He paused, gathering his thoughts. "The journey to the town is treacherous. The wilderness is replete with dangers: vicious beasts, treacherous terrains, and not to forget other cultivators, who wouldn't hesitate to rob or kill for resources. With my initial qi pool, each encounter depleted my reserves faster than I could recover. I had to be judicious with my qi, choosing to evade rather than engage whenever I could."
A rueful smile played on his lips. "Then came the fateful encounter with that mysterious creature. After consuming those herbs and berries, my qi pool expanded to 100cm by 100cm. That made all the difference. Suddenly, I could hold my own in battles, traverse challenging terrains without exhaustion, and even deter some of the threats just by the sheer force of my qi."
