Having obtained the memories of this body, it could be said that Lu Yuan was quite familiar with this world and understood how cultivation worked.
The first realm of cultivation was the Spirit Gathering Realm, and just like its name would suggest, it revolved around gathering the spiritual energy of the outside world and storing it within one's body. To be more specific, a cultivator needed to store this energy in the illusory space located in their lower abdomen, known as the Dantian.
The Spirit Gathering Realm was divided into nine Levels, with the 1st Level being the weakest and the 9th Level being the strongest.
Before his Dantian was destroyed, the previous owner of this body had reached the 3rd Level of the Spirit Gathering Realm and was considered one of the most talented young people in Meteor City.
Unfortunately, the fact that his Dantian had been destroyed meant that not only had his cultivation base been lost, but also that he had become completely useless and could no longer be a cultivator.
At the very least, that was what Lu Yuan initially thought, which was also the reason why he didn't try to struggle before but chose to accept his fate.
But now that he had obtained the Everchanging Inner Cosmos Art, Lu Yuan found that his previous assumptions were incorrect.
"The Everchanging Inner Cosmos Art is a unique Cultivation Technique that can be practiced without a Dantian. This technique considers the human body as a universe that contains countless worlds, galaxies, and planets. Once someone successfully practices it, their power will be akin to that of a universe."
Lu Yuan recalled the technique's introduction and understood that its value was inestimable, far surpassing any technique that he had previously come in contact with.
Despite being shocked, though, Lu Yuan didn't think about it for long. He could still feel that his life force was gradually passing away, and it wouldn't take long for him to die.
Now that he had finally found a ray of hope, he was no longer willing to accept his own death.
After he read the technique's contents one more time, he closed his eyes and focused his mind.
Just like any other Cultivation Technique, despite the Everchanging Inner Cosmos Art's power, it still required the practitioner to absorb spiritual energy from the outside world. The difference was that, unlike other Cultivation Techniques, it didn't store the spiritual energy in the Dantian, but in the 360 acupoints located all over a cultivator's body.
Following the technique's instructions, Lu Yuan began absorbing the spiritual energy and guided it gently with his mind, moving it towards one of his 360 acupoints.
The spiritual energy obeyed his commands, entered his body, and flowed into this acupoint. Immediately, Lu Yuan noticed that his strength was increasing, making him extremely comfortable, as if he was evolving into a higher-level life.
Unfortunately, this process was extremely slow and would take a long time to complete.
"At this rate, it's impossible for me to break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm.", Lu Yuan thought to himself.
According to the Everchanging Inner Cosmos Art, each Level of the Spiritual Gathering Realm required the cultivator to open 40 of their acupoints. If Lu Yuan wished to become a cultivator, he would have to open at least 40 acupoints.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan's mind started racing, trying to think of a solution to his current predicament.
Suddenly, he remembered something and looked inside his abdomen, the area where his Dantian was placed before.
There was no longer a Dantian, but he could see a few wisps of white mist floating aimlessly, like a bird that had lost its flock.
"This is the spiritual energy corresponding to the 3rd Level of Spirit Gathering Realm that 'I' had previously stored. I wonder if I can use it to practice the Everchanging Inner Cosmos Art.", Lu Yuan pondered silently.
After a brief hesitation, he decided to put this idea into practice.
He controlled the spiritual energy within his body and moved it next to his acupoint, and just like before, it flowed into it seamlessly.
"It works!", Lu Yuan realized and couldn't help but feel happy, having finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
Forcing himself to calm down and focus, Lu Yuan began practicing with a serious expression.
"Bang!"
A few seconds later, a loud bang echoed in his ears, signaling that one of his acupoints had been fully infused with spiritual energy and had "opened".
Even so, Lu Yuan kept his eyes closed.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Sounds continued ringing in his ears one after another, while his strength was improving at an astonishing pace.
Only when it rang for the 40th time did Lu Yuan finally stop practicing and open his eyes with a happy smile.
"Haha! God has not forsaken me!", he couldn't help but laugh, knowing that he had broken through the 1st Level of Spirit Gathering and had become a true cultivator.
With his breakthrough, a warm current flowed out of his acupoints and ran through his entire body. The moment this current touched his wounds, they began healing at an abnormal speed.
As if this was not enough, Lu Yuan quickly realized that the spiritual energy in his abdomen had only decreased by about 30% and the majority was still there.
Seeing this, he understood that now was not the time to be happy.
"I should take this opportunity and make use of this spiritual energy before it is too late. Perhaps, it can help me break through to the 3rd Level of the Spiritual Gathering Realm and regain my full strength.", Lu Yuan thought as he once again closed his eyes.