Late Night in the Cell

Deep in the night, with neither moon nor stars in the sky, Luo Feng's cell was plunged into darkness, save for a faint glow from the corridor outside. "Hmph..." snores echoed through the cell, indicating deep sleep. Suddenly, Luo Feng, who had been resting on the upper bunk to his left, sat up. He crossed his legs, soles facing upwards, placed his hands on his thighs with palms up, and straightened his back. "According to the article I read at the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, there's only one gene original energy cultivation method in the world: the 'five hearts facing the sky' cultivation method. Most people who meet the physical requirements for a Warrior can begin cultivating gene original energy." Luo Feng took a deep breath. "The article said the first 'sensing' is the hardest!" To absorb the wisps of energy from the cosmos, one must first sense them. The article stated that this energy permeated every corner of Earth, and even the cosmic starry sky. However, most humans were completely unaware of its existence. "Once you can 'sense' it, absorption becomes simple." "Generally, gifted individuals can sense it on their first day of cultivation. But for Warriors with weaker talent, merely sensing cosmic energy can take a year or even half a year." Luo Feng adjusted his breathing, then maintained the 'five hearts facing the sky' posture. The 'five hearts' referred to the soles of his two feet, the palms of his two hands, and the Baihui acupoint on the crown of his head. "Inhale, exhale..." Luo Feng's breathing gradually calmed. He controlled himself, allowing his mind to become still. "The body must be relaxed, the 'five hearts facing the sky' posture natural. The mind must be tranquil, as calm as a mirror-like lake." Luo Feng's self-control was excellent; he gradually achieved complete stillness, his mind settling. Silence reigned, his breathing almost imperceptible. One minute, two minutes... thirty minutes, an hour... "Hmm?" Luo Feng suddenly opened his eyes in the cell. "Where exactly is this 'cosmic energy'? Why can't I feel it? My mind should have been extremely calm just now. Could it be true, as the article said, that geniuses can sense it in a day, while the less talented take a year or more?" "I'll try one more time." Luo Feng closed his eyes, attempting again to sense the cosmic energy described in the article as being everywhere. Relaxed, still. These were the two most emphasized points in the 'five hearts facing the sky' cultivation method. "Still nothing." Half an hour later, Luo Feng opened his eyes again. Luo Feng truly realized that the first hurdle in cultivating gene original energy—sensing it—was incredibly difficult. "One last attempt. If I don't succeed, I'll wait until tomorrow night. I hope it works." Luo Feng wished silently, closing his eyes and once again calming his mind to sense the cosmic energy. Time ticked by, minute by minute... ten minutes... thirty minutes... fifty minutes... an hour and twenty minutes... "Why hasn't it worked yet?" In the near-meditative stillness of his mind, Luo Feng's thoughts also slowed. Gradually... In this state of closed-eyed, near-meditation, Luo Feng still held a faint hope of sensing cosmic energy. But as time passed, he found himself drifting off to sleep! After all, even a normal person would likely fall asleep after half an hour of lying still in the dead of night, let alone Luo Feng, who had been at it for three hours. Approaching sleep, Luo Feng had forgotten about sensing cosmic energy. "So comfortable." In his near-sleep state, Luo Feng vaguely sensed wisps of energy slowly flowing into his body through the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, and the Baihui acupoint on his head. "What is this?" Luo Feng was still half-asleep. "It's cosmic energy!!!" Luo Feng jolted awake, his eyes wide open, and the sensation vanished instantly. Luo Feng hadn't expected to vaguely sense cosmic energy just as he was about to fall asleep. "I felt it, I felt it! That must have been cosmic energy!" A wave of joy surged through Luo Feng. "According to the article, once one reaches the Prospective Warrior threshold, most people can cultivate gene original energy. Even if they don't consciously sense it, their body will absorb it unconsciously, albeit very slowly." Luo Feng knew that what he had just sensed was his body instinctively absorbing cosmic energy, but the speed of this unconscious absorption was incredibly slow. "That's the feeling." Luo Feng immediately closed his eyes and tried to sense it again. Gradually, his breathing calmed, and his mind settled. Luo Feng's consciousness focused almost entirely on the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, and the crown of his head. He tried to sense the wisps of energy he had felt before. In a daze, he seemed to sense that energy, yet also not. Gradually, the sensation became clearer. That was it! Tiny, faint wisps of energy drifted, only penetrating slightly when they neared the soles of his feet, at an extremely slow pace. "This is cosmic energy." Luo Feng's consciousness focused on the 'five hearts,' and his mind naturally emitted thoughts of 'absorbing cosmic energy.' Immediately, the absorption speed through the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, and the Baihui acupoint on his head increased dramatically, by nearly a hundredfold. If, at first, cosmic energy was like water dripping slowly into Luo Feng's body through a crack in a pipe, now, that crack had widened, becoming a small stream continuously flowing into him. "Ah~~~" A shiver, originating from the depths of his bone marrow, ran through Luo Feng's body. These invisible, colorless cosmic energies, once inside Luo Feng, were ravenously devoured by every cell in his body, which had been starved for too long. The cosmic energy continuously poured in through the five channels. Within the cells, as cosmic energy entered, it was rapidly absorbed by the mitochondria, simultaneously releasing a peculiar energy. This energy was quickly absorbed by various parts of the cell, and the entire cell immediately began to undergo earth-shattering changes. The DNA genetic blueprint also underwent subtle alterations, and the cells began to divide, splitting into two. Time passed, minute by minute... Luo Feng's body was constantly changing. From his skin, muscles, and bones to every deep-seated cell, and even his genes themselves, subtle transformations were occurring. This change was an evolution of life, an optimization of life's genes! "According to the cultivation method, because the human body has never consciously absorbed cosmic energy since birth, it's always in a state of hunger. The first time it absorbs cosmic energy, it absorbs the most. It's also the fastest period of strength improvement!" Luo Feng felt his entire body undergoing a fundamental change, from the inside out. The entire Earth, and indeed the cosmos, contained endless cosmic energy. The tiny amount Luo Feng was currently absorbing was negligible. But for Luo Feng himself, it was the most astonishing improvement he had experienced in his entire life. Bone density was increasing, cell volume was shrinking, one cell was dividing into two, and muscle tissue was optimizing. Naturally, Luo Feng's body weight was also increasing. Life was truly extraordinary! In his brain region, deep within Luo Feng's brain, where he couldn't perceive it, as cosmic energy continuously surged in and entered the brain region, a phenomenon occurred. Since Luo Feng's birth, this deep brain region had only vibrated three times, leading to his three previous faints. But tonight, with the large-scale influx of cosmic energy, a different kind of change occurred in the deep brain region, more subtle than the previous three. Luo Feng, in his cultivation, didn't even notice it. ... "Dong~~ Dong~~ Dong~~" In the early morning, just as the Sun rose, around five or six o'clock, sounds began to stir in the Detention Center. Inmates in each cell started to wake up. Luo Feng, who had been sitting cross-legged for a long time, finally opened his eyes, a smile gracing his lips. "Indeed, this first conscious absorption of cosmic energy, from childhood until now, took the longest. It took almost two hours to reach saturation." Luo Feng could feel that his body now contained a power significantly greater than before. "The improvement from this one night seems even greater than the physical enhancement I gained from my collapse during the College Entrance Exam last time." Luo Feng had this feeling. "I estimate my punch force could be 1500kg now, perhaps even higher." As for the exact increase, only a detailed test would tell. "Breakfast time, breakfast time." Many suspects from the Detention Center left their cells to eat. Luo Feng jumped off his bunk, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and prepared for breakfast. Just then, in the corridor outside the cell, three inmates in prison uniforms walked past Luo Feng's cell. One of them called out, "Baldy Huang, I heard there's a master in your cell who injured four senior Martial Arts Hall students." "Brother Liu, he's really something," the bald, burly man in Luo Feng's cell replied with a smiling nod. "Oh." The three inmates exchanged glances. One of them whispered, "No mistake, the cell, the age, the strength—it's him, just as Brother Zhou said."