Jack's eyes snapped open.
For a moment, he felt weightless, suspended in a tranquil, endless blue. His body drifted, cradled by the warmth of the water surrounding him, the sensation both alien and strangely comforting.
"Guh—!"
The moment he opened his mouth, water rushed in.
A violent cough racked his body as he choked, his throat burning. Bubbles erupted from his lips, rising toward the unseen surface above. His body tensed, panic surging through him
Then he remembered 'I can breathe here.'
His movements stilled . Though his chest heaved from the reflex, there was no pain, no suffocation. Carefully, Jack shut his mouth, focusing on the sensation coursing through him.
'This… feels unnatural' jack thought. He wasn't breathing. There was no air filling his lungs, no rise and fall of his chest. Yet, he wasn't suffocating. His pores seems to take in some kind of energy into his body. It flowed into him effortlessly, spreading through his limbs like a gentle current, soothing his injuries and washing away his exhaustion. The sensation was revitalizing.
Jack flexed his fingers, then his arms, his legs his body moved with effortless ease. The exhaustion that had once weighed him down was gone.
"I… I'm completely healed."
He reached up, running his hands across his skin. The deep wounds, the bruises, the agony that had wracked his every muscle—all of it had vanished. His body felt stronger, renewed.
'what is this feeling' jack felt overwhelmed with flood of information piercing his brain. His heart pounded as if felt deep five distinct pulses of energy, each carrying a unique essence. One burned with searing heat, another flowed like a gentle stream, cool and soothing. A third felt heavy and unshakable, like solid stone, while the fourth carried a sharp, unyielding presence, strong and refined. The last one whispered through him like the rustling of leaves, vibrant and ever-growing. Jack's breath hitched as the energies intertwined within him, neither clashing nor resisting, but existing in perfect balance.
His eyes widened. He had read of this before in cultivation novels of cultivators who could harness the elements and ascend beyond mortal limits.And then there were Yun Li's memories. Fragmented yet vivid, they surged through his mind like echoes of another life. A name. A concept. Spiritual roots.
Jack's breath caught. "Have I awakened spiritual roots?"
He looked around. His senses were sharper than ever before. The world around him was no longer just a space—it was alive.
He could feel it.A cultivator's foundation
He could feel it. The air, the water, even the cavern walls were brimming with unseen energies, flowing and shifting in ways he had never noticed before. It was as if an entirely new world had been revealed to him.
'What is this place?' jack was amazed however a sudden urgency gripped him. He needed to move.
'This sensation of not breathing is discomforting'
Pushing against the water, Jack swam upward with newfound strength. As he breached the surface, cool air filled his lungs for the first time since his fall. He took a deep breath, savoring the crispness of it.
Then, his eyes adjusted to his surroundings.
The cavern walls, rough and uneven, pulsed faintly with an eerie glow, as if veins of energy ran through the very rock itself. Strange symbols, etched deep into the stone, shimmered under the dim light, their meanings lost to time.
A sudden force tugged at him pulling him deeper into the cavern.
Drawn by his senses, Jack followed.
Through winding corridors and shadowed halls, he moved until the passage opened into a vast chamber.
His breath caught.
Towering bookshelves lined the walls, their wooden frames ancient yet sturdy. The air was thick with dust, yet the books they held seemed untouched, preserved through.
'someone might have lived here' jack thought as he examined the self
Stone tables stood in the corners, covered in an assortment of vials and glass bottles. Some contained swirling, luminescent liquids—some bright like stardust, others dark and foreboding.
'My entire body is covered in goosebumps just from the smell' Jack thought, as the mere scent of the liquids sent a tingling sensation through his skin.
He took a cautious step closer, his fingers twitching as he instinctively reached for one of the vials.
"I mustn't touch it." Jack withdrew his hand immediately snapping back to reality, his breath unsteady.
' Whatever these were, they aren't ordinary . A single mistake could be disastrous.' Swallowing hard, Jack turned his gaze toward the depths of the chamber. There was more to this place.