Two days had passed since Vikram Das had done the impossible — opening all 64 meridian points with the help of the Arcane Nectar Elixir. The events of that night still echoed in his body like the slow ringing of a temple bell. Each breath he took now resonated with nature, drawing in the smooth, untamed mana of the world.
But the reality of cultivation struck him harder than any battle ever had. Despite the opened meridians and flowing mana, he had hit a wall.
He sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor of the garage, surrounded by scattered scrolls and ancient books, most of them donated or stolen relics, many gifted by sect-less wanderers, and others inherited from broken dynasties.
He flipped through one manual after another, scanning for keywords — "Core Cultivation Technique," "Dantian Sealing, "Mana Storage Formation." But there was nothing. Every book described techniques assuming the presence of an already formed foundation or the backing of a sect.
