Lían stood at the bottom of the cliff.
He slowly looked upward.
The towering cliff stretched far above him, its rocky surface disappearing into the darkness overhead.
His expression gradually became tired.
He glanced toward Lizarius.
"Master."
A brief pause.
"Can you take me back up to the cave?"
Lizarius looked toward him.
"I need to rest and recover."
Lían glanced back toward the cliff.
"Getting down was easy..."
"But I don't think getting back up will be nearly as easy."
He sighed.
"I just need to rest for a while."
He looked toward Lizarius.
"You can help me, can't you?"
Lizarius didn't answer.
Instead—
gravity suddenly descended around Lían.
His body slowly lifted from the ground.
Lían blinked.
"...Oh."
The next instant—
**WHOOSH!**
The two figures shot upward.
The forest rapidly disappeared beneath them.
The cliffside rushed past in a blur.
Within moments—
they reached the cavern.
Lían's feet touched the ground.
He looked around.
"...That was fast."
He stretched his arms.
"First thing's first."
He immediately opened his storage pouch.
Then—
he pulled out several pieces of wood.
Along with—
the leg of a demon beast.
Lían stared at the meat.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I've been wanting to eat something different for a while."
He looked at the meat.
"After eating that entire clam..."
His expression immediately twisted.
"...I'm honestly starting to feel disgusted just thinking about it."
He quickly shook his head.
"No more clam."
He placed the wood on the ground.
Then—
he glanced toward Lizarius.
"Master."
He pointed toward the wood.
"Can you help me light this?"
He waited.
But—
Lizarius had already curled up on the side of the cavern.
His body had rolled into a small ball.
Lían blinked.
"...Seriously?"
Before he could say anything else—
Lizarius opened his mouth slightly.
A tiny flame shot toward the wood.
**WHOOSH!**
The wood immediately caught fire.
Lían stared.
Then—
he smiled.
"Thanks."
He quickly crouched beside the fire.
He placed the demon beast's leg above the flames.
The meat began to sizzle.
**SIZZLE...**
Lían's stomach quietly growled.
He glanced at it.
"...Finally."
He slowly turned the meat over the fire.
The smell of roasting meat gradually filled the cavern.
Lían swallowed.
His eyes brightened.
"That smells much better."
He continued roasting the meat, carefully turning it whenever one side became too dark.
For the first time since leaving the village—
he finally allowed himself to relax.
After some time—
the fire had finally burned out.
Only a few faint embers remained before they gradually disappeared.
Lían sat cross-legged on the ground.
His eyes were closed.
Spiritual energy slowly circulated through his meridians.
His breathing was calm and steady.
Little by little—
the exhaustion accumulated from his previous battles began to fade.
His muscles relaxed.
His breathing became even more stable.
His body gradually recovered.
After some time—
Lían's eyes opened.
He slowly exhaled.
"...I feel much better."
He stretched his arms.
"Cultivating really does help recover the body."
He paused.
"Almost like sleeping."
His gaze shifted toward the other side of the cavern.
Lizarius remained curled into a small ball.
His eyes were closed.
Apparently—
he had already fallen asleep.
Lían stared at him for a moment.
Then—
he turned away.
"Alright."
He reached into his storage pouch.
After searching for a moment—
he pulled something out.
A massive tusk.
Lían held it up.
"...This should work."
He examined the material.
"I'll use this to make a hilt."
His gaze shifted toward Thunder Vein.
"And eventually..."
"A scabbard."
He paused.
"The thing you put the sword inside."
Lían looked at the tusk again.
"But..."
"I'll just make the hilt for now."
He placed the tusk on the ground.
Then—
Thunder Vein moved.
**SHING!**
A section of the tusk was cleanly cut away.
Lían carefully picked up the remaining piece.
"I'll keep this."
He set it aside.
Then—
he began working on the smaller section.
Using Thunder Vein—
he slowly carved the material.
**SCRRRT.**
Small fragments fell away.
Lían concentrated.
He carved down the rough edges.
Shaped the grip.
Smoothed the surface.
Slowly—
the crude piece of tusk began taking shape.
Time quietly passed.
Eventually—
Lían stopped.
He examined his work.
The tusk had been transformed into a simple hilt.
It wasn't elaborate.
There were no intricate patterns or unnecessary decorations.
But—
it fit the sword perfectly.
Lían carefully attached it to Thunder Vein.
He tightened the connection.
Then—
he reached into his storage pouch again.
This time—
he pulled out a piece of thick snake skin.
Lían looked at it.
"...This should work."
He cut a suitable section.
Then—
he wrapped it tightly around the hilt.
Layer after layer—
the rough snake skin formed a firm grip around the handle.
Lían tightened the final section.
Then—
he raised the sword.
He tested the grip.
Once.
Twice.
His fingers tightened naturally around it.
The sword felt much more comfortable in his hand now.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"...Alright."
He glanced toward Lizarius.
"Master."
Lizarius' eyes remained closed.
Lían sighed.
"He probably heard me anyway."
He secured Thunder Vein at his side.
Then—
he closed his storage pouch.
He stood.
"...I don't have time to waste."
Lían looked toward the cavern entrance.
"Let's go."
A moment later—
his figure disappeared into the darkness.
---
The scene shifted.
Deep within the forest—
Lían moved silently between the trees.
His footsteps barely made a sound against the forest floor.
Thunder Vein rested securely at his side.
His senses remained focused on his surroundings.
Every rustle.
Every distant movement.
Every unfamiliar sound—
caught his attention.
The forest was beginning to darken.
The sun had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon.
Faint traces of orange light still remained between the trees, but darkness was quickly swallowing the forest.
Yet Lían continued moving.
He had only one thought.
*I need to get stronger.*
And somewhere within the depths of the forest—
his next opponent was already waiting.
Lían moved silently through the trees.
His steps were light.
His senses remained spread throughout the surrounding area.
Then—
he heard something.
*...Huh?*
Lían immediately stopped.
His head turned toward the sound.
A faint growl echoed between the trees.
**Grrrr...**
His expression became cautious.
He slowly moved in that direction.
The deeper he went—
the stronger the scent of blood became.
Lían carefully pushed aside several leaves.
His eyes widened.
"...Wolves?"
A wolf stood among the trees.
Iron-like armor covered parts of its body.
Its back.
Its tail.
Even the top of its head.
Lían narrowed his eyes.
*Iron Wolf?*
He remained hidden.
But then—
another wolf stepped into view.
Then another.
Then another.
Lían's expression changed.
*...A pack.*
He carefully counted them.
Two wolves lay motionless on the ground.
Their bodies were covered in blood.
Nearby—
a massive reptilian demon beast lay dead.
Its body resembled dark stone.
Thick scales covered its enormous frame.
Several parts of its body had already been torn open.
Blood stained the surrounding earth.
Lían's gaze moved across the remaining wolves.
*Four of them are at the First Stage of Spirit Refining.*
His eyes shifted.
*Two are at the Second Stage.*
Then—
his gaze settled upon the largest wolf.
It was noticeably larger than the others.
The iron-like armor covering its body was thicker, giving it an intimidating appearance.
Its aura was also significantly stronger.
*Third Stage.*
Lían's expression became serious.
*That's probably the leader.*
He remained hidden behind the trees.
His mind quickly analyzed the situation.
*If it were only the Third Stage wolf...*
His fingers slowly tightened around Thunder Vein.
*I would've tried killing it.*
That had been his plan.
Find Third Stage demon beasts.
Kill them.
Use the reconstructed technique.
Absorb their blood essence and life force.
Then—
continue.
It was the fastest way for him to grow stronger.
But—
this situation was completely different.
A Third Stage leader.
Two Second Stage wolves.
Four First Stage wolves.
And—
two dead members of the pack.
Not to mention the enormous reptilian beast they had just killed.
Lían's eyes narrowed.
*That reptile was probably at the Third Stage too.*
His expression became increasingly cautious.
*The entire pack just finished fighting it.*
The battlefield made that obvious.
The wolves were injured.
The reptilian beast was dead.
Yet—
there were still seven wolves remaining.
*Trying to fight them now would be stupid.*
Lían slowly began stepping backward.
*I need to leave.*
He carefully shifted his weight.
One step.
Then another.
He was almost completely hidden by the trees.
Then—
one of the wolves suddenly raised its head.
Its nose twitched.
Lían froze.
*...*
The wolf sniffed the air.
Another wolf did the same.
Then—
the entire pack became alert.
Their heads turned toward the forest.
Several noses moved simultaneously.
Lían's expression changed.
*...They smelled me.*
A low growl echoed through the forest.
**Grrrrr...**
The wolves' eyes locked onto his position.
Lían's heart sank.
*Not good.*
He slowly tightened his grip around Thunder Vein.
His muscles tensed.
His eyes narrowed.
*I was spotted.*
*Not good.*