The morning mist clung to the woods like a shroud, veiling the forest floor in silver vapor. Trees creaked in the wind, their trunks scarred from old battles between beasts and men.
Today was different.
Today was not about fleeing or surviving.
Today was about facing.
Into the Hunting Grounds
Master Shen led them through the narrow mountain path, his staff tapping softly against stone.
Derick followed behind, eyes alert. His body felt different now — his muscles firmer, his breath lighter. Ever since absorbing the third beast crystal, he could feel energy swirling more smoothly through his limbs. Like warm rivers beneath his skin.
He had reached the low level of the Body Forging Realm— the first cultivation realm in the Low Stage Tier.
But today, Master Shen said, he would attempt his breakthrough to the middle level — not by meditation, but through combat.
Beside him, Lina walked with care, holding a small dagger Master Shen had given her.
"You're not fighting today," Shen had warned her. "But you'll watch. Closely. You'll see how life and death truly test your foundation."
She had nodded quietly.
First Blood
Their first target appeared quickly — a Two-Fanged Iron Boar, snorting and rooting through the earth near a stream.
It was a low-level beast, its body bristling with black iron-like hairs. Its tusks gleamed under the sun.
"Your first kill," Master Shen said simply.
Derick didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward, channeled his qi, and moved.
The boar squealed in alarm, but too late. Derick's Shadow Step placed him beside it in a blur. He thrust his dagger with precision — into its vulnerable eye.
With a gurgling squeal, the beast collapsed, convulsed, then stilled.
Lina gasped.
Derick didn't celebrate. He knelt, hands steady, and extracted the beast crystal from its chest — small and dim, but humming with qi.
Master Shen gave a slight nod.
"One beast down. Now face the next."
Trouble in the Thickets
Not far from the stream, they found it.
A Frost-Tailed Lynx, crouched atop a tree, its icy blue fur rippling in the wind. Its eyes locked onto Derick, glowing with intelligence.
It was a middle-level beast, sharper, faster, and attuned to elemental cold qi.
This time, Derick felt it.
Pressure.
When he stepped forward, the lynx moved like lightning — claws flashing, tail lashing. Derick barely blocked the first strike, his arm numbing from the impact.
He spun, trying to activate Shadow Step — but the lynx pounced, catching him in mid-move.
He crashed into the dirt.
Blood ran down his brow.
Lina shouted, but Master Shen held her back.
"Let him learn," he said.
A Brutal Lesson
Derick's mind roared. He twisted his body as the lynx descended, raking claws toward his throat.
He managed to roll, the claws tearing across his side instead.
Agony.
But he focused. Pulled from his inner core — his qi burned.
He flipped up, slammed a palm into the lynx's snout with all his force, using the Stone Palm technique.
The lynx stumbled, hissing. Derick didn't stop.
Shadow Step. Behind. Palm strike again.
A crunch. The lynx collapsed.
But Derick collapsed, too — panting, bloodied.
"You're close," Shen said, walking over. "Very close. Sit. Breathe in the crystal. Feel the cycle."
Derick did.
He placed both crystals — the boar's and the lynx's — into his hands. Circulated his qi.
He felt it.
A surge within. A crackle. Like thunder in his bones.
Breakthrough.
He stepped into the middle level of the Body Forging Realm.
The Predator in the Trees
But before he could savor the moment, Shen's eyes sharpened.
"Move."
A blur of shadow lunged from the tree line.
A Black-Blood Panther — sleek, three meters long, eyes red like fire. It radiated high-level beast qi. It was a predator at the high level of the Body Forging Realm.
Derick barely rolled away as it crashed into the ground where he'd been.
The air shook.
Too fast. Too strong.
Even at his new level, Derick was outmatched.
He tried Shadow Step — the panther anticipated it. Slammed him mid-flash into a boulder. Bones cracked.
It was like being hit by a living hammer.
The panther advanced, growling low.
Shen frowned. He held up his staff — but didn't move.
Derick stood, bleeding from his mouth.
"Don't… interfere," he gasped. "Not yet."
He charged.
Claws met palm. Fang met dagger. Blood met dirt.
And for every step forward Derick took, he was beaten back two.
Finally, with one swipe, the panther knocked him flat — claws inches from his throat.
Shen raised his staff.
Lina screamed.
But the panther… stopped.
It stared into Derick's eyes. Sniffed once. Then backed away with a growl, slinking into the woods.
"It sensed your growth," Shen said. "You weren't prey anymore. Not quite predator, either. But not prey."
A Warrior's First Scar
Derick lay on his back, staring at the sky, his whole body shaking from exhaustion.
Lina ran to him, helping lift him up.
"You were amazing," she whispered.
He coughed blood and smiled. "I got my ass kicked."
Shen smirked.
"But you survived. And you broke through."
He handed Derick a strip of medicinal bark.
"From now on, every fight will shape you. Just remember—crystals don't make you strong. The will to keep fighting does."
Derick nodded slowly.
He understood now.
He was walking a road painted in blood and sharpened with claws.
But step by step—he would walk it.