Mira sent her consciousness inside her body to look for the so-called "shackles" the [Mortal's Guide to Inner Body Cultivation] mentioned. According to the information she received on Inner Body Cultivation, these shackles are holding her back from releasing her full potential.
The only problem was that she didn't know where they were or what they looked like. With no other choice left, she swept her consciousness across her body, hoping to find something abnormal.
However, unsurprisingly, she found nothing.
If it were so easy to find these "shackles," Mira would've found them ages ago if all she had to do was give her body a quick once over.
'If I can't find them like this, what should I do? The guide said to look deep inside me, but what does that mean? Despite my extraordinarily sharp senses, I still couldn't detect anything in my body.'
Mira pondered what the guide meant by "deep" as she felt that was the most important clue.
'Is it trying to point toward the part of my body with the most depth and function?'
She felt she might be on the right track with that question, then began listing all her body parts.
After she evolved, her body's primary organs were the stomach, brain, uterus, lungs, intestines, and heart. Even then, they differed significantly from normal human organs.
For example, her intestines are no longer upwards of 5 meters but around 1 meter long.
She was also missing a few organs that a regular human should have, simply because she didn't need them to survive.
One of which was the kidneys. Mira didn't need kidneys because if she had to urinate, her Qi or blood would take care of it.
That's if she had to urinate in the first place! As a cultivator in the Core Formation Realm, she does not need to eat or drink anything, as her body can sustain itself on Qi alone. Even if she does, her blood, stomach, and Qi will dissolve it almost instantly, preventing any waste build-up.
After reviewing her organs, Mira felt her heart had the most depth among all of them.
'My heart is where several bloodlines live. It's what pumps the vitality-filled blood through my body, filling me with strength, and aside from my Core, it's the most complicated working organ.'
Mira also considered her brain, but she didn't believe anything in there was holding her back.
If anything, that was the most advanced organ in her body! Besides, her heart provides the blood necessary for her brain to function.
Thus, the only location for "shackles" to be in was her heart! It's why she's alive; it has the highest potential out of all her body parts and provides her with a constant stream of strength.
'If there are limitations on my body, it can only start there!'
Mira sent her consciousness inside her heart, but still saw nothing out of the ordinary.
However, this didn't discourage her. Instead, she entered her Left Ventricle and followed the path her blood circulates through her body.
After following one rotation, Mira entered a trance-like state and continued experiencing the route her blood took throughout her body.
She examined how it strengthened her tissue, muscles, and organs, watched how it kept everything working, and even saw how it recycled older blood, turning it into something usable.
After doing this for an unknown amount of time, Mira suddenly stopped and came out of her trance-like state.
'Hmm…? HOLY FUCK!'
Mira opened her eyes, and standing before her was a massive gate! No, calling it massive was an understatement! It felt more like she was looking at a mountain than a gate.
The thing was pitch black, similar to a black hole, which could only be seen right now because of the red, fleshy walls around her, which provided a tiny amount of light.
The whole gate emitted an archaic, death-like aura, similar to her black runes, but much more potent.
Looking at it, Mira felt if she weren't careful, it'd suck her in, consuming her body and soul!
"To think you'd find the Gates of Purgatory so quickly. I guess you really are destined to be the Successor of the Firmament of Limitless Death and Infinite Life."
Mira heard the Guardian's voice ring in her mind and became confused.
'Gates of Purgatory? Is that what this thing is called? But how is that related to my Inner Body Cultivation?'
The Guardian ignored her question and instead asked, "Have you heard the saying 'You must enter hell before you can enter heaven?'"
Mira shook her head, so the Guardian continued, "That's not surprising. It's fairly unpopular, after all. It essentially means… To experience eternal bliss, you must know what it means to suffer, as only through despair will you find yourself."
For some reason, a chill ran down Mira's spine when she heard that! She didn't know why, but the gate before her looked bigger than before.
'This… What does that mean? What will happen once I open this gate?'
"Hmm? Oh! Nothing bad will happen once you open the gate. Your body will just become a bit stronger. That's it."
Mira would have to be a complete fool to believe that nonsense. Although her body might get stronger, as he said, Mira refused to believe that opening ?the "Gates of Purgatory" wouldn't do something unpleasant to her.
'What's the catch?'
"Ahahaha. I guess you caught me."
The Guardian clicked his tongue in disappointment and said, "To complete your Inner Body Cultivation, you'll have to go through Nine Hells! Each one will be unimaginably terrible, but will bring just as many benefits should you survive."
Mira nodded her head as that sounded more in-tune with something called the "Gates of Purgatory".
She stopped asking him questions as she knew what she needed to do next.
Mira walked up to the massive, black gate. She stretched out her arms and placed her palms on it.
Cold!
That's the first thing she felt.
The surface was cold… colder than any ice she could manifest. Yet, it was harder than any metal she's ever seen or felt.
Just from the touch alone, Mira knew that from the weight alone, it was impossible for her to open it.
Still, something inside her said that there was no need to brute force her way through the gate.
"Huuu…"
Taking a deep breath, Mira put strength into her arms and-
*WOOSH!*
-the gates opened!
Mira was stunned as she didn't think it'd be that easy! The gates basically opened by themselves! All she did was give them a little push.
However, before she could do or say anything, a black energy rushed out of the gates!
DEATH!
Mira felt death coming from that energy, but then she realized where that energy was heading!
"What…?! Nooo!!"
Not wanting her body to be consumed by this death-like energy, she tried to close the gates, but to no avail.
The energy entered her body without resistance, and began rampaging inside her.
Mira's mind tensed as she waited for it to consume her, but after a few seconds, she opened her eyes.
"Hmmm? What's going on? Wasn't that energy going to consume me?"
Now, she was even more puzzled, but before she could do anything or say anything, she felt her body filling up with strength!
The muscles on her body bulged, her bones hardened, skin tightened, and her blood pumped extra vigorous blood!
Her skeletal and muscular structures changed slightly, which she assumed increased her potential.
She even felt that the quality of her Qi was upgraded as well!
Although there was no difference in her cultivation, both her body and Qi became stronger than before.
Even her mind cleared up and processed information faster!
'However, isn't this a little too… lackluster? I thought the changes brought by this gate would be a bit more apparent.'
While she did feel stronger, it wasn't enough to make much of a difference.
"Hmph! All you did was open a gate that was already a part of you. What did you expect? To become a god on the spot?! In fact, you should just be happy that you received a bit of strength!"
Mira shook her head at the Guardian's words, but that didn't stop her from feeling disappointed.
"Alright. Enough being greedy. Inside that gate is where the real benefits lie. But beware, once you go in, there's no turning back! The Gates of Purgatory aren't there to make you feel good about yourself. Once you step in there, you'll immediately experience your first Hell," The Guardian said with a rare tone of severity in his voice.
"Once I pass this first Hell, will I be able to choose when to start the next one?" Mira asked.
"Yes and no. If you pass a Hell, you won't immediately experience another one, but that doesn't mean you can just not do them."
Mira nodded in understanding and mentally prepared herself for the upcoming suffering.
After taking a few deep breaths, Mira's eyes focused and she took her first step into the gate…
Then, everything blacked out and her consciousness returned to her mind!
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