Chapter Four: Grinding the First Stone
After a long time, Tian Heng felt a slight change. The etheric flow he had been drawing from the second, slightly stronger source, began to stabilize. The blue light at the base of the platform was no longer flickering intermittently but had become steady, though still faint. On the floating light screen, the number slowly rose: [4.5%... 4.8%... 5.1%.]
It wasn't a significant improvement, but the energy consumption rate was now just slightly lower than the input rate. It had achieved a true temporary stability. However, Tian Heng noticed the cost: the mental effort required to draw ether from a greater distance and through the cave's rocks was greater, leaving him feeling a deeper fatigue than before.
"This isn't sustainable in the long run," he thought coldly. "Relying solely on directing raw ether to the vault will drain me before I make any real progress. The priority is to increase my personal capacity."
He shifted his focus back to the core. "Core, do you have any techniques in your database to increase user affinity for ether, or to gather and store ether within a living body?"
The light screen flashed, and information flowed:
[One basic technique found: "Ether Breathing Method of Nine Cycles." Description: A standard meditation and breathing technique designed for beginners to increase sensitivity to the surrounding ether and absorb minimal amounts to gradually strengthen the body. Efficiency: Very low, especially for users with low initial affinity. Note: This technique is designed only as a first step. Real progress requires advanced techniques or external resources (celestial materials, monster cores, ether-rich environments), none of which are currently available or discovered.]
A basic technique with very low efficiency. Tian Heng didn't feel disappointed. This was expected. Anything was better than nothing. Having a path, even if slow and arduous, was all that mattered.
"Show details of the 'Ether Breathing Method of Nine Cycles.'"
Complex diagrams of energy pathways within the human body appeared, accompanied by detailed instructions on sitting postures, breathing rhythms, and how to focus the mind to sense and draw ether from the surrounding environment into the body, circulating it through nine specified cycles before most of it dissipated once again.
Tian Heng found a relatively quiet spot on the cold floor of the hall and sat in the lotus position as the instructions recommended. He began to regulate his breathing, following the rhythm set with mechanical precision. Then, he tried to focus his senses inward, searching for that faint etheric tingling not in the outside world, but in the air he breathed, in the void around him.
It was ten times harder than directing ether to the resonator. The ether around him was too weak and scattered, and trying to pull it into his body using only his will and breath felt like trying to fill a lake with a dropper. He felt a faint and uncomfortable tingling under his skin, with some slight spasms in his muscles as he resisted the urge to breathe naturally.
After what seemed like a long time, he completed one cycle of breathing and focusing. He didn't feel any real change, perhaps just a slight and strange warmth in his chest that quickly faded. He opened his eyes, his mind analyzing the experience coldly.
"Efficiency is nearing zero," he concluded. "It might take weeks or months of this continuous practice just to achieve the slightest tangible progress in affinity." He didn't flinch. This was just another variable in the complex equation of his survival and growth. He would dedicate part of his time to this practice every day, no matter how slow the results.
Now, the physical needs. Thirst was beginning to return, and hunger was gnawing harder. He first headed to the water cave. How would he transport the water? He looked around the main hall, his eyes scanning every corner. He noticed some metal panels ripped from a damaged wall, possibly remnants of an old device. He picked one up, and its edges were sharp. Cautiously, he used a small stone to pound and bend the metal, awkwardly forming a rough, flat container that could hold a small amount of water.
He returned to the cave and spent the next few minutes patiently collecting the dripping water into his makeshift container, then brought it back to the main hall to pour it into a relatively clean corner, repeating the process several times until he gathered enough for a day or two. It was a tedious, time-consuming task, but necessary.
Next came food. The only option indicated by the scan was fungi. He cautiously moved to another passage the core had pointed out. This passage was darker and more humid, and pale, strange-looking patches of fungi were already growing on the walls.
Tian Heng stopped in front of one of these patches. The smell was earthy and unappealing. Could it be poisonous? He asked the core again, focusing on a specific sample.
[Sample analysis [Pale Gray Mushroom]: No known acute toxins in the database matching the metabolic signature. Nutritional value: Very low. Long-term effects: Unknown. Extreme caution advised.]
Extreme caution. But hunger was a reality. Tian Heng scraped a tiny amount of the mushroom with his nails. He looked at it for a moment, then placed it in his mouth and chewed slowly. The taste was bitter and earthy, the texture rubbery. He swallowed it, then stood motionless, carefully observing any reaction from his body.
An hour passed as he watched. He didn't feel sharp pain, severe nausea, or any clear signs of poisoning. Just a general discomfort in his stomach, with a foul taste in his mouth. It seemed non-lethal in the short term, though it barely qualified as food.
He returned and scraped a little more, just enough to soothe the sharpest pangs of hunger. This would be his food for now. Disgusting, barely nutritious, but better than nothing. It was a resource, and it would be exploited.
As what was presumably "night" settled in this always-dark place, Tian Heng set himself a strict schedule:
Directing ether to the vault: Long focus sessions to maintain energy stability at the minimum safe level (currently around 5-6%). Top priority.
Personal training: At least one hour daily to practice the "Ether Breathing Method of Nine Cycles," no matter how futile it seemed at first. A long-term investment.
Resource gathering: Periodic trips to collect water and cautiously gather small amounts of edible fungi.
Rest: Calculated sleep periods to reduce energy consumption and allow the body and mind minimal recovery.
Tian Heng sat in the cold darkness, the faint hum of the core his only companion. He was isolated, weak, living hand to mouth, relying on a barely-functioning machine. Yet, there was not a shred of despair in his eyes. He had control – control over himself, his time, and the limited resources available to him. He had a plan. He had hope