The pain!!! I pretty much don't even start reading novels these days unless I know they're finished... LOTM2:COI is my one guilty pleasure right now... - Pen

A little bit. I somewhat regret starting with such direct numbers instead of doing something more generic like 'Beginning, Middle, End, Peak' or something similar for cultivation stages. It's a lot more back reading and math for me! But in this case, it's largely because Di Tou's at a bottleneck. Without breaking through to the Resonance Stage, although there are ways Di Tou can raise his attributes slightly, it's only a temporary thing, like when his Spiritual Sense was overwhelmed in the forest, or when he was trying to enhance his muscles/strength. Thus, for the most part his attributes won't change, so there isn't much of a reason to go to them. - Pen

Those are some good thoughts! I do agree that it is *possible* and I think Di Tou would too. The main difference is that being in the situation and confronting its difficulty directly, he can feel how hard it is and to him it feels like he's being tricked or baited. Thus, he's almost having an overreaction on feeling frustrated/feeling like it isn't possible due to his current inadequacies. It's sort of like jumping up and down trying get get a pixel perfect trigger, and being frustrated when it keeps failing, and feeling like it isn't possible, or that the video you saw of it being done was fake. Thus, the somewhat exaggerated, "ah" at the end. He'll still be giving it a try! But maybe when he's a bit better at it all... - Pen

No hatred! Admittedly not a great understanding either though. For the sake of not misrepresenting anything, I didn't directly put Buddhism into the story beyond Di Tou using terms like Buddha now and then when describing people, or using it as reference to understand the monks of this world. - Pen

Oop. Personal Ability. - Pen

Haha, it's pretty slow, perhaps too slow. Not much combat at all. - Pen

The cultivation 'world' also doesn't contain the entire universe/space around it! In this case, Di Tou wants to connect to Earth specifically, although connecting to the Universe would be perfectly fine too. - Pen

That's true. It is conflicting terminology, but I feel like it makes sense, and speaks a bit to the sadness of being outshone. In youth, many people are called geniuses, for they're ahead of their peers. Perhaps they're the smartest in their kindergarten, their middle school, or high school. But as they grow, they find that in this vast world, although they can rightfully be called geniuses, they're still only ordinary. Perhaps that's a bit melodramatic of me. - Pen

I think it's introduced more in the next chapter or two, but basically for most cultivators (or beasts, or mountains, or anything that cultivates) the stronger you are the more 'detached' you are from the rest of the world. In a word, you become more 'godly.' But at the same time, Heaven doesn't favor people who have grown too strong. Like a king plotting against ministers who have gotten too much power, Heaven constantly embroils people with tests and tribulations, and those of higher cultivation naturally face tougher tribulations. But with lessened emotions and a clearer view, it's much easier for them to avoid tribulations as long as they're paying attention. This is where karma comes in. If a cultivator is like a computer, and a stronger cultivator has a stronger firewall, tribulations are like viruses. A weak cultivator might fall for one unknowingly, while a strong one will be clear on the details and might even be able to avoid and circumvent the majority of viruses ahead of time. Karma is like plugging in a USB, no matter how good your fire wall is, it's been ignored altogether, and the trouble will come. For normal cultivators, Heaven doesn't need to go this far and the ordinary viruses will do the job. The heightened emotions are a tricky virus. Either you fall for the emotions and suffer the subsequent attacks, or you ignore them, thus creating a mental block and preventing or slowing further cultivation. Either way, Heaven achieves its objectives. - Pen

Hi! I totally understand the pain, I do. But with the way Webnovel works you can't change where the locked chapters begin. Once it's set, it's set! - Pen

Thank you very much for the kind words! It really is greatly appreciated. I'm happy to know that even an odd story like this one can be enjoyed by someone other than myself, haha! Also I appreciate the spotlights on the mistakes. It's hard to notice sometimes when you're the one writing as your brain tells you it's right, so another pair of eyes is always welcome! - Pen

Yep. Nice catch! - Pen

Oop. Good catch. - Pen

Yes! That's a good point. In the universe, cultivation isn't distinct or limited to any given race. If a mountain can cultivate, why not a planet or a sun? The only difference is the bigger and more powerful the original body, the lesser the conscious. So mountain spirits might have simple minds, while suns and planets are pretty much only able to cultivate and nothing more! That's the "Heavenly Balance"! - Pen

O-O A pot sword for cooking. Perhaps the friction from the sword moving could generate heat? How fascinating... - Pen

Oop. - Pen

Maybe not rabies exactly, but all sorts of diseases and madness inducing spells and plants surely exist. It's a good thing to think about though! - Pen

Original. I'm a mix. - Pen

Hi! - Pen

He has standards! Just... really low ones. - Pen