CHAPTER 17: REBIRTH

Yu Tian held the massive crystal with both hands, then closed his eyes and activated the Path to Heaven method.

Immediately, he began absorbing vast amounts of energy from the core, circulating it through his body along the path with the highest chances of success.

Xueling’s eyes widened as she watched.

"What the hell is that?" she thought, staring at the enormous amounts of energy Yu Tian was pulling into himself. "No way..."

She remembered that with monster cores, the amount of energy one could absorb was quite limited - about five percent, ten if you were lucky. Higher level cultivators could draw more, but even then it would never reach fifty percent.

Yet the way Yu Tian was absorbing energy, it was as if it were simply being poured directly into him.

She wondered if he possessed some unique cultivation method.

But when she observed his technique, it was that same approach of his - it looked completely random and unrefined. This could only mean one thing: he had a unique constitution that increased his affinity with all types of energy. This would explain his abundant internal energy as well as how he could cultivate so rapidly with just a self-created method.

In reality, the method didn’t matter. His body was naturally inclined toward energy refinement, allowing him to instinctively absorb energy regardless of technique or natural talent.

"What a monster," she whispered, watching him already advance to the eighth layer of Body Refining.

Yu Tian continuously channeled energy into himself and circulated it.

As he did so, he felt the energy build up more and more until suddenly, something popped and he entered the ninth layer of Body Refining.

He sensed the energy remaining inside the core, there was still over half left. He needed to seize this opportunity to enter the Qi Gathering realm. If he was lucky, who knows? He might even advance straight to peak Qi Gathering.

[50%]

As he continued absorbing more energy and circulating it with the Path to Heaven method, he suddenly noticed something strange. He didn’t seem to be advancing toward Qi Gathering.

Well, maybe he didn’t understand the realms properly, after all, his knowledge was superficial. He chose to trust the method with the highest chances of success and continue.

As time passed, more and more energy was consumed, yet he still hadn’t advanced to the Qi Gathering realm. He began to panic slightly, wondering if he couldn’t advance due to lack of talent.

[0%]

Since that wasn’t the case, then what was happening to him? He continued following the Path to Heaven, hoping for a change soon as the energy inside the core was nearly depleted.

Just as he thought this, he suddenly felt something shift within his body.

It was as though his entire form was being reconstructed, he felt his bones moving and his insides twisting.

The pain was unbearable. He bit into his lip, struggling not to scream out.

Xueling noticed his condition and moved closer to observe. Then she saw his skin begin to peel away.

...

"What is happening?" Xueling wondered.

She had never witnessed such a thing before. She considered interfering but eventually decided against it, she didn’t understand what was occurring, so she might only cause more problems. She chose to trust in Yu Tian. If it was him, she was certain he had a plan.

Yu Tian, meanwhile, felt excruciating pain spread throughout his entire body. He wondered when this agony would ever end. The grueling sensation continued for another half hour before it finally began subsiding.

Yu Tian slowly opened his eyes. As he did, he instantly locked gazes with Xueling, who was just inches from his face.

"Ah!" she exclaimed in surprise, stumbling backward. She quickly picked herself up and cleared her throat to hide her embarrassment.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"I was just watching," she said, looking to the side.

"Watching what?" he asked.

She reached into her pouch and retrieved a mirror, tossing it to him. He caught the mirror and examined his reflection.

"Surprised?" she asked with a smile.

"How did this happen?" he asked, touching his face.

"It’s not just that," she said, pointing at him.

He looked at himself as he stood up.

It seemed his entire body had transformed.

Before, his frame had appeared quite thin due to malnutrition, but now he seemed completely changed. He had gained muscle and even grown a little taller.

"Is this normal when entering the Qi Gathering realm?" he asked.

"Not really," she said. "Also, you’re not yet in the Qi Gathering realm."

"What? Then what is this?" he asked.

"People with high talent can enter the tenth layer of Body Refining before advancing to Qi Gathering," she explained. "Just so you know, I also entered the tenth layer of Body Refining before breaking through," she said smugly, pointing at her chest.

"As for the transformation, it definitely isn’t normal. I’m guessing it’s because the core came from the snake monster. Since the snake monster had the ability to rejuvenate itself, maybe that ability transferred to you." She held her chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, you absorbed a hundred percent of the core. Does that mean you gained all the abilities of the snake?" she wondered.

She moved closer to him. "Try creating scales over your body," she instructed.

"How do I do that?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Never mind. The scales are related to the body, as is the skin shedding. If I had to guess, the snake had already prepared the energy for shedding in its core, and since you absorbed everything, the ability triggered inside you. Yeah, this makes much more sense."

She glanced sideways at Yu Tian, thinking to herself that the monster aura around him had intensified. It really wasn’t from a treasure. Was he actually a monster?

Yu Tian checked his calculation ability - Xueling’s theory seemed to be correct.

"Why don’t you try entering the Qi Gathering realm now?" she said. "With the level of energy in your body, you should be able to do it."