Chapter 17: Late Night in the Cell

The moon and stars were absent from the sky tonight, casting Luofeng's prison cell into pitch darkness—save for the faint glimmers of light seeping from the corridor outside.

"Snoring..." The rhythmic sounds of deep sleep echoed through the cell.

Suddenly—

Luofeng, who had been resting on the upper bunk, sat up abruptly. His legs crossed in a meditative pose, feet splayed upward, hands resting palm-up on his knees, spine straight as a rod.

"The Ultimate Martial Hall's method for cultivating genetic energy is unique in the world: the Five-Pulse Breathing Technique. Those who meet the physical standards for a warrior can usually start cultivating." Luofeng took a deep breath. "But the first 'sensation' is the hardest!"

To absorb cosmic energy, one must first perceive it.

Though this energy permeates the Earth and even the cosmos, most humans remain oblivious to its presence.

"As long as you can 'sense' it, absorbing becomes easy."

"Talented individuals often succeed on their first try, while those less gifted may take years just to sense the cosmic energy," Luofeng adjusted his breathing, maintaining the Five-Pulse posture. The "five hearts" referred to his two soles, two palms, and the Baihui acupoint on his head.

"Breath in... breath out..."

Luofeng's breathing slowed, his mind calming. "The body must relax; the Five-Pulse comes naturally. The mind must be still, like a mirror-smooth lake." With practiced control, he gradually quieted his thoughts.

Silence enveloped the cell. One minute... two minutes... thirty minutes... an hour...

"Hmm?" Luofeng's eyes snapped open. "Where is this so-called cosmic energy? I can't sense a thing. My mind was supposed to be perfectly calm. Could it be true that geniuses succeed in a day, while others take years?"

He tried again, closing his eyes to focus on the cosmic energy said to surround him.

"Relax... be still..." These were the core principles of the Five-Pulse Technique.

"Still not right." Half an hour later, Luofeng opened his eyes, realizing the difficulty of the first hurdle in genetic energy cultivation.

"Let me try one last time. If I fail again, I'll wait until tomorrow night." Hoping for success, he closed his eyes and calmed his mind once more.

Time ticked by: ten minutes... thirty... fifty... an hour and twenty...

"How is this possible?" In the meditative silence, Luofeng's thoughts slowed. Gradually, the lingering desire to sense the energy faded, replaced by sleepiness. After three hours, even a normal person would struggle to stay awake.

In the brink of slumber, Luofeng faintly sensed a trace of energy seeping through his soles, palms, and Baihui point, entering his body at an excruciatingly slow pace.

"What's this?" he mumbled, half-asleep.

"It's cosmic energy!!!" Luofeng jolted awake, eyes wide, the sensation vanishing instantly.

"I did it! That must have been cosmic energy." He felt a surge of excitement. "According to the text, once one reaches the warrior threshold, most can cultivate genetic energy. Even if I wasn't aware, my body would have absorbed it slowly."

Luofeng knew that what he had just experienced was his body instinctively absorbing cosmic energy—but at a snail's pace.

"That's the feeling." He closed his eyes and focused again, his consciousness narrowing in on the "five hearts." Struggling to recapture the faint trace, he suddenly felt it clearer.

"There it is!" A weak, ethereal energy wafted near his soles, barely permeating at first.

"This is cosmic energy," he thought, directing his awareness to the Baihui point. As his mind concentrated, the absorption rate surged fold.

At first, the energy trickled into his body like droplets through a crack in a pipe. Now, the crack widened, and a steady stream flowed in.

"Ahh!" A shiver of bone-deep pleasure coursed through Luofeng's body. The intangible cosmic energy was devoured ravenously by his starving cells, mitochondria within them absorbing the energy and releasing a strange, transformative force. DNA blueprints shifted, cells split in two.

Time passed...

Luofeng's body transformed—from the surface skin and muscles to the deepest cells and genes. It was a metamorphosis, an evolution of life itself.

"To cultivators, the first absorption is the most significant. The body, having never consciously taken in cosmic energy, greedily absorbs the most during the first session," Luofeng felt a surge of power within. "Tonight's progress feels even greater than my physical enhancement after passing the college entrance exam coma."

He estimated his punch could now reach 1,500kg, though only a detailed test would confirm.

"Dinner is served!" The clanging of breakfast trays echoed through the detention center. Prisoners began to stir, while Luofeng, who had meditated for hours, finally opened his eyes with a smile.

"Indeed, the first deliberate absorption took nearly two hours to saturate." He felt a strength he had never known before.

As he washed up, three inmates in prison uniforms passed by his cell. One called out, "Bald Huang, I heard a master joined our cell—someone who beat up four senior martial arts students from the gym."

"Brother Liu, he's impressive," the bald, burly inmate in Luofeng's cell replied with a nod.

"Really?" One of the inmates whispered, "The description matches: the cell, the age, the strength—it must be him."