Sun Moon Empire, Capital City, Kong Family Residence.
As the leader of the Hall of Worship within the Sun Moon Empire, a true pillar of the nation, and the most influential figure second only to the Emperor himself, Kong Deming lived in a way that many might find surprising. His home was not the grand palace one would expect from a man of his standing.
Instead, it was quite simple and modest when compared to the flashy mansions of other imperial officials. Of course, anyone who knew that this was the home of Kong Deming would simply nod in respect. They would say that Elder Kong did not care for fame or money and that he was a true hero of the Empire.
Inside one of the quiet rooms, Kong Mingan sat on his bed. He was sitting with his legs crossed in a meditation pose. It had been nearly sixty hours since he had awakened his Energy Spirit and proved his worth to those around him. The details of his awakening were now a closely guarded secret.
Information about his unique Spirit, his innate spirit power rank, and his shocking ability to create a Rank 1 Soul Core with only 0.5 rank of power was completely hidden from the public. The Rank 9 Soul Engineers who had been there during the awakening were all trusted friends of his grandfather. Keeping the secret was easy for a man with Kong Deming's power.
However, none of those political secrets mattered to Kong Mingan at this moment. His mind was fully focused on the tiny but clear spark of spirit power inside his body. He was also feeling his strange Spirit, which he called Energy. It was something he could not touch or see, yet it felt like it was everywhere at once.
He wondered what Energy really was. In the world of the Douluo Continent, people believed that spirit power was the foundation of everything. It was the fuel that let a Spirit Master use their Spirit and their Spirit Abilities.
It was the very source of their life and strength. On the other hand, mental force was seen as an extension of a person's will. It was like a bridge that allowed them to sense the world and control their power.
Both spirit power and mental force were just different forms of Energy. The way this Energy flowed, changed, and exploded was the basic building block of the Spirit Master system in this world.
The special thing about Kong Mingan's Energy Spirit was the incredible control and insight it gave him over these building blocks. After exploring his powers for two days, he had found two main abilities that his Spirit gave him.
First, he had amazing internal control. He could move the Energy inside him, like his spirit power and mental force, with perfect accuracy. He had proven this two days ago when he made a Rank 1 Soul Core in front of the master Soul Engineers. Even though his 0.5 rank of spirit power was as weak as a tiny candle flame in a storm, he could control it perfectly. It did exactly what he wanted without any mistakes.
Second, he had a special kind of external Energy vision. He had discovered this while trying to look deep inside himself. When he focused hard, he could see the flow of Energy in the world around him. He could see everything within five meters of his body.
He could see the tiny stream of his own spirit power moving slowly through his meridians. He could also see his mental force surrounding him like invisible ripples in water. Even better, he could see the spirit power and mental force of other living things. To him, it looked like different shapes and colors of light glowing in the dark.
There was no doubt that his Spirit was very powerful in its own way. But Kong Mingan wondered if it was only limited to spirit power and mental force. He felt that since his Spirit was named Energy, it should be able to do more.
He thought that maybe his low innate spirit power was holding him back for now. Or perhaps, because he only knew how to use spirit power and mental force, those were the only things his Spirit could control yet. He would have to test this out over time.
Kong Mingan felt a sudden rush of excitement. In his past life, he spent every day fixing the messy mistakes his teacher and students made in the science lab. This new world was much more interesting than that.
He stopped meditating and looked at several small bottles made of jade on the table in front of him. His grandfather, Kong Deming, had sent these to him. Inside were three types of medicinal pills designed to help increase a person's innate spirit power without causing any harm to the body.
Two of the bottles held pills made by the Sun Moon Empire. The third bottle was different. It had a light mist around it and felt very cool to the touch. This bottle contained the Xuan Water Pill.
Kong Mingan picked up the jade bottle and remembered what he knew about this pill. It was a top-quality medicine used to strengthen the body and build a solid foundation for cultivation. It could clean out the body and improve a person's talent for spirit power.
It was especially helpful for low-level Spirit Masters. The cool water energy inside the pill could nourish the meridians and wash away impurities.
It was said that it could even raise a person's innate spirit power by one full rank. While these pills were usually made by the Xuanming Sect, the Sun Moon Empire had bought many of them in secret to help train their own talented people. Kong Mingan had five of these pills, which was a huge amount of resources for one person to have.
He pulled the top off the bottle and smelled a very fresh scent. He did not wait. He put the blue, fruit-sized pill into his mouth. The pill melted right away. It turned into a cool, powerful wave of energy that rushed through his entire body.
In his mind, he could see the blue energy flowing through his meridians. Everywhere the energy went, it fixed his narrow and weak spirit paths. It washed away the dirt and blockages that had been there since he was born. The life energy from the pill slowly merged with his own small spark of spirit power.
After a long time, the wild energy finally calmed down. It became a gentle stream that continued to nourish his body. Kong Mingan opened his eyes, and they looked sharper than before. He checked his internal power again. The tiny stream of spirit power had grown thicker. It was still not a huge amount, but it was much stronger than before.
He guessed that his innate spirit power had grown to about Rank 1.5. He thought about a character named Huo Guai from a story he knew. When that boy took a Xuan Water Pill, his power jumped more than a full rank. But that boy had a very strong will and special techniques. Kong Mingan's result was just average. He didn't absorb it perfectly, but it wasn't a waste either.
He wasn't worried, though. He told himself that he would just take more pills if he needed to. Having a low starting point was just a small problem that money and resources could fix.
He had tried to change his fate before in his old life, and he was ready to do it again here. He stood up and put the jade bottles away. He would wait until his body fully finished absorbing the first pill before taking another one.
After taking a bath to wash off the sweat and dirt that the pill had pushed out of his skin, he got dressed and walked to his door. Standing outside was a tall man in dark gold armor. The man felt as solid and strong as a mountain.
Even though he was trying to hide his power, Kong Mingan's Energy vision showed a different story. To Kong Mingan, the man's spirit power looked like a giant, burning furnace. It was clear that this man was a Titled Douluo. His grandfather had sent this powerful master to protect him and guide him.
Kong Mingan gave a small nod. The Titled Douluo understood and began to lead the way. They were heading to the military camp on the edge of the capital city. This was the place where the new soldiers for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion were trained.
When they arrived, the training ground was filled with loud shouts and the sounds of weapons hitting each other. Thousands of strong soldiers were training hard under the hot sun. They were practicing their physical strength and their basic Spirit Abilities. This was what they did every single day.
Kong Mingan did not go into the middle of the crowd. Instead, he sat down on some steps in the shade. The Titled Douluo stood behind him like a silent rock. He stayed quiet but made sure no one bothered the young master.
Soon, a group of soldiers who were at the Spirit Elder rank arrived. They were led by an officer named Wang Meng. The officer saluted and then knelt down with respect. He told Kong Mingan that he was there to follow orders and asked what the young master needed.
Kong Mingan looked at the officer for a moment and then told them to start. He wanted to see their Spirit Abilities that made their bodies stronger. He asked them to show him one by one.
Wang Meng signaled to his men. The first soldier stepped forward and let out a loud roar. A ghostly image of a gray bear appeared behind him. Suddenly, the soldier's muscles grew huge, and brown fur grew on his skin.
His hands turned into big bear paws. He hit his chest hard, making a loud thumping sound. Then, his first spirit ring began to glow yellow. His muscles became even tighter, and he looked incredibly strong.
Kong Mingan watched every move using his Energy vision. He didn't just see the muscles; he saw how the spirit power moved through the soldier's body.
He noticed that the spirit power hit specific points in the body that were similar to the pressure points used in ancient medicine from his old world.
He saw how the power flowed through points like the shoulders and the feet to give the soldier more strength. He realized that the spirit power was protecting the body while also pushing it to work harder than normal.
As he watched, his eyes began to shine with excitement. He knew his own body was weak because of his low rank. He couldn't just follow the normal path of a Spirit Master. If he just tried to level up and get spirit rings the old-fashioned way, he would never be truly great. He needed to do something different and much bigger. He needed a very strong body first.
He watched the soldiers use their powers and his brain began to work very fast. He combined his Energy vision, his knowledge of medicine from his past life, and his perfect control over his own energy. He started to think of a new way to train.
He wondered if he could make the spirit power flow better. He wondered if he could hit the right pressure points to make a person even stronger and faster. He thought about using his mental force to pull in energy from the world around him to speed up his training.
He wanted to create a new system that didn't just care about spirit power ranks. He wanted a way to unlock the hidden power inside the human body itself. A new plan was forming in his mind. He sat very still, looking like he was in a deep trance. His fingers moved slightly on his lap as if he were drawing maps of energy in the air.
Hours went by. The soldiers were tired and had used up all their spirit power. They were lying on the ground, breathing hard. Kong Mingan stopped moving his fingers and frowned. He realized he needed to see more people. He needed more examples to make his plan perfect.
He reached into his soul tool bracelet and pulled out some money cards. He threw them to Wang Meng. He told the officer to give each soldier a thousand gold coins and to keep the rest for himself. He wanted new soldiers to come back tomorrow so he could watch them too. Wang Meng was shocked to see so much money. He saluted again, looking very happy.
Kong Mingan didn't pay any more attention to the officer. He stood up and walked away, still thinking deeply. He had the basic idea for his new training method. Now he just needed to test it and fill in the details. He decided he needed a name for this new path. He thought for a moment and then smiled. He would call it the Body Cultivator.