Wen Ran stood still, panting heavily. His chest rose and fell as adrenaline coursed through his veins, his entire being buzzing with the thrill of newfound power. His gaze shifted to his fist, then to the massive tree now lying shattered on the ground.
"This..." He struggled to find the words, his voice barely a whisper. "Even in my past life, I never wielded this level of strength at the Spirit Gathering Stage."
He glanced around, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings to ensure no one had witnessed what had just occurred. The forest was silent, save for the faint rustling of leaves.
"The feeling earlier…" His brow furrowed as he recalled the surge of energy. "That pill… its potency was far beyond what I imagined. It expanded my dantian beyond the normal limit of the seventh circle." He paused, flexing his fingers as he felt the energy pulsing within him. "Right now, my strength rivals that of an early-stage Spirit Flow warrior..."
But he knew all too well that raw power wasn't enough. "Sadly, I lack techniques suitable for this world..." he muttered, frustration flickering in his eyes. Closing his eyes, Wen Ran began circulating his spiritual energy through his ridians, attempting to form a basic technique that every Spirit Flow cultivator should know—or at least, that was how it worked in his old world at the Formation Establishnt Stage.
"Fla Serpent..." he whispered, focusing intently as he tried to summon the fire elent and manifest flas. Yet, to his disappointnt, nothing happened. His energy dissipated without producing even a spark. "It appears the elental laws here don't work the sa way as they did in my world," he concluded, his tone cold and analytical. "Which ans I'll have to start from scratch… learn techniques from the beginning."
Then, an idea struck him. The system might be able to provide with one… but testing it out here is too risky. A flicker of hope crossed his face. For now, however, he decided to return to the city before night fell, his thoughts already racing ahead.
Sneaking back into the city was surprisingly easy. Wen Ran quickly realized that the city's defenses were laughably inadequate. It beca apparent to him that the Fang Clan's arrogance had left them blind to their vulnerabilities. Their overconfidence would be their undoing, and Wen Ran already had several ideas forming in his mind for how he could bring this place to ruin when the ti ca.
Once inside his temporary house, Wen Ran wasted no ti. He made his way to the room filled with books and scrolls, his steps deliberate. The room was dimly lit, but the faint scent of aged parchnt filled the air. Wen Ran's sharp eyes scanned the shelves, seeking techniques suitable for his current level. His fingers trailed over the spines of ancient scrolls, picking out anything that caught his attention.
But his initial excitent soon turned to disappointnt.
"Not a single elental attack for Spirit Gathering Stage cultivators?" he muttered under his breath, frustration coloring his tone. He rifled through more scrolls, his brows furrowing with each passing mont. The techniques he found were either basic physical enhancents or outdated cultivation thods.
"How is this possible?" Wen Ran growled, throwing a particularly useless scroll aside. "Does this world truly lack proper techniques for the Spirit Gathering Stage? Is the library outdated, or is this world simply too weak to comprehend the true art of cultivation?"
His thoughts churned with disdain. In his past life, even a backwater town would have had at least one or two foundational techniques for elental attacks. Here, however, it was as though the Spirit Gathering Stage was regarded as nothing more than a stepping stone, unworthy of aningful developnt.
This place is pathetic... but perhaps that's to my advantage. If their knowledge is this limited, then surpassing them will be all the easier. His lips curled into a smirk as the thought settled in his mind.
He resud his search, determined to find sothing—anything—that could be of use to him.
"Co on, system, help out once more," Wen Ran muttered impatiently.
[You have yet to complete the system challenge from the previous request. Assistance will resu only after the challenge is completed]
Wen Ran blinked in surprise. The system actually responded? Is that all it takes—just talking to it? He pondered the revelation carefully, intrigued by the potential to manipulate his strange new companion. Now that he was alone, he had more ti to experint with his newfound toy.
"Fine then. Let's get this over with already," he said, annoyance lacing his tone. "Give whatever you've got—I'm ready."
[Very well. Based on the user's request, the challenge will be initiated ahead of ti. Proceeding with teleportation in 3… 2… 1…]
Wen Ran's vision spun wildly as a strange force gripped him. The world blurred, the familiar surroundings vanishing in an instant. When his senses finally steadied, he found himself standing in a dense forest. The air felt different, heavier sohow, and the faint rustling of leaves carried an unfamiliar rhythm. His sharp gaze swept over the towering trees, noting their unusual height and the faint glow emanating from so of the plants. This wasn't the forest near the Fang Clan.
"Where am I?" Wen Ran murmured, his mood darkening as a sense of unease crept in. His instincts told him this was no ordinary place. The air thrumd faintly with spiritual energy, but it was wild and chaotic, unlike the cultivated tranquility he was used to.
He glanced upward. The sky was still bright, the position of the sun suggesting it was midday. Yet the dense canopy of trees filtered the light, casting long, ominous shadows over the forest floor.
[The challenge quest will now begin]
[User must complete the challenge within 2 days]
[Challenge: Find a 100-year-old golden ginseng and slay the beast guarding it]
[Failure to complete the challenge will result in death]
[We wish you luck]
Wen Ran scowled at the ssage. "Great. Another life-or-death situation. How generous of you," he muttered sarcastically.
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