Foundations are easy

Along the pain there is a trickle of memories resurfacing - memories of my past lives, past knowledge and past experiences. As more and more memories fill my mind, I suddenly realise, that I can suppress the pain. And with a thought, it's done.

Now to look through these memories. It seems impossible at first glance, due to the sheer amount, but then I remember my memory catalogue system. I start sorting them out, and in a couple of minutes I have the system working, and sorting the rest of the incoming memories too, in real-time. The influx of memories stops abruptly after a couple more minutes, and I try to recall why am I in this whole situation. And then everything becomes clear: my mission, the reason for the last 13 years' wretchedness, and... Eve.

That sound earlier, that should've been Eve, stored as a spiritual consciousness. It took her 13 years of gathering energy to sustain her spiritual existence, to the point of not fading away, and reactivating my memories, sealed away with karma before my soul's descent. I guess she won't be able to help me directly anytime soon though, since this should've sapped her of all her spare energy, and she's not getting much replenishment, now that I'll be able to cultivate as well.

-Xiao Xia, hurry up and wake up, so Senior Song can properly beat the crap out of you!

I hear the servants trying to wake me, by shouting and slapping me. Oh right, I fainted face first into Senior Song's breakfast. I have to resolve this properly, otherwise I might even get executed. I keep pretending to be unconscious and review the information I know about this world. It's a Xianxia universe. Fuck, that's not good.

I quickly try to remember all I can about cultivation here. It seems I have to start with the three stages of Foundation Establishment: Heart Strengthening, Blood Strengthening and Mind Strengthening. I was unable to complete even the first stage previously, because Eve sapped away all my energy. But it's a different story now. I have the memories of countless past lives and full control over my body.

With a simple thought I redirect my inner energies towards my heart, remodeling it according to what I know about this universe. The human physiology is the same, but there are stringent requirements on the body, before it can absorb spiritual energy from external sources. I finish this step in seconds, not really feeling a change in my overall battle prowess, since I already have godlike reflexes and strength due to my total control over my body.

The next step is blood strengthening. It would normally take a couple of years to saturate my blood with spiritual energy, so it's ready to take in even more, once I complete the Foundation Establishment. But again, it only takes a thought to do the necessary changes in my bone marrow DNA. It's simple, if you have the kind of anatomical knowledge that I have. The new blood starts pumping in my veins completes the Blood Strengthening stage. It'll take a few minutes to saturate my whole body with this new blood, but it's not a problem, since I can focus on the third stage in the meanwhile.

-This Xiao Xia bastard, I knew it was bad luck just being around him. Hmph. Wait until Senior Song gets here, and see how you'll be crippled or even executed, finally putting an end to your worthless existence.

They're still trying to wake me, but how could that be so easy? They are punching and slapping me harder and harder, but since they haven't completed their foundation establishment, they can't damage my body, now that I can control it freely.

I quickly recall all I know about the Mind Strengthening Stage, which, unfortunately, isn't a lot. I was not qualified not know about it in the first place, before completing the first two stages, so all I know is what I've overheard from my seniors and peers. Luckily that's enough for me to understand what I should do: I have to make spiritual energy flow into my body subconsciously, with my reformed blood drawing in the energy, and my reformed heart redistributing it wherever needed. This is achieved by years of meditation and exercises, to make the body and mind hunger for spiritual energy. But for me all it takes is another simple thought, creating a simple mental routine for the circulation of spiritual energy inside my body. It activates at the same time as the blood tempering is done, so I guess I'm done with my Foundation Establishment.