[ Body Cultivation halted. Unable to continue due to low Qi. ]

I come to consciousness in an unfamiliar clearing. Here, the ground is mostly barren around me, with a sickly grass carpet further away from me. Or rather, it would have been unfamiliar were it not for the two cores next to me. I recall these two orbs — they were the leftovers from the two monkeys.

This strange change of my previous scenery is quite surprising. The ground used to be lush and green, but now it is becoming desolate and barren. Now, the wind blows against me almost entirely unobstructed, and this time there is no moonlight. Even in the absence of ambient light, I know I can see with perfect clarity.

I extend my spiritual senses and discover that I am the culprit for this strange, albeit localized, cataclysm. As I observe the ground around me, I feel its life force seeping into me, drawn in as if I was a devouring vortex — a black hole of sorts — that consumes all life.

I am not only devouring Qi — though this word is unknown to me, I understand what it is — but vitality itself.

Furthermore, I notice that I have changed. My physical appearance remains the same, but now cracks have formed in my vessel, and just as I observe myself from an outside perspective, I notice a small chunk of my blade chip and fall off. It clatters to the ground and does not fade away like the remains of the monkeys, instead remaining there. I see more pieces of myself around me, having fallen off while I was unconscious.

This does not surprise me. On an intuitive level I understand that the quality of my Physique — yet another unknown word which I also understand — is too much for my comparatively frail vessel. Or rather, as my Physique advances through Body Cultivation, the damage it inflicts on my vessel is too great.

With a smug satisfaction, I note that my own excellence is killing me.

I withdraw my senses and contemplate my situation.

What, exactly, is my self-improvement routine?

The answer appears immediately in my mind.

Black Jade Blood Refinement Vessel Refining Realm Stages: Blood Compression (Early Vessel Refining) Vessel Hardening (Mid Vessel Refining) Black Jade Transformation (Late Vessel Refining) Blood Core Refinement (Peak Vessel Refining)

I immediately understand, now in greater detail, what is happening to me. The reason why my body is slowly crumbling is because I am compressing my own blood — rather, my own life force because I do not have blood. I am consuming my own body in order to make it stronger.

I could think of my body as a container for this life force. As I compress my own blood, that naturally means that there is less volume present in the container. I must fill up the container again, and repeat the process until my blood is so compressed it becomes like black jade.

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I understand that this process makes me extremely vulnerable, but I am not worried. However, there is only one thing that is not exactly a concern, but something that stays on my mind.

As I am not a living creature as per normal standards of definition, the only two ways for me to fill up my blood container is to consume the vitality of others, or absorb the Qi of Heaven.

Then, another piece of me cracks with a sound, and I feel it ripping away from me. This time, it is not just the metal parts of me, but even the jade cracked and burst, spitting out a small chunk of its precious stone.

Briefly I consider if this piece of me contains life force, and if it would be ethical for me to consume it. Considering how I have already devoured the life in the area around me, I am fairly certain that if it had vitality, or if it were possible, I would’ve already devoured it.

One could remain hopeful, cast their gaze around themselves, and ascertain that this is a sign of blazing progress, but that is also not the case.

[ Early Vessel Refining progress: 0.7% ]

I cannot see the moon, but I know that the last time I was awake, the level of ambient light suggested that it was a full moon. As there is no such ambient light now, there either is no moon, it is too early, or the clouds are covering it.

That means, in the worst case scenario, that I have been in stand-by mode at least 14 days. If my cultivation improved by only this small amount in that time, it means that it will take me 5 years to reach Mid Vessel Refining.

And while I have never felt such a thing as being pressured for time, this time I very much feel the fleeting nature of my limited existence.

[ Quick Status ]

[ Age: 1 year, 189 days. ]

[ Lifespan: 8 years. ]

Though I do not remember much of the time I have spent in this life — my Sentience Core had likely not formed then — I very much understand that I do not have 5 years to refine my vessel to the second stage of Vessel Refining.

And I understand the nature of the problem. I have already devoured much of this area’s life force. It is even slower at recovering via the Qi of Heaven and Earth than I am. I need to move to a new location, or hope that another denizen of this place finds me and meets an untimely end. As I am incapable of moving on my own, that leaves me with only one other option.

Still, I am not worried. In the 500 or so days that I have existed in this new form, I have been washed in the blood of that many living creatures.

Without a doubt, this bloodshed happened somewhere else, likely far away from this place, and I have remained undisturbed for nearly two weeks, I am still certain that someone or something will find me and sate my hunger.

With that thought in mind, I withdraw my senses further inward, collapsing my passive perception radius by half, and prepare for what I can only describe as sleep, but this time with intention.

As my consciousness fades, I feel a sliver of my sentience expand through my body, and then ring out — without sound — calling out into the forest.

Come to me, it sings. Make me yours.