The first light of dawn spread across the rugged mountainside, casting the jagged cliffs and forested valleys in a soft, otherworldly glow. Liang Zhen emerged from the cave, his battered and blood-stained robes clinging to his frail but transformed body. Though blind, his heightened senses provided him with a vivid awareness of his surroundings.
He could "see" the faint rustling of leaves as the wind wove through the trees, the rhythmic cascade of water tumbling over distant rocks, and the tiny, quick heartbeats of creatures hidden in the underbrush. Each sensation painted a picture clearer than sight, allowing him to experience the world in profound detail.
Pausing at the cave's entrance, he took a deep breath of the crisp, mountain air. For the first time, he felt reborn—not because he sought rebirth, but because circumstances had left him no other choice. As he clenched his fists, he contemplated the path ahead, a path steeped in pain, isolation, and the enigmatic crystal that now pulsed faintly within him.
The knowledge the crystal had imparted to Liang Zhen painted a comprehensive picture of the cultivation systems in his world. Both humans and beasts followed strict paths of spiritual and physical growth, marked by progression through eight defined stages.
**Human Cultivation Stages**
Humans followed a progression of mastery over spiritual energy, with each stage representing significant advancements:
1. **Mortal Body**: The starting point for all humans, where cultivation has not yet begun. The strength here is purely physical, and no spiritual energy is harnessed.
2. **Purifying Qi**: This stage involves the initial connection to spiritual energy, where practitioners begin using Qi to heal and strengthen themselves.
3. **Opening the Meridians**: The body's natural pathways for Qi flow are unlocked, enabling more advanced cultivation and techniques.
4. **Elemental Control**: At this stage, practitioners gain mastery over the natural elements, blending elemental power with combat and survival skills.
5. **Spirit Bonding**: A bond is formed with a spirit beast or entity, granting unique abilities and enhancing strength.
6. **Soul Refinement**: Cultivators refine their souls, gaining greater spiritual resilience and interaction with the world.
7. **Divine Awakening**: This stage elevates cultivators to a god-like state, granting access to forbidden powers.
8. **Immortal Ascension**: The final step for humans, where they transcend mortality to exist beyond the confines of the physical world.
**Beast Cultivation Stages**
Beasts progressed similarly to humans, but their journey was rooted in primal instincts and ferocity. They advanced by absorbing life essence from prey or the natural world, with each stage unlocking greater power and intelligence:
1. **Beastkin Strength**: Basic physical and survival enhancements.
2. **Essence Absorption**: The ability to draw energy from prey to grow stronger.
3. **Bloodline Awakening**: Accessing dormant ancestral powers unique to their species.
4. **Elemental Mastery**: Command over elemental forces.
5. **Spirit Form**: The manifestation of spiritual projections and heightened intelligence.
6. **Soul Behemoth**: Amplification of soul-based powers and destructive capabilities.
7. **Primordial Beast**: Nearly god-like strength, rivaling humanity's Divine Awakening stage.
8. **Beast Immortal**: Beings of ultimate power and eternal domination.
Liang Zhen's path diverged entirely from these structured systems. The **Eternal Body** was a cultivation method that focused solely on physical transformation and combat strength. It required no reliance on Qi manipulation, elemental mastery, or spiritual techniques. Instead, it pushed the cultivator's body to its absolute limits through extreme pain and endurance, breaking it down and reforging it repeatedly.
The crystal, an enigmatic artifact discovered by its previous owner, had stored an incredible reservoir of blood essence from humans and beasts. Despite the vast potential it offered, its former owner had never fully understood its origins or purpose, keeping it only for its strange properties. The man had followed his cultivation method, one that balanced physical power with his bloodline.
Yet, the **Eternal Body exercise itself was not his creation.** It was an ancient technique that had been inscribed into the crystal, waiting for a worthy cultivator to unlock it. The original owner had either dismissed or feared the Eternal Body, deeming its intensity too brutal and its costs too high. He chose instead a more conventional path.
Liang Zhen, however, embraced it. He refused to live in someone else's shadow or adopt a legacy that was not his own. The Eternal Body resonated with him—a method as iIsolated and grueling as his own life. Its stages reflected his struggles and the unforgiving nature of his existence:
1. **Iron Frame**: The body is forged into an unyielding vessel, capable of withstanding immense physical and emotional strain.
2. **Bone Engraving**: Runes are etched into the bones through rituals of excruciating pain, strengthening their durability and resilience.
3. **Blood Baptism**: Blood is refined by absorbing external essence, becoming denser and more potent.
4. **Muscle Forge**: Muscles are repeatedly broken down and rebuilt, exponentially increasing strength and endurance.
5. **Soul Flesh**: The body and soul merge into a unified entity, amplifying physical power to monstrous levels.
6. **Eternal Vessel**: The body transcends mortality, resisting the decay of time itself.
The Eternal Body was a path few dared to tread. The crystal's memories revealed that countless cultivators who attempted it had perished, unable to endure the torment. Even the crystal's former owner had recognized its impossibility, leaving it untouched.
Yet, for Liang Zhen, it was ideal—a cultivation technique born of solitude and brutality, a mirror to his existence.
When Liang Zhen began the first stage of the Eternal Body, the crystal sensed his resolve and merged with him, releasing its stored blood essence into his body. What followed was an ordeal that defied comprehension. Every fiber of his being was broken down and reforged. His muscles tore apart only to heal stronger. His bones screamed under the weight of change.
The process was agony, and the cave bore witness to his suffering. Blood painted its walls as he writhed and screamed through the ordeal, fighting to endure what would have killed countless others.
When it finally ended, he stood transformed. The first stage, **Iron Frame**, had been completed. His body, once frail and battered, was now tempered steel. Though blind, his heightened senses reached new heights, allowing him to perceive the faintest vibrations in the earth and air.
As Liang Zhen stepped out of the cave, the shadows of his past lingered behind him, but the darkness within him remained. The power coursing through his veins was a reminder of his chosen path—a path of solitude, hardship, and unmatched strength.
The Eternal Body would either elevate him to heights no one could imagine or claim his life.
For Liang Zhen, either outcome was preferable to the life he had left behind.