Chapter 6 - Cultivating With Dimensional Orbs

Lin Shen closed his eyes and focused intently, channeling his mental energy toward one of the light-green orbs floating in the transparent cube of his mental dimension. In that instant, the orb shimmered and vanished from view—and then, almost as if by magic, it materialized in his left hand.

For a moment, Lin Shen simply stared at the orb, his heart pounding. The orb glowed softly, its light casting gentle hues on his skin. A mix of relief and excitement swirled within him as he marveled at the tangible reward now in his grasp.

"Well, I'll be damned," he murmured under his breath. "It worked."

"Hey system, how do I use it?" Lin Shen asked, holding the orb up.

[Consume it, Host.]

Without another thought, Lin Shen obeyed the command. He brought the small, light-green orb to his mouth and swallowed it. As soon as it passed his lips, it moved swiftly down his throat and into his stomach. In that instant, the orb vanished into nothingness, and a sudden surge of energy rushed through his body.

"Such pure energy!" Lin Shen exclaimed, his eyes widening with awe as he felt the invigorating power course through him.

"In my past life, I had no idea what this was," Lin Shen thought, his mind racing with fragmented memories of his predecessor. But now, with those memories flowing into him, he recalled that this was the purest form of energy—something neither he nor his predecessor had ever consumed before.

Fueled by this newfound knowledge, Lin Shen wasted no time. He began to channel the surge of energy coursing through his veins, directing it into his body to refine and fortify every cell.

"Now, this is just the beginning," Lin Shen murmured with a determined smile. The pure energy within him surged like a living force, a power he was finally beginning to understand and master.

But the energy started moving on its own. It flowed toward his skin—skin that had already been refined by his predecessor. Yet now, this mysterious energy was re-refining his skin, a process that should not be possible. Lin Shen's mind raced in confusion, for his predecessor's memories made no mention of such an occurrence.

Lin Shen stared in disbelief, struggling to comprehend how his already-refined skin could be undergoing yet another transformation.

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Cultivation energy, also called spirit essence, is always flowing throughout the universe. It is present in everything—in the air, in food, in a creature's body, etc.—but it is unrefined. Cultivators refine this energy so that they can use it for cultivation or other purposes.

Its concentration varies from place to place; some locations are rich in spirit essence, while others may not have a single ounce of it. Abundant spirit essence can be due to the presence of spirit mines or other factors, and such areas are often occupied by rich, influential, and strong people.

In addition to ambient spirit essence, cultivators can also use other sources of energy like spirit stones, spirit food, etc.

The energy continued to refine his skin, filling the gaps his predecessor had left during cultivation. Body refinement is one of the most painful stages of cultivation—it purifies the body of impurities, laying the very foundation for further growth. As with any great structure, the sturdier the foundation, the greater the heights one can reach.

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Making a mortal body capable of such transformation is no small feat—the body refinement stage is excruciating. Lin Shen was currently enduring this torment. Although the pain was nothing compared to the extreme suffering he had experienced during his time in the void, no sane person would willingly subject themselves to such agony—unless they were a masochist. And Lin Shen was certainly not that kind of guy—unless you count his habit of grumbling under his breath, "Great, just what I needed—a free pain upgrade to go with my morning coffee!"

After three hours, the energy had been fully absorbed, and Lin Shen slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was a thick layer of stinky black liquid covering his body and clothes. He quickly deduced that it was the residue of dirt from his skin—leftover grime from the painful refinement process.

Shaking his head and suppressing a grimace, Lin Shen decided not to dwell on his less-than-pleasant appearance. Summoning all his willpower, he began cultivating with the second green orb.

Another three hours passed, and when Lin Shen opened his eyes again, he was greeted by an even more impressive coating of the stinky black liquid. Glancing at his refinement progress—which now stood at 50%—he sighed. "I suppose this is what they mean by a 'clean' cultivation process," he muttered with a wry smile.

Realizing that the smell was becoming unbearable, Lin Shen decided to take a quick bath before sleeping. "I can't possibly reach the next stage smelling like a garbage dump," he joked to himself. "A little too much 'aromatic refinement' for my taste!"

With that, he shuffled off to wash away the evidence of his recent, rather pungent, hard work.