Worldly Energy is Cool

Han Ganxing's heart rate right now could be compared to a drummer of an intense metal rock band. No, it would one-up the drummer and make him get fired!

"Purchasing... Purchase complete!"

A lifetime's worth of excitement coursed through his veins. As soon as the menu said that the purchase was completed, he tapped the close button on the pop-up with sparkling eyes.

Returning to the self info screen, he found an empty bar in place of the "N/A" beside Cultivation Level. When he tapped it, another prompt opened which asked whether he wanted to change his cultivation level.

"Damn, why's it asking me again? Yes, I already said yes!" Han Ganxing was frustrated at the non-intuitive design of this system. "I'll have a word with the developers later..."

Of course, he quickly forgot about that once the actual setting showed up. He saw a small rectangular shape on the edge of the bar.

"So I'm guessing I need to drag this?"

With a smile, Han Ganxing quickly did so...!

"Wait, why isn't it budging?"

A worried Han Ganxing tried again and again to drag it, but to no avail. Sweat dripped from his face like a faucet had been left open for days...

He calmed himself down. Right, it obviously wouldn't be that easy.

Letting out a heavy breath, Han Ganxing examined the window. Other than the bar, there was also a question mark in the corner. "That must be the help section."

He anxiously tapped it. Whether his hopes would be crushed or not depended on this little icon.

-----×-----

Cultivation Level Adjustment Bar

Can freely adjust the Cultivation Level of the user according to the top stage achieved.

Current top stage: N/A

-----×-----

Han Ganxing stared at the helpful info in front of him, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.

"On one hand, this is an overpowered cheat, that's for sure. The bad news is it's based on the highest stage I've gotten, and... obviously I haven't even started yet."

He scratched the sudden itch on his head, as if it was waiting for him to feel upset before appearing.

To be honest, he had no idea how cultivation worked in this world. As a former 18-year-old from the modern world, his mindset was still kind of stuck back in his previous world. The ancient philosophies and terminologies in the manual were enough to make his head spin. They didn't register into his mind as much as he would've liked them to.

He grabbed the manual again and started reading it. To his surprise, a small note was stuck in the middle of the manual. It was from his father.

"My son, I know you may not understand this manual, so I have simplified the terms for you here. I hope this will help ease your cultivation process.

-Han Liqi"

At that moment, Han Ganxing couldn't help but smile. Although it might seem petty, he still held resentment over his father missing his birthday. However, with this note, most of it had already melted away.

He read the note earnestly, and with his father's help, he was able to understand the hullabaloo written in the manual.

Cultivation in this world was divided into stages, and those stages were called centeras. The bottommost centera in the hierarchy was the First-Step Centera. It revolved around collecting the worldly energy around the environment.

Each centera was divided into levels, and in the First-Step Centera, it was quite simple. The levels were divided based on how much energy one had accumulated.

"If I'm understanding this correctly, once I get to Level 1 First-Step Centera, with the help of the system, I should be able to advance immediately to the top level of this centera!"

With this thought in mind, Han Ganxing crossed his legs and diligently cultivated. In his mind, he was chanting a single word repeatedly: "Suck. Suck. Suck..."

.....

Han Ganxing felt the air around him getting drier and drier.

In the first half-hour, the change in humidity was insignificant. He disregarded it as some kind of small heatwave. However, as hours passed by, he noticed it more and more.

Until now, he had not stopped absorbing the worldly energy around his room. He had to take a break to see what the problem was.

Letting out a heavy breath, he opened his eyes. Only then did he notice the huge puddle of sweat on his bed.

He tried to get off the bed, but when his feet touched the floor, it stung his big boss toe.

"Ah, it's hot... Whoo..."

The wooden floor, which would normally be cool even in the midst of the hottest day of the Blooming Season, turned on him for some reason and decided to be hot.

Left with no choice, Han Ganxing could only stay on his bed reeking of sweat.

"Hai, I suppose this is the side effect the manual was talking about?"

He recalled the passages in the manual.

"Worldly Energy, the mystical presence enshrouding the vast spread of land and sea alike. The algid imperceptible haze bestowed upon the world a mist that shields us from the heat the celestial beings passively emit. For the sole purpose of strength, we devour this energy and make it our own, thus reducing its already dwindling volume. The blanket that once protected us from suffering the wrath of the suns above underwent a destructive consumption, leaving numerous holes in its wake. That is why we now perceive the presence of unbearable heat as locations where Worldly Energy is low."

"...Kinda pretentious." Han Ganxing cringed when he first read it. "Could've just said that hot places don't have much qi instead of rambling on and on.

Anyway, that means I've almost exhausted the qi around my room..."

After waiting for the wood to at least be cool enough for him to walk on, he went to the courtyard and sat there cross-legged.

He continued cultivating, the grass brushing on his legs as the wind made them sway.