The meditation chamber was a sanctuary for the outer disciples of Thousand Peaks Academy, simple in structure but profound in essence.
The stone walls bore witness to countless transformative journeys, a fading mat rested beneath the weight of wisdom that had come and gone, and a single flickering spirit lamp cast shadows like echoes of forgotten dreams.
Tonight, however, it pulsed with an energy that felt almost limitless.
Sun Mo settled in the center, his posture relaxed yet resolute, heart steady, mind open.
He had rushed back to this space as soon as the system awakened within him, a surge of pure energy flooding his being, bubbling excitement rising like an unstoppable tide.
As he closed his eyes, he was taken aback, not by the explosive chaos often associated with a breakthrough in Dao cultivation, but by a profound sense of understanding.
[You have entered a meditative state aligned with Source Cultivation.]
[Progress toward Stage 1: Awakening of Self – 12%]
This was different.
The Source felt less like a daunting force of power, and more like a gentle whisper of recognition, a soft illumination in the recesses of his heart.
The chamber around him, already humble, transformed into a vast expanse of introspection.
He focused inward, letting the noise of the outside world fade into the background.
No longer did he hear the rustling of fellow disciples or the distant murmur of faculty discussions.
Instead, he became acutely aware of his own heartbeat, the rhythm of his breath, the subtleties of life within his very bones.
No longer did he avoid his own thoughts; he embraced them.
Memories began to surface, vivid yet haunting.
He recalled the stinging disappointment of failing his Dao Foundation test, the fleeting pride in his father's face as it crumbled into despair.
It was as if he could feel the weight of self-judgment accumulating within him, a heaviness he had spent years concealing.
The Source called to him once more, resonating within the depths of his consciousness.
"See yourself."
Warmth blossomed in his chest, not as energy, but as an awakening of feeling. It was as if his heart had cracked open just enough to allow long-buried emotions to rise to the surface, emotions he had been afraid to confront.
[Source Cultivation Progress: 23%]
[You have identified a deep-rooted emotional barrier.]
[Insight Acquired: Self-Judgment.]
Sun Mo's hands trembled, but it wasn't weakness that caused this reaction, rather a clarity that washed over him.
So this was Source cultivation; it wasn't about forcing a breakthrough, conquering external challenges, or mastering some ancient technique.
It was about confronting oneself, refining the essence of who he was, not who he sought to be.
He exhaled deeply, sinking further into this state of awakening, deeper still.
In the Core Hall of Thousand Peaks Academy, three Elders that were at the Heaven Merging level convened, their drawn faces illuminated by flickering lights from crystalline formations.
Elder Wu stared intently at a crystal tablet, noting a peculiar spiritual fluctuation that rippled through the surveillance formation.
"This anomaly…" he murmured, tapping the crystal with deliberate fingers. "What we sensed—it's not spirit qi, nor is it demonic in nature."
Elder Mei leaned closer, brow furrowed in contemplation. "It's harmonic. It carries a resonance… like a frequency from the void itself."
"Indeed," Wu replied, concern etching deeper lines in his face.
The elders exchanged glances, their unease rippling through the air like an unspoken agreement.
They watched the crystal, wary yet fascinated, as Sun Mo continued his journey of self-discovery.
Back in the meditation chamber, when Sun Mo finally opened his eyes, he experienced no tumult of transformations, no cataclysmic surge sweeping through him.
It took almost 5 hours but he finally gotten used to the feeling of cultivating the source.
Just a profound peace, a quiet calm that settled within him like the stillness after a storm.
[Source Cultivation Stage 1: Awakening of Self – Complete.]
[You have cultivated the card: "Mirror of the Heart."]
A translucent card emerged before him, ethereal boundaries shimmering with the light of his own consciousness.
It reflected not his physical form, but the myriad moments of his life, the memories woven into the fabric of his being.
[Specialty Gained: Inner Sight – Enables perception of emotional and mental distortions in self and others.]
Sun Mo did not feel pride or arrogance wash over him. Instead, he found an unshakeable calm, the kind that spoke of acceptance, of understanding.
Tomorrow, he would don the academy's gray robes once more. He would traverse the same grounds, but with the weight of isolation lifted for the first time in five years.
He was no longer lost; he was embarking on a path unseen by others, a journey forged by his own hands. This was his way, a discovery that he alone could explore.
With renewed resolve, he stood, every step a testament to his awakening, a profound moment in which he had not only begun to cultivate but to truly understand himself.