"Shared progress stored," he muttered.
Lin Tian voice sounded different in the still courtyard. He talked again, trying to calm himself. "I should try. I need to understand how much changed inside ."
He lowered himself onto the ground and set both hands on his knees. He straightened his spine and inhaled until his ribs tightened. He had practiced this posture for years even though it had never led anywhere. He knew the stance better than anyone because it had been the only thing he could do while others advanced without difficulty.
This ti sothing else happened.
A faint vibration rolled through his diaphragm, and warmth spread across his stomach like gentle pressure pushing outward. He blinked, surprised that the sensation did not vanish as quickly as it ca. He inhaled again and held the breath, waiting for the familiar emptiness to swallow everything.
It did not.
Instead, it flows like it should be.
"...I can feel it," he muttered, touching his lower abdon. "This is spiritual energy. This is my first ti feeling it move."
A ssage pressed into his mind without warning.
[ Shared Cultivation Pool converting into breakthrough potential for Host ]
[ ridians stabilizing ]
[ Circulation rate increasing ]
He inhaled sharply and set his hands flat on his knees to steady himself.
"Too fast," he whispered. "Slow down. I can’t control all of this yet."
A second rush sped through his legs until every hair on his skin tingled. It grew tighter with each breath until sothing tightened hard enough to make his body jerk.
A silent pop echoed inside his body.
He froze.
The pressure fell away in a single release, and spiritual energy surged through him with a steady current that filled every empty corner inside his dantian.
The system spoke again.
[ Breakthrough: Elentary Spirit Realm — First Level ]
Lin Tian lifted a hand in disbelief.
His breath shook, He whispered, "This cannot be real. I reached the first level. I reached it in a single attempt."
He barely had ti to process it before another wave struck him. He clenched his jaw to hold back a sound because it felt like soone poured boiling water through the channels under his skin. He tried to pull in a shallow breath, but the pressure expanded again and forced him to drop one hand to the ground.
He muttered through clenched teeth. "Stop for a mont. I cannot keep up with this. It feels like too much."
The system gave no reaction, just new notifications.
[ Breakthrough: Elentary Spirit Realm — Second Level ]
His body swayed from the force, and his fingers scraped the dirt as he tried to stay upright. He blinked sweat out of his eyes and stared at the peach tree because he needed sothing stable to focus on.
"This is not how cultivation works. This speed is not normal. I cannot handle this pressure much longer."
Yet the energy did not slow.
The shared pool continued pouring into him until it grew so intense that heat rose from his skin. He dug his nails slightly into the ground to steady his posture, and he grunted when the pressure rose for a third ti. His heart pounded so hard that it felt like the rhythm sank into his throat.
He whispered through short breaths. "One more. It is going to force one more."
He was right.
A loud thump echoed inside his dantian. The qi spun violently, then shot upward through his spine. His vision blurred as sothing snapped open again inside his core.
[ Breakthrough: Elentary Spirit Realm — Third Level ]
A small crack ford in the ground under him.
His entire body shook at the release, and the sudden drop in pressure nearly sent him falling to the side. He exhaled until his lungs emptied and leaned forward with his hands on the dirt, panting with short breaths that refused to slow down.
He stayed that way for a few monts, then pushed himself upright and stared at his hands again. His palms glowed faintly from internal heat that had not faded yet.
"...Third level," he said softly. "Three levels from one session."
He raised his hand and watched the slight tremble in his fingers. He turned the wrist slowly to feel the way qi moved through the tendons and joints. It felt natural. It felt like sothing that always should have existed inside him.
"I broke through. I actually broke through. I am qualified to stand as a cultivator."
Lin Tian sat straighter and breathed out a long exhale. The pressure faded, leaving a sensation of warmth mixed with relief. He glanced up at the system panel floating in front of him.
"System. Show my status."
[Status]
Host: Lin Tian
Realm: Elentary Spirit Realm — Third Level
Talent: Heaven Grade
Spirit Roots: Heaven Grade
Physique: None
Bloodline: None
Linked Partners: 1 (Bai Xueya)
Harem Points: 0
He stared at the words for a while.
"A month ago, I could not sense a single thread of spiritual energy. Today I stand at the third level of the Elentary Realm. This speed is absurd. No one in the clan will believe it, and I do not know how I will explain it."
He stood up slowly and curled his hands into fists. His limbs felt different. His stance felt anchored in a way he had never experienced, and his heartbeat no longer carried the faint flutter he had lived with since childhood.
"I should test what this realm ans for my body. I cannot guess my strength just by looking at the panel."
He stepped toward a rock about half his height. It had always been a training object for juniors learning basic palm strikes. He placed his palm on it and pressed lightly.
Small cracks ford around his palm.
He blinked, surprised at how little strength he used.
He lifted both hands and stepped back from the rock. He raised his fist and took a breath. He pushed spiritual energy from his abdon into his arm the way he rembered from the manuals. His fist tightened, and he punched forward.
A loud crack burst from the rock, and several chips flew off its surface. His knuckles throbbed slightly, but the shock of seeing a mark left by his own strike overwheld every other sensation.
"This was impossible for yesterday. I could barely lift a training sword with proper form, and now I can break stone with a single strike. This is the difference between a mortal body and a cultivator."
"This is the first ti I understand how much the world changes when one breaks past the mortal state."
He stepped away from the rock and stood quietly in the courtyard. He gazed at the peach tree, then at the faint ripples of qi drifting through the air. He never sensed such things before.
Everything looked the sa, yet everything carried a new depth he could not describe correctly.
He called out gently. "System. How much shared progress remains."
A short ssage appeared.
[ Shared Cultivation Remaining: 74% ]
He inhaled slowly. "Seventy-four percent. I reached third level with only part of the pool. If I cultivate again, I can rise even further with little resistance."
He closed his eyes and rubbed his face with one hand. He felt overwheld by how fast his path changed in one night. He tried to steady his breathing again before stepping into his room.
He sat down and looked at his hands one last ti.
"I am not a cripple anymore," he whispered.
He lowered himself onto the bed and pulled the blanket over his waist. His body still buzzed with residual energy, yet fatigue crept behind his eyes as soon as he tried to settle down. The breakthrough drained more strength than he expected. His arms felt heavy, and warmth spread over his shoulders as he sank into the thin mattress.
He exhaled one final ti.
A small smile tugged at his lips without him intending it.
"It feels strange. I never thought this day would never co."
End of Chapter 8
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