Hengsheng now found himself at the edge of the endless forest. It had been three days since he killed the abomination monster—three days ago, he had passed out from depleted Qi. During that time, Yunsu had dragged him through the forest with her small body for an entire day before he finally regained his senses. The hardship had taken its toll, and now Yunsu appeared angry with him.
"I'm sorry! How about I find something tasty for you later?" he offered sheepishly.
Perched on his right shoulder, Yunsu turned her face away, her ears twitching slightly at his words, yet she remained resolute in ignoring him.
"Since you are silent, I shall assume that means yes," Hengsheng continued.
"Meowww!!" came the sharp retort as she slapped him in the face for his shameless claim.
As one human and one spirit beast travel across the forest terrain, Hengsheng tries to observe his surroundings. He still doesn't see any demon beasts other than those gathered around the divine tree’s aura, and he is also on the lookout to determine if the abomination monster is the only one in the forest. However, after traveling for so long, he finds no sign of another abomination monster, which relieves him; he doesn't want to encounter something his logic cannot comprehend.
Soon, he reaches the edge of the endless forest. In front of him lies a rocky mountain terrain where the Lan Clan base is hidden somewhere above. Hengsheng feels a bit excited—once he nears his destination, he can focus on advancing his cultivation realm and attend to the many tasks awaiting him. Without further hesitation, he resumes his journey.
But something feels off. Hengsheng frowns; he experiences the same sensation as when he was in the endless forest—the demon beasts have vanished. Hengsheng quickly rushes to his Lan Clan base at high speed. Along the way, he notices signs of a struggle—a familiar scene from the endless forest—and his anxiety spikes, fearing that something bad is about to unfold.
Not long after, he arrives at the Mountain Wall. Though it seems unremarkable, it is, in fact, the formation array concealing the entrance of the cave. Hengsheng steps into the solid mountain wall without delay and finds no resistance. He emerges on the other side, spotting two clan members guarding the cave. Their faces light up with excitement upon seeing him.
"Brother Hengsheng! You’re finally back!"
"Welcome back, Brother Hengsheng!"
Hengsheng processes the sight of his clanmates alive. From the evidence he finds along the way, he already assumes that the monster might also attack his clan base.
"What happened outside? Why have all the demon beasts around here disappeared?"
At his question, the two of them appear pale, and one responds.
"Brother Hengsheng, you won't believe it. While guarding the entrance, I spotted a strange demon beast—very powerful, with an unusual appearance. It seemed to hunt everything in its path, but fortunately, it couldn’t see through our hidden formation; otherwise, we might have become its next meal." His voice trembles as he recollects the events.
It dawns on Hengsheng that the creature responsible for wiping out all the nearby demon beasts was indeed the abomination monster. He wonders if there is more than the one he encountered. He continues questioning, "When did it happen, and where has it gone now?"
The two recall the events and answer that the monster they saw seemed to be the same as the one that appeared in the endless forest. It showed up here a year ago, relentless in its hunt after finishing off every demon beast in the area. Then, it disappeared into the forest and has not returned to the Rocky Mountains since.
Hengsheng nods, relieved that no immediate threat remains. He points at one of them and says, "You have led me to the best cultivation cave; I will cultivate here."
"Yes, Brother Hengsheng!" comes the reply.
Shortly after, he arrives at the cave, its interior brimming with dense spiritual Qi. Satisfied, he nods, then takes out two green leaves and hands them to his clanmate, saying, "This is a Divine-grade treasure. Share it with the one at the gate, and don't let anyone disturb me. You may go now."
Upon hearing that it was a Divine-grade treasure, the clanmate’s eyes widen, nearly popping out of his head. He quickly regains his composure, steps outside, and bows to Hengsheng.
"I'll give it my all, Brother Hengsheng!"
Once he watches him depart, Hengsheng shuts the stone door of his cultivation cave and approaches the stone bed. He retrieves his soft mattress from his space ring, lays it on the stone bed, and lies down. After a year, Hengsheng finally feels secure and promptly starts his cultivation session with the first task: enjoying a deep, restful sleep...
Hengsheng wakes up the next day as a cultivator. Although he no longer requires sleep, it serves as a good reminder that he is human despite his power and provides the best way to refresh his state of mind. He plans to continue it even as he grows stronger. Beside him, he sees Yunsu with her eyes closed as if she is in a deep sleep, now floating gracefully. At the same time, spiritual Qi gathers around her, weaving into a delicate, continuous thread—a pattern suggesting she is in the process of breaking through to Rank 2 of the Spirit Beast cultivation realm and will soon ascend to Rank 3.
He has challenges ahead of him as well. Still, after experiencing Samuel’s life, he decides to adjust his plan from immediate breakthrough to the next cultivation realm right after securing a safe place to a more refined approach; he had not realized that one could alter the very nature of cultivation to become a profoundly different direction. His new strategy is to refine his current cultivation system—a system recognized among all cultivators on this continent as The Path of Dao Attainment.
It begins with creating a Spirit Body at the Body Awakening Realm; then, in the Qi Gathering Realm, a cultivator must gather spiritual Qi to refine and fill the spirit core while opening at least 64 Qi meridians. Following that, the next realm is the Spiritual Foundation, for if Qi Gathering represents a true cultivator, then the Spiritual Foundation marks the first step on the Dao path, establishing the very foundation of the cultivator’s Dao Heart—Spiritual Symbol.
To break through from the Qi Gathering Realm into the Spiritual Foundation Realm, one must open the Upper Dantian and form a Spiritual Symbol within. Subsequently, the Heavenly Dao sends a mind tribulation to test the strength of this Spiritual Symbol. If it proves too weak, it will be destroyed, the cultivator will fail, and their Upper Dantian will be severely damaged, making future breakthroughs increasingly difficult.
But Hengsheng already possessed his Dao Heart, so he was confident that he would easily forge a solid and strong Spiritual Symbol, yet that was not enough for him—he yearned for more and was determined to push beyond the norm.
Hengsheng entered the mind space to evaluate the full capabilities of his mind and to start developing his new cultivation technique. He did not intend to switch to another cultivation system—it was already too late for that. Moreover, while comparing Samuel's cultivation system, which emphasizes purely human genetics, with this continent's system, he recognized that the latter was stronger and more refined in its foundation. This system nurtures all aspects of a cultivator—mind, body, and soul—in a balanced manner, resulting in a solid foundation that prepares one for Dao attainment and eventual immortality.
All cultivation techniques employ different methods based on the cultivator's path, yet the final destination remains the same. In the Spiritual Foundation Realm, the first step is to open the Upper Dantian and form a Spiritual Symbol. To open the Upper Dantian, one must first open the initial 64 Qi meridians, which act as pathways for spiritual Qi within the body and connect all three Dantains.
the Lower Dantian—This is where the spirit core is located. These 64 Qi meridians channel spiritual Qi from the spirit core to the Upper Dantian in the brain. The method for opening the Upper Dantian is the same as that for opening the Qi meridians. Still, it requires a significantly higher quality and quantity of spiritual Qi than simply opening the Qi meridians.
The next step is condensing a Spiritual Symbol, representing the cultivator’s chosen path and philosophy. The method for doing this varies according to the specific cultivation technique practiced; the symbol can take any shape or form. On this continent, where sword cultivation is particularly popular, many techniques guide the cultivator to condense a Spiritual Symbol in the form of a Sword. The result is an enhancement of their talent and affinity for the sword dao, more so than if the symbol were formed in another shape.
After reflecting on his knowledge of his current cultivation system, he had already determined his path to becoming the system maker. He was poised to carve out his own path and forge a unique future.