Endless darkness.
Long Chen stood alone in a place where nothing existed—no sky, no ground, no sound.
It was as if the world itself had disappeared, leaving only him behind.
He walked.
Step after step.
There was no direction, no destination. Time felt meaningless. Minutes, hours… or maybe years passed, yet nothing changed.
Still, he kept walking.
Suddenly—
A faint light appeared in the distance.
It was small, like a flickering flame in a storm, but in this endless darkness, it felt like hope.
Long Chen's eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, he moved toward it.
The closer he got, the brighter it became. The faint light turned into a radiant glow, illuminating the darkness around him.
Then he saw it.
A huge golden gate.
It stood tall like a divine object, ancient and majestic. Mysterious patterns covered its surface—a huge beast with a golden horn and huge wings, stars, and strange runes that seemed alive.
A powerful aura radiated from it, making Long Chen's heart tremble.
"This…" he muttered softly, unable to understand what he was seeing.
He slowly stepped closer.
The moment he reached the gate—
BOOM!
A blinding golden light burst out from the gate!
Before Long Chen could react, a beam of light shot straight toward him—
It struck his brow!
"AHHH!"
A sharp pain exploded inside his head.
Memories… fragments… unknown voices… all rushed into his mind at once.
His vision shattered—
Long Chen suddenly woke up!
"AHHH!"
He sat up abruptly, breathing heavily. Sweat covered his entire body, and his heart pounded like a drum.
His head hurt badly.
It felt like something was trying to force its way into his mind.
"Chen'er!"
A worried voice called out.
Long Chen looked up.
Beside his bed stood his aunt, her face filled with concern. She looked almost the same age as him, but her eyes carried deep care and warmth.
Next to her was his maid, equally anxious.
"You finally woke up!" the maid said, her voice trembling. "Young Master, you were unconscious for the whole night. Master Yun was very worried about you."
Long Lingyun stepped closer and gently held his shoulder, her eyes filled with concern.
"Chen'er, what happened last night? Are you alright?"
Long Chen didn't answer immediately. He took a deep breath, calming the pain in his head.
Then he spoke—
"Aunt… last night, lightning struck me. But it was a blessing in disguise." His eyes shone with excitement. "I broke through to the Body Refining Realm. I think with the help of pills, I can reach the 9th stage of the Body Refining Realm."
For years, Long Chen had been unable to cultivate.
It was not just because he lacked a spiritual root.
To cultivate, one needed meridians to circulate Qi and a dantian to store it.
But sadly—
Long Chen had neither.
No meridians.
No dantian.
No spiritual root.
He was someone who was never meant to walk the path of cultivation.
But after yesterday's accident, everything changed.
In the Body Refining Realm, Qi is only used to strengthen the body. It does not require meridians or a dantian.
Because of that—
Long Chen could finally cultivate.
Long Lingyun's face lit up with joy.
She was genuinely happy.
Because just like Long Chen… she too had been unable to cultivate.
Although she had both meridians and a dantian, they were damaged. And like him, she did not possess a spiritual root.
"Chen'er, I also have something to tell you," Long Lingyun said with a bright smile.
Long Chen looked at her, surprised. "What is it, Aunt?"
"Just like you, I can also cultivate now," she said.
Long Chen's eyes widened.
"Yesterday, the lightning from your body struck me as well. Because of that, I can now cultivate."
She paused slightly, her expression turning serious.
"But… for some reason, that lightning is still inside my body. Sometimes it erupts. It hurts a little. So be careful about that."
Long Chen nodded, then said confidently,
"Aunt, you don't need to worry. I will draw a tattoo on your body. That tattoo will absorb all the lightning inside you. You will even be able to use the lightning element through it."
Long Lingyun looked curious. "What kind of tattoo?"
"Aunt, as you know, I awakened a Creation Magic Body earlier," Long Chen explained. "But I was unable to absorb mana or use magic."
He paused, then smiled slightly.
"But after yesterday… I can do it now."
"There is a technique called Elemental Tattoo. It allows the body to absorb elements from the surroundings through a tattoo."
Long Lingyun listened carefully, then nodded.
"Alright. You should rest first. We can do that later," she said gently.
"You just woke up. Your body needs proper rest."
After saying that, she turned and left the room with the maid.