Isshin began to cultivate deep in the dungeon. He did not have the time to worry about the circumstances—there was only time to focus on what was in front of him. He sat in silence, thoroughly immersed in the Qi that flowed through the cave. It was outrageously dense relative to the natural world, and it gave him a better understanding of cultivation.
His eyes remained closed still, body motionless… yet he sensed a change.
A strange pressure surrounded him.
He opened his eyes.
Darkness. Nothing but darkness.
As he adjusted to the void, a faint light began to form—light slowly covering him.
In front of him was Raijin.
Isshin moved forward one step, blinking in perplexity.
Where am I?" he asked.
"Welcome to your inner world," Raijin said peacefully.
When humans have reached a certain stage in their cultivation, they are able to enter their inner world," Raijin went on. "It becomes denser and denser as the soul becomes powerful. With sufficient knowledge, even someone in the Body Refinement stage can gain entry.".
Isshin looked around, shocked at the strange, quiet emptiness. As he walked ahead, he noticed a gigantic door in front of him—looming, with strange symbols etched all over it. He felt drawn to it, curious.
He attempted to look through the middle of the door, trying to get a glimpse of what was on the other side. His eyes drew nearer and nearer, and just when he was about to be able to see—
Raijin put a hand on his shoulder.
"Stop," he said.
"Why?" Isshin asked, glancing back.
Your soul will be destroyed if you look any farther.
Isshin remained still, then nodded wordlessly and stepped back.
"What's the big idea?" he inquired, moving back from the doorway.
At the moment, your internal world is not much—just myself. But when you exercise, life will begin to form here. Then planets, then universes. You'll ultimately have dominance over existence within your world. Demons will turn into angels. You'll make rain fall from the ground instead of the skies. With enough willpower, you'll even be able to imprison others here… and destroy their soul.
Isshin turned to face him again. "So what do you do here, when there's nothing?"
"You would think I'd get bored," Raijin continued, "but gods like myself don't care about time. It drifts on the same for us—on and on and never significant."
.Are there more of you?" Isshin questioned.
"Not on my level, and there aren't many. Top-tier deities, that is. That doesn't mean other cultivators don't have deities, however. It's increasingly common these days. New deities rising up means the enemy is acting on the mortal plane. Weaker deities can't just walk around in it without obliterating the balance, so they use apostles instead."
Raijin's expression hardened.
Others have evil spirits. They are not as powerful as gods, but they do have special soul power—just like you.
".So what am I supposed to be doing, then?" Isshin inquired. "You said that I can't defeat the Skeleton King. Not during this time period."
"Fortunately, you opened your inner world," Raijin stated. "Do you know how long a cultivator of your level can remain inside?"
"How long?" Isshin asked.
"-0.4 seconds."
Isshin's eyes widened. "Negative? How is that even possible?"
"Building an inner world is one thing. Inhabiting it is another," Raijin said. "An ordinary human being—a person without a god or a demon—cannot live in here. Even attempting to enter would annihilate their soul. By pure willpower alone, it is possible. but there are no such miracles in the outside world."
Raijin folded his arms.
"The reason your inner world is important right now is that time works differently here."
"How long can I stay there? And how am I here in the first place, anyway?" Isshin questioned.
"You might live here until your body ages to death, if you wish," Raijin answered. "Your inner world remains stable only due to my soul. Not yours. Time within here passes 200 times more slowly. One day in the real world equals 200 days in here."
Isshin's eyes widened. "Don't tell me…
You'll be training here for 2800 days," Raijin said to him. "Seven years.".
"…Isn't that basically a cheat code?" Isshin burst out, shocked. "I could become ridiculously powerful within that time period. There has to be a catch."
There is," Raijin nodded. "You can't cultivate here. It's like pouring water into an ocean—it's pointless.
".So what's the point?"
"The only thing you get here is experience. Combat, insight, intuition. That's all."
Raijin stepped forward.
"But we will not be doing this for the entire 14 days."
"Why not?" Isshin asked.
Since the stress of training here would destroy your body when you get back. It can kill you. So we will just do seven days. That's the maximum.
So they started.
There was intense, arduous training afterward. Every day strained Isshin to his breaking point. Every movement burned. Every breath hurt. Raijin was merciless. He spared no quarter, only critique. Every mistake was penalized, every achievement taken further.
Isshin Ryugen
Level: 89
Health: 48
Strength: 55
Stamina: 59
Mana/Qi: 49
Intelligence: 38
Points Available: 0
Cultivation level: Golden Core Realm, 4th Stage
Titles: None
On the last day, Isshin was stretched out on the stone ground of his inner world—soaked with sweat, limbs numb. This was hell…" he struggled to say. His eyes started to shut. He was overwhelmed with exhaustion. Raijin's voice rang out in the dying light. The actual hell begins here," he muttered. "Stand strong, Isshin.".