Chapter Forty-Eight: The Formation of the Spirit Core

Once again, it was a brisk and refreshing morning. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth was especially dense, and nearly every student at Weston Academy was engaged in their daily breathing exercises.

In the old tower of the academy, Luo Chen sat cross-legged on his bed in a peculiar posture, practicing the variant Yunqi Technique to absorb spiritual energy. With each steady breath, threads of comforting warmth seeped into his body.

The absorption of spiritual energy began to slow, a sign from experience that he was nearing saturation and the exercise would soon be complete. But at that moment, something unexpected occurred. The spiritual energy he had just taken in, together with the spirit essence he had condensed during previous sessions, suddenly surged out from all parts of his body, as if drawn by an irresistible force, streaming ceaselessly toward his abdomen. It was like a hundred rivers converging into the sea.

Luo Chen was alarmed. This spirit essence differed from the daily intake of spiritual energy—it was the purest distillation of spirit power, accumulated over years and fused with the body's vitality. Each breathing exercise yielded only a meager amount of it, and losing control of the spirit essence was often a sign of impending disaster.

Unable to call upon Nicole while in his breathing state, Luo Chen focused all his attention on attempting to control the spirit essence. Yet it was unmanageable, swept along with the flow of spiritual energy directly to his abdomen.

As a fourth-level spirit warrior, Luo Chen had only a scant amount of spirit essence, and it was soon depleted. Now his body was at its weakest, even more so than after training beneath the Thunderfall—so frail that even an ordinary person could kill him with a single punch.

The spirit essence from all parts of his body finally converged in his dantian. As its ranks swelled, Luo Chen sensed his abdomen swelling rapidly, as if he were a balloon about to burst. Yet in reality, anyone observing would see no change in his appearance.

Fortunately, the spirit essence quickly gathered completely and began to fuse. Like a deflating ball, it shrank rapidly, becoming smaller and smaller. After an indeterminate amount of time, all was calm, and his body returned to normal.

Luo Chen came out of the breathing state, sweat covering his brow. The ordeal had been terrifying—losing control of his spirit essence could have been fatal at any moment!

He now noticed, to his astonishment, a blazing sphere in his dantian.

He hurriedly summoned Nicole. “Nicole, what’s happening?”

“Don’t worry, Master,” Nicole replied, her voice unable to conceal her delight. “Congratulations, you’ve successfully simulated the spirit energy circulation system!”

“The simulated spirit energy circulation system?” At Nicole’s reminder, Luo Chen recalled that she had once told him: after reaching a certain level with the variant Yunqi Technique, he would form a spirit core within his body. This spirit core would become his second ‘heart,’ greatly aiding his cultivation.

He concentrated and sensed—the small sphere was not static, but pulsing slowly, again and again. The sensation was indeed like a heart; even the rhythm matched exactly. Yet this heart circulated not blood, but spiritual energy. Luo Chen could distinctly feel a faint residual flow of spiritual energy moving slowly, driven by the pulsing core, even without conscious direction.

Nicole had told him the spirit core would be of great help, but he had not investigated further. Now, curious, he asked, “Nicole, what is its purpose?”

“Yes, Master, its uses are vast,” Nicole explained. “If breathing exercises are the metabolic process of spiritual energy, then the spirit core allows you to metabolize spiritual energy twenty-four hours a day—even during sleep. With its help, your spirit energy system forms an endless cycle. That means, no matter what, even when not practicing or when saturated, you will continuously absorb and expel spiritual energy.”

To gain experience even while sleeping—what could be more marvelous?

Luo Chen asked in disbelief, “You mean I can absorb spiritual energy even without practicing?”

“That’s right, Master, exactly so,” Nicole affirmed, but added, “However, the simulated system absorbs spiritual energy very slowly during natural circulation, with efficiency much lower than conscious practice. Its advantage is that it never stops. Oh, and there are other benefits as well.”

“Oh, more benefits?” Luo Chen asked, intrigued. “What kind?”

“You’ll soon experience them firsthand,” Nicole laughed. “Master, please hold your breath and see how long you can last.”

“Why hold my breath now?” he asked.

“You’ll see soon, hehe.” Nicole kept him guessing, refusing to explain.

“Alright, I’ll try.” Luo Chen took out his mechanical watch. He’d previously tested his breath-holding time—about five and a half minutes.

One minute passed...

Two minutes...

Three, four, five, six, seven...

At seven minutes, well beyond his usual limit, Luo Chen felt no discomfort whatsoever from lack of oxygen, which astonished him.

When the watch’s second hand completed its tenth revolution, Luo Chen finally gave up—not because he couldn’t hold his breath, but because he lost patience. He felt that, had he continued, he could probably last an hour or more.

To sustain life without breathing—what kind of miracle was this?

Impatient, Luo Chen asked, “Nicole, how can I do this? Can I really stop breathing for long periods?”

Nicole explained, “Master, you weren’t truly holding your breath. Rather, you were breathing through your pores instead of your nose and mouth. This is another unique feature of the simulated spirit energy system. As long as the spirit core operates normally, air enters your body through every pore—each one is like your nose.”

“Nicole, you’re brilliant!” Luo Chen exclaimed, marveling at such an incredible concept. Nicole could think of things no one else could, worthy indeed of being a bio-intelligent light-brain designed for combat support.

“Thank you for your praise, Master, hehe…” Nicole was delighted. “I’ll keep working hard, and you must too!”

“Of course!”

When Luo Chen left his room, the watch’s hour hand was nearing eight o’clock. The formation of the spirit core had extended his breathing practice today. Just then, Shi Feng lazily stepped out the door, yawning—the usual time for this stallion brother to rise.

Seeing Luo Chen, Shi Feng was puzzled. “Why so late today?”

He suddenly exclaimed, then scrutinized Luo Chen from head to toe, as if he’d noticed something.

Luo Chen felt uneasy under his gaze. “Birdman, please don’t look at me with those ‘romantic’ eyes, it’s really creepy!”

“Romantic, my foot!” Shi Feng laughed and cursed. “I just think you seem different today.”

Luo Chen snorted, “How could I be different? Unless my face is blooming?”

“No, seriously, I’m not joking,” Shi Feng said, straight-faced. “It’s hard to describe, but it’s like…”

Seeing Shi Feng so earnest, Luo Chen dropped his playful attitude. “Like what?”

Shi Feng’s answer nearly made Luo Chen faint. “Like you’re pretending to be cool!”

The stallion brother added, “But you pull it off so convincingly that it’s hard to tell you’re faking. That’s it, hehe…”

Luo Chen grumbled, “That joke is really dull. I bet you ate too much last night and are still full. I’m not wasting time with you—off to class!”

Shi Feng followed after him, calling out, “Wait, tell me—what’s the secret to pretending so perfectly?”

[Third week’s ranking push! Every Sunday night, the rogue is especially excited—ranking is thrilling. But this week, the competition is fierce, so the rogue needs all your support: clicks, recommendations, throw them all my way! PS: A new week brings new highlights. If you want them, leave a message in the review section—the rogue will deliver them one by one~~~]