Chapter 6: The Core

Spark!

A flash of light appeared out of the pitch blackness. It was brief and sudden, a flicker of existence in a void. As quickly as it had come, it vanished, leaving behind the same impenetrable darkness that seemed to stretch into infinity.

Spark!

Once more, another spark flickered into being, like the persistent yet failing attempt to ignite a lighter. Each time, the light was sharp, almost blinding, but it faded just as rapidly, swallowed up by the endless black.

Spark!

Swoosh!

Again, the spark ignited, but this time, something different happened. Instead of dissipating back into the void, the spark left behind a small, strange white cloud. The cloud was almost translucent, with an ethereal glow that barely held back the darkness pressing in around it. It was faint, yet unmistakably there.

The cloud began to move, drifting slowly across the void with a graceful, almost hypnotic fluidity. It reminded one of a fast time-lapse of a cloud gliding across a bright, blue sky. As it moved, more of these translucent white clouds began to materialize out of the darkness, emerging like long-lost treasures uncovered from the depths of a forgotten world. Each cloud seemed to possess a will of its own but flowed together in harmony, all moving toward the same direction with a quiet elegance.

If any experienced cultivator were to see this, they would immediately recognize these strange clouds as World Qi, and the blackness surrounding them as the Soul Space.

This was Lester's Soul Space, and he had just successfully identified the World Qi within it. Finding this Soul Space alone had taken him what felt like hours, each passing moment filled with rising doubt and mounting anxiety. At first, he was worried—what if he couldn't find it? What if he wasn't cut out for this after all? But then he remembered Patrick's words: "Tranquility and patience are the keys."

With newfound calm, he had cleared his mind and embraced the stillness, searching with a serene focus. And then, like a revelation, he found it. If locating his Soul Space had taken such an effort, Lester had no idea how long it would take to identify these elusive clouds of World Qi without Patrick's assistance. But now that he could see them, he was filled with a sense of wonder.

This whole experience was alien to Lester, like he had stepped into a different reality entirely. The sensations of the outside world faded away; he felt detached from his body back on Earth, as if his very essence was floating in this boundless, dark world. There were no physical sensations—no cold or warmth, no sound, no touch. It was just him, his consciousness adrift in a sea of black, surrounded by ethereal white clouds.

These gentle, floating clouds were exactly as Patrick had described them. Lester could hardly believe he was seeing them for himself. He owed this success to Patrick’s guidance; without it, he would have been lost in this formless darkness for much longer. It was a rare thing in this world to receive such clear and valuable guidance. Without a mentor, most cultivators stumbled blindly, risking crippling injuries.

The slow-moving clouds began to change. They lost their elegant grace and began to speed up, pulled by some unseen force. Their movements became more unified, almost mechanical, as if each cloud had a string tied to it, pulling it toward a common center. Or perhaps, it was more like a black hole had appeared, sucking them in.

As the clouds drew closer together, they began to merge, flowing into one another like clay being molded by an invisible hand. A shape began to emerge from the coalescing mass of clouds—a form that grew clearer with each passing moment.

Time seemed to lose meaning as Lester watched this phenomenon unfold. He had no idea how long it had been—minutes, hours, or even days. His perception of time was distorted by the sheer concentration it took to maintain his focus. But then, he realized something incredible was happening. The clouds had merged into a solid form, a bowl-like shape, a half-sphere that was starting to take shape. Its surface was smooth, almost glass-like, and its walls were thin, yet firm.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

But there was a problem.

Lester could sense it—a wrongness in the shape forming before him. The core he was creating was meant to be a perfect sphere, but one side of the semi-sphere was much thinner than the rest. Panic began to set in, a cold, creeping fear that spread through his consciousness. A thin, uneven area on the core meant there was a high risk of cracking, and a cracked core would mean the end of his cultivation journey—possibly even worse.

For a moment, Lester's mind raced, filled with fear and doubt. His instinct was to act quickly, to force a correction, but then Patrick’s words came back to him like a calming wave washing over his panic: "Stay composed. If you rush, you fail."

Taking a deep breath, or at least the closest thing to it in this ethereal realm, Lester forced himself to calm down. He couldn’t afford a mistake now—not when he was so close. With deliberate concentration, he began to guide a few clouds toward the thin area, reinforcing it slowly and carefully. The clouds moved sluggishly, as if they were resisting his will, but he persevered. They finally attached themselves to the weak spot, thickening the area to match the rest of the core.

It seemed like a simple task, but it took a monumental amount of focus and mental strength. Each tiny adjustment felt like moving a mountain, and yet he continued, his mind solely fixed on his goal. The process dragged on, unmeasured by time or space, until the core was nearly complete.

The shape was beautiful—an almost perfect translucent sphere floating in the void. Lester could hardly contain his excitement; he was actually creating his core. He was becoming a cultivator. His dream, which had seemed so distant and unreachable, was now within his grasp.

But something still bothered him. The creation of the core had felt… fast. Far too fast. Was he some kind of genius? Patrick had taken over a month to create his core, while to Lester, it felt like mere hours had passed. Was it the environment? Was he really that talented? Questions filled his mind, but he pushed them aside. For now, he needed to focus.

Swoosh!

The core was finished. A clean, translucent sphere floated in his Soul Space, shimmering softly with an otherworldly light. It was perfect. There were no flaws, no cracks—nothing that would prevent him from moving forward. Lester marveled at the sight, a sense of pride swelling within him. This was it. This was the moment he had hoped for.

Suddenly, he felt a strange pull, like an invisible hand was gently tugging him back. His consciousness began to return to his body, slowly at first, then more rapidly as if being pulled through a tunnel.

Lester’s eyes fluttered open. He was back in his room, still seated in a lotus position on the floor. He blinked a few times, his mind readjusting to the physical world. His initial feelings of triumph were quickly overshadowed by confusion as he looked around. Then as he processed his surroundings a wave of fatigue hit his body each more powerful than the others, making Lester have a difficult time keeping his eyelids open as they felt like heavy stones. His room was a mess—cobwebs stretched from the corners of the walls, and a few insects crawled across the floor. His body felt weak, it trembled slightly similar to the shake of a person who hadn't eaten in days as nausea and lightheadedness overcame him for a moment. He stretched his arms forward as they cracked loudly as if he hadn’t moved in weeks.

His stomach churned with hunger, an agonizing pain that twisted through his core. His mouth was so dry he felt like sandpaper was scraping against his throat. He coughed, a harsh, dry rasp that sent a shiver through his weakened frame.

Forcing himself to stand, he staggered toward his small kitchen, desperately grabbing the first bottle of water he could find. He gulped it down greedily, feeling the cold liquid soothe his parched throat. He rummaged through the cabinets, eating whatever he could find—dried fruits, crackers, anything to quell the gnawing hunger.

Once his immediate needs were addressed, he stumbled back to his computer, still feeling dazed. He needed to know how long he had been in that state. With trembling hands, he clicked on the calendar icon on his screen.

And then his jaw dropped.

Almost two months!

Lester stared at the screen, his eyes wide in disbelief. What had felt like hours had actually been nearly sixty days. The realization sent a wave of shock through him. The world outside had moved on while he was lost in the creation of his core.

What had happened in the world of cultivation while he was gone? What new dangers awaited him now that he had taken the first step?

But more importantly, what lay ahead on his new path as a cultivator?