Chapter 380: How to Cultivate

"Now," Yin Hua began, her voice dropping to a soft, incredibly soothing, melodic whisper. "I need you to completely empty your mind. Forget about the academy, forget about your past battles, and forget about the physical world around you. Let go of all your physical senses. Do not feel the wind on your skin, do not listen to the rustling leaves, and do not focus on the drop beneath you. I want you to isolate your consciousness entirely. Focus everything you have solely on the sound of my voice."

Solomon took a slow, deep breath. He tried to clear his mind, but his hyper-vigilant mercenary instincts constantly pulled his attention back to the ambient noises of the pavilion and the terrifying drop below his boots.

He failed the first few attempts, his brow furrowing in frustration as his thoughts continuously drifted back to the recent massacre and the looming threat of the evil sects.

"Do not force it, Solomon," Yin Hua murmured softly, sensing his internal struggle. "Fighting the noise only creates more noise. Acknowledge the thoughts as they appear, and then simply let them drift away like leaves on a river. Focus only on the rhythm of my breath."

[1Fizzy: ASMR cultivation stream!]

[James_hayes: her voice is actually so relaxing.]

[sgtcwby: I am falling asleep just listening to her.]

[Mezz_3863: Solo Man trying to meditate is hilarious.]

[GoonLord: DO NOT FALL OFF THE BRANCH!]

Solomon took another deep breath, consciously releasing the tension in his shoulders. He visualized a dark, empty room in his mind. Whenever a stray thought or a distracting noise echoed in his consciousness, he mentally pushed it out the door and locked it.

Finally, after several minutes of intense concentration, he succeeded.

The ambient noise of the wind, the distant chirping of the spirit birds, and the rustling leaves completely faded away into absolute silence. It felt exactly as if he had put on a pair of high-end, noise-canceling headphones, and Yin Hua’s melodic voice was the only audio playing through the speakers.

"Excellent," Yin Hua praised softly, her voice echoing clearly in his isolated mind. "Now, I want you to locate your primary heart core. Feel the dense silver energy pooling there. Do not push it outward like one does with other cores. Instead, I want you to visualize a gentle, continuous stream of water flowing downward. Guide that silver stream smoothly down through your chest, past your diaphragm, and let it pool directly into the empty cavity of your navel core."

Solomon visualized the imagery perfectly. He gently coaxed the silver aura from his chest, allowing it to trickle downward like a steady, glowing waterfall. He directed the flow straight into the massive, empty reservoir of his navel.

"The navel core is vast, Solomon," Yin Hua explained, guiding his focus. "It is not a simple gate that you can shatter with a single burst of pressure. It is a spiritual lake that must be filled to the brim before it overflows and officially opens. You must maintain this steady, continuous flow without breaking your concentration for a single second. If your focus wavers, the energy will dissipate, and you will have to start filling the lake from the very beginning."

Solomon mentally gritted his teeth. He maintained the steady flow, pouring more and more silver aura into the massive cavity. The process was incredibly tedious and mentally exhausting. It required unwavering precision to ensure the energy didn’t spill over into the wrong meridian pathways and cause internal damage.

[DaoistAlexkg: the foundation establishment breakthrough is always the hardest.]

[Vaelen: he needs so much qi to fill that core.]

[Nick: bro is locked in right now.]

[Foodball: do not lose focus Solo Man!]

"Keep the flow steady," Yin Hua encouraged, her voice a calm anchor in his silent void. "You have the energy required to fill it. You simply need the patience to see it through. Breathe in the ambient spiritual energy of the pavilion, and let it fuel your internal waterfall."

Solomon synchronized his physical breathing with his internal circulation, drawing the rich, sweet air of the Qi Gathering Pavilion into his lungs and converting it directly into fresh silver aura to feed the flow.

Solomon followed Yin Hua’s instructions flawlessly. He could physically feel himself progressing, successfully gathering and pooling significantly more qi in his navel core than he had ever managed to achieve when attempting the process alone.

However, the spiritual reservoir felt entirely bottomless.

Because of his Indefatigable passive talent, Solomon’s body could theoretically produce as much aura as he needed. He wouldn’t get physically tired, nor would he run completely out of energy as long as he managed the hidden stamina tax.

Yet, he could still distinctly feel the immense, continuous drain on his system as the silver energy poured into the core.

If someone with a literal infinite stamina cheat code is struggling this hard to break through the very first major realm of cultivation, it must be completely impossible for normal people.

Of course, the traditional, correct method was to train, meditate, and attempt the breakthrough again and again over the course of several years, slowly expanding the core’s capacity until mastery was achieved. It was only because of Solomon’s abnormal biology that he was even attempting to force the feat in a single sitting.

His previous shoulder and hip cores had been cracked open through sheer, brute-force pressure and agonizing hard work. But the navel core was different. It was an endless, delicate lake. He had to pass his qi downward slowly, maintaining the exact same, perfectly steady pace.

Even the slightest fluctuation in pressure, or a momentary lapse in concentration, would cause the gathered energy to violently dissipate, forcing him to start the grueling process over from the very beginning.

Thanks to Yin Hua’s soothing, melodic voice constantly guiding his focus, he managed to maintain perfect control over his cultivation.

Several hours passed in absolute silence on the tree branch. The warm afternoon sun eventually began setting over the distant horizon, painting the clouds beneath their boots in vibrant shades of purple and gold.

Despite nearly ten hours of continuous, flawless meditation, Solomon could feel that his massive navel core wasn’t even ten percent filled.

Just then, an obnoxiously loud, grating voice violently rang out directly inside Solomon’s mind.

[System: ToxicLord has issued a Direct Echo! Gifted 1 Bronze Idol (50 Points).]

Message: "SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER! I AM BACK FOR ROUND TWO! I HOPE YOU FALL OFF THAT BRANCH AND SNAP YOUR NECK YOU PATHETIC LOSER!"

It was ToxicLord. The certified, malicious hater had returned to the stream simply to troll him at the absolute worst possible moment.

The jarring, vulgar intrusion completely shattered Solomon’s isolated mental state.

The delicate, perfectly balanced flow of silver aura destabilized. The gathered energy inside his navel core instantly dissipated, washing away nearly ten hours of agonizing hard work in a single fraction of a second.

Solomon’s silver eyes snapped wide open.

A terrifying, murderous fury instantly overtook his features. He was absolutely pissed beyond belief. The sheer, killing intent radiating from his body caused the surrounding leaves on the ancient tree to wither and fall.

[Ferald: NOOOOO!]

[Brerell: TOXICLORD YOU BASTARD!]

[GoonLord: BAN HIM RIGHT NOW!]

[Nick: 10 HOURS OF CULTIVATION RUINED BY 50 POINTS!]

[Ron_Selby: Solo Man looks like he is going to murder someone.]

[M00N: RIP ToxicLord.]

[Foodball: bro just committed the ultimate stream snipe.]