"Huff."
A young man sitting with a lotus position in the tree, breathing out negative air, as he opened his eyes. He could smell the breath coming out of his mouth, it smells so disgusting that he almost fell off the branch.
The thick moisture in his body only worsens his condition. Black sticky fluid was conspicuous since he was bare naked, with only leaves hiding his private lower parts. What's more, the sticky fluids smell like what he just breathed out, so he immediately jumps down to the tree and washes his body into the river.
Even though he was using the river as his source of water, he sometimes feel nauseous whenever he drank from it, and now, using the water from the river as the reason to clean his body, almost made him hesitate.
But he learned how to purify the water anyway, and the dirt could be washed away from the flow of the river, so he didn't need to worry about that, and goes on cleaning his body in the river. If your mindset still does not improve, and even in this kind of circumstance, you were still picky, then Congrats since you last to this day.
Splash
Clover was enjoying swimming through the river, as the undercurrent wasn't that heavy, and the splash of water, getting stopped by the rock, caused a massive enjoyment through the river.
He also didn't need to worry about the fish-type beast, since they were rare even in the river. Sometimes, in a month. There would be a snake beast that was transparent through the river, one could only imagine getting attacked without their knowing.
But, loaded with experience, he didn't need to react immediately and would just wait for the snake to attack its prey. With just a casual swipe of his newly created black dagger, the poor predator became a lamb before him, getting slaughtered in the process.
In a month, he diligently performs the breathing technique to better take a step in the path of cultivation, but sadly, the process was not only hard but also takes a lot of time.
"At first, I could only perform the breathing technique in the minute, the pain was so excruciating that even using my will or determination is just a type of encouragement to my mind," said Clover with a bitter smile, and he continued,
"But now, even though I still haven't stepped on the first stage of the first rank in Mortal Realm, I kind of felt the achievements, since I managed to perform the breathing technique overnight."
Clover felt that stepping on the first stage wasn't that far anymore. Since he managed to perform the breathing technique overnight, he could feel his body becoming more robust and filled with vigor. He wouldn't be surprised if his lifespan increased after reaching stage 1.
His face then turned to frown, as he remembered the process of stepping into the 2nd stage. Only with stage 1, and it took him a month to get here, what about the higher then?
"The 2nd stage is tempering my bone, this will need a lot of courage and dedication. Hmmm, after stepping into the 1st stage, I will temper my mind first so that I will not faint on my first try."
Clover was trying to find the right decision to make, he didn't want any more time to waste. As he was worried about his little sister's condition, he didn't know if she was doing well or not. Thinking that, if he continued contemplating negative things, it would only affect his mindset, he decided to erase these thoughts. And need to worry about himself first.
"I should follow the river path since through the river, the probability of meeting a human settlement is higher. Then in the process, I will battle any beast I will encounter and temper my battle experience, as well as my mind while at it. Hmmm… then, let's proceed with this plan then," He muttered under his breath, as he came to a probable decision.
His foot stepped into mud, as the leaves which were wet from the river, slithered through his knee, and some just drop through the ground. His wet hair, sprinkled his body, making his bare naked muscle body noticeable like a piece of art.
"This smell…"
He was just about to go back through his place when he smell a thick rusty metal which was blood. The blood was so thick that he calculated the distance of the blood from him, which was only half a km. His perception increased as his body adopted the wilderness, which was the reason why his smell was so sensitive.
"This smell... A beast feasting over its food."
Confirming what this smell was, and feeling the danger of this smell. He verified that the source of danger was the beast, not just a minor beast he meets, but a true beast comparable to the mutated lion.
Taking out the pair of the black dagger from each side of his waist. This pair of black daggers were created from the pair of horns from the rabbit he killed previously. Those horns' durability was a little higher than his flying knives, which were suitable for close combat.
When he shaped it with the whetstone who was always with him, the complete product was superb. The edge was so sharp, that even with a casual strike, he could feel that even the air was sliced. The length sized of the dagger was only 23, which was almost short, so he needed a distance to strike which was the advantage.
But thankfully, his flying knives covered that flaw. As he could use it as a distraction while closing the distance to the target.
Although he needed to switch a weapon in his right hand, he skillfully master it which caused him another mastery in weapon type.
Rustle Rustle
He was only a hundred meters away from it, as the sound of rustling echoed whenever he passed by some leaves. He was readying his stance and being vigilant even though the distance was still far. He was very meticulous since this beast he was about to face, was not like the egoistic deer he meet previously.
Through experienced, he could manage to identify the level of danger of every beast he encountered. Yet, this beast he was about to battle could be considered the peak, since the mutated lion was the only peak beast he had ever met.
"No, this beast is much stronger than that puppy."
His senses were heightened, as he could feel that the beast was much stronger than the mutated lion. Thinking through his experience in this vast forest, he managed to calm his mind as he whispered that he could only hear,
"I'm not the same before, as that time, I could only watch Morgan die before my eyes while feeling helpless and couldn't do anything besides watching. Now, let's test if I really become stronger… Much stronger than before."
With a resolute expression, he managed to calm his nerves from getting tense, and instead, it was also getting excited to test what Clover gained through a month of surviving with only himself, where the rules of the jungle applied.
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A/N: If you like the story so far, please give this novel a power stone and gold ticket to show your support. This will be appreciated.