A sharp pain shot through Rain's head as he woke up. His head felt light, and his vision was blurry.
White light assaulted his eyes as he finally opened them. He squinted for a second and slowly regained his consciousness.
Looking around cautiously, he knew he was in a hospital.
The walls were sparkling white, and so was the ceiling, with bright white light bulbs. Beside him was a monitor tracking his health status, and there was a syringe hose connected to his arm from the IV drip stand beside the hospital bed.
Rain sat up and rested his back against the pillow.
He had bandaged injuries on his head, leg, stomach, and arm, and he was wearing blue patient clothing.
He reached up with his unencumbered hand, gingerly touching the thick gauze wrapped around his forehead. The memories hit him like a physical blow... the portal appearing, the wet sound of his father's chest collapsing, and the sight of his mother being hurled into a concrete pillar, then the experience in his newfound Martial Soul.
"Mom..." he croaked, his voice sounding like sandpaper. "...I need to find out where she is."
He looked at the monitor. His vitals were stable, but there was a strange, faint violet energy moving just beneath his skin. No one could see it. Even the monitor was too weak to detect it, since this was just a Martial Grade hospital and not one meant for Cultivators or Jiangs.
He could definitely see it, though. Qi moved through his body infinitely, not having a direct source. He would only get a direct source at Rank Three, where he would be able to form a Core to maintain his Qi.
But what sort of Core could hold infinity?
At Rank One, otherwise known as Rank White, he would only be able to sense and absorb Qi, open meridians, and begin Path alignment.
The last part would only be confirmed once he was clear on the faction of awakening he fell into.
As for absorbing and sensing Qi, he was already halfway there. He could feel the Qi in and around him. Absorbing it would not be easy, but everything would work out with enough practice. The meridians were going to be a lot of help, at least.
Meridians were the invisible channels within the human body through which Qi flowed. Just like veins carried blood and nerves carried signals, meridians carried energy, connecting every part of the body into a single functioning system.
For ordinary humans, these pathways remained closed or dormant, making them incapable of sensing or utilizing Qi. But once a person awakened, their meridians would begin to open, allowing them to draw in energy from the world and circulate it within themselves.
The state of one's meridians determined everything.
Some had narrow and fragile channels, barely able to handle a trickle of Qi. Others were wider, allowing smoother flow and greater control. The truly gifted possessed meridians that were naturally vast and resilient, capable of enduring immense pressure without breaking.
Early cultivation revolved around these pathways: opening them fully, clearing out impurities, and strengthening them so they would not rupture under the strain of power.
Because if Qi was forced through weak meridians, the consequences were severe.
At best, the flow would become unstable and techniques would fail. At worst, the channels would collapse, crippling the cultivator or killing them outright.
Without meridians, Qi was useless. And without Qi, there was no path forward.
Rain knew this, of course, since it was something he had been taught back in school alongside other students. Although it was still rudimentary, it was enough.
"I'll still have to go to the Academy before entering the Tower."
Soon, the door beeped open, sliding into the wall, and a nurse wearing neat white clothing, holding a white tablet, stepped in.
"What's with the excessive use of white?"
The nurse, oblivious to his disdain, stared at him with awe. "Patient 230?" She checked her screen, her eyes widening. "You were at the center of the Sector 8 collapse. You've been out for three days. You shouldn't even be conscious with those internal injuries."
Rain ignored her shock. He didn't care about his miraculous recovery. He knew it was the infinite Qi stitching his cells back together.
With access to Qi now, he would heal faster, a trait possessed by all awakened.
"My mother," Rain said, grabbing the edge of the bedsheet. "Lila. She was brought in with me. Where is she?"
The nurse stared at him for a while in confusion before shaking her head. "Ah, sorry. The casualties were many, so it's still taking time to access the database of the estate and check everyone's real names, so we assigned the patients numbers. If you want, I can help you ask those in charge of the records if your mom's data is out, and then you can know which care unit she is currently in."
Rain took five seconds to process the words, then nodded with a smile. "Thanks, I'd appreciate it."
The nurse smiled back. "You're welcome. Now, can I do what I came here for?"
Rain nodded.
The nurse moved closer to the bed, setting her tablet aside as she began her routine check.
She carefully unwrapped parts of his bandages, inspecting the wounds with practiced precision. Her brows furrowed slightly, clearly confused at how well they had already begun to heal. She pressed lightly against his abdomen, checked his pulse, then glanced at the monitor again as if expecting the readings to change.
"Your recovery rate is… abnormal," she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to him.
Rain said nothing.
She replaced the gauze, adjusted the IV line, and scribbled a few notes into her tablet, occasionally casting him curious glances as if trying to figure him out.
After a few more minutes, she finally straightened up.
"Try not to move too much," she said, though her tone lacked conviction after everything she had just seen. "I'll check on the records for your mother."
Without waiting for a response, she picked up her tablet and turned. The door slid open with a soft beep as she stepped out of the room. It closed behind her just as quietly.
Rain stared at the door for a few seconds, then sighed.
"Not moving, huh…"
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. The moment his feet touched the ground, a faint sting ran through his body, but it was dull, distant… almost irrelevant.
The violet Qi beneath his skin pulsed gently, as if responding.
"I don't have time for this."
He reached for the IV stand beside him, gripping the metal pole as he slowly pushed himself up. His body wobbled for a second, but he steadied himself.
The pain didn't get worse. If anything, it felt like his body was adjusting in real time.
Rain glanced down at his arm, watching the faint flow of Qi.
"…Yeah. I'll be fine."
Dragging the IV stand along with him, he made his way toward the door. With a quiet breath, he reached out and stepped out of the room.