Kamui's eyes shot open, his mind sharp with clarity. No longer clouded by the dull veil of human existence, he remembered everything. He was Kamui, the god of spiritual energy—once the mightiest in the heavens, now trapped in the fragile body of a mortal. But his power? It still flowed through him, ready to be tapped into.
Sitting up, Kamui could feel the dormant energy pulsing in his dantian—an ethereal wellspring that contained the boundless spiritual energy he had once commanded. He closed his eyes, his breathing steady, entering a cultivation state. With a slow, deliberate motion, he formed a hand seal, and the flow of spiritual energy responded, moving through his meridians like liquid fire.
The world around him began to warp. His room melted away, replaced by the familiar expanse of his personal dimension—an ancient battlefield of his own creation. Dark skies swirled above a wasteland of jagged rocks and endless sand dunes. This was where he had once refined his cultivation and perfected his spiritual arts.
"Let's see how far I've fallen."
Kamui stood in the heart of the wasteland, feeling the spiritual energy in the air hum at his presence. With a single thought, he directed his qi outward, conjuring massive beasts out of pure spiritual essence. They were hulking creatures with sinewy bodies, sharp fangs, and glowing eyes—formed from his imagination, brought to life by his cultivation power.
The largest among them let out a guttural roar, shaking the dimension. Its form crackled with raw energy, its body shimmering in and out of existence, bound to Kamui's will.
Kamui's lips curled into a smirk. It's time to test my cultivation again.
He pressed his hands together, forming intricate hand seals with practiced ease. His qi surged in response, coursing through his meridians like a river bursting through its dam. His Golden Core—once shattered during his rebirth—was reawakening, expanding with every breath he took. He could feel it restoring the divine power he had lost in this mortal form.
With a flick of his wrist, Kamui summoned his weapon—a spear forged from pure spiritual energy, glowing with the faint light of celestial fire. He spun it in his hand, feeling the familiar weight, and faced the towering monsters.
"Come at me," he whispered.
In an instant, the first beast lunged, its claws tearing through the air with enough force to split mountains. But Kamui moved faster. His body flickered, vanishing from sight as he executed the Heavenly Step, a movement technique he had mastered in his past life. He appeared above the creature's head, driving his spear downward with explosive force. The spear tip punctured the beast's skull, spiritual energy exploding from the point of impact, sending shockwaves across the dimension.
The beast howled in agony before disintegrating into particles of light.
Kamui landed lightly, his breathing steady. He felt his cultivation base stirring, his connection to the Heavens growing stronger by the second. But the battle wasn't over. The second creature charged, its body crackling with dark energy. Kamui sensed the distortion in the beast's core—it was an anomaly, formed from the remnants of corrupted qi.
"Corrupted spirit energy? I must have left this place unattended for too long," Kamui muttered, his eyes narrowing. This wouldn't be as easy.
The monster barreled toward him, faster and more vicious than the last. Kamui wasted no time. He formed a new hand seal, summoning his Divine Flames—a secret art reserved for gods. His hands glowed, a brilliant light igniting between his palms. With a sharp motion, he thrust the energy forward, unleashing a torrent of golden flames. The beast screamed as the divine fire consumed its corrupted form, burning through its spiritual core until nothing but ash remained.
The final monster, sensing the fate of its brethren, let out a feral growl. This one was massive, even by Kamui's standards. Its spiritual energy was chaotic and wild, swirling around its body like a storm. Kamui could feel the intensity of its qi, but he wasn't worried.
"It's been a long time since I fought something worth my time," he mused, his eyes gleaming.
With a deep breath, Kamui entered the Tranquil Mind State, calming his qi and refining it into pure spiritual force. His cultivation was returning quickly—his body absorbing the spiritual energy from the very air. He shifted into a battle stance, one foot forward, spear pointed directly at the beast. This was going to take precision.
The beast charged, but Kamui was ready. In a blur of motion, he executed a flawless Heaven-Splitting Strike, his spear glowing with concentrated energy. The air split as his weapon sliced through the beast's hardened exterior, cleaving it in two. The force of the strike was so intense that it created a chasm in the earth beneath them, shaking the dimension to its core.
Kamui stood tall, his spear resting against his shoulder as the last of the monster's body dissolved into nothingness. The battle had been short, but he had felt his power returning with each strike, each movement.
"Still not enough," he murmured, feeling the vast potential within him. He was nowhere near his full strength yet—but soon.
The dimension around him flickered, the spiritual energy swirling at his command. Kamui drew in a deep breath, absorbing the energy back into his dantian, letting it strengthen his Golden Core. His cultivation had advanced slightly, but it wasn't enough to face the true threats waiting for him in the mortal world.
As the dimension collapsed around him, Kamui stepped back into the real world, his room coming back into view as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.
The gods of the other realm would be coming for him soon. And Kamui would be ready.
With a smirk, he clenched his fist, feeling the power hum beneath his skin.
"Let's see how strong you really are, gods."