Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

The night in the dilapidated temple was spent in an endless struggle against cold, pain, and hunger.

As the first rays of dawn, like a stingy act of charity, squeezed in through the cracks in the walls and the holes in the roof, Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. His lips were chapped, and his face was deathly pale, but deep within his dark pupils burned an almost obstinate flame.

He is still alive.

Even so, this morning was already a hard-won victory.

His physical condition remained terrible. The dull pain in the back of his head, like a persistent, throbbing ache, constantly reminded him of the atrocities his body had recently endured. Hunger, like a venomous snake, gnawed and tore at his abdomen, causing his stomach to convulse. The weakness coursing through his limbs made even the simple act of standing up incredibly difficult.

But he clearly remembered the faint yet real feeling of spiritual energy flowing through him last night. It wasn't a dream; it was the first and only straw he grasped in this cruel world.

"We must...continue..."

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows. He struggled, leaning against the cold pedestal of the statue behind him, managing to sit up. The cold black token was still clutched tightly in his hand, as if he could draw a tiny bit of strength and comfort from it.

He closed his eyes again, banishing the chaotic thoughts in his mind—memories of his previous life on his sickbed, empathy for the original owner's tragic fate, and confusion and unease about the future—and immersing all his mind in that ridiculously rudimentary "Qi-inducing method".

Breathing becomes slow and rhythmic.

Consciousness, like tentacles, cautiously extends outward to capture and perceive the ethereal spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The process was far more difficult than imagined.

The body's aptitude was even worse than he had anticipated. Its meridians were like a dried-up, cracked riverbed, narrow and stagnant, naturally resisting the flow of spiritual energy. The spiritual energy from the outside world was also pitifully thin in this abandoned, barren land, like dust permeating the air—visible, yet impossible to grasp.

Time passes little by little.

The hunger in his stomach grew stronger, the cold gradually numbed his limbs, and the wound on the back of his head throbbed with pain, constantly interfering with his concentration.

Once, twice... ten times...

What the consciousness tentacles could perceive was still nothingness. Occasionally, one or two faint specks of spiritual energy would drift by, but they were like slippery fish, disappearing in an instant and impossible to be absorbed into the body.

Sweat, cold sweat, seeped from his forehead and slid down his thin cheeks.

Exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave, assaulting his taut nerves. A voice in his mind tempted him: "Give up, it's too painful, just sleep it off... why struggle?"

This is the body's instinct to avoid pain.

Lin Xuan suddenly bit the tip of his tongue!

The excruciating pain, accompanied by a metallic sweetness, spread through his mouth, and the intense stimulation instantly dispelled his lethargy and weakness.

give up?

He never wanted to experience that helpless despair again, lying on his sickbed in his past life, watching his life slip away bit by bit!

The original owner breathed his last amidst the beatings and kicks, filled with endless resentment and unwillingness. He personally experienced and felt that overwhelming resentment!

Since Heaven (or some unknown rule) has given him a second chance at life, and the possibility of embarking on this extraordinary path, what reason does he have to give up? What right does he have to give up?

"My resolve is unbreakable!"

"Trivial hunger and cold, trivial pain, how can they stop me?!"

An indomitable will, like a volcano suppressed to its limit, erupted with a roar. It was not the original owner's resentment, but Lin Xuan's own extreme desire for "life" and his fierce resistance against "fate" after two lifetimes!

He no longer deliberately "captured" spiritual energy, but instead transformed all his spirit into a pure and intense "intention"—to devour! Plunder! To take all usable energy into his own body!

As if sensing his resolute, almost insane will, the black token he was holding tightly suddenly trembled slightly.

A sensation far clearer and cooler than the one from the previous night entered his palm from the token, then transformed into a subtle yet steady stream of energy that silently flowed into the spiritual energy circulation he was trying to activate.

This current of air carried an ancient, desolate aura, as if it originated from the depths of the endless starry sky!

boom!

Lin Xuan felt a buzzing in his mind, as if some kind of shackles had been broken.

In his perception, the world suddenly became different!

The air was no longer empty. Countless tiny specks of light, each a different color, floated and sank like fireflies in a summer night sky. Most were dull, earthy yellow and gray, representing the thin, inert earth element and impurities. But interspersed among them were brighter, more vibrant specks of white (metal), green (wood), blue (water), and red (fire), and… a few extremely rare specks of silver that radiated a deep, mysterious glow!

These silver specks of light, attracted by the starry aura emanating from the token, converged toward him like rivers flowing into the sea, several times more active than other types of spiritual energy!

It's the spiritual energy of stars!

This mysterious black token can actually attract and assist in absorbing the spiritual energy of the stars!

Without time to ponder the origin and mystique of the token, Lin Xuan seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and fully activated the rudimentary technique.

"Guide the Qi into your body!"

Intention is the guide, and spiritual energy is the medium.

This time, it was no longer a faint wisp, but several strands of starlight spiritual energy, carrying a cool and slightly tingling sensation, smoothly passed through the Baihui acupoint on the top of the head and some other hidden acupoints around the body, and continuously flowed into the body!

At first, the spiritual energy traveled through the dry and narrow meridians, still bringing a throbbing, knife-like pain. This body was too weak; the meridians could barely withstand the flow of spiritual energy.

But Lin Xuan gritted his teeth and, with an extraordinary willpower, forcefully guided the spiritual energy along the most basic cultivation route recorded in the method, advancing with great difficulty.

One cycle, two cycles...

The pain persisted, but as the spiritual energy repeatedly washed over and nourished the meridians, the burning, stinging sensation slowly lessened, replaced by a tingling, numb feeling with a touch of comfort. It was as if parched land had finally received the nourishment of sweet rain; although it couldn't absorb it at first and might even harden, it was ultimately developing in a positive direction.

And his physical condition was also undergoing subtle changes under the nourishment of this spiritual energy.

The excruciating pain in the back of his head had significantly lessened, leaving only a dull ache. His previously cold and stiff limbs began to regain some warmth and strength. Most surprisingly, the agonizing hunger, while still present, was no longer as unbearable as before, like being boiled alive. Spiritual energy, to some extent, seemed to have replaced food, infusing his near-collapsed body with the most primal energy!

After an unknown amount of time, when Lin Xuan had guided the spiritual energy through thirty-six major cycles, he felt his meridians were becoming saturated and could no longer hold any more spiritual energy—

hum!

A soft, melodious sound, like the plucking of a harp string, seemed to emanate from within him, a sound only he could hear.

All the spiritual energy flowing in his meridians seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, no longer wandering aimlessly, but suddenly accelerating, and finally, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, it rushed into the chaotic space three inches below his navel, a space called "Dantian"!

The once empty and dormant dantian was illuminated at this moment!

A thin strand of hair, yet incredibly solid, radiating a faint silver starlight-like spiritual power, floated quietly in the center of the dantian, like the first ray of light in the universe—weak, yet representing infinite hope and possibility.

At the same time, his aura suddenly changed. The previous feeling of weakness and near death vanished, replaced by a restrained yet vibrant vitality. His senses became sharper than ever before; the subtle sound of the cold wind blowing through the withered grass outside the dilapidated temple, the faint sounds of people from the distant refugee settlement, and even the trails of dust falling in the air were all clearly perceived by him.

An unprecedented sense of power emanated from the faint spiritual energy in my dantian. Although it was still small, it was real and tangible!

Qi Refining Level 1!

He succeeded! In this desperate situation, with the help of a mysterious token and his unbreakable Dao heart, he officially stepped into the first level of Qi Refining and became a true cultivator!

Lin Xuan let out a long breath.

This breath was no longer weak and powerless, but carried a burning heat, as if it was expelling all the filth and cold accumulated in the body.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Those black pupils were now even deeper, clear and unfathomable, with a faint, almost imperceptible silver starlight flashing by, like a glance cast from the ancient starry sky. Although his body was still thin and his clothes were still tattered, the spirit and energy emanating from within were completely different.

He lowered his head, opened his palm, and a thought flickered in his mind.

A faint wisp of silver spiritual energy, like a nimble gossamer thread, swirled and danced at his fingertips. It radiated a soft starlight, carrying a pure yet icy sense of power.

"This is... power."

Lin Xuan murmured to himself, feeling the faint yet real touch of the spiritual energy emanating from his fingertips. A feeling of indescribable excitement and tranquility welled up within him.

Excitingly, he had finally grasped the source of power that transcended the mortal realm.

Calmly, he knew that this was merely the starting point, the first cornerstone of a towering edifice. At the first level of Qi Refining, in this vast world of cultivation, one was still like an ant.

But so what?

Even an ant can shake a tree! Even a drop of water can eventually wear away stone!

He possessed power, hope, and above all, a heart that had endured two lifetimes of hardship and remained steadfast in its pursuit of the Tao!

The hunger returned clearly, reminding him of the harsh reality. Reaching the first level of Qi Refining only gave him the means to struggle for survival; it did not allow him to completely abstain from grains.

He needed food, water, and a relatively safe place to consolidate his cultivation and consider his next move.

His gaze swept over the dilapidated temple; it was clear he couldn't stay any longer. Zhao Gan's gang could return at any moment, or someone else might break in.

He carefully hid the crucial black token close to his body, feeling its faint coolness, which calmed him down.

Then, supporting his still somewhat unsteady body, he stood up.

Although I could still feel weakness in my body and a dull ache in my injuries as I moved, it was a world of difference compared to the near-death state I had been in the previous night.

He walked to the entrance of the dilapidated temple and looked out through the cracks in the door.

The sunlight was blinding, and in the distance, low, dilapidated shacks were scattered haphazardly, like scars on the earth. Some emaciated, pale-faced refugees with numb eyes staggered among them.

This is a cruel and real world.

Lin Xuan's eyes were calm and resolute.

The road ahead was destined to be full of thorns, but he was fearless.

His path began in this dilapidated temple, but it will never end here.

"First step, survive. Second step, become stronger."

He pushed open the creaking, dilapidated door, and took a firm step into the cold, real sunlight outside.

Although his figure was slender, his spine was straight.