Chapter 03: A new Dantian

Cultivators possessed within themselves something called the . This body was precisely a replica of their physical body, however, not all cultivators managed to observe it, but only those cultivators who achieved the feat of reaching a specific in cultivation.

And the moment the golden sphere entered Liu Yang's body, a new of golden mist sprouted inside him.

Deep inside his , around the center of where his stomach should be, a white sphere could be seen, but far from emitting a revitalizing light as it usually would, it was dull and cracked.

The that all cultivators possessed without exception was damaged in Liu Yang's body indifferently. However, an external force, accompanied by a golden nebula, surrounded his , and after a few seconds, a —Boom— occurred. That sphere that had accompanied him since the early age of 10, when he had just begun his journey towards conquering the heavens, was erased without a trace.

A broken was difficult, if not impossible, to repair. Even the oldest records contained nothing so exciting and attractive that would reveal that a cultivator whose destroyed had been successfully restored.

No matter how many or that supposedly went against the heavens they consumed, they could not repair their . Even if they wanted to cultivate again from the beginning, to rise back up towards the peak, it was impossible. This was because even if they absorbed the of the heavens and earth, these energies would seep through the cracks caused in the of the cultivator, unable to contain them.

Just as they could not be repaired, neither was there anyone whose was erased without a trace. This demonstrated the strange situation Liu Yang found himself in; despite his surprise, he could not help but squirm like a dying worm as his claws scratched at the wooden floor.

But this had also opened up new possibilities!

The only reason cultivators couldn't cultivate again with the broken was precisely that because it was broken. What did that mean? Now that Liu Yang's was erased, he had the opportunity to cultivate again!

Even if he had to climb again from scratch, he didn't care. The only thing really important was the fact that a door full of new possibilities were opening for him.

As excited as Liu Yang was, it seemed that his situation was not that simple, let alone what he expected. The golden mist that seemed to be the fusion of an amalgamation of yellowish colors, thus forming a thick spherical energy, began to twist, and the round, golden object that had previously entered Liu Yang's body without warning magically occupied the place where his was supposed to be.

The golden light from the said object completely eclipsed the yellowish color of the curtain of mist billowing around. Since the object had taken place as its own, it was efficient to call it .

The misty curtain danced almost as if it was exciting, happily entering Liu Yang's new without resistance. The latter began to rotate, and as soon as the energy seeped out, thin tubes started to form and rushed through Liu Yang's interior.

These conduits were known as , just as their name indicated; the only real difference with a usual vein that was responsible for transporting blood to the heart, in this case, the that all cultivators possessed, were responsible for transferring the absorbed into the of the cultivator.

This allowed cultivators to climb through and even to challenge the heavens!

Liu Yang's torturous suffering had not ended, but he could feel everything that was going on inside him.

As only those cultivators who had reached a certain could see inside their own , Liu Yang was utterly unaware of what was going on inside him; of course, he could feel that his old had been erased and a new one had replaced it.

However, there was something that puzzled Liu Yang. He felt a slight prickling in nine different parts of his inner self, being linked by his new ; he could safely say that these nine points conveyed a similar sensation to his own .

And he was not entirely wrong. In his , there were nine perfect spheres; three spheres revolving around his , one revolving around his head, one on his neck, one on each side of his chest, and one on each side of his legs.

Though only one emitted a glowing golden radiance, only dulled by the himself, as for the rest of the spheres, they were all extinguished, as if a torrent of wind had put out the torch fires.

'What's that?'

When he had started cultivating under his grandfather Liu Feng's turoria, it had taken him almost a year to reach the of the —the beginning of cultivation— thus earning Liu Feng's disapproval and contempt.

However, at no time did he remember anything similar happening. But he could conclude that this was related to his new , as to whether this was good or bad, only the future would tell.

The pain at no time took away Liu Yang's bubbling joy. He felt his entire body shatter into a thousand pieces, only to restore them again. This continued for a couple more minutes, and the insistent grunt of choked pain seeping through his tightly closed lips gradually ceased.

When his breathing stabilized, Liu Yang sat down on the floor. He raised his eyebrows and, catching a faint scent in the air, his delicate pearly nostrils flared slightly, sucking in a breath of air.

—Sniff!

"Ekk! Who crapped their pants?!" Liu Yang hurriedly held his nose as he looked at the single being accompanying him. The white fox gave him an enigmatic look and covered its nose with its white paws.

A little dubious at the white fox's gaze and action, Liu Yang looked down at his body. His face paled as he discovered that a layer of black stain clung to his skin, leaving no loophole for a mosquitoes to feast on his blood.

Seeing how dirty he was and unable to bear the foul odor, he remembered the spring outside. He quickly got to his feet; however, far from being able to do so, the muscles in his legs tensed, and his feet lifted slightly off the ground.

'Why can't I control my body?'

He was amazed at his physical strength, such overwhelming strength that even when he was a cultivator, he didn't possess it! His feet landed back on the ground with a resounding thud. At that very instant, his mind recalled what had happened a few minutes ago.

His body had been torn into countless pieces—leaving not a single corner untouched— and if he didn't heal, his body parts would now drown in a pool of blood. With such a hellish process of body restructuring, it was noticeable that his body had been reborn!

"This is another level! No wonder my strength has increased so much without possessing any cultivation."

As he finished speaking, Liu Yang's eyes shone with an indescribable amount of happiness. He didn't know how it happened, but all the gratitude in his heart was attributed to that mystical treasure that restructured his body, and not forgetting the most important one, the golden fox; without it, he wouldn't be able to reach this fantastic place; therefore, he would never be able to feel the thrill of cultivation again.

Liu Yang's serene gaze became sharp as his fists clenched tightly, "I, Liu Yang, swear that no obstacle will stop my steps; I will forge the path I desire, and those who stand in my way will perish!".

His words, filled with absolute conviction, echoed throughout the hut, and as if the world no longer wanted to listen to his delusions of grandeur, Liu Yang felt an invisible force tugging at his body. At the same time, the golden chain resting on the box uncoiled and twisted like a snake, hissing the air as it rushed towards him.

"Wait, damn it! I was just joking. Don't kill me!".

Liu Yang's face paled. He couldn't move, so he could only watch uncertainly as the chain penetrated his body.

—Ugh!

A sensation of pain as if he was being torn apart by a thousand blades arose deep within his consciousness. It was a pain so torturous that if one were to say that pain in his physical body was the epitome of pain, it would be a reverend understatement!