His entries were not the diary of a young man. They were the cold, meticulous logs of a scientist.
Entry: Day 7.
Target: Iron-Skinned Boar (Third Layer of Qi Condensation Realm)
Method: Environmental trap combined with Gale Palm for disruption, followed by Void Piercer to weak point (axillary joint).
Result: Successful termination. Qi expenditure: 20% (15% for Gale Palm, 5% for Void Piercer).
Analysis: Void Piercer remains highly effective against armored targets when weak points are exploited. Gale Palm has utility beyond direct combat; can be used for environmental manipulation. Note: Boar's charge is linear and predictable. Easily baited.
He filled pages with these analyses, cross-referencing his experiences with the information from the System's encyclopedia. He sketched the beasts from memory, marking their weak points. He detailed the effectiveness of his techniques, noting the Qi cost of every action. His journal was becoming his own, personalized grimoire. Amit, the engineer, would have filled a diary with fear and wonder. Aryan, the cultivator, filled his with data and schematics. It was a testament to a mind that saw the world not as a place to be lived in, but as a system to be solved and mastered.
After his nightly analysis, he would cultivate. The Qi in the Whispering Beast Forest was rich and wild, and absorbing it was a challenge in itself. It was not the calm, gentle energy of his home. With every breath, he could taste the echoes of the forest's spirit the blind rage of the boar, the sharp terror of the hawk, the primal hunger of a thousand smaller things. To any other cultivator, this chaotic energy would be poison, leading to madness. But for Aryan, the Supreme Immortal Scripture acted as a divine filter. It effortlessly purged the chaotic instincts, breaking the wild Qi down to its purest form and feeding it into his dantian.
His cultivation skyrocketed. Progress that would have taken months in Devgarh now took mere days. The constant, low-level threat kept his senses sharp, and the rich diet of spiritual beast meat nourished his body, accelerating his physical tempering.
A week after entering the forest, as he sat in meditation, the stream of pure Qi into his dantian reached a critical mass. He felt the barrier to the 8th layer the same bottleneck that had been his brother's personal hell for half a year strain against the assault. He focused his will, gathering the energy into a single, overwhelming wave. With a deep, internal 'crack' that felt simultaneously like bone breaking and healing in the same instant, the barrier shattered. A new, deeper reservoir of power flooded his being, settling into a resonant hum that vibrated through his soul.
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully broken through to the Qi Condensation Realm - Layer 8.]
He opened his eyes, the perpetual twilight of the forest seeming a little brighter, the constant whispers a little clearer. He had spent a week in solitude, a week of brutal, efficient self-improvement. He had not spoken to another human being. He had become a part of the forest's cruel, elegant ecosystem.
He stood and stretched, his bones popping, his muscles feeling coiled and ready. The Verdant Veil had taught him much, but he knew its lessons were becoming repetitive. The beasts here were no longer a challenge; they were just entries in his ledger.
He looked deeper into the forest, toward the core where the trees grew darker, the shadows deeper, and the whispers held a more menacing tone. That was where the real tests were. That was where the 9th-layer Qi Condensation Realm beasts, and perhaps beasts beyond the Qi Condensation Realm, made their lairs.
He packed his small camp, leaving no trace of his presence. He settled the sword on his back, its simple weight a familiar comfort. His first week had been about establishing a baseline in a controlled environment. Now, it was time to introduce more volatile variables. With one last look at the predictable ecosystem of the forest's edge, he turned and walked deeper into the darkness, his steps silent, his purpose clear. The experiment was entering phase two.