The night was deep and silent.
Most of the city had fallen asleep, and only the distant glow of streetlights illuminated the quiet roads below.
High above the ground, on the rooftop of his apartment building, Lin Tian sat cross-legged once again.
The cool night wind moved gently across the rooftop, but Lin Tian remained completely still.
His eyes were closed.
His breathing was calm and steady.
Inside his body, streams of faint silver energy slowly circulated through his meridians.
These thin strands of power had been gathered from the stars during his meditation.
They were weak compared to the vast cosmic energy he once controlled in his previous life.
But for his current body…
They were enough.
For the past few nights, Lin Tian had been cultivating under the stars, gradually strengthening his body and refining the small amount of energy he could gather.
Tonight, however, something felt different.
The flow of energy inside him was smoother.
Stronger.
As if his body had finally adapted to the technique.
Lin Tian focused his mind deeper into his cultivation state.
He guided the energy carefully through every meridian pathway.
One circulation.
Then another.
The energy moved like a calm river flowing through narrow channels.
But the more it circulated, the faster it began to move.
Soon, the peaceful river turned into a rushing current.
Lin Tian's eyebrows tightened slightly.
He knew what this meant.
His body was approaching a breakthrough.
The First Stage of Cultivation.
For ordinary cultivators, reaching this stage could take months or even years of effort.
But Lin Tian possessed the knowledge of a cosmic warrior.
He knew exactly how to guide the energy.
Still, a breakthrough was never easy.
The energy inside his body suddenly surged.
A powerful wave of pressure spread through his meridians.
Pain appeared instantly.
Lin Tian clenched his teeth.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
It felt as if his meridians were expanding under intense force.
But he remained calm.
Pain was part of the process.
Without breaking the limits of the body, true cultivation could not begin.
Lin Tian adjusted his breathing.
Slow.
Controlled.
With every inhale, he drew in faint threads of cosmic energy from the stars above.
With every exhale, he pushed the circulating energy deeper into his body.
The pressure continued rising.
His heartbeat grew louder in his ears.
The energy gathered inside his lower abdomen—the location cultivators called the energy center.
It was the core of all spiritual power.
At the moment, Lin Tian's energy center was only a small point.
But tonight…
It was beginning to change.
The circulating energy slowly condensed into a tiny glowing sphere.
The moment the sphere formed, a wave of heat spread through Lin Tian's entire body.
His muscles tightened.
His bones vibrated.
His breathing became heavier.
The breakthrough was beginning.
Lin Tian concentrated completely.
He guided the surrounding energy toward the sphere, compressing it further and further.
The sphere trembled.
The pressure inside it increased.
Then suddenly—
A sharp burst of energy exploded outward.
Lin Tian's eyes snapped open.
A powerful pulse of invisible energy spread across the rooftop.
The wind around him swirled slightly.
For a brief moment, the air itself seemed to vibrate.
Then everything became quiet again.
Lin Tian exhaled slowly.
The pain in his body faded.
In its place came a powerful feeling of strength.
The breakthrough had succeeded.
He had reached the First Stage of Energy Gathering.
The true beginning of cultivation.
Lin Tian slowly stood up.
Immediately, he felt the difference.
His body felt lighter.
Stronger.
More responsive.
Even his senses had sharpened.
He could hear distant sounds more clearly.
The movement of the wind felt more vivid against his skin.
Lin Tian clenched his fist.
A small surge of energy moved through his arm.
Not powerful enough to destroy mountains or shatter cities like he once could…
But still impressive for a newly awakened cultivator.
He walked toward the edge of the rooftop and looked down at the street below.
Cars passed along the road.
People walked beneath the streetlights.
Everything looked normal.
But Lin Tian's perception had changed.
He could sense faint energy flowing through the environment.
It was extremely weak, but it existed.
Earth still possessed spiritual energy.
Just very little of it.
Lin Tian looked up at the sky again.
The stars shone quietly above the city.
He remembered the countless cosmic battles he once fought among those stars.
Planets destroyed.
Galaxies at war.
Powerful cultivators clashing with unimaginable strength.
But that life was gone now.
He had been reborn.
Given another chance.
And this time…
He would become even stronger.
Lin Tian closed his eyes briefly and examined the energy inside his body.
The small sphere of condensed power rested calmly within his energy center.
It rotated slowly, releasing tiny streams of energy into his meridians.
This meant his cultivation foundation was stable.
As long as he continued gathering energy and refining it, his strength would keep growing.
However, Lin Tian also knew something important.
Earth's spiritual energy was too weak.
If he relied only on the natural environment of the city, his progress would be extremely slow.
But fortunately…
He had already sensed something unusual.
That mysterious energy source in the distant mountains.
Lin Tian opened his eyes again.
His gaze turned toward the dark horizon beyond the city.
Even from this distance, he could faintly feel it.
A hidden source of spiritual energy.
Stronger than anything else around the city.
If he could find that place, his cultivation speed would increase dramatically.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like my journey outside the city will begin soon."
But for tonight, he had already achieved an important milestone.
The first step on the path of cultivation.
Lin Tian took a deep breath.
The cool night air filled his lungs.
His mind felt clear.
His body felt renewed.
He stood quietly on the rooftop for a moment longer, looking at the endless sky.
Then he turned and walked toward the stairwell.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges.
New discoveries.
And perhaps the first true adventure of his new life.
But one thing was certain.
Lin Tian had returned to the path of cultivation.
And once again…
His journey toward the stars had begun. ✨📖