Lin Feng had long since stopped dreaming of greatness.
At twenty-three, he had settled into the comfortable rhythm of mediocrity. Wake before dawn. Sweep the bookshop. Arrange the scrolls and texts that gathered dust faster than customers. Eat plain rice with pickled vegetables. Read by candlelight until his eyes grew heavy. Sleep. Repeat.
Clearwater Town wasn't much—five thousand souls scratching out a living farming rice and trading with passing merchants. The town sat in a valley between two mountain ranges, far enough from any major cities that the great sects rarely noticed it existed. Occasionally, a traveling cultivator would pass through, and the entire town would hold its breath until they left.
Lin Feng had seen three cultivators in his lifetime. Each one had looked at Clearwater Town and its inhabitants with the same expression one might reserve for particularly boring insects.
"Another day wasted," Lin Feng muttered, running his cloth over a text about medicinal herbs. The shop's owner, Old Man Zhao, had gone to visit his daughter in the next town over, leaving Lin Feng to mind the shop alone. Not that it mattered. They hadn't had a customer in three days.
The late afternoon sun painted the shop's interior in shades of amber. Dust motes drifted through the air like lazy snowflakes. Outside, Lin Feng could hear children playing, their laughter echoing off the cobblestone streets.
He was supposed to be married by now. His father had arranged a match two years ago with the daughter of a textile merchant—a practical alliance that would have secured both families' futures. But the girl had taken one look at Lin Feng, with his thin frame and his nose always buried in books, and politely declined.
His father hadn't spoken to him for six months after that.
Lin Feng didn't blame her. What kind of future could he offer? He made barely enough to rent his tiny room above the shop. He had no prospects, no skills beyond reading and basic arithmetic. In a world where cultivators could fly through the sky and shatter mountains with their fists, what was he?
Nothing.
Less than nothing.
He was dust.
The shop's door creaked open, pulling Lin Feng from his morose thoughts. He looked up, expecting perhaps Old Man Chen coming to complain about his order again.
Instead, he saw a stranger.
The old man who entered the shop was... wrong. That was the only word Lin Feng could find. Everything about him seemed slightly out of phase with reality. His robes shimmered between gray and silver, as if they couldn't decide which color to be. His face was lined with age, but his eyes held a depth that made Lin Feng's stomach twist with instinctive unease.
And he moved with a grace that suggested every single step was deliberate, calculated, precise.
A cultivator.
Lin Feng's mouth went dry. He dropped into an immediate bow, the way his father had taught him. "This lowly one greets the honored immortal. How may this humble shop serve you?"
The old man didn't respond immediately. He walked slowly through the shop, trailing his fingers over the spines of books, examining scrolls without opening them. His spiritual sense—Lin Feng could feel it, like invisible fingers pressing against his skin—swept through every corner of the small space.
Finally, the old man turned to face him.
"This one is dying," he said without preamble. His voice sounded like rustling autumn leaves, dry and brittle. "This one requires a successor."
Lin Feng blinked, confusion momentarily overriding his fear. "I... I'm sorry to hear that, honored elder. But I'm just a—"
"You are exactly what this one needs," the old man interrupted. "Unremarkable. Untalented. Overlooked. Perfect."
Before Lin Feng could process those words, the old man's hand shot out faster than sight. Lin Feng didn't even have time to flinch before cold fingers pressed against his forehead.
And the world exploded.
Images cascaded through his mind in a torrent that threatened to drown his consciousness:
Mountains that pierced the heavens themselves, their peaks wreathed in clouds that sparked with divine lightning.
Cities floating on enormous formations, their buildings crafted from spirit jade and precious metals, millions of cultivators moving through streets paved with formation arrays.
Battlefields where immortals clashed, each technique unleashing enough power to vaporize everything for miles around. Swords that cut through space itself. Formations that rewrote the laws of reality.
And deeper, beneath all of it, a vast network of knowledge—the Myriad Fortress System. Buildings that could be summoned from nothing. Armies that would never question, never betray. The path to power through construction and conquest rather than enlightenment.
Lin Feng saw cultivation realms stretching from Qi Refining to heights he couldn't comprehend—Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Immortal Ascension. He saw techniques for summoning everything from simple stone guardians to undead legions to elemental catastrophes.
He saw a man—younger, but unmistakably the same old man standing before him—building fortress after fortress, each one a masterwork of defensive formations and strategic placement. He saw that man challenged by dozens of enemies and emerging victorious every time through superior planning and overwhelming force.
He saw that same man, older now, hunted by three major sects and half the demonic cultivators in the realm, fighting a desperate last stand in a fortress among the stars.
He saw that man die.
And then he saw himself, standing in a valley surrounded by mountains, a fortress rising at his command.
The visions ended as abruptly as they'd begun. Lin Feng collapsed, gasping for air, his mind reeling from information overload. When his vision finally cleared, the old man was gone.
In his place, floating directly before Lin Feng's eyes, was a translucent blue screen that looked like it was made of crystallized light. Only he could see it—he knew this instinctively, the same way he knew his own name.
[MYRIAD FORTRESS SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[Previous Host: Shen Wu, the Immortal Architect - Status: Deceased]
[New Host: Lin Feng - Status: Mortal]
[Initializing...]
[Initialization Complete]
[HOST STATUS]Name: Lin FengAge: 23Cultivation: None (Mortal)Summoning Points: 100 (Beginner's Gift)Buildings Available: 1Units Available: 0Territory Controlled: 0
[URGENT QUEST: Path of No Return]Objective: Enter the path of cultivation within 7 daysReward: 50 Summoning Points, Basic Cultivation MethodFailure Penalty: Death
[Time Remaining: 6 days, 23 hours, 47 minutes]
Lin Feng's hands trembled as he stared at the screen. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what had just happened. A system? Cultivation? Death?
"What... what is this?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
The screen flickered, and new text appeared.
[WELCOME, NEW HOST]
[The Myriad Fortress System is a cultivation aid created by the previous host, Immortal Architect Shen Wu. It allows the current host to summon buildings, troops, and special individuals to aid in cultivation and conquest.]
[Unlike traditional cultivators who rely solely on comprehending the Dao and accumulating Qi, the host builds power through strategic development of forces and infrastructure. Your strength is not measured only by your personal cultivation, but by the extent of your domain.]
[WARNING: The previous system bearer has perished. His legacy, resources, and enemies now belong to you.]
Enemies.
The word hit Lin Feng like a physical blow. The old man—Shen Wu—had been powerful enough to make Lin Feng's instincts scream just from his presence. And he had enemies. Enemies powerful enough to kill him.
And now those enemies would be looking for whoever inherited his legacy.
Lin Feng's breathing quickened. This was insane. He was a bookshop keeper. He had no training, no power, no way to defend himself against the kind of cultivators who could hunt down an immortal.
But even as panic threatened to overwhelm him, another part of his mind—the part that had spent years reading adventure stories and chronicles of cultivators—stirred with something unexpected.
Possibility.
For the first time in his mundane, colorless life, something impossible had happened to him. The door to a world he'd only read about had been opened, even if it came with dangers he couldn't comprehend.
Lin Feng took a deep, shaking breath. Then another. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet.
"Alright," he said to the empty shop, his voice steadier than he felt. "Show me what I can do."
The screen flickered again, responding to his intent.
[TUTORIAL ACTIVATED]
[The system operates on Summoning Points (SP), which can be earned through various means:]- Cultivation advancement- Completing quests- Conquering territory- Harvesting resources- Defeating enemies
[Summoning Points can be spent on:]- Buildings (provide various benefits and passive SP generation)- Units (troops and special individuals who serve the host)- Upgrades (enhance existing buildings and units)- Special Items (artifacts, formations, techniques)
[Current SP: 100]
[RECOMMENDED FIRST PURCHASE: Spirit Gathering Pagoda]
Lin Feng focused on the recommendation, and a detailed description appeared:
[Spirit Gathering Pagoda - Tier 1]Cost: 100 Summoning PointsDescription: A three-story pagoda that creates a pocket dimension optimized for cultivation. Generates a spiritual energy concentration 3x more efficient than the ambient environment.Benefits:- Provides access to basic cultivation method "Fortress Foundation Scripture"- Grants +10 SP per day while host cultivates within- Can house up to 5 individuals- Dimensional space: 100 square metersSpecial Note: This building will serve as your primary cultivation chamber and system anchor. It is essential for your survival.
Lin Feng read the description three times, his mind working through the implications. A pocket dimension. A cultivation method. A way to generate more points passively.
It would use all his starting points, leaving him with nothing, but it seemed like the foundation everything else would build on.
His finger hovered over the purchase option, hesitation warring with determination.
What was he doing? He was a bookkeeper. He had no business playing at being a cultivator. He should refuse this, find some way to get rid of the system, go back to his safe, boring life—
A life that would end in seven days if he did nothing.
Lin Feng's jaw tightened. Safe had never gotten him anything except loneliness and disappointment. Maybe it was time to try dangerous.
He selected the purchase.
[Confirming purchase: Spirit Gathering Pagoda - Tier 1][Cost: 100 SP][Remaining SP: 0]
[Deploying building...]
The world lurched sideways. Reality seemed to fold in on itself, and Lin Feng felt like he was being pulled through a hole in space. Colors inverted. Sounds became visual. For one terrifying moment, he was certain he was dying.
Then everything snapped back into focus.
Lin Feng stood in a small courtyard that definitely hadn't existed a moment ago. The ground beneath his feet was smooth white stone, inscribed with formation patterns that pulsed with gentle golden light. A three-story pagoda rose before him, its architecture elegant yet simple, built from the same white stone. The entire structure seemed to hum with energy—spiritual energy, he realized with wonder.
The courtyard was surrounded by walls that didn't actually exist. When Lin Feng looked at them directly, he saw only a gentle mist. But he could feel the boundary, the separation between this pocket dimension and the real world outside.
Above, instead of sky, there was a dome of swirling energy that gave off a soft, pleasant light like eternal twilight.
[Spirit Gathering Pagoda constructed successfully][Pocket dimension created][You may now enter the path of cultivation]
A jade slip materialized in Lin Feng's hand, cool and smooth against his palm. The moment his fingers touched it, knowledge flooded directly into his mind—not overwhelming like Shen Wu's final gift, but gentle, systematic.
The Fortress Foundation Scripture.
It was a cultivation method, but unlike the traditional techniques described in the books Lin Feng had read, this one was... different. Where normal cultivation methods focused on comprehending the Dao and absorbing spiritual energy to strengthen the body and soul, the Fortress Foundation Scripture was designed to grow stronger based on the host's domain.
The more buildings he constructed, the more units he commanded, the more territory he controlled—all of it would feed back into his personal cultivation, creating a synergistic loop where external power and internal power reinforced each other.
It was brilliant. And it explained how Shen Wu had risen so high despite apparently having mediocre talent.
But first, before any of that, Lin Feng needed to take the first step. He needed to begin cultivating.
He walked into the pagoda's first floor. The interior was sparse but functional—meditation mats arranged around a central formation that drew in spiritual energy, shelves along the walls ready to hold future resources, and a spiral staircase leading to the upper floors.
Lin Feng sat cross-legged on one of the mats, closed his eyes, and began following the instructions from the Fortress Foundation Scripture.
The first step of any cultivation method was sensing Qi. For most people, this took days, weeks, sometimes months of meditation before they could feel the subtle energy that permeated all things.
For Lin Feng, surrounded by the concentrated spiritual energy of the Spirit Gathering Pagoda, it took less than a minute.
He felt it—a tingling sensation at first, like invisible threads brushing against his skin. Then stronger, clearer. Rivers of energy flowing through the air, through the ground, through his own body. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, previously invisible to his mortal senses.
Following the Scripture's guidance, Lin Feng began to breathe in a specific rhythm. With each inhale, he drew spiritual energy into his body. With each exhale, he guided it through the pathways described in the technique—his meridians, channels that existed in the spiritual body overlaying the physical.
At first, the energy was resistant, like trying to push water through clogged pipes. His meridians were blocked, sealed by a lifetime of not cultivating.
But the Scripture included techniques for opening them. Slowly, painstakingly, Lin Feng forced the energy through, clearing one channel at a time. It hurt—a deep, aching pain like muscles being torn and rebuilt. Sweat poured down his face. His body trembled.
But he didn't stop.
Hours passed. The concentrated spiritual energy of the pagoda poured into him, far more than a normal mortal could safely absorb. But the Fortress Foundation Scripture was designed for rapid advancement. It pushed the energy through his meridians with systematic efficiency, opening channels, strengthening his spiritual foundation, transforming his mortal body into something more.
When Lin Feng finally opened his eyes, dawn light was streaming through the pagoda's windows. He'd cultivated through the entire night.
And everything had changed.
His body felt different—lighter, stronger, more alive than it had ever been. The constant ache in his lower back from years of hunching over books was simply gone. His vision was sharper, his hearing more acute. He could feel the spiritual energy flowing through his newly opened meridians like streams of warm light.
[CONGRATULATIONS!][You have entered the Qi Refining Realm, First Layer][You are no longer mortal]
[QUEST COMPLETED: Path of No Return][Rewards: 50 Summoning Points, Basic Cultivation Method (already granted)]
[Current SP: 50][Daily SP Generation: +10 (from Spirit Gathering Pagoda)]
[NEW QUEST: Establish Your Foundation]Objective: Reach Qi Refining Third Layer within 1 monthReward: Random Unit Summon Ticket, 100 SPFailure Penalty: None (but progress will be slower)
Lin Feng stood up, marveling at how different even that simple action felt. His muscles responded with precise control. His balance was perfect. He felt like he could run for hours without getting tired.
This was what it meant to be a cultivator. Even at the very first step, the very lowest realm, he had already transcended ordinary humanity.
A grin spread across Lin Feng's face. For the first time in years, he felt truly, genuinely happy.
But the moment of joy was interrupted by voices drifting up from the real world outside his pocket dimension. Loud voices. Angry voices.
"—search every building! The Immortal Shen Wu was last seen in this region. His legacy cannot be allowed to fall into unworthy hands!"
Lin Feng's blood went cold. He quickly exited the pocket dimension, returning to his physical body in the bookshop.
Through the window, he could see them—a group of six cultivators in crimson robes striding down Clearwater Town's main street. The townspeople were fleeing before them like leaves scattered by wind. Even from this distance, Lin Feng could feel the oppressive weight of their spiritual pressure.
Each one of them was Foundation Establishment realm at minimum. Possibly higher.
The leader, a sharp-featured man with a sword strapped to his back, was questioning the town magistrate, who was bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the ground.
Lin Feng recognized their insignia from the knowledge Shen Wu had implanted in his mind. The Crimson Blade Sect. One of the three major righteous sects in the region. They had tens of thousands of disciples and controlled territory spanning a hundred thousand miles.
They were also one of the sects that had participated in Shen Wu's assassination.
And now they were here, searching for his legacy.
Searching for Lin Feng.
His hands clenched into fists. He was Qi Refining First Layer. They were Foundation Establishment or higher—each one could kill him with a casual gesture. If they found him, if they sensed the system...
He was dead.
[WARNING: Hostile cultivators detected][Threat Level: Extreme][Recommended Actions:]1. Concealment (prevent detection)2. Evacuation (flee to safer location)3. Elimination (defeat enemies) - NOT RECOMMENDED AT CURRENT POWER LEVEL
[Current SP: 50][Insufficient for combat-ready units]
[EMERGENCY OPTIONS AVAILABLE]
Lin Feng quickly pulled up the emergency options:
[Mist Veil Formation - Tier 1]Cost: 50 SPEffect: Creates a formation that shrouds a 50-meter radius in mundane-seeming mist. Hides spiritual energy signatures and obscures buildings from detection. Effective against spiritual sense below Foundation Establishment 5th Layer.Duration: Permanent until destroyedNote: This formation creates only concealment, not a barrier. Skilled searchers may still discover hidden elements with thorough investigation.
It would use all his points. But if it kept the Crimson Blade Sect from detecting his cultivation or the system's presence...
Lin Feng made the purchase without hesitation.
[Deploying Mist Veil Formation...]
A formation disk appeared in his hand, already attuned to his spiritual signature. Following instinctive knowledge from the system, Lin Feng placed it in the center of his room. Immediately, a gentle mist began to rise, spreading through the pocket dimension and bleeding into the physical world around the bookshop.
To anyone without spiritual senses, it would look like normal morning fog, the kind that often appeared in Clearwater Town's valley. To cultivators scanning for spiritual energy signatures, the formation would scatter and distort their senses, making anything within seem mundane and uninteresting.
Lin Feng held his breath as the Crimson Blade cultivators approached. He could feel them now—their spiritual senses washing over the town like invisible tides, searching, probing, examining every person and building.
The leader stopped directly in front of the bookshop.
Lin Feng's heart hammered in his chest. Through the window, he could see the man's eyes glowing with spiritual light as he extended his senses.
The spiritual sense passed over the bookshop. Through the bookshop. Around the bookshop.
The formation held.
After what felt like an eternity, the Crimson Blade cultivator moved on, his expression showing mild disgust at having to search such a backwater location.
"Nothing here but mortals and their pathetic lives," he said to his companions. "We're wasting time. If Shen Wu's legacy manifested in this region, someone would have noticed unusual spiritual phenomena. This town hasn't had a cultivator resident in fifty years."
"Should we question them anyway?" one of the others asked.
The leader waved a dismissive hand. "What would mortals know? Continue to the next settlement. We have twenty more towns to search before nightfall."
They left, disappearing down the road in flashes of crimson light as they activated movement techniques.
Lin Feng sagged against the wall, relief flooding through him.
[Concealment successful][Immediate threat passed][Warning: The Crimson Blade Sect will continue searching the region. Remaining undetected will become increasingly difficult.]
The system was right. One close call didn't mean he was safe. The Crimson Blade Sect was one of multiple factions hunting for Shen Wu's legacy. Eventually, someone would find him.
He needed to grow stronger. Fast.
But he also needed to be smart about it. Rushing out and drawing attention would be suicide.
Lin Feng's mind raced through his options. He had the Spirit Gathering Pagoda, which would let him cultivate faster than normal. He had the Fortress Foundation Scripture, which would grow more powerful as he built up his domain. He had the basic knowledge Shen Wu had left him about the cultivation world.
What he didn't have was resources, connections, or time.
"System," he said quietly. "What's the fastest way to earn more Summoning Points?"
[SUMMONING POINT ACQUISITION METHODS:]
1. CULTIVATION ADVANCEMENT- Each minor realm breakthrough: 50-500 SP (depending on realm)- Each major realm breakthrough: 500-5000 SP (depending on realm)
2. QUEST COMPLETION- Quest difficulty determines reward- Current available quests: 1
3. TERRITORY CONQUEST- Claiming resource sites: 10-1000 SP (depending on value)- Establishing settlements: 100-10,000 SP (depending on size)- Defeating territorial controllers: Variable SP
4. RESOURCE HARVESTING- Spirit stones can be converted: 1 stone = 1 SP- Rare materials can be converted: Variable rates- Artifacts can be deconstructed: Variable SP
5. ENEMY ELIMINATION- Defeating cultivators: 10-10,000 SP (depending on realm difference and difficulty)- Destroying hostile buildings/formations: Variable SP
[IMPORTANT NOTE: As a system bearer, passive cultivation alone will be insufficient for rapid growth. You must actively expand your influence, acquire resources, and eliminate threats.]
Lin Feng nodded slowly, processing the information. The system was essentially pushing him toward conquest and expansion. To grow powerful, he couldn't just sit in meditation—he needed to build an actual domain.
But before any of that, he needed information. He needed to understand the cultivation world he'd just entered, find safe ways to acquire resources, and ideally, locate whatever other caches or assets Shen Wu might have left behind.
He needed help.
As if reading his thoughts, the system chimed with a new notification:
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: Shadow Market]Objective: Locate and access the Shadow Market in Azure Peak CityDescription: The Shadow Market is a neutral ground where cultivators of all affiliations can trade without interference. Shen Wu had contacts there who may assist his successor.Reward: 200 SP, Access to Information Network, Faction Contact: "Whisper"Difficulty: Low to ModerateRecommended Host Level: Qi Refining 2nd Layer or higher
Azure Peak City. Lin Feng knew of it from the books he'd read—a major city about a hundred miles north of Clearwater Town. Three days' journey for a mortal. Perhaps six hours for a low-level cultivator who could rent passage on a flying transportation formation.
He'd need spirit stones for that. Money.
Lin Feng looked around the modest bookshop. Old Man Zhao kept the shop's earnings in a lockbox under the counter—maybe thirty silver taels total. Not nearly enough.
But Lin Feng had just entered Qi Refining realm. His body was stronger, his mind sharper. There were ways for a cultivator to earn money quickly, even at low levels.
Spirit herb gathering. Beast hunting in the nearby forests. Guard duty for merchant caravans.
Dangerous work. But then again, his entire situation was dangerous now.
Lin Feng spent the rest of the day making preparations. He closed the bookshop early, claiming illness, and returned to his room. Inside the Spirit Gathering Pagoda, he cultivated for several more hours, feeling his foundation solidify and strengthen.
[Cultivation Progress: 23% to Qi Refining 2nd Layer]
Not enough. He needed to push harder.
But as night fell, Lin Feng forced himself to stop cultivating and start planning. He pulled out the few books on the cultivation world that Old Man Zhao's shop possessed and began reading them with new eyes.
Spirit beast territories near Clearwater Town. Market prices for common cultivation resources. Safe routes to Azure Peak City. He absorbed every scrap of relevant information.
By midnight, he had a plan.
Tomorrow, he would venture into the Whispering Woods—a forest three miles east of town known to house spirit beasts at the Qi Refining level. Low-level cultivators often hunted there for beast cores and materials, which could be sold for spirit stones.
It was risky. Even Qi Refining realm beasts could kill an inexperienced cultivator. But Lin Feng had the Fortress Foundation Scripture, which included basic combat techniques. He had his newly enhanced body. And most importantly, he had no choice.
Standing still meant death. Moving forward at least gave him a chance.
Lin Feng cultivated through the night, pushing his spiritual energy through his meridians in the patterns described by the Scripture. The pain of forcing Qi through unopened channels had lessened—his body was adapting, changing, becoming a proper vessel for cultivation.
When dawn broke, painting the pocket dimension in shades of gold, Lin Feng felt something shift inside him. A barrier that had been present since he started cultivating suddenly cracked and shattered.
[BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVED!][Qi Refining Realm, Second Layer][Spiritual energy capacity increased][Body refinement progress: 12%][Reward: 50 SP]
[Current SP: 50][Daily Generation: +10 SP]
Lin Feng opened his eyes, feeling power course through him that would have seemed impossible just two days ago. He was still weak by cultivator standards, barely above the starting line. But he was moving forward.
He left the Spirit Gathering Pagoda and returned to the physical world. The bookshop was exactly as he'd left it. Outside, Clearwater Town was waking up, its inhabitants going about their ordinary lives, completely unaware that one of their own had stepped into a completely different world.
Lin Feng gathered what few belongings he thought he might need—a small knife, a waterskin, some dried meat and rice balls. He left a note for Old Man Zhao, claiming a family emergency in a nearby village.
Then he set off toward the Whispering Woods.
The forest earned its name from the constant rustling of leaves, even when there was no wind. Lin Feng had passed by its edge many times in his life but never ventured in—his father had strictly forbidden it, warning of the spirit beasts that dwelled within.
Now, as a Qi Refining cultivator himself, Lin Feng could sense why. The spiritual energy inside the forest was denser than in Clearwater Town, drawn by the concentration of spirit beasts and natural treasures. For a mortal, the environment would be oppressive. For a cultivator, it was opportunity.
Lin Feng took a deep breath and entered the forest.
Immediately, his enhanced senses picked up details he would never have noticed before. The pattern of broken branches that indicated a large creature's passage. The faint scent of blood on the wind. The almost imperceptible vibration in the ground that suggested something moving underground.
Following the combat techniques embedded in the Fortress Foundation Scripture, Lin Feng moved carefully, keeping his spiritual energy suppressed to avoid attracting attention. He was hunting, but he was also prey. The wrong encounter could end his cultivation journey before it truly began.
He found his first spirit beast an hour into the forest.
A Stone-Backed Boar, its hide covered in rocky protrusions that served as natural armor. It was rooting through the undergrowth, searching for spirit herbs. According to the books Lin Feng had read, Stone-Backed Boars were typically at the first or second layer of Qi Refining—roughly his level.
Lin Feng drew the simple hunting knife he'd brought. It was a mortal weapon, but infused with his spiritual energy, it would cut deeper than normal.
He crept closer, using techniques from the Scripture to mask his presence. The boar continued rooting, unaware.
When Lin Feng was within striking range, he moved.
The Scripture's combat techniques flowed through his body like water finding a path downhill. His knife flashed out, aimed at the gap in the boar's rocky armor behind its front leg—a killing strike.
The blade bit deep. The boar squealed and spun with shocking speed, its tusks catching Lin Feng's side and sending him sprawling.
Pain exploded through his ribs. Blood soaked his robe. The boar charged, murder in its small eyes.
Lin Feng rolled desperately to the side, the boar's tusks gouging earth where he'd been a heartbeat before. He came up in a crouch, knife raised, his own blood making the handle slippery.
The boar circled him, wary now. Lin Feng could see his knife still embedded in its side, blood streaming from the wound. It was hurt, but not dead. And it was angry.
They clashed again. The boar's physical strength was immense—each impact sent shockwaves through Lin Feng's arms. But he was faster, more agile. He dodged, weaved, struck when openings appeared.
The fight lasted less than three minutes but felt like hours. When it was over, the Stone-Backed Boar lay dead, and Lin Feng sat against a tree, breathing hard, his side screaming with pain.
[Combat Complete][Stone-Backed Boar (Qi Refining 2nd Layer) defeated][Reward: 15 SP, Beast Core (Low Grade), Stone-Backed Hide][Experience gained in combat techniques]
Lin Feng pulled himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his side. The boar's tusk had torn through cloth and skin but hadn't penetrated deep enough to cause serious damage. Already, he could feel his spiritual energy working to close the wound—one of the benefits of Qi Refining realm. He wouldn't die from this injury, though it would take days to fully heal without medicine.
He approached the boar's corpse and, following knowledge from the books he'd read, began extracting the valuable parts. The beast core came first—a small, rough stone that pulsed with residual spiritual energy, located near the creature's heart. This alone would fetch several spirit stones at market.
The hide was harder to harvest. Lin Feng's mortal knife struggled against the rocky protrusions, and he had to infuse it with spiritual energy continuously to make any progress. By the time he'd cut free a usable section, sweat poured down his face and his spiritual energy reserves had dropped to half.
[Spiritual Energy: 47/100]
Lin Feng stored his prizes in a cloth sack and moved deeper into the forest. He needed more. One beast core wouldn't be enough to fund his journey to Azure Peak City.
Over the next six hours, Lin Feng hunted three more spirit beasts: another Stone-Backed Boar, a Mist Fox with illusory abilities that nearly killed him, and a Iron-Claw Badger that he only managed to defeat by luring it into a trap.
Each fight pushed him to his limits. Each fight taught him something new about combat, about survival, about the brutal reality of the cultivation world.
By the time the sun began to set, Lin Feng had accumulated:
4 beast cores (Low Grade) Various hides and claws 60 Summoning Points from combat Multiple injuries ranging from minor cuts to a badly bruised shoulder And most importantly: real combat experience
[Current SP: 110][Spiritual Energy: 12/100 - WARNING: Critically Low][Physical Condition: Injured - Combat Effectiveness Reduced by 30%]
Lin Feng limped back toward Clearwater Town as darkness fell over the Whispering Woods. The forest grew more dangerous at night—higher-level spirit beasts emerged to hunt, and his depleted spiritual energy meant he was in no condition to fight.
He made it back to town just as the gates were closing for the night. The guard, a middle-aged man Lin Feng had known since childhood, looked at him with shock.
"Little Feng? What happened to you? You look like you fought a wild animal!"
"I... fell," Lin Feng lied, too exhausted to come up with anything better. "In the hills. I'm fine."
The guard looked unconvinced but waved him through. Lin Feng dragged himself to the bookshop, climbed the stairs to his room with aching legs, and collapsed onto his sleeping mat.
He should cultivate. He should recover his spiritual energy. But his body had reached its limit. Within moments, Lin Feng fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.