wushang to this creature on the previous night, he was first greatly shocked, followed by a surge of joy in his heart.
But as he carefully scrutinized the Vital Rooh, worry and suspicion crept into Wei Wushang's heart.
Wei Wushang's worry arose from his Vital Rooh's profound state of weakness. The Rooh appeared to have sustained a significant blow to its vitality, and the reason for this remained unknown. Its weakened state was to the extent that even as its master, Wei Wushang couldn't sense its presence!
On this matter, Wei Wushang was helpless. There was nothing he could do except wait for the Rooh to heal by itself. As for the length of time required for recovery, Wei Wushang had to continue monitoring it closely.
As for Wei Wushang's suspicion, it stemmed from the fact that the Rooh in his dantian at present was not his Vital Rooh from his previous life. The Rooh he now possessed was entirely foreign; he had no inkling as to its origin.
It would have been understandable if his former Vital Rooh had journeyed with his soul, as that would have provided a plausible explanation for its potential damage.
But now, Wei Wushang felt more perplexed than he had ever been in his life. Countless questions bubbled up in his mind: Where did this Rooh come from? Why is it injured? Could it be tied to my rebirth? Just what happened after my death? The situation had become an absolute mess!
After thoroughly reflecting on the issue, Wei Wushang decided to push the whole situation to the back of his mind. It's not that he was being careless, but the problem was that he lacked the necessary clues. With the minuscule amount of information and strength he possessed now, it was simply not possible for Wei Wushang to get to the heart of this matter. Right now, it was wise to submit to circumstances and take care of things that could be managed.
'Such a hassle...' Wei Wushang sighed inwardly. The situation made him feel that his own life was not under his control, and he didn't like it one bit. Yet, there wasn't much within his power to change; his only option was to concentrate on becoming stronger.
At the moment, Wei Wushang just wanted to know more about his vital Rooh. What mystical ability did it possess? What was its nature alignment? Gaining this knowledge would greatly aid his time here in the Astral Flame Sect.
But alas, it was truly unfortunate.
Given the current state of his Vital Rooh, experimenting on it simply wasn't an option. The slightest force from Wei Wushang could very well end up destroying his Vital Rooh.
After nearly thirty minutes had gone by, Wei Wushang finally wrapped up his cultivation session.
Wushang opened his dry eyelids, while his heart silently thought, 'At the pace I am going, it will take me at least half a year to reach the middle stage. I need to earn spirit stones, or it will be too late.'
His low-grade dantian's essence recovery speed was insufficient. It took a precise 7 and a half hours for his dantian to fully replenish, and after each replenishment, Wei Wushang dedicated an additional half-hour to nurturing his aperture. This meant that Wei Wushang could only nurture his dantian three times a day. When compared to the 56-minute recovery speed of a Top-grade talent, the disparity in aptitudes became glaringly apparent.
These so-called spirit stones were essentially crystallized forms of the world's essence, capable of being used on oneself. Simultaneously, they served as the currency in this world, possessing both monetary value and practical applications. Should Wei Wushang manage to amass a considerable quantity of spirit stones, he could greatly offset his deficiency in cultivation aptitude.
After a brief stretch, Wei Wushang gradually stood up from his bed. He then proceeded to exercise his body, completing several sets of push-ups and sit-ups. Since his rebirth, he made it a point to train his body at least twice every day. Wei Wushang was, after all, a Strength Path cultivator in his previous life.
Furthermore, in the initial phases of cultivation, many practitioners would end up exhausting their spiritual essence rather quickly, causing them to rely on their physical prowess.
After his workout session, Wei Wushang indulged in an invigorating bath, feeling the soothing water wash away any lingering fatigue. Once he was all cleaned up, he dressed himself and settled down to await the arrival of his breakfast. Before long, a guard brought his meal, and he savored it before setting off towards the academy.