The deeper they ventured, the wilder the land became.
Towering trees stretched skyward, their gnarled roots twisting over the uneven terrain. A heavy mist clung to the air, swirling in lazy tendrils, carrying the scent of damp earth and something more sinister—the scent of blood.
Lian pulled her cloak tighter around herself. "We should be careful we are reaching the heart of the forest.Its filled with strong beasts..there are even beasts at the cusps of breaking into the core Formation Realm. We are done for if we encounter one of those."
Snow didn't respond, but he had already noticed.
The energy here was thicker, heavier. It hummed in the air, charged with primal power. Spirit beasts ruled these lands, their presence marked by clawed tree trunks and scattered bones half-buried in the dirt.
His grip tightened on his sword.
This place was dangerous but strangely Snow was excited rather than afraid
This is exactly what I need to grow stronger thought Snow
"We should walk at the edge of this region " said lian "The stronger ones are always in their territory and only come out to hunt around their territories.if we are careful we won't have any problem"
Snow nodded but there was a glint in his eyes
They had barely crossed into the deeper part of the forest when the first attack came.
A Crimson Fang Wolf lunged from the underbrush, its red fur bristling, fangs bared in a snarl. Its eyes gleamed with hunger and aggression, its body radiating the energy of a late-stage Qi Condensation beast.
Lian barely had time to react before Snow moved.
His sword was a blur of silver, meeting the wolf's charge head-on.
Clang!
Sparks flew as his blade clashed against the beast's razor-sharp claws. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the trees, scattering leaves into the air.
Snow twisted his wrist, redirecting the force, and countered with a downward slash.
The wolf leapt back, dodging just in time, but a thin line of blood marked its flank. It circled him, snarling, its instincts warning it that this human was far more dangerous than most prey.
Snow exhaled slowly, focusing his qi.
Now.
He vanished—a flicker of motion too fast for the wolf to track.
By the time the beast realized its mistake, Snow was already above it. His sword arced downward, slicing cleanly through fur, flesh, and bone.
The wolf hit the ground, lifeless.The crimson wolf's body hit the forest floor with a heavy thud, its lifeblood pooling beneath it, steaming in the frigid air. Snow remained motionless, sword dripping with gore, his breath slow and measured. The scent of iron filled his lungs, mixing with the damp earth and rot of the ancient forest.
Lian swallowed hard, eyes darting around the mist-choked woods. The trees loomed overhead like silent sentinels, their twisted roots curling over the uneven ground like grasping fingers. Shadows flickered between the trunks, restless, watching.
"You didn't have to be so reckless," she murmured, tightening her cloak around herself.
Snow flicked the blood off his blade with a practiced motion. His expression remained unreadable, but his eyes gleamed in the dim light, filled with something primal.
"I need to grow stronger," he said, voice as cold as the wind slithering through the trees.
Lian sighed but said nothing more. She knew arguing was pointless. Instead, she listened—to the rustling leaves, to the distant calls of unseen beasts, to the steady hum of energy saturating the air. This place was alive in ways ordinary men could never understand. And it was hungry.
They pressed forward.
The deeper they went, the worse it became.
Bloodstains marred the undergrowth, fresh carcasses torn apart by unseen predators. Trees bore deep claw marks, some gouged so violently the bark had been stripped away entirely. Bones littered the ground, gnawed clean, cracked open for marrow.
The first attack had been a mere warning.
Now, the forest tested them in earnest.
A shadow panther pounced from above, its inky-black form blending seamlessly with the canopy. Snow twisted at the last moment, his sword flashing in a deadly arc. A sickening schlick filled the air as the beast's front paw separated from its body.
It shrieked, a terrible, ear-splitting sound, but Snow gave it no chance to recover. He lunged, blade piercing through its eye socket. The panther convulsed violently before falling limp.
Barely a moment later, a venomous night serpent lunged from the undergrowth, fangs bared, venom dripping. Lian reacted first, a dagger flashing in her hand as she sidestepped and drove the blade into the snake's open maw. A hiss, a spasm, then silence.
Again and again, they were forced to fight.
Ironhide boars, their flesh thick as stone, charged at them with murderous intent. Boneclaw apes swung down from the branches, shrieking as they raked the air with razor-like talons. Their bodies bore the aura of peak Qi Condensation beasts, stronger than anything ordinary mortals could face.
Yet Snow cut them down, one by one, his blade carving a path of carnage through the wilds.
His hands were slick with blood.
His body ached, but his mind burned with exhilaration.
Each battle, each wound, each kill—it all fed the fire inside him.
They moved tirelessly through the days, resting only when exhaustion threatened to drag them to the grave. But when night fell, while Lian slept beneath the canopy, Snow cultivated.
Sitting cross-legged Snow used the energy he absorbed to cultivate.The energy was thick with the remnants of their deaths—rage, pain, fear, hatred. It clung to him like a second skin, whispering, writhing, seeking release.
He inhaled deeply, drawing in the resentment, feeling it twist through his meridians like liquid fire. It raged against him, seeking to consume, to devour.
But he was stronger.
His qi churned, refining the dark energy, stripping it of impurities and bending it to his will. It settled within him, heavier, denser. Power coiled beneath his skin like a caged beast, eager to be unleashed.
The pain was immense. The process was brutal.
And yet, each night, he grew stronger.
His qi became sharper, colder.On the fourth night, beneath a sky painted in bleeding moonlight, it happened.
A shudder ran through his body.
Something inside him snapped.
The floodgates burst open.
His qi surging, his meridians expanding the compressing the energy,his dantian churning. His body, his mind, his very soul—everything felt different.
He had broken through.
He was now at the qi Refining Realm