At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, I embarked on my journey, my body embracing the dust.

Inside the cave, the campfire crackled, illuminating Nightmare's pale and focused face.

The Medicine Old Man had already fallen asleep nearby, fully clothed, emitting rhythmic snoring.

Yet, Nightmare felt no drowsiness.

His mind was completely immersed in the faint yet crucial stream of information transmitted by the primal cube.

This was not some earth-shattering Secret Manual; it was more like a key, a brand-new "tool" for observing the world and understanding existence.

It did not expound on "how to absorb Spiritual Qi" or "how to circulate energy," but rather addressed the most fundamental questions: "what is energy," "how is matter composed," and "how do Laws manifest."

Within the theoretical framework of the primal cube, so-called "Spiritual Qi" was merely one form of manifestation of the Universe's fundamental energy, not the entirety of energy itself.

In the Land of Absolute Spirit, it was not that energy was absent, but rather that its form of existence and level of activity had changed; it was more tightly bound to matter itself, presenting a state of "inward restraint" and "stability."

"If I cannot draw it from the outside, then... I shall mine it from within?"

Nightmare's remaining analytical capabilities, combined with this new understanding, began to deduce an unprecedented possibility.

He recalled his own Physical Body, which was on the verge of collapse.

This body had once borne the power of the Dao-Integration level; every cell, every inch of muscle and bone, had been repeatedly tempered by high-level energy, making it fundamentally extraordinary.

Though it had now lost all energy, like a dried-up riverbed, the "capacity" and "potential" of the riverbed still remained!

Perhaps he did not need to obsess over drawing upon the inert "Spiritual Qi" of the outside world, but could instead attempt... to awaken the dormant potential within his own Physical Body?

To view his Physical Body as an independent "small world" containing a Treasure Trove?

Once this thought emerged, his remaining deductive instincts immediately began to operate at high speed.

Combining it with the primal cube's theory on the transformation of matter and energy, the prototype of an extremely crude yet clearly directed "internal refining" method slowly took shape in his mind.

No longer relying on the nose and mouth to breathe in Spiritual Qi, he would sink his consciousness into the most minute parts of his body to perceive and guide those "life imprints" and "energy traces"—which were nearly at the Origin—that remained from when he had once borne immense power.

He would let them become active again, nourishing and repairing this dilapidated shell from within!

This was nothing short of a high-stakes gamble!

If he failed, it might completely destroy the last remaining vitality of this body.

But Nightmare had no other choice.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the waves of piercing pain from his Divine Soul, and began his attempt.

He closed his eyes, no longer sensing the desperate "Land of Absolute Spirit" environment outside, and instead sank all of his mental consciousness, like the finest antennae, slowly into his own body.

The first thing he perceived was a scene of ruin.

His severed Meridians were like dried-up riverbeds, his shattered internal organs emitted an aura of decay, and the fractures were truly shocking to behold.

He did not lose heart, guiding his consciousness past these macroscopic wounds, delving deeper into the microscopic level—to his cells, and even more fundamental life units.

The process was extremely difficult.

His Divine Soul was too heavily damaged; this level of extremely subtle internal observation placed a tremendous burden on him.

It was like a Mortal using a dull carving knife to engrave flowers onto a grain of rice; the slightest carelessness would cause his Divine Soul to tremble, resulting in excruciating pain.

Time passed bit by bit.

Sweat soaked his tattered black robe, his face grew paler, and his body even began to tremble slightly.

Yet, he gritted his teeth, relying on the tenacious will of his past life as a Supreme, and held on firmly.

He did not know how much time had passed, just as his consciousness was on the brink of scattering once again—Hum!

An extremely faint resonance, seemingly from the depths of his life's Origin, sounded in a dormant corner somewhere within his body!

He "saw" it!

Deep within the nearly necrotic bones, there was an imperceptible "imprint" with a faint, grayish-black luster, like a sleeping star.

Triggered by his consciousness guided at a specific frequency according to the Primordial Theory, it flickered slightly!

It was a remnant trace of the nirvana dao seed!

Although it was so faint as to be almost negligible, this was, without a doubt, a trace of power originating from his own Origin!

It had not completely vanished; it had merely gone dormant!

He had succeeded!

Nightmare's spirit was suddenly invigorated; the immense joy even temporarily overwhelmed the pain!

He had found his direction!

He immediately steadied his mind, using all his remaining strength to maintain this fragile perception, and cautiously guided that faint nirvana imprint, attempting to stimulate it.

The process remained slow and painful, like digging a deep well in an endless desert.

But under his unremitting efforts, that nirvana imprint finally began, extremely slowly, to release a faint breath of Qi, bit by bit.

This breath was not the Spiritual Qi of the outside world, but a type of "Nirvana Internal Qi" originating from the source of his Physical Body!

It carried the coldness and sense of finality peculiar to Nirvana, yet it also contained vibrant vitality (destruction and rebirth are, after all, two sides of the same coin).

It began to flow like a trickling stream, silently nourishing the nearly withered Meridians and tissues along its path!

Wherever it passed, the burning pain actually lessened by a fraction; though it was minimal, it was truly effective repair!

At the same time, within the space, that world tree seedling seemed to sense the budding of this "Nirvana Internal Qi" within its Host, transmitting a feeling of joy and encouragement.

Its emerald-green life radiance flickered slightly, echoing the external Nirvana Internal Qi from afar, and together they nourished Nightmare's injured body.

An unprecedented path had been carved out in this desperate situation; guided by the theory of the primal cube and relying on his own unyielding will, he had forcibly opened up a glimmer of hope!

Nightmare slowly opened his eyes; although his gaze remained weary, a light called "hope" had been rekindled within them.

He looked at the sleeping Medicine Old Man beside him, and then at the strange starry sky outside the cave, which was shrouded by the Law of the Land of Absolute Spirit.

The Land of Absolute Spirit? Impossible to cultivate?

No.

It is just that the old path has been severed; the new path shall be forged by me, Nightmare, personally!