Three Days Later
Morning sunlight filtered softly through the endless mountain forests.
Mist drifted between ancient trees while distant beast roars echoed faintly across the wilderness surrounding the hidden valley.
Far above the forest canopy—
an invisible white figure moved silently through the air.
The lizard.
Golden eyes calm.
Cold.
Searching.
His senses spread continuously across the surrounding region while gravity carried his concealed body soundlessly between the mountains.
He was searching for one thing.
Cultivators.
Specifically—
members of the sect.
After Elder Han's death, there should have been some reaction eventually.
Investigation teams.
Scouts.
Something.
Yet despite moving across large portions of the surrounding forests—
he found nothing.
No disciples.
No elders.
No searching parties.
Interesting.
The sect truly intended to remain cautious for now.
The lizard drifted lower through the trees afterward.
Then—
his eyes suddenly caught movement.
Three spiritual fluctuations.
Foundation Establishment Realm.
His golden eyes narrowed faintly.
Not cultivators.
Beasts.
A moment later—
the forest erupted violently.
BOOOOM.
An enormous black-scaled ape crashed through several trees while roaring furiously.
Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Its body towered above the surrounding forest while dark spiritual energy reinforced its muscles like armor.
But before it could stabilize—
the ground beneath it distorted.
CRACK.
A gravitational force slammed downward instantly.
The ape's enormous body smashed violently into the earth.
Bones cracked loudly.
The beast roared in rage—
then stopped abruptly.
SHINK.
An earth spike pierced straight through its skull.
Silence.
Blood spread slowly across shattered ground.
Elsewhere—
two additional beast roars echoed almost simultaneously deeper within the forest.
Early-stage Foundation Establishment.
One resembled a crimson-striped wolf large enough to crush boulders beneath its claws.
The other—
a horned serpent wrapped around ancient trees while releasing poisonous spiritual mist.
Both died within moments.
The wolf's body suddenly folded unnaturally inward after gravitational pressure collapsed its organs instantly.
The serpent attempted fleeing underground—
only for dozens of compressed earth spikes to erupt through its body from every direction.
The forest gradually became quiet once more.
Leaves drifted softly downward across the bloodstained battlefield.
Then—
the lizard slowly appeared beside the corpses.
His concealment faded naturally while golden eyes swept calmly across the dead beasts.
Without hesitation—
he began consuming them.
Flesh.
Blood.
Bones.
Dense Foundation Establishment spiritual essence spread warmly through his body while silver-gold energy circulated beneath his white scales.
Time passed quietly.
Eventually—
the system voice echoed inwardly.
[Evolution Points Gained: 12,676]
[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Black Mountain Ape Gene]
[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Crimson Fang Wolf Gene]
[Bloodline Gene Acquired: Horned Venom Serpent Gene]
The lizard swallowed the final remains calmly.
Three more bloodline genes.
Nothing extraordinary.
Still—
they possessed more value than the weaker beast genes from before.
The lizard's golden eyes flickered faintly afterward.
Then inwardly—
Fuse them.
The system responded immediately.
[Beginning Bloodline Fusion…]
Warmth spread throughout his body once more.
Muscles tightened subtly beneath white scales while new instinctive fragments surfaced briefly within his mind.
Predatory senses.
Venom resistance.
Reinforced bone density.
Minor enhancements only.
But useful.
The lizard remained motionless briefly afterward while the fusion stabilized.
Then—
his gaze lifted toward the distant mountains once more.
Still no sign of the sect.
Interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
———
The lizard moved silently beneath the earth.
Soil parted effortlessly around his body while underground stone and roots flowed. past like water.
Soon—
he arrived once more beneath Village Head Wa Shi's residence.
Golden eyes gazed upward calmly through layers of earth and wood.
The backyard above remained quiet beneath the afternoon sunlight.
Lian sat cross-legged exactly where he had the previous day.
Eyes tightly closed.
Hands resting awkwardly upon his knees.
Trying.
Still trying.
Village Head Wa Shi sat nearby in silence while occasionally offering calm guidance.
"Relax your breathing."
"Do not force your awareness outward."
"Feel the world naturally."
But despite the passing hours—
nothing changed.
No spiritual fluctuations gathered around Lian.
No successful circulation.
No awakening perception.
Only frustration slowly growing beneath the boy's calm expression.
The lizard watched quietly from below.
Golden eyes thoughtful.
…He still hasn't sensed spiritual energy yet.
This human was truly an inefficient one.
Even with spiritual roots—
progress remained painfully slow.
Time continued passing.
The sun gradually lowered.
Golden afternoon light became orange.
Then red.
Eventually—
darkness slowly covered the village once more.
Lian finally opened his eyes.
Exhaustion covered his face.
Disappointment too.
"…Still nothing."
Village Head Wa Shi remained calm.
"That is normal."
"For low-grade spiritual roots, the first sensing process may take days."
"Sometimes weeks."
Lian lowered his head slightly.
"…I understand."
Though disappointment still lingered visibly in his eyes.
Eventually—
he stood up slowly before bowing respectfully.
"Then I'll return tomorrow."
Wa Shi nodded once.
"Mm."
"Do not become impatient."
Lian nodded before turning and leaving the residence quietly.
The village paths had already darkened beneath evening shadows.
Soft lantern light glowed from nearby homes while villagers gradually returned indoors for the night.
Lian walked slowly through the dirt road alone.
His thoughts remained restless.
…I still can't sense spiritual energy.
Even after four days.
Was his talent truly that poor?
The thought lingered heavily within his mind.
He clenched his fists slightly while continuing home.
But after several moments—
his expression slowly steadied again.
No.
He had already expected this.
Village Head Wa Shi had explained clearly that low-grade Five Element roots cultivated slowly.
Then he would simply work harder.
Four days.
Five days.
Ten days.
A month.
No matter how long it took—
he would continue.
Because this was finally his chance.
His chance to become strong enough.
Strong enough to survive.
Strong enough to leave the village someday.
Strong enough to bring her back.
The thought alone caused determination to slowly return to his eyes.
Beneath the earth below him—
the lizard followed silently..
Watching quietly as the weak little human continued struggling forward despite repeated failure.
Night deepened quietly over the small village.
Cold wind drifted softly outside while faint lantern light flickered within the tiny wooden house.
Lian and his mother had already finished dinner long ago.
The two spoke quietly for some time afterward before exhaustion finally claimed the older woman.
Soon—
her breathing became slow and steady beneath her blanket.
Asleep.
The small home fell silent afterward.
But Lian remained awake.
His eyes stayed open while staring quietly at the ceiling above him.
Thoughtful.
Restless.
Eventually—
he slowly sat up.
Careful not to wake his mother.
The wooden floor creaked faintly beneath his feet as he crouched beside the bed and reached underneath it.
After a moment—
he pulled out a wrapped cloth bundle hidden carefully beneath the wooden frame.
Lian moved quietly toward the darker corner of the room before sitting down cross-legged.
Then slowly—
he opened the cloth.
Inside rested two beast claws.
And beside them—
two faintly glowing blue berries.
Blue Spirit Berries.
The ones he had secretly kept for himself.
Lian stared at them quietly.
Originally—
he had planned saving them until after he successfully sensed spiritual energy.
But several days had already passed.
And still—
nothing.
His expression tightened slightly.
"…It's a spiritual herb…"
"It should help somehow…"
He remembered Village Head Wa Shi mentioning that spiritual herbs would gradually lose effectiveness over time if left unused too long.
Though slowly.
Very slowly.
Still—
waiting endlessly felt wasteful now.
Lian stared at the berries for several moments longer before finally making a decision.
"…I'll eat one now."
"And save the other for after I truly begin cultivating."
Carefully—
he wrapped one berry back inside the cloth together with the beast claws before hiding them beneath the bed again.
The remaining berry stayed within his hand.
Lian looked at it quietly for a moment longer.
Then—
ate it.
A cool refreshing energy spread faintly through his body almost immediately.
Warmth followed afterward.
Gentle.
Comfortable.
Lian quickly sat properly cross-legged again afterward before closing his eyes tightly.
Trying once more to sense spiritual energy.
To feel something.
Anything.
Beneath the wooden floor—
the invisible white lizard watched silently from within the earth.
Golden eyes calm.
The energy inside the berry was pitifully small.
Even after consumption—
it barely increased the spiritual energy surrounding the boy at all.
With such thin ambient spiritual energy in the village—
and with Lian's poor spiritual roots—
he still would not sense anything naturally anytime soon.
Not unless conditions changed.
The lizard remained motionless beneath the soil.
Watching.
Thinking.
If the child only needs to sense spiritual energy…
Then the problem is not entirely the child.
It's the environment.
The spiritual energy here was far too thin.
Even low-grade cultivators would struggle cultivating efficiently in such a place.
The lizard's golden eyes narrowed faintly afterward.
Energy gathering formations.
That was what sects used.
Spiritual veins.
Arrays.
Concentrated environments.
But this village possessed none of those things.
Silence filled the underground space briefly.
Then another thought surfaced within the lizard's mind.
…If I simply gather the surrounding spiritual energy myself?
The lizard remained still afterward.
Thinking carefully.
As a Golden Core existence—
his cultivation naturally drew spiritual energy inward whenever he refined energy seriously.
If he deliberately pulled nearby ambient spiritual energy together—
then even this thin environment would temporarily become far denser.
Enough perhaps—
for a weak mortal with low-grade roots to finally perceive it.
Above him—
Lian still sat motionless.
Eyes closed tightly.
Trying desperately to feel spiritual energy that simply wasn't there.
The lizard watched quietly beneath the earth.
Golden eyes thoughtful.
The small wooden house remained silent beneath the deep night.
Only the faint crackling of dying firewood echoed softly from the stove.
Lian continued sitting cross-legged in the corner.
Eyes tightly closed.
Breathing slow.
Trying desperately to sense even the slightest trace of spiritual energy.
But still—
nothing.
The faint medicinal warmth from the Blue Spirit Berry circulated briefly through his body before gradually dispersing uselessly into the air.
His brows slowly tightened.
Frustration.
Disappointment.
Yet he still continued trying.
Beneath the house—
the white lizard remained motionless within the earth.
Watching.
Observing.
Then—
slowly—
spiritual energy began circulating through his body.
Not violently.
Controlled.
The Golden Core within him pulsed softly once.
Immediately—
the surrounding spiritual energy shifted.
The invisible currents scattered throughout the nearby village trembled faintly before slowly drifting inward.
Toward him.
Toward the house.
The process was subtle.
Gentle enough that no ordinary mortal could notice.
Even Village Head Wa Shi likely would not sense anything from this distance.
Yet compared to the naturally thin spiritual energy of the village—
the difference became enormous.
More spiritual energy gradually gathered around the small wooden home.
Flowing silently through cracks in the walls.
Through the earth.
Through the air itself.
Lian remained unaware initially.
Still sitting there frustrated.
Still trying blindly.
Then—
suddenly—
his breathing paused slightly.
A strange feeling appeared.
Faint.
Extremely faint.
But there.
Lian's brows twitched.
His tightly closed eyes trembled slightly.
What… was that?
Something cool brushed softly against his senses.
Like drifting mist.
Like invisible flowing water surrounding him quietly.
His heartbeat quickened instantly.
The feeling nearly vanished immediately afterward.
But this time—
he noticed it.
Lian's breathing became unstable from excitement.
The sensation instantly weakened again.
Beneath the earth—
the lizard observed silently.
Too emotional.
The child immediately disrupted his concentration.
The child truly lacked control.
Then—
above—
Lian quickly forced himself to calm down again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Remembering Village Head Wa Shi's instructions.
Relax your breathing.
Do not force it.
Feel naturally.
Lian inhaled slowly.
Exhaled slowly.
Gradually—
his heartbeat steadied again.
And this time—
the sensation returned.
Faint currents drifting around him.
Thin streams of invisible energy floating through the darkness.
The moment his awareness brushed against them—
Lian's body trembled slightly.
Spiritual energy.
He found it.
Or rather—
for the first time—
he could finally feel it.
Excitement nearly exploded within him again.
But he desperately restrained himself this time.
Holding still.
Focusing carefully.
The white lizard watched quietly below.
The child truly possessed some patience after all.
The gathered spiritual energy continued drifting naturally around the room while Lian carefully maintained his concentration.
Very slowly—
his spiritual awareness became clearer.
Still blurry.
Still weak.
But undeniably real.
Tears slowly gathered at the corners of Lian's closed eyes.
Not sadness.
Relief.
Joy.
After days of failure—
he had finally succeeded.
Even if only barely.
The lizard remained silent beneath the earth afterward.
His Golden Core continued drawing spiritual energy inward naturally.
Maintaining the environment without effort.
Above him—
Lian sat motionless in the darkness of the small house.
For the very first time—
touching the path of cultivation.