Adrian did not sleep.
He lay in the ditch for a long time, staring at the sky, feeling the strange presence inside his body. It did not move. It did not speak. But it was there, heavy and calm, like something that had always belonged.
For the first time since waking up in this world, his heart felt restless.
Not fear.
Something closer to excitement.
Careful excitement.
So it's real, he thought. I didn't imagine it.
He slowly pushed himself up. His body still hurt. Every movement reminded him that he was not a cultivator. Not yet. His injuries were still there, and his strength was still weak.
But he could move.
That alone felt unbelievable.
Adrian climbed out of the ditch with difficulty and leaned against a tree. He breathed heavily for a while, letting his heartbeat calm down.
In his previous life, he had been nothing special.
A college dropout.
He had tried to study. Failed. Tried again. Failed again. In the end, he went back home and worked in his family's small shop. Every day was the same. Open the door. Sell goods. Close the door.
No future. No direction.
When his parents got sick, he worked even harder. Not because he believed in dreams, but because he had no choice.
That was his life.
Ordinary. Quiet. Forgotten.
Adrian clenched his fists.
This time… it's different.
He closed his eyes and focused inward, just like he felt before.
Almost immediately, something responded.
A faint, cool sensation gathered in his lower abdomen. It was thin. Weak. But it existed. Adrian understood instinctively—this was qi. The smallest amount possible.
Then, another feeling appeared.
A connection.
Adrian's heart skipped a beat.
In the next moment, his vision split.
He staggered and nearly fell.
For a brief second, he saw two worlds at once.
One view was his own eyes, standing beside the tree.
The other was low to the ground, close to damp soil and fallen leaves.
Adrian froze.
What…
He looked down.
A small snake lay in the grass.
Its body was thin and pale blue, no longer than his forearm. It looked weak. Ordinary. If anyone saw it, they would think it was just a normal snake.
But Adrian knew.
That snake was his.
Information surfaced naturally in his mind, not as words, but understanding.
This was a water-element snake clone.
At his current state, this was the only kind he could create.
Other elemental snakes—wood, fire, metal, earth—were sealed. To unlock them, he would need heaven and earth treasures.
Rare ones.
Dangerous ones.
Adrian swallowed.
He tried to move the snake.
The snake lifted its head.
At the same time, Adrian felt a strange pull in his own neck, as if he had moved twice.
His stomach twisted.
This feels weird…
Controlling one body was natural. Two was not.
He took a few minutes to adjust. Slowly, carefully, he learned how to focus on one body at a time. When he focused on himself, the snake stayed still. When he focused on the snake, his own body felt distant.
Uncomfortable.
But manageable.
Another piece of understanding surfaced.
The snake could stay outside.
Or it could return to his body.
Adrian tested it.
The snake dissolved into a cool sensation and merged back into him. The strange split vision disappeared, and Adrian nearly sighed in relief.
Good, he thought. This would be dangerous otherwise.
He rested for a while longer before moving.
The village was not safe for him. Not yet. The men who had beaten him would notice soon that his body was missing.
He needed a place to hide.
A quiet place.
His thoughts naturally turned to one person.
Lina.
Her house was small, on the far side of the village. Her parents had died years ago. She lived alone. People rarely bothered her.
Adrian stood up slowly.
"I'll go there," he muttered.
Not for comfort.
For survival.
If he wanted to break through even the first level of cultivation, he needed time. Silence. And a place where no one would interrupt him.
Adrian took a step forward.
This time, his legs did not shake.