47 Experiencing the Pains of Cultivation


    ''----''


    ''[Before you continue


    allow me to explain exactly why this just happened. Most important of all


    you''re a fresh body. To put it differently


    your pores connected to your meridians are blocked. Hence


    you need to open them whether one by one or all at once. The latter isn''t recommended due to it requiring extremely large amounts of Natural Essence typically warranted by reaching the Pinnacle of the Saint-Grade—which you aren''t.]''


    ''[As a result


    we''ll settle for the former. It''ll take much longer but time is something we have at the moment. We won''t be leaving this cave. So we''ll use the Demonic Essence Pellet as your substance. Not only will it assist in your change


    but it''ll also curb or rather sustain your satiation.]''


    ''"I wasn''t expecting that type of pain. It felt as if sledgehammer were struck into my skin-piercing through my bones


    " remarked Apollo as he relived the earlier pains. It would take quite a while for him to come to terms with it.''


    ''[Oh


    stop your complaining. You didn''t even open one channel! Utter those words again after you encounter that sensation. This''ll seem like a walk in the park in comparison. If this were my heyday


    I''d make your training even more hellish. Unfortunately


    I''m unable to do so as you are currently confined to this garbage world.]''


    ''"Garbage…?" uttered Apollo nearly choking in the process. This was the second time he recalled Azridan mentioning this place as trash or garbage. Which only made him wonder


    how strong was this being in him prime?''


    ''[Never mind that. Continue your actions but bear in mind you must power through the pain. If you always stop in the face of pain


    how do you expect to advance? After you complete that task


    we''ll address the Essence Cores and how they''ll play their part in your cultivation as well as some other important matters.]''


    ''"Wait


    my cultivation? I remember reading in the book that the energy inside these cores is unable to be digested by a human dantian


    " commented Apollo. He didn''t quite understand what Azridan was getting at. Typically


    they were the main ingredients used in forming weapons


    talismans


    and even arrays! How could he possibly use that?''


    ''[Exactly


    you answered your own question. That pertains strictly to humans; are you a human?]''


    ''"No…" answered Apollo as a flash of realization passed through his eye. It was slightly overwhelming to understand the fact that he was no longer a human. In both of his lives albeit being short


    that''s what he knew—being a human.''


    ''[Alright


    stop mulling over these trivial matters. Go back to perceiving the spots on the spiritual diagram and attempt to drill open your meridians. When the sensation of the spot undulating appears


    then you''ve perfectly completed the task on the. Seeing as your inner physique has reached the full maturity of its current grade


    it shouldn''t be a mountainous task.]''


    ''''When you say drill


    it just makes it sound more painful


    '' mentally replied Apollo.''


    ''[That is the only way I can word it. The Natural Essence will soon drill into you


    why do you think it is congregating on your skin?]''


    ''''Oh... I see


    well then


    all I can say is I have to prepare myself right?''''


    ''[Pretty much; I like that outlook. Keep it.]''


    ''As they conversed in Apollo''s mind


    the spiritual diagram began to illuminate further. At the same time


    multiple tiny dots appeared. As for the number


    it shocked Apollo; it continued to increase.''


    ''''Wait what?! There''s over 300? Who in the…'' warily exclaimed Apollo. He was under the assumption that there were maybe 60 or so of these pores. Needless to say


    that didn''t turn out to be the case. The truth of the matter is there were exactly 361!''


    ''[Hmm? Oh


    yes. I forgot to mention that. We don''t need you to open them all. After all


    it is directly linked to the absorption rate of your inner physique. We''re aiming for at least 120. Beyond that are unawakened meridians.]''


    ''"Are you saying


    the number of awakened meridians are also part of my inner talent?" asked Apollo while pausing his cultivation.''


    ''[No


    I''m saying it IS your inner talent. You can try to open it


    however


    it''ll still be in a dormant state due to it being unnourished.]''


    ''"I see


    " replied Apollo before resuming his actions. With each passing moment


    the saturation of Natural Essence on Apollo''s skin continuously increased. At some point


    it broke a threshold as the posture he held facilitated its next actions.''


    ''The Natural Essence finally began drilling into the first acupoint located within his hands. Gritting his teeth in response


    Apollo tried to bear with the pain


    however


    it was becoming unbearable. It wasn''t long before he had to cease his actions yet the remnants of the pain remained.''


    ''[Do not worry


    this is a process that will take time. We are in no rush; continue with your actions step by step.]''


    ''Nodding


    after a small rest


    Apollo repeated the process once again. Initially


    he was only able to withstand the pain for about a minute. However


    as his tolerance increased


    the duration did along with it.''


    ''Finally


    2 hours later


    the first acupoint on his left hand was fully awakened. In response


    it seemed to cull the Natural Essence towards it to nurture it. At the same time


    Apollo noticed a small difference in a few things.''


    ''''Is this acupoint...absorbing trace amounts of Natural Essence? But...why does it burn?'' thought Apollo.''


    ''[Foolish question! Look at the color of the Natural Essence. Clearly


    it is of the fire archetype.]''


    ''Examining the Natural Essence with his Spiritual Vision


    Apollo furrowed his eyebrows. The earlier clear essence indeed carried tints of red albeit a modicum of it at best.''


    ''[Of this world


    the first element you''ll come in contact with is fire. It is the single most potent force in tempering one''s self when accompanied by another element.]''


    ''"Don''t just stop


    continue to tell me. What is that element?" inquired Apollo in a zealous tone.''


    ''[Nope


    if I reveal all the details where is the fun in that? You''ll come in contact with it anyhow. So why don''t you seek it.]''


    ''"Tch…" scoffed Apollo before ignoring Azridan. Once again


    he took up the efforts of cultivation. This time


    the second acupoint appeared on his right hand. Compared to the first one


    a fraction of the time was shaved off.''


    ''Repeating the process


    Apollo''s day became monotonous. However


    it wasn''t without its benefits. Each opened acupoint seemed to have an effect on his trait. Although it wasn''t indicated in the system interface


    he could feel it was so.''


    ''At this point


    an entire day had passed. His progress was quite good. It seemed the first set of meridians were centric to the limb. Each one had opened three


    however


    they weren''t connected; to do so would require far more.''


    ''[Hmm


    10 percent of the number in sight of our goal has been opened. Let''s add some variety to the mix. Before continuing


    let''s have you take a look at that ?Monarch''s War Path Record?.]''