Of course, the Meng Chao of the past could also absorb spirit energy.
However, his efficiency had been vastly different from the present.
If one were to say that the Meng Chao of the past was like a drowning person, opening his mouth and doing his best to breathe in the water with great difficulty...
The Meng Chao of the present was like a free and unfettered fish that could use its gills to absorb the dissolved oxygen in the water as it wished.
Moreover, the Meng Chao in the past had to consciously manipulate the spirit energy that he had absorbed into his body. He had to carry out complicated calculations, practices, and stimulations to allow the spirit energy to slowly flow between his limbs, bones, and internal organs. It would then form mysterious and complicated vitality magnetic fields to strengthen the various organs.