The discovery of meridian circulation changed everything.
For the first two weeks in this world, Axel had been operating on instinct and scraps of inherited knowledge, never really understanding what he was doing. But with his meridians awakening, patterns began to emerge. Rules became clearer. The cultivation system started to make sense in ways that appealed to his analytical mind.
Qi wasn't just energy you accumulated—it was a resource you circulated, refined, and integrated into your body. The meridians were the channels through which this process occurred. And the dantian was both battery and processor, storing power while also transforming it into something more useful.
Understanding the system made optimizing it possible.
Axel spent days mapping his meridian network through careful experimentation. He'd focus on a specific area—his left arm, for example—and try to trace the pathways the Qi naturally followed. Then he'd attempt to direct the flow consciously, creating deliberate circulation patterns rather than just letting the energy drift aimlessly.
It was hard, frustrating work. His control was crude, his understanding incomplete. But slowly, clumsily, he learned to create a basic circulation loop through one meridian at a time.
The results were immediately noticeable.
By deliberately circulating Qi through the meridian in his right arm for several hours, Axel found that arm became noticeably stronger and more responsive. The enhanced effect lasted for hours after he stopped the focused circulation, suggesting that the meridian itself was being strengthened by the process.
This was the key to Stage 2 Mid cultivation, he realized. Not just awakening meridians, but learning to use them effectively. Building them up through repeated circulation until they could handle larger amounts of Qi without strain.
It was like physical exercise, but for spiritual pathways. Use them or lose them. Strengthen through practice. The principle was universal, whether on Earth or in this cultivation world.
Axel threw himself into the practice with single-minded focus. Morning: circulate Qi through leg meridians while foraging, getting double benefit from the physical movement and spiritual exercise. Afternoon: focused circulation through arm meridians while practicing strikes and defensive movements. Evening: full-body circulation during meditation, trying to establish smooth patterns that involved multiple meridians working in concert.
The progress was faster than his initial cultivation had been. Each day brought noticeable improvements. His punches hit harder. His movements became quicker. His endurance increased dramatically.
Three weeks into this regimen, Axel could maintain basic circulation through one complete meridian loop for hours without conscious effort. The Qi flowed automatically, like blood through veins, requiring only occasional adjustments to maintain optimal patterns.
The change was profound. He no longer felt like a foreigner awkwardly stumbling through an alien power system. He felt like part of this world, connected to it in ways that went beyond the merely physical.
On the morning of his fourth week in this world, Axel woke to find frost on the ground—the first real sign that seasons changed here as they did on Earth. Winter was coming, and with it would come new challenges.
He needed to find better shelter. Needed more reliable food sources. And most pressingly, needed to decide whether to continue hiding in the forest or risk seeking out civilization.
The prospect of meeting other cultivators was daunting. The fragmentary memories suggested that human cultivators were often more dangerous than spirit beasts—at least beasts were predictable in their hostility. Humans schemed, betrayed, and killed for reasons ranging from justified to utterly petty.
But isolation had its own costs. Without access to proper techniques, resources, or guidance, Axel's cultivation would eventually hit a wall. He was already working from incomplete knowledge, filling gaps with educated guesses. Sooner or later, that would lead to mistakes that could cripple or kill him.
As he practiced his morning circulation routine, Axel made a decision. He would continue for another week, pushing himself to Stage 2 Peak if possible. Then he would venture out, carefully, to see if he could find a town or village where he might trade for information, supplies, or perhaps even a proper cultivation manual.
The risk was significant. But staying safe meant staying weak, and weakness in this world was just another path to death.
Better to take calculated risks than to die slowly from caution.
Axel circulated his Qi through both arm meridians simultaneously, feeling the energy flow in synchronized patterns. The control required was intense, demanding focus that left him sweating despite the morning chill.
But he was getting better. Stronger. More capable with each passing day.
The circulation stabilized, becoming smooth and natural. The Qi flowed without resistance, enhancing his arms until they felt like they belonged to someone twice his size.
Stage 2 Mid cultivation. Meridian Awakening with basic circulation established.
Not much by this world's standards. But infinitely more than he'd had a month ago.
Axel smiled grimly and continued his practice. The path forward was becoming clearer, even as the dangers ahead grew more apparent.
He would need to be careful. But he would also need to be bold.
This world rewarded strength, punished weakness, and cared nothing for good intentions.
If he wanted to survive—wanted to thrive—he would need to embody the lessons this brutal place was teaching him.
Power was everything. And power came to those willing to seize it.