The Immortal Spirit turned around, gazing through the window of the room.
"Generally, there is no such thing as ranks in cultivation, only realms. Cultivation begins in the Essence Gathering Realm, which is equivalent to the First Realm of your world as you call it."
She turned back to Sirius and added:
"Since the spiritual energy of your world might have been introduced late, the physiques of humans here were not nourished by spiritual energy and clearly were not suited for cultivation.
"When spiritual energy is absorbed, it must first pass through the physical body before it flows into the meridians, and subsequently into the mortal palace. By analogy, think of the physical body as the container…"
The Immortal Spirit paused.
"If the container is not strong enough, then it'll gradually collapse," Sirius continued her explanation.
She nodded softly.
"Then what do you mean when you say that our spiritual energy emerged unnaturally?"
Faintly shaking her head, she replied, "This is not important at the moment. You will understand once you travel back in time. For now, focus on cultivation."
Sirius felt frustrated as he was naturally curious. It seemed that the Immortal Spirit avoided explaining some matters for reasons he couldn't understand.
He sighed and sternly nodded. At this point, he felt a weird sensation in his stomach. If he were to describe it, it would be a mix of apprehension and exhilaration.
Finally…! Sirius thought, his fist clenching in eagerness.
He took the deepest breath he could muster, and just as he was about to start, her voice rang out.
"Anyone has the potential to cultivate," the Immortal Spirit looked at him meaningfully. "Yet, due to the incomplete natural laws of your world and the flawed physiques of its humans, the effort required is doubled. Normally, in places rich with spiritual energy, cultivation can occur naturally, sometimes even through mere breathing.
"However, to truly cultivate effectively, their senses must first be attuned enough to sense it. Otherwise, the process becomes a hundredfold more difficult. This is the first prerequisite of cultivation, attunement to spiritual energy. In this aspect, there is no such thing as talent, only patience. Judging from your expression, you have already accomplished it."
Sirius nodded. He had long attuned to spiritual energy at a young age. However, no matter how much he had absorbed, it was useless as his body was akin to a black hole, storing nothing.
"When absorbing spiritual energy, ensure that your breathing remains steady and balanced. In short, it must follow a rhythm to avoid instability."
"Alright."
Closing his eyes, Sirius assumed a cross-legged position, then regulated his breathing based on her instructions. After a while, countless particles of faint light emerged in the darkness. This was spiritual energy.
For a brief moment, excitement stirred within him before quickly stilling. He had to concentrate fully.
With every breath, various particles drew closer and closer. Eventually, Sirius felt a prickling foreign sensation across his skin. It was akin to multiple ant bites.
The process had begun.
Time passed slowly. Sirius couldn't help but wince as beads of sweat oozed out of his body. At first, it wasn't painful at all, only uncomfortable. But eventually, it grew to the point of discomfort and then soreness.
At this point, he was no longer excited…
The pain was no longer comparable to ant bites, but bee stings instead. His entire skin appeared swollen with countless red spots across it. He even had to stop himself from scratching them.
Sirius wearily opened his eyes and looked at the Immortal Spirit for guidance.
"Endure the pain. Truth be told, cultivation is not that painful, except if you are a body cultivator. However, this is normal in your case as it is your first time absorbing spiritual energy. Not to mention, your physical body is extremely fragile. If you stop now, not only will your foundation be unstable, but you must also exert double the effort next time."
He gritted his teeth and tightly closed his eyes again. In this state, the pain intensified several times. Advancing into the First Rank meant allowing spiritual energy to naturally seep through the entire skin. This was the reason why First Rank practitioners have greater durability than humans.
Usually, advancing into a rank couldn't be done in a single moment. In this case, it would usually take several days of consistent cultivation with breaks in between. But Sirius trusted the Immortal Spirit's judgment.
Approximating that his progress was only half, Sirius cursed internally and cleared his mind of unnecessary thoughts.
Again, when cultivating, one had to concentrate fully to prevent unwanted dangers, so time would seem to pass quickly. He didn't know how long he had been cultivating, only that he must maintain his breathing and continue until the 'sign' appeared. Otherwise, he would face a backlash and have to start all over again.
Feeling an unbearable itch over his body, Sirius cracked an eye and noticed that his skin had grown red from head to toe. He let out an audible gulp and closed his eyes again.
Eventually, a loud crack resounded as his body trembled. He felt an indescribable sensation wash over him, as though he was reborn. Then, a putrid smell wafted to his nose.
Sirius opened his eyes and noticed that a puddle of black liquid had formed on the floor underneath him.
"That is your impurities. Specifically, mortal filth," the Immortal Spirit said as she looked at his impurities. "Mortal filth is akin to toxins that weaken your bodily structure and impede the circulation of spiritual energy. Inevitably, as a cultivator consciously or unconsciously absorbs spiritual energy, impurities accumulate in their bodies."
Of course, he knew this. The sign of advancing into the First Rank and other ranks was impurities being expelled out of the body. As such, this should be done exactly six times before he eventually advanced into the First Mortal Realm.
He suppressed his joy and excitement, and called out the System.
[Host: Sirius Crowell]
[Realm: First Rank (0%)]
[Abilities: -]
[Techniques: -]
[Treasures: -]
[Fortune Points: -]
While he knew that he was finally First Rank, seeing was believing. Sirius couldn't help but feel a surge of mixed emotions. He no longer felt that powerlessness that had always plagued him in the past.
After all, in this world, being weak was a sin. The weak were trampled, and their lives were irrelevant. Such was the law of the jungle.
"Congratulations. You have finally touched the basics of cultivation," the Immortal Spirit said as her feet touched the floor. Though, no emotion could be seen on her face.
In response, Sirius found himself smiling broadly. An emotion he had nearly forgotten, the feeling of being genuinely happy for himself. It was as though a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders. He stood up and sat on the edge of the bed, his hand resting on Noir's slick fur.
Noir purred and let out a soft meow, making Sirius chuckle.
Then, he peered through the window and took a deep breath. It was time.
After showering Noir with the affection she deserved for hours, he then prepared all his stockpiled food for magical beasts and ample water that would last her for almost a month.
With all his matters settled, he closed his eyes. Sirius didn't need to ask for the Immortal Spirit's guidance, as it was instinctual to him.
Start Quest.
[Initiating Quest…]
[Starting in 3…]
[Starting in 2…]
[Starting in 1…]
[Quest has been initialized...]
[Traveling to Earth before the Calamity began…]