Wou, wou—
The cries of foxes echoed through the forest as dusk settled in. Su Chen, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, slowly opened his eyes. The ancient glowing runes that had appeared across his body faded one by one as he stopped circulating his cultivation technique.
A faint green light flashed in his eyes.
The sun was almost below the horizon. He raised his hand toward the sky and clenched his fist. A swirl of Qi gathered around it, causing the surrounding air to ripple faintly.
"Ninth level of Qi Refining already…" he murmured, lowering his hand. "I don't know if I'm considered a genius, but this speed is probably above average. My physique's definitely helping."
A small frown crossed his face.
"But I started late. I'm almost fourteen now—most people began cultivating in early childhood. Still…" His eyes narrowed. "So what? I'll catch up. I have to."
There was no bitterness in his tone. Just calm observation.
With a smooth motion, he stood up, stretching his limbs. His joints let out subtle popping sounds. He patted his clothes out of habit, even though there wasn't a speck of dust on him.
"Cultivation really is something," he chuckled softly. "Otherwise, how could I sit still for so long without even realizing it?"
He took a breath, then focused inward. His spiritual consciousness flared out, spreading across the forest like a ripple in water. At the same time, he activated the first ability of the Wood Sovereign Scripture—Wood Sense.
Suddenly, the world changed.
Swish—swish!
The trees, plants, and flowers all rustled in unison, as if responding to a silent command. They swayed toward Su Chen's position, like soldiers greeting their commander with a grand salute.
An eerie yet majestic stillness fell over the forest.
Su Chen could feel it—his consciousness had formed a faint link with the plants around him.
With a single thought…
He realized he could use the trees and grass as his eyes and ears. Anywhere nature existed, he could sense movement and presence, though there would be a slight delay based on distance.
Just as he was immersed in this new perception, faint tremors returned through the network of flora:
—Forty-five miles north: a trace of elixir energy detected.
—Twenty-three miles east: three spirit beasts in the midst of battle.
—Sixteen miles west: two tigers… mating.
Su Chen's expression stiffened. He rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"…So this is the strength—and flaw—of Wood Sense, huh? So much information, but most of it's useless."
He shook his head and turned back toward his cave.
"I'm not even hungry," he noted. "Guess the wood-attributed Qi is sustaining me, suppressing the need for food."
He stepped through the cave entrance, waving his hand to clear away spider webs with a gentle burst of Qi. Deeper inside, he found a flat stone slab and cleaned it with another wave of energy before laying down on it.
Staring up at the rough ceiling, he sighed.
"I'm dirt poor right now… but I'll start trading soon. I'll definitely get rich."
He paused, then smirked.
"…Actually, screw that. Who am I kidding? Trading takes time. If I want money, the fastest way is robbing someone."
He turned on his side, his voice growing sleepy.
"Alright, future plan—first, leave this forest. Then, rob a few people… join a powerful sect, stay low for a while, then ascend to the Upper Realm and become a real immortal. Heh… sounds easy enough."
A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
"After that, I'll marry a woman. Not too pretty—those types are always arrogant. Just someone loyal… then have two kids and live a peaceful life."
His voice grew softer with each word. The thoughts drifted lazily as his eyes closed.
"…Beautiful women always think the world revolves around them…"
Muttering to himself, Su Chen closed his eyes.
Within moments, he had fallen into a quiet sleep, the forest still whispering around him.
Meanwhile, fifty-six miles away from the cave—well beyond the range of Su Chen's sensing technique—stood a medium-sized dormant volcano. Though it no longer erupted, the mountain still radiated intense heat. Molten lava flowed sluggishly through its lower levels, casting an eerie red glow, while the higher regions were dry, scorched land—crimson earth baked under years of residual flame.
At the very heart of this volcanic basin, amidst the silence and heat, grew a rare lotus. It was only half-bloomed, its petals a strange and captivating blend of blue and crimson. Despite the harsh environment, the flower exuded a serene and almost sacred aura that drew the gaze like a divine treasure. This was the Sacred Hearth Lotus—a spiritual plant of extraordinary value.
Renowned for its ability to aid in building one's foundation, the lotus was especially prized for harmonizing with a cultivator's internal constitution. Its gentle, fire-based energy could heal hidden injuries, refine meridians, and greatly enhance the chances of a smooth breakthrough. For those stuck at bottlenecks, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Many spirit beasts were hidden around the mountain, lurking in caves, beneath scorched rocks, or within the dry, brittle forests that dotted the outer ridge. Each of them waited patiently for the Sacred Hearth Lotus to bloom, driven by instinct and the subtle medicinal fragrance the half-budded lotus released. Most of these beasts were at the Foundation Establishment realm, their auras restrained but simmering with power. A few, however, radiated a terrifying presence—Core Formation realm beasts, ancient and dangerous, whose mere existence could flatten a low-tier sect but there is a garente that if the information about this lotus being bloomed spread in the human world, then not only this realm but even upper realm would arrive for it fortunately, it is located in one of biggest and dangerous(Blightfire Expanse)forest in not only Lower realm but even in whole cultivation world, otherwise it can't be hidden.
In comparison, Su Chen was incredibly lucky. The area he had landed in was relatively peaceful, with sparse beast activity and little spiritual competition. If he had ended up even near this volcano, things would have been drastically different. With his current strength, he wouldn't have even realized what killed him.
Even the outsider aura emanating from his body, which was currently keeping low-level beasts from approaching him, would offer little to no protection in this region, simply due to the vast difference in cultivation levels.