After the Skyfall

“To start cultivating, you first need to enter a meditative state. This part isn’t difficult, but it takes time for most people.”

“Once you reach that state, you’ll sense the energy around you—but don’t interact with it. That’s our world’s polluted energy, and it’s dangerous to absorb. I’ll guide you and capture a pure energy source for you. Your job is to use your mind to direct it into your body and keep it from dispersing.”

“Mental focus is crucial. If you can’t control the energy with your thoughts, then you have no talent for cultivation.”

“But if you manage to absorb this first energy, your path to cultivation will officially begin.”

Lin Yue’s voice echoed in Li Yi’s ears.

Sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, Li Yi tried to meditate.

Lin Yue guided him on posture, breathing, and other meditation techniques to help him enter the right state faster.

Time passed.

Slowly, Li Yi lost awareness of his body. His consciousness drifted into darkness, like sinking into a deep abyss. A wave of helpless fear surged through him, making him panic. The next moment, he jolted awake, breaking out of the meditative state.

“Scared?” Lin Yue chuckled as she looked at him.

Li Yi wiped his forehead. There was no cold sweat, but his heart was still racing. “I felt like I was being swallowed by darkness… like I’d never wake up again.”

“No need to be afraid. That’s a normal reaction,” Lin Yue reassured him. “You’ve been connected to your body for twenty years, and now you’re trying to separate from it. Fear is natural. The darkness you saw was because your consciousness was no longer relying on your physical senses. Imagine waking up one day and being unable to move, hear, or see—wouldn’t you be terrified?”

“What you need to do is overcome this fear and get used to it. Once you push past that point, your consciousness will develop a new kind of perception. It’s not sight or sound, but something entirely different.”

“I understand. Let me try again,” Li Yi said firmly, closing his eyes once more.

His second attempt took longer—probably because he was trying to prepare himself for the fear he’d felt earlier.

Again, his consciousness drifted into darkness. The fear returned.

But this time, instead of resisting, he allowed it to wash over him.

He soon realized his consciousness was trapped in a void—directionless, timeless, like a prison.

And then—

Li Yi trembled and woke up again, breaking out of his meditative state.

“Failed again?” Lin Yue asked.

Li Yi nodded. “I felt trapped in the darkness. It was like an instinct forced me to escape.”

“That’s just your brain trying to confirm whether your body is dead. It pulled your consciousness back as a reflex. But don’t worry—your body adapts quickly. After a few more tries, your brain will understand that this state isn’t death, and it won’t react the same way.”

“Cultivation isn’t easy. You have to overcome mental barriers and train repeatedly until your body and mind adapt. Some say there’s great fear in cultivation—and they’re right. But if you can’t even get past this first step, I’d advise you to give up now.”

Lin Yue’s tone was serious.

“I understand. I’ll try again.” Li Yi took a deep breath.

Lin Yue reassured him, “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Take your time—there’s plenty of it.”

Li Yi nodded but remained silent. He knew the truth—his time wasn’t unlimited. Trouble was coming for him soon, and before that happened, he had to start cultivating and confirm whether the half-broken coin in his possession was truly a rare artifact.

He continued meditating.

Time passed.

At some point, the office door creaked open.

Uncle Biao cautiously stepped inside, glancing at Li Yi before signaling to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue walked out quietly.

“How’s his progress?” Uncle Biao asked in a low voice.

Lin Yue sighed. “Not great. He still hasn’t truly entered meditation.”

“That’s normal,” Uncle Biao said with a chuckle. “I was the same at first. Have some patience—this is his first exposure to cultivation. He knew nothing about it before today.”

Lin Yue hesitated, then asked, “Uncle, do you remember how Li Yi’s father, Uncle Li, did on his first attempt?”

She held up a single finger. “Once. He entered meditation on the first try. Then he immediately began absorbing cosmic energy and officially started his cultivation.”

Uncle Biao scoffed. “His father was a true genius—can’t compare. Otherwise, why do you think he ended up as a Silent One? Not just anyone can become a Silent One. The first batch of cultivators advanced too quickly. They didn’t fully understand the risks, and… well, you know what happened.”

He paused, then looked at Lin Yue.

“What do you think? Does Li Yi have any talent for cultivation?”

Uncle Biao nudged Lin Yue’s arm and asked, “So, what do you think?”

Lin Yue pondered for a moment before responding, “It’s too early to tell. But he did enter meditation on his first try—he just got scared and backed out due to inexperience. That being said, cultivation talent is no longer judged by how quickly someone enters meditation. The real measure is how efficiently they can absorb cosmic energy.”

“Some people can absorb ten units of energy at once but only retain one or two. That kind of conversion rate means they have poor cultivation talent.”

“Others might only absorb five units at most, but if they can retain all of it, their conversion rate is 100%. That’s a sign of great talent and significant potential. If someone like that also has a guide to help them, they can even reach the level of a prodigy.”

“Then there are those who have a low conversion rate but can capture a hundred units of cosmic energy in one go. Even if they only retain twenty percent, that’s still an incredible feat.”

“I’ll have to test Li Yi to see where he stands.”

“I’ll leave that to you, then. I’ll treat you to a meal later,” Uncle Biao said with a grin.

Lin Yue rolled her eyes. “Forget it. Let me say this upfront—if Li Yi doesn’t have any cultivation talent, there’s nothing I can do. I’m just a person, not some deity who can bestow talent on others. Give me three days, and I’ll know what he’s capable of.”

“Haha, no need to worry! Like father, like son. I’m sure this kid has plenty of talent. Three days will be more than enough,” Uncle Biao replied confidently.

He wasn’t actually convinced that Li Yi had great cultivation talent. But he knew the boy was sensible—if he didn’t show any progress within three days, he probably wouldn’t keep troubling Lin Yue.

“Let’s hope so.”

Just then, Lin Yue hushed him suddenly. “Shh! I think he’s entered meditation. Uncle, go take care of your business—I need to check on him and assess his cultivation talent.”

Uncle Biao nodded and tiptoed out of the room.

At that moment, within the depths of his consciousness, Li Yi was fully immersed in his meditative state.

His mind remained calm and composed, free from panic or fear.

Now that his awareness had fully detached from his physical senses and adapted to the darkness, new changes began to emerge.

Faint lights started appearing in the void around him.

These lights flowed like rivers through the space, but their colors were unsettling—a murky grayish-white, as if tainted by some unknown pollution. They instinctively felt repulsive, something his very being urged him to reject.

“These must be the polluted spiritual energies that exist in reality. I can’t absorb them,” Li Yi instinctively understood.

Then, amid the grayish-white murk, a different kind of light appeared.

It was ancient and pristine, sharp like a blade. In an instant, it tore through the polluted energy, forcefully carving an opening in the tainted expanse. The glow expanded, gradually forming the shape of a broken coin.

Within the area illuminated by this light, pure cosmic energy flowed freely. Under his heightened awareness, it resembled a dazzling river of stars coursing through the cosmos.

At that moment, Li Yi felt his heart surge with excitement.

He finally understood—this broken blade coin in his hand was indeed a damaged artifact. It carried its own energy field, capable of purifying the polluted spiritual energy. With it, his cultivation speed could skyrocket.

But now wasn’t the time to celebrate.

Li Yi attempted to use his mind to guide the energy.

At first, nothing happened. But after a moment, a few specks of light seemed to be drawn by an unseen force and slowly flowed into his body.

It worked! His mental guidance had succeeded.

That meant he did have a talent for cultivation.

However, before he could absorb the energy, it quickly dissipated, merging back into the gray-white world around him and disappearing completely.

“Did I fail?” He recalled what Lin Yue had told him.

Guiding the energy into his body was just the first step—the second was keeping it there and absorbing it.

If he couldn’t do that, no matter how much energy he drew in, it would be useless.

Li Yi tried again.

More pure cosmic energy entered his body.

But the result was the same. It dispersed, was reabsorbed by the gray world, and vanished completely.

Still, he wasn’t discouraged. The energy field around him was practically endless—he could afford to keep trying.

A third time. A fourth time… Finally, on the fifth attempt, one small portion of energy remained in his body.

Instead of fading away, it melted into him—absorbed. A cool sensation washed over his mind, bringing a feeling of clarity and comfort.

Success!

Out of five attempts, one had worked.

Encouraged, Li Yi continued cultivating.

Just then, he noticed something new—tiny specks of pure light appearing in the polluted gray-white world around him. They seemed to be leaking in from a wormhole, but compared to the vast energy field of the blade coin, their numbers were pitifully small.

Why were those tiny bits of energy moving toward him?

Li Yi suddenly realized—they were being drawn to him by some external force.

“Is Lin Jie helping me?”

The thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t hesitate. He focused and attempted to absorb them.

Some he succeeded in taking in. Others slipped away, wasted, lost to the polluted world.

His failure rate was still high, but at least a few were absorbed.

With that, Li Yi fully immersed himself in cultivation.