Raon sat cross-legged beneath a blooming plum tree, trying to focus. The wind was calm, the sky clear and yet his heart raced like a panicked rabbit.
**Initiating partial memory transfer. Please remain conscious.**
Raon frowned. "Wait, remain conscious?"
A sharp pain struck his head like lightning. His vision flashed with fragmented images swords clashing, martial stances, the shouts of instructors. The scent of sweat and steel filled his mind.
He gasped, clutching his head. "Ahhh, what the hell is this?!"
**Swordsmanship basics installed.**
He blinked. His breathing calmed. His muscles remembered something his mind hadn't known a moment ago. His body felt... trained.
He stood, glancing around. Disciples were practicing nearby. A wooden sword rack caught his eye. He picked one up and swung experimentally.
*Whoosh.* The air split cleanly.
"Okay," he muttered. "That's new."
A familiar voice called out, "Raon! You're awake?"
It was Ara Lin, the medic disciple who'd checked on him earlier. She held a basket of herbs, watching with surprise. "You're actually training?"
He smiled awkwardly. "Gotta recover somehow, right?"
She eyed him suspiciously. "Since when do you practice like that? You usually skip morning drills."
"New me," he said quickly. "Decided I don't wanna die early."
She laughed softly. "That's a first."
As Ara left, Rion's grin faded. Swordsmanship, huh? That's one thing done. But how the hell do I use Qi like everyone else?
He sat down again, focusing on his breathing.
**Attempting Qi flow detection...**
Nothing.
He tried again, picturing glowing energy threads like in all those manhwa panels.
Still nothing.
"Why isn't this working?"
**Because you're trying to breathe in light, not energy. Idiot.**
"I don't know what that means!"
**Dantian Formation requires synchronization with the flow of the world. Think of it as Wi-Fi but for your soul.**
"Okay… so what's the password?"
**Inhale, exhale, and don't die.**
Raon groaned but tried again, slower this time. He inhaled deeply, letting the cold morning air fill his lungs, something flickered. A faint warmth coiled in his stomach.
The ground vibrated softly. The air shimmered.
**Qi detection confirmed. Beginning dantian activation.**
"Wait, what does that mean?"
The warmth turned into heat.... Then into fire.
"AHHH, WHAT IS THAT?!?"
A burst of blue light shot from his chest, blasting a hole into the ground and throwing him backward into a bush.
**Dantian Formation attempt: 12% success. 88% near death.**
"You said 'don't die!' You didn't say it'd try to kill me back!"
He staggered to his feet, smoking faintly. Disciples from nearby training courts stared at him in horror.
"Was that an explosion?" one whispered.
"Did the guard just achieve enlightenment or self-destruction?" another asked.
Raon coughed, waving weakly. "I'm fine! Just… cultivating violently!"
**Correction: Cultivating stupidly.**
When the chaos settled, Raon finally sat down again, trembling.
Inside his abdomen, he could feel it, a faint, glowing core, no larger than a spark. But it pulsed. It lived.
**Dantian core established. Rank: F- (Barely sentient).**
Raon smirked weakly. "So… I did it?"
**Yes. You've formed a Datian core. Unfortunately it's as stable as wet paper.
"Progress is progress."
He looked toward the distant training yard, where disciples still whispered about him.
Maybe, just maybe, this was his first real step to surviving this world.
**Next goal: learn to channel Qi safely without creating fireworks.**
Raon sighed. "You're never gonna let me live this down, are you?"
**No.**
The sun rose higher, and as he stood to continue training, Raon caught his reflection in a water basin the faintest blue glow pulsing beneath his skin.
"Alright," he said, gripping his sword. "Let's try not to explode this time."