Jason’s whole body tenses and then relaxes. His breath takes on the steady in and out pattern that had drilled itself into his being since long ago. When the time was right, he breathes in without breathing and the world responds. Three types of power flow into him only for two of them to eat the third and then be repulsed by his core. This doesn’t stop him though as he continues.

At first this new yet old method fails him. It might draw all the surrounding power in but the Mana and Qi mixed in devours the Energy he needs. With time though dribs and drabs of Energy start to make it through. Then as his body acclimates to the technique, the other powers become less able to convert the Energy within him.

Finally it reaches a tipping point as a concept, a rule, a law of great importance becomes realized by Jason in this new reality. He had heard it before in both lives. The classic concept that from nothing came one and the one, two. The two begot a third and from those three, all else. How from nothing came the primeval chaos and how that chaos split into two, Yin and Yang. Then from the two sides came harmony and the three together allowed for all of creation.

Jason was not willing to get into the quagmire that was religion but in NeoRealm he now had a unique perspective on this worlds conceptual creation. Energy divided into Mana and Qi. Together all else was created and thus why Energy use is so rare. How can one use that which has already been transformed? However there was Energy still around. How could that be? Jason’s answer was simple enough. While the Energy currently in the world isn’t as powerful as the original primeval Energy through the other two it formed. After all, if everything else came from the two would that not also include the original source?

Maybe the devs had originally only meant for there to be Mana and Qi. With the support it gets that would make some sense. They likely meant Energy to be some form of divine pre-world energy that formed everything so they could slip in some powerful artifacts or some such and not have them duplicated. Of course as with any act of creation it never goes how they planned.

All this and more is pouring through Jason’s head but he recenters himself. These ideas and concepts are important for now he needed to focus on the thing which would improve his cultivation. That simple realization that while Energy can make Mana and Qi. Mana and Qi together can make Energy.

With this mental model of how the world works his cultivation changes. Whereas before the two would suck up Energy and be forced out his core they would instead stick to one another. A particle of Mana would hit one of Qi and become stuck together. These packets of power would then combine with other packets and so on. Finally their combined mass causes them to fall towards his core like meteors to a planet.

The impact against his core would force some of them apart. Sending loose bits of Qi and Mana shooting out of his body. What remains behind though is pure Energy which is assimilated into his core. Not perfect but nothing in nature is anyway. It is enough for Jason that his bet paid off in not only an improved method of cultivating but a moment of inspiration as well.

Now that he has settled on the rhythm though he comes to the hard part. Jason needs to integrate the flow of his cultivation into his core to such a point it keeps the circulation going. As it is, the power comes into his body and falls to his core. From there he has to split off the Energy and spread it through his body. He has a plan though. An imbalance of Energy will attract the other powers.

Until now his body was acting as a spacer between his core and the outside world. Like someone had stuck a magnet in the center of a big rubber ball. There might still have been a little bit of power attracted but for the most part everything stayed as it was. In fact it should have made him stand out to anyone who could sense the powers in some way. Around most people, the free floating energy should be slowly absorbed into the body. Not enough to advance but at least better than being a blank space.

Now though he can fix this. From his core Jason stretches out streams of power towards his skin in every direction. As it reaches the skin, nearby power is attracted into his body by it. These new energies might not have going fast but as they ram into his streams of Energy it imparts enough momentum to turn the streams back inward. The Energy joins with the streams while the Qi and Energy gathers together and rains down on his core.

All the while Jason focuses on keeping those streams cohesive. Soon the force pushing the streams inwards is enough to pull out more Energy from his core which extends the streams of power. This cycle continues until instead of a line the streams become a loop. With great caution Jason releases his grip on a single small stream. To his relief nothing happens at first. The outside power still hits it forcing the stream ever inward while the force continues to pull more power from his core outward.

His theory confirmed Jason releases more and more control over the process until it fills his body with a natural flow of Energy. In fact, he can feel his pool grow and the power available to use increase. However just as he relaxes something happens. That first stream of power he released bloats outward and comes apart. Then another and another follow it. Jason is about to take a firm grip on things when it hits him. This isn’t a bad thing.