The months passed quickly as many lone souls trained themselves to death in the nameless forest. 3 months to be specific.
Half the wait until the mysterious tomb opened was already spent vigorously. Atlas was more than a little happy with his progress.
Currently, the white-haired Ascender stood in battle against a fierce Flaming Ape.
Flames coated the fists of both combatants, but their sizes varied greatly.
Atlas wasn't tall in the first place due to his stunted growth during his childhood. He was only 5 feet 9 inches tall at the moment, but he was still at the peak of his growth potential. He didn't fear remaining at this height forever.
However, the Flaming Ape was not only naturally large, but fully grown as well. Saying that it towered over Atlas wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
'I find myself fighting against naturally large beasts far too frequently in this life. Do we have some sort of strange fate?' He joked inwardly.
His figure turned into a blur as he rushed at the Flaming Ape. Qi flowed through his extremities, empowering them and heightening his physical capabilities.
He reached the ape's side within seconds, throwing a quick punch filled with spiritual energy. A muffled bang resounded as his fist made impact, but as expected, he couldn't quite pierce its body.
'His fire resistance is high. Using flames against him is pointless.'
Realizing this, Atlas abandoned his flames entirely. He let his attributeless spiritual energy thicken around his hands as he unfurled his fists.
The next time he struck, he used his hand as a knife to slash at the beast's body. [Intrinsic Foresight] remained activated, allowing Atlas to swiftly dodge the ape's counterattacks.
If there was one advantage Atlas had in this battle, it was speed.
Bang!
The ape's fist finally found its target. A slight misstep caused Atlas to miss his timing, and he found a fist in front of his face the second he recovered.
"Haa!!" With a fierce shout, Atlas desperately raised his arms in front of his face to block. When the ape's fist impacted his guard, he clearly heard the sound of his bones shattering.
Xiu!
Atlas's body was hurled backward rapidly. He only stopped flying when his back impacted a nearby tree, stopping his momentum.
"Tch!" Atlas spit out a mouthful of blood and scoffed.
"That was my mistake. But, experiencing these kinds of mistakes is the best way to improve."
It wasn't just pointless drivel. The Eyes of One were quite mystical in their [Intuition] ability. As long as he recognized a mistake and corrected it, he would never make the same mistake again…
Regardless of the scale of said mistake.
With Superior Regeneration working wonders on his body, Atlas maintained a euphoric state during the fight, his mind hyperfocused on the sensations he felt.
He charged back at the ape without even a second's delay. Returning to his previous slash-and-dash routine, he slowly wore down the ape.
And he never made a mistake again.
His body stayed consistently in the ape's blindspot. With his own fire resistance and Superior Regeneration working together, he was able to dive into the ape's flames and strike it at the most opportune moment.
With that, the ape finally fell lifeless to the floor, and Atlas leaned against another nearby tree as his injuries healed.
'Unlike my previous life where I prioritized brute strength, it seems this life will be more about speed. What an interesting change.'
Atlas found himself seeing the word "interesting" far too often recently, but he couldn't help it.
It truly was interesting. Whether it be the Tower, the strange Tower System, the myriad individuals and powers within this new world…
Whether it be the Heavenly Emperor or Atlas Vaun, both sides of his person couldn't help but consider this Tower to be a land of wonders.
"Ack!"
Abruptly, Atlas was assaulted by a splitting headache. He clutched his head in pain, crouching and biting his tongue so he wouldn't scream and attract beasts.
His head was pounding. It felt like someone was chopping his head with an axe as if it was a log. It felt like millions of ants were crawling through his mind and slowly taking it apart.
"Aghhh!" A strained breath filled with blood left his lips. But he did his best to endure the pain. He endured and endured and endured until finally…
Exactly an hour later, the pain finally subsided. But that hour felt like years. Atlas had never experienced pain like this before.
Or maybe…
Fragments of memories attempted to swim into his head, but weren't able to surface in the end. He was left wondering what he possibly could've been remembering.
The whole sequence of events was strange. Atlas sat down in a meditative position and focused his senses inward, though he left a strand of spiritual sense surveying the outside to guarantee his safety.
'What was that? What kind of force could cause me such harrowing pain?'
Atlas skimmed through his memory of the fight and pondered on it. 'My qi reserves are still roughly half full, and the physical damage I took would not cause damage to my mind. If so…'
He immediately focused and attempted to remember the list of Tower Rules.
[Skills make use of Arcane Energy, otherwise known as Soul Force. Unless otherwise specified within the skill description, this standard will always hold.]
More than a rule, it was a notice to new cultivators entering the Tower.
Because skills were something only available inside the Tower.
It was one of the strangest things Atlas had seen since reincarnating. They weren't techniques or martial skills, they were an entirely new power that the Tower was able to easily grant people. Its origins suddenly became far more mysterious.
But he didn't think these powers came from thin air. After all, his regeneration was already miraculous before he was given the skill.
'Regardless, my regeneration is not as omnipotent as it originally seemed. If I become too reliant on this power, I will die without knowing how.'
He couldn't imagine how stupid he'd look if he died while distracted by the backlash of his regeneration. This kind of death was simply too embarrassing!
Atlas shook his head and stood up. After a few more hours of rest, his mind had recovered at least enough for him to move properly.
'I am still not at the level I wish to achieve. I must work even harder the next three months.'
With that thought in mind, he continued training. The aftereffects of his depleted Arcane Energy vanished after 3 days as well.
Another month passed easily. Atlas continued to move further and further into the forest. At this rate, he would soon be facing Early-Stage Core Formation Realm beasts.
But that fact didn't deter him in the slightest. It was only at this level that he would feel a challenge.
"Phew…even though I have done so much work, my dantian does not look like it has had its fill. Am I going to need more energy to bloom my Qi Seed in this life?"
When he thought about it, it wasn't too strange. Whether it be his enhanced meridians or the cultivation scripture he practiced, both were exceptional.
Needing more qi to break through was only natural.
As his thoughts reached this conclusion, Atlas returned his attention to the world dyed grey.
A horde of beasts rampaged below, many of them attempting to reach his elevated position within a tree's crown.
The difference between Core Formation and Qi Seed became obvious within [Intrinsic Foresight]. While Qi Seed Realm beasts slowed to a crawl, Core Formation Realm beasts could at least move at a snail's pace.
Though it wasn't much, it at least gave Atlas an indication of the limits of his eyes.
'I shall finish these beasts within 10 minutes.'
His body moved to act on his words when suddenly, a blur of blue rushed into the area.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Uproarious laughter filled the world. The blue blur jumped into the air, landing on the back of a fox beast and twisting its neck, killing it immediately.
"Kuahahaha! Good, there's a good horde here! Finally, I can have some fun!"
Atlas turned his head in surprise, [Intrinsic Foresight] deactivating instinctively. Frankly, he was flabbergasted.
The crass tone and mannerisms of an old and experienced mercenary were being embodied by a young woman.
At the same time as Atlas regained his composure, the woman noticed his presence as well.
"Hah?! There's a Qi Seed Realm newbie who dares to train in this area?"
She jumped off the dead fox beast's back, her body landing not even a foot away from Atlas, sharing his tree branch.
Now that she was up close, Atlas was able to her a good look at her. With the way she kept jumping around, he somewhat expected her to be a muscle-clad gorilla.
But he was completely wrong. She truly was a fairylike beauty. Her long navy-blue hair cascaded halfway down her back like a midnight waterfall. Her piercing red eyes seemed to be able to see through everything, containing endless fighting spirit.
Her body was slim, but her curves were more than just ample. She had a body that could make any man go crazy with lust. With her fair and unblemished skin and jade-like appearance, she was truly not a woman many could compare with.
And she was still at such a minor boundary! Atlas couldn't imagine how beautiful she'd be as her body continued to be tempered and perfected by cultivation.
'Mm, her bones are very aptly positioned. Her body is quite suited for cultivation. This kind of talent is rare indeed.'
Although his unbridled gaze might've seemed lustful on the outside, he held no such thoughts. It seemed the woman could understand this much as well, since she didn't raise any concern about his actions.
But Atlas had no desire to entertain this woman. This kind of loud and extroverted person didn't suit Atlas's personality at all.
And as if to back his thoughts, Atlas completely ignored the woman's presence. Instead, he jumped into the beast horde below and set his fists ablaze.
The woman watched from above, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
'Fine then, let's compete. I want to see if there's anyone in my generation who can match me.'