Cultivating in absolute stillness, Nihil sat upon his throne, unmoving—immersed in his cultivation, breaking through to the next level.
Hours passed—still in a state of deep cultivation, Nihil continued to absorb energy from his surroundings, refining it within his core, striving to ascend to the next stage. Yet, despite hours of continuous refinement, the breakthrough remained elusive, a distant goal just beyond reach.
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Days passed, and he continued his cultivation. The sheer amount of energy he absorbed was beyond comprehension, an unfathomable torrent surging into him. Yet, despite this overwhelming influx, his core remained insatiable, as if it had no bottom.
.........….
Several more days elapsed, and still, his core was being refined by the ceaseless flow of energy. Yet, even with such an extended period of refinement, it seemed as though this process would stretch on for eternity.
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More days passed, and still, Nihil remained in absolute concentration, unwavering in the mental focus demanded by cultivation.
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Then, after yet another stretch of time—suddenly, his core ceased its refinement.
In that instant, Nihil's eyes snapped open, a flicker of confusion crossing his usually composed expression.
"What…?" he murmured, his voice carrying a slight edge of disorientation as he adjusted to reality once more. The stillness around him felt different now. Not tranquil—stagnant.
Placing a hand over his mouth, deep in thought, he muttered to himself, "Why did it stop absorbing energy?"
His crimson eyes narrowed in contemplation as he tried to process the anomaly. The silence was deafening. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he was not advancing.
Closing his eyes once more, he projected his consciousness inward, diving into the depths of his mental world.
.......
Upon reopening his eyes, he found himself in an endless void of darkness.
A single beam of unwavering light stretched across the infinite expanse, illuminating the abyss—a lone beacon in the infinite blackness of his mind.
His core—practically white now, enormous, at least five times his own size—hovered before him, pulsating with an ethereal glow, radiating waves of pure, condensed energy.
It pulsed. And pulsed.
Nihil gazed upon it from afar and whispered, "Why have you stopped refining?" Step by step, he moved forward, approaching the radiant mass with deliberate intent.
The closer he got, the more its light enveloped him, until at last, he stood directly before it.
Hovering in place, he observed the core with scrutinizing eyes before exhaling softly. "Hmm… Let's see," he murmured as he began to ascend, floating upward with measured grace. Soon, he reached the very center of his core, his fingers stretching out toward it with deliberate slowness.
The moment his fingertips brushed against its surface, a strange sensation surged through him. His crimson eyes narrowed in concentration. "Hmm… why?" he questioned, his voice carrying a weight of uncertainty.
Was this an obstacle? A plateau?
His other hand rose to his face as he tilted his head slightly in thought. "Do I need to devise a new method of cultivation?" he mused aloud, his tone a blend of skepticism and reluctant acceptance.
For the first time since he began cultivating, he found himself at a standstill—not because of external limitations, but because his previous method no longer sufficed.
A spark of realization flickered in his eyes. "Up until now, I never had to think about how to cultivate," he admitted, his expression shifting to one of mild frustration. "I simply followed my intuition, and it always worked… but now… hmm…" His voice trailed off as his thoughts deepened.
In the depths of thought, he muttered, "But why now..." His gaze shifted, and the sharpness of his crimson eyes, momentarily dulled by confusion, returned to their usual intensity. Yet, his mind churned with questions. "Perhaps... it's because, up until now, all I had to do was absorb energy," he said, his voice quiet as he glanced once more at the core suspended before him. After a moment, he spoke again, almost in disbelief. "No..."
He paused, but then, as if struck by a sudden revelation, a spark ignited in his eyes. "No! Before, all I did was absorb energy from my surroundings. But... the sheer density and volume of energy within me reached such a level that it began to refine my body first, then transform into this liquid. And then, when there was enough of it, it naturally started to gather at a single point, forming this solid core..." he said, piecing the logic together in his mind. His hand hovered above the core, fingers brushing its surface, before he pulled away, his gaze still locked onto it.
"So, by that logic, everything happened naturally, step by step... but it seems like that process has now come to an end," he murmured, diving deeper into his thoughts, searching for an alternative explanation. "Does that mean... I now need to figure out how to cultivate further?" he asked himself, his crimson eyes widening slightly. For a brief moment, the neutral expression on his face was replaced by a faint, forced smile.
"Haaaa... so now I need to come up with a way to advance further in cultivation," he sighed, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Instead of just cultivating—getting stronger and relaxing in the process—I have to figure out how to move forward. Wonderful. Just wonderful," he said sarcastically, his tone laced with irritation and fatigue.
"Haaa..." Another sigh escaped him as he slowly closed his eyes, withdrawing his consciousness back to the real world.
.......
Seated once more on his throne, Nihil leaned heavily against it, the weight of his predicament pressing down on him. Fatigue crept into his posture, his once-upright stance slumping slightly as he rested against the throne's backrest. "Why am I so cursed," he muttered, his hand striking the armrest lightly, frustration flickering across his face. "... that just when it would be perfect to relax, I have to deal with this."
His expression twisted into a grimace of displeasure as he leaned forward again, his gaze fixed ahead in thought. "I need to find a good way to break through," he said, his voice steady but burdened with determination.
"Where should I even start..." he murmured, straightening his posture and then leaning forward once more. This time, he rested his head on his hand, staring into the distance, utterly absorbed in his thoughts. He seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the abyss of his mind.
"At the beginning, my body simply absorbed energy in its gaseous form. That was the Energy Gradering stage," he whispered, his voice barely audible as he retraced his cultivation journey, piece by piece, hoping to uncover a clue. "Then my body was strengthened and compressed, though for some reason it also grew larger... That was the Foundation Establishment stage," he continued, speaking even more softly, as if the act of recounting his progress helped sharpen his focus. His crimson eyes dimmed slightly, their usual brilliance dulled as he concentrated solely on finding a path forward.
"Next, the energy in my body gradually transformed into liquid. Unlike the previous stages, its purity and potency increased significantly. That stage was Energy Liquidation," he murmured, his thoughts drifting further inward as if sifting through an endless stream of memories. Words escaped his lips almost unconsciously, each carrying the weight of his journey thus far.
"And now... the stage I'm at now. This stage took the longest. When I broke through to the first sub-stage of this level, my core had already formed. But with each subsequent sub-stage, its size increased, and its color—from a deep gray, almost black—brightened to nearly white," he said, his voice now so faint it was almost imperceptible. Yet within it was a faint note of discovery, as if he were on the verge of uncovering something crucial.
"With every sub-stage, the core refined more energy, in greater quantities, transforming it into stronger, purer forms," he said, pausing as if struck by a sudden realization. He froze in place, his thoughts crystallizing, as though he had grasped the edge of something elusive—something vital.
"It grew... it grew larger... it became brighter, almost white..." he repeated, his crimson eyes flickering with a renewed light. Slowly, he emerged from the trance of his own thoughts, the brilliance in his gaze intensifying as clarity returned to him.
"It grew larger... its color became nearly white," he repeated once more, his awareness returning fully to the present. The spark of an idea flashed across his face. His lips parted, forming the beginnings of a knowing smile.
"Perhaps the key to advancing further... is to do the opposite of this stage!" he exclaimed, his voice carrying a mix of excitement and revelation. His crimson eyes shone with newfound purpose, and a faint, determined smile spread across his face.
"Yes... yes, that's possible!" he declared, his voice growing louder as his confidence surged. With his mind fixed on this realization, Nihil closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation, his focus razor-sharp as he ventured down the faint, yet visible path he had just uncovered.