Lin Mu knew that a tribulation platform was out of the question for him since he didn't even have a Qi cultivation technique. Senior Xukong had explained to him back in the Sleepscape that he was following what was called the path of the primordials.
The primordials were none other than the very first Qi cultivators that were born in the cosmos. They were the ones who established the way of qi cultivation and from where Qi cultivation started.
At that time they did not have any Qi cultivation techniques, and they followed the body cultivation path. But that was not possible for everyone to practice and thus when the hostilities and conflicts with the other races were reduced, mankind thought of finding a way to cultivate Qi normally.
It took them many years before they figured out a method to absorb spirit Qi from the environment. They gained the knowledge of meridians and the Dantian becoming more erudite.
