Shi Yao emerged from the cave, the air thick with an unseen weight, as if the very atmosphere mourned the land's unrest. The sky fractured—clouds peeled back unnaturally, exposing patches of cold blue above the jagged mountain peaks.
A suffocating pressure pressed down, constricting his chest with every breath.
Then he saw them.
Five figures, robed in black, descended silently through the fractured clouds, their movements defying gravity itself. Their presence twisted the air around them, an ominous ripple signaling danger far beyond mortal understanding.
Flying… only Golden Core or above. Shi Yao's eyes narrowed, recalling the old man's words.
These weren't mere men. They were monsters hunting Bai Ling's secret—and now, perhaps, him.
No time to hesitate.
He turned and fled.
Down the craggy mountainside, feet pounding, heart thrumming wildly. The forest thickened, shadows swallowing light, and every snapped twig set his nerves on edge.
Minutes stretched, tense and agonizing, the threat unseen but ever-present.
Suddenly, movement flickered from the shadows.
A wolf emerged—a sinewy beast, its fur mottled with ash, eyes glowing faintly with qi. It was a predator of the Qi Refinement Stage, low rank but deadly.
Shi Yao stopped, lips curling into a grim smile.
Perfect. Time to test what the old man gave me.
The wolf snarled and lunged.
Shi Yao dodged left, feeling the cold rush of claw just missing his face.
With a burst of crimson light from his palms, he unleashed the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art.
A fierce aura erupted, his hands glowing like embers as the pulse reached out, siphoning the wolf's qi and life force. The beast howled in agony as its energy drained, flowing into Shi Yao's damaged meridians.
Pain bloomed in his limbs—raw and fierce—but beneath it, healing began.
His broken pathways knit together with brutal precision.
The wolf collapsed, lifeless.
---
Exhausted but wary, Shi Yao pressed on.
Not far ahead, a yawning cavern pierced the mountainside, shadows pooling like ink within.
From its depths, low growls and rustling spoke of many lives—wolves, perhaps dozens.
The scent of qi was thick and heavy.
He stepped inside, senses alert.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
Suddenly, the cavern exploded with snarls and howls as a pack of wolves—fierce and desperate—lunged from the shadows, surrounding him.
They attacked relentlessly.
Shi Yao moved with brutal precision, every strike infused with the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art. Each kill siphoned qi, flooding his body with energy and searing pain that melded into healing.
Hours became days.
The battle was unending—a savage dance of blood, death, and rebirth.
Shi Yao's muscles tore and rebuilt, his spirit forged anew in the crucible of relentless combat.
Throughout, his mind never dulled.
He calculated every move, conserved energy when possible, and struck with deadly efficiency.
The pulse art demanded balance: drain too much qi, and his own body would rebel; too little, and the wolves' resilience would overwhelm him.
He embraced the pain as a teacher and the wolves as both adversaries and sustenance.
---
Seven days passed within that suffocating cavern.
At last, silence fell.
Shi Yao looked around—the cavern floor was a grim mosaic of lifeless wolves, piled in heaps.
Blood and fur stained the stone, but beneath it all, power thrummed within him.
He rose, breathing heavily.
With measured steps, he climbed atop the mound of carcasses, sitting bare-chested, red aura flickering like molten embers over his skin.
His gaze was steady, burning with quiet triumph.
"I've finally reached qi refinement stage 6,all that pain was worth it ."
The pain was far from over, but Shi Yao's body was no longer frail.
He was ready.
After climbing up the mountain,Shi Yao froze at the sight before him.
A massive wolf fed greedily on the carcass of a bear, its dark fur bristling with raw power, eyes glowing fiercely with a qi aura that rippled like storm clouds—clearly a predator nearing the peak of the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.
A cold smirk tugged at Shi Yao's lips.
He seized a heavy log, muscles coiling with intent, and hurled it with brutal force.
THWACK.
The log slammed against the wolf's skull, cracking bone with a sickening crunch. The beast staggered, ears flattening, eyes locking onto Shi Yao with burning fury.
"You bastard... I'm back," Shi Yao muttered, cracking his neck. "Looks like you've been having fun without me."
The wolf vanished—an impossible speed that blurred it from sight.
Suddenly, a brutal force slammed into Shi Yao's back, nearly knocking the breath from him.
He twisted sharply, narrowly dodging a vicious claw swipe that carved deep into the bark of a nearby tree.
Steel-cold calculation sparked in his eyes.
With his palm ignited in a burning crimson glow, Shi Yao struck into the wolf's ribs. The Heaven Devouring Pulse Art flared to life, surging through his palm like molten lava.
The wolf howled, the energy ripping qi and life force from its body, channeled into Shi Yao's injured meridians.
But the wolf was no mere beast; it snarled, claws slashing wildly in retaliation.
Shi Yao blocked a swipe, twisting and ducking as the beast lunged again. His body was a blur, weaving through the trees, each movement honed by instinct and ruthless calculation.
His foot swept low, aiming for the wolf's ankles, tripping the beast.
It crashed forward but rolled, recovering instantly, snapping its jaws inches from Shi Yao's face.
With a sharp breath, Shi Yao's eyes flickered—he tapped deeper into the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art, focusing the draining pulse into his legs, fueling explosive strength.
He sprang forward, landing a brutal knee strike into the wolf's chest.
The beast grunted, staggered backward—but suddenly, it leapt high, claws extended in a deadly arc.
Shi Yao barely twisted his torso, the claws grazing his ribs, tearing flesh.
Pain exploded, but he gritted his teeth, igniting his palm again.
He caught the wolf midair with a searing palm strike, the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art burning through muscle and bone.
The wolf crashed into a tree, splintering bark flying.
Before it could rise, Shi Yao rolled forward, launching a rapid flurry of strikes—each pulse-infused blow ripping qi and life force, healing Shi Yao's wounds as the wolf's energy waned.
The beast snarled in fury, retreating with a savage snap of its jaws.
Shi Yao's breath came hard, but his gaze was steady.
"You're strong. But I'm stronger."
The wolf charged again with renewed ferocity, jaws snapping and claws tearing.
Shi Yao dodged and countered with precise strikes, every move weaving between offense and healing as the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art siphoned the wolf's qi bit by bit.
The two blurred through the forest in a brutal dance—fist against claw, red aura crackling around Shi Yao's fists like wildfire.
Birds scattered, trees shuddered from the force.
Finally, Shi Yao feinted left, baiting the wolf's attack.
At the last second, he twisted right, catching the wolf's exposed flank with a spinning elbow that echoed through the woods.
The wolf tumbled, blood streaking its fur.
Before it could recover, Shi Yao vaulted high, palm blazing.
He descended like a hammer, slamming the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art into the wolf's skull.
A scream pierced the air as the wolf's life force was violently drawn out, its body shriveling beneath the surge of devouring energy.
Within seconds, the forest was silent but for Shi Yao's heavy breaths.
All that remained was a charred pile of bone and fur.
Shi Yao stepped back, body glowing faintly with power.
A surge of energy roared through him, breaking through his limits to the eighth layer of Qi Refinement.
Unused energy hummed beneath his skin—raw, volatile, and waiting to be forged into something greater.
He inhaled deeply, then melted silently into the shadows.