On my third birthday, my mother finally decided to tell me about the birds and the bees… Not. But really, I've been hearing a lot of stuff going on within the bedroom of my parents. Not that it's my fault that my room is directly next to them, but sometimes, I just wonder how my elder sister felt during these times.
A year back, a particular gossip landed in my ear while I was trying to find some new books to read. The servants of our manor were talking about my elder sister. From what I've heard, I learned that Rhea isn't actually my blood-related sister.
The servants were talking about my mother being unable to conceive a child and about my father who declined getting a concubine. Because of those things, the Luo Clan forced them to adopt a child, and that's when they met Rhea. But I didn't really get the whole story from their gossip. I only heard about Rhea being an orphaned child my parents adopted on a whim.
As for Rhea… well, she's my sweet and lovely elder sister. Such a nice and beautiful child. If only she wouldn't pester me while I'm busy reading heaps of books scattered throughout my room, I could probably label her as my favorite person.
Whenever she was free, Rhea would always come to my room to watch me do whatever I was doing. It's not like I hate it. From time to time, Rhea would tell me to sit on her lap while she slowly petted my head. During my past life, I never had any siblings. As I grew up, I was certain that the distance between me and my relatives made me a loner. It's refreshing to have a family that genuinely cares for you.
A few weeks after my third birthday, my mother finally decided to tell me more about cultivation, something I've been eager to know ever since I learned about what kind of world I was reborn in.
When I asked my mother, she told me that a person can only cultivate once that person goes through 'stabilization' and then finally, 'awakening.' Interesting, right?
In the words of my mother, stabilization is some sort of process that starts once a child is born. When a child is born, the energy center, which is commonly called the dantian, slowly forms within the body.
At birth, the dantian is merely a block of space that can be located at the center of the chest. As time goes by, the dantian slowly develops into a small and dormant illusory space that is similar to a pond. Once it's completely formed, the dantian will slowly integrate with the physical body in a process known as 'stabilization.'
Once the dantian has completely integrated with the physical body, the next step known as awakening shall commence. During awakening, the dantian will start to absorb a kind of energy known as the world essence.
The world essence is something that isn't really clear to me. But through my mother's words, I learned that the world essence is some sort of naturally occurring energy that is always present anywhere in this world. It is something that needs to be absorbed and then refined in order to become a 'cultivator.'
As for the process of 'awakening,' the first world essence absorbed by the dantian will circulate throughout the body, opening stream-like pathways known as the spiritual veins. These spiritual veins—also known as energy channels—determine the overall potential of a cultivator. My mother didn't really give me that much information about these spiritual veins, but she promised me that she would tell me more about it as soon as I awakened.
Every day, I'm getting more and more excited about this world. Cultivation... it's thrilling to think how one can become like those awesome people that fly in the skies while wielding epic weapons.
Will I be able to fly like those awesome cultivators? Will I exhibit astonishing strength that will shock the world? I wonder, just what kind of potential will I have in this foreign world?
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***
Third-person:
Within the Luo Clan's manor, the current heir of the Luo Clan, Raizel, was walking back and forth inside his room. Four months had passed since his third birthday, and with each passing day, he could only grow more and more curious about the concepts of cultivation that his mother told him.
In his mind, dozens of questions continuously appeared. Although inside the body of a young child, he had the soul of someone who had lived for two decades. His thoughts dwelled on his future in this world of cultivation.
"Sigh… What if I'm a cripple? What if I can't cultivate? I've been way too excited about all this cultivation stuff and I forgot all the other possibilities that could happen." With a loud thud, Raizel crashed on top of his bed.
He had been thinking a lot during the past few days. In this world, he had experienced something akin to a real family. A family that loved him so much that he couldn't help but feel dreadful whenever he remembered his family in his former life.
He was afraid, so very afraid, in fact. What if he was actually a cripple? What if his family would forsake him just because he couldn't cultivate? He couldn't help but feel anxious thinking how much would change if his new body failed to let him cultivate. After all, he had read many such novels with crippled characters like that in Earth.
Although these characters eventually grew into powerful existences, the suffering they endured was something Raizel couldn't imagine himself being subjected to.
Unfortunately, Raizel didn't know that, in this world, there was no such thing as a natural cripple. Because of the existence of world essence, each and every person in the world would have their dantians developed. It was just that, some dantians developed faster for other people.
While he was thinking about all these things, a huge influx of world essence suddenly gathered inside his room. He stared in shock as streaks of white substance gathered in the air.
When these streaks of white substance appeared, he clutched his chest as he felt it getting harder and harder to breathe. He fell to his knees, gasping for air. He tried to call out to his mother, but he couldn't move at all.
After a few moments, he watched as the white substance formed into a large circular cloud inside his room. As more time passed by, the large circular cloud became bigger and bigger, and soon, it suddenly engulfed his body. When this happened, the tightness in his chest relaxed, but then afterward, he completely fell unconscious.