[Name: —
Species: Tortoise
Faction: —
Days survived: 0]
I went to sleep as your average college student, and was forcefully woken up by this holographic window. It vanished as soon as I read it fully.
At first, I thought it was some kind of prank. So I just went to sleep. You cannot give them the satisfaction, you know. Ignore bullies, ignore friends when they are being silly, ignore love interests—that is the way to live a stress-free life.
After God knows how long, I woke up again from suffocation. Either people forgot they were pranking, or I was in a much unusual situation. Shouting didn't work. So I decided to believe in the message and used my beak to break out of the eggshell. It took some time, but I succeeded.
If I am a tortoise, then probably my soul got reincarnated into a new body, or is being used by some alien for an experiment. The humanity of Earth hasn't reached this level of technology or brutality. I think.
I found 3 siblings around. They were probably asleep after breaking out of the eggshell. I decided to sleep as well.
[Name: —
Species: Spiritual Tortoise
Faction: —
Days survived: 1]
[Congratulations! For surviving [1] day in the world of Spiritual Sky, you can choose one trait from the following:
Spiritual [Neutral, passive]: Gives you the ability to absorb spiritual energy. You can additionally choose one or more affinities: Water, Earth, Wood, Metal.
Monster [Evil, active]: Kill other beasts or cultivators and consume their body. Absorb their cultivation to increase your own realm.]
It was a bit rude of you, system-sama. So abrupt all the time.
Sleeping aside, I seem to be reincarnated as a tortoise in a cultivation world. While it's not the most ideal way to begin a new life, it's also not the worst.
If this was an RPG-style world, the second option would be the best. But in the cultivation world, it is basically putting a bounty on your own head. Who knows where I am, what dangers are waiting for me on the surface, and what the state of the world is?
And I am a tortoise. Let's just go with the stereotype and pick the passive option.
[Pick one or more affinities: Water, Earth, Wood, Metal.]
In most cultivation novels I read before, having pure affinity was the best way to cultivate. Is it the same in this world? But I better avoid being a jack of all trades, master of one.
Then, which one should I choose? The system doesn't provide any explanation about their effects. I don't see Fire here. Is it incompatible with my species? It would be cool to have a volcano with lava flowing on my back, though…
If I were a turtle, I would pick water without any question. But I'm a tortoise. Probably in a forest, as our eggs were buried under soil, not sand. So, in theory, the Earth and Wood type spiritual energy should be more abundant.
Suddenly, I had a crazy idea. What if I can grow a spiritual tree out of my shell? Imagine, after thousands of years, it can become giant, literally a world tree!
I want wood affinity.
The notification window vanished. I felt a strange sensation in my stomach. When that stopped, I closed my eyes and tried to see with my inner eye.
…
Nothing there. I guess one should open their inner eye here to see insides. Let's try to cultivate now. Clear your mind. Relax all muscles. Take a deep breath. Hold it. Hold it. Now, slowly breathe out, slower than taking it in. Repeat until you find your rhythm. Then imagine a gentle sunbeam hitting your skin. It doesn't burn; it caresses your skin. Like a fresh morning sun in spring…
At first, it was just a silly joke about the exercise my therapist made me do. But I realized it had a real effect in this world. I could feel something in the air I inhaled. At the start, it just entered and exited with the air. I tried to make my lungs absorb it. It took a lot of time, and eventually, I did it. I called it qi. Qi got into what I suppose are my meridians and went towards my stomach. It is being stored in Dantian, I think. So, I continued my freestyle cultivation.
[You created a skill: Tortoise Breathing Art.]
I alternated between sleeping and cultivating. After a few sessions, I noticed my siblings started digging upwards. I joined them. When we finally emerged onto the surface, they left in different directions. I also picked a random direction and started moving. While walking, I kept eating the grass. It tasted… grassy.