When Lucius heard Elder Victor's instructions, he immediately began to cultivate. With only six hours given, he did not know whether the time was too short or more than enough. Either way, he could not afford to hesitate. He had to give everything he had.
The cultivation technique he received did not feel it strayed away from Goddess Celestia teachings. There was no trace of demonic influence within it and that alone eased his mind.
Lucius wanted to see how far he could go with this new system of power. Even in this unfamiliar world, Goddess Celestia was still with him. Once again, he would devote his strength to her.
He whispered softly, his voice full with sincerity, "O Goddess Celestia, please guide me and enlighten me once more as I walk this new path of strength."
The moment the words left his lips, his thoughts grew calm and clear. A gentle warmth spread through his body, starting from his chest and flowing outward.
A faint smile formed on his lips as he kept his eyes closed. He knew it without doubt—his goddess had answered him. She had accepted this new form of power and blessed him once again.
The warm sensation around him was qi.
Unlike others, Lucius did not need to search for it in the air. It was already flowing through him, gentle and steady, as if it had always been there. His goddess was already guiding the surrounding Qi to him.
Remembering the steps of the cultivation technique, Lucius began to focus. Qi flowed freely within him. Slowly and carefully, he reached out with his mind and guided it.
It felt familiar.
He guided the qi the same way he once controlled mana patiently, without force.
The qi moved beneath his skin first, spreading like a cool current. Then it sank deeper, flowing into his muscles. Lucius directed it evenly, letting it strengthen his flesh bit by bit.
His skin grew firmer, his muscles denser.
He continued feeding qi into his body again and again. Instead of dispersing, the qi stayed, sinking deeper each time. A cold sensation spread across his skin and when the qi settled, he guided it further inward, into his muscles.
The process repeated.
With every cycle, Lucius felt the changes growing stronger. His body, which had once been thin and fragile, began to respond quickly. His muscles tightened, becoming more solid and resilient.
Lucius had no sense of how much time had passed.
The world outside his mind no longer mattered. There was only the steady rhythm he had fallen into—guiding qi through his body, over and over again. He sent it through his skin, then deeper into his muscles, repeating the same careful process without rushing or forcing it.
At first, the qi flowed through him and faded away.
Then something changed.
The qi was no longer just passing through him. Instead, it gathered naturally and began to stay.
It settled within his body, gathering and stabilizing, much like a mana core from his old world. His body itself was becoming a reservoir for qi.
The moment felt like crossing an invisible barrier or over an unseen line.
Lucius slowly opened his eyes.
The pavilion was silent.
Rows of participants still sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, their eyes closed and breathing steady. Not a single person had moved. Some had tense expressions while others were calm, but all remained locked in meditation.
Lucius lifted his gaze.
Elder Victor stood at the front of the hall, his arms folded behind his back. His eyes were fixed on Lucius alone. The elder was already watching him.
"You are the first to pass," Victor said, his voice calm but clearly impressed. "What is your name, young man?"
"Lucius, Elder Victor," he replied respectfully. "May I ask how much time has passed?"
"Thirty-seven minutes," Victor said. "You have talent, boy. Especially considering the conditions under which this entrance exam is held."
Victor gestured lightly around the hall.
"The qi here is more dense than the outside world," he continued. "There is a qi-gathering formation beneath this place. It was meant to assist all participants."
His eyes sharpened slightly as he looked back at Lucius.
"And yet, even with that advantage, reaching the first stage so quickly is rare."
The elder nodded once and paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Very uncommon."
Elder Victor's gaze swept across the hall, lingering briefly on the other participants. Most of them were still seated and deep in meditation.Their eyes closed and breathing steadily as they struggled to guide qi through their bodies
"Since you have already passed," he said, "you will need to wait until the time limit ends. After that, the next exam will begin."
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "There's another exam?" he asked.
"Yes," Victor replied calmly. "But I doubt it will trouble you."
"Thank you, Elder Victor," Lucius said respectfully. "Even so, I will still do my best."
A faint smile tugged at the elder's beard as he nodded in approval. "Good. Confidence is fine, but arrogance will get you nowhere in this world. It only leads to an early death."
Lucius accepted the words without protest. He took the words seriously because he had seen arrogance destroy countless persons in his past life.
"Now that you have entered the first stage of the Qi Refining Realm," Victor continued, "you must get used to your new strength."
He gestured lightly toward Lucius's body. "For now, continue cultivating until the exam ends. Afterward, you should train your body properly."
Lucius nodded. He could already feel it, the subtle difference in how his body responded,
He had already been thinking the same thing. Even though he still carried experience from his old world, this body was new. If he wanted to use his sword techniques as he once had, he would need to rebuild himself from the ground up.
His new strength alone would only make all the fighting experience he has useless.
He would have to retrain his body, restore his balance, and relearn the movements until they became instinct again.