Xiao started heading northeast, looking up at the sky and using the sun's position to guide his way.
As he walked, he was careful with his footsteps, staying alert to his surroundings. His grip on his makeshift spear tightened, always keeping it raised, ready for anything.
The deeper Xiao ventured into the forest, the heavier the air became, and the mist thickened, almost as if whispering, "You do not belong here." His instincts screamed at him to turn back, his body reacting sharply.
"Northeast is the only way forward," Xiao muttered, clenching his spear tightly. He decided to make a detour around the densest parts of the mist, where the air was lighter, still following his course northeast.
With his senses heightened, Xiao moved slowly, ensuring he could react instantly if something happened. One wrong step here could mean death.
As he continued, he could feel powerful auras surrounding him—creatures that radiated an intensity that would freeze any mortal in their tracks.
They would kill me before I could even get a breath out, he thought grimly, but even knowing this, he couldn't stop. Stopping would only invite more danger.
As night fell, Xiao spotted a hollow between two thick trees and quickly set up a makeshift shelter, something that would last through the night.
It will hold against smaller beasts, and for now, that's good enough.
Once the shelter was done, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him he needed food. Against his better judgment, he left the safety of his shelter to search for something to eat.
After some searching, he found an apple tree not too far from camp. As he reached for an apple, his instincts screamed louder than ever:
Get down!
Without hesitation, Xiao dropped to the ground, hitting it hard. Before he had time to process what had happened, a deafening crack tore through the forest. Looking up, he saw a tree had been completely uprooted and shattered. A boar, massive and menacing, stood snorting in front of him, steam rising from its nose.
Just my luck, Xiao thought, gripping his spear tighter, determination hardening his gaze.
He knew there was no outrunning the boar, but something about its aura told him it was only at the beginning of Qi Condensation—manageable, but dangerous. His instincts didn't scream at him to run, not yet.
Before he could fully think of a plan, the boar was already preparing for another charge. Xiao bolted, his mind racing as he looked around for options.
Nothing but damn trees—and no time to plan!
The boar wasted no time, already hot on his trail. Xiao veered towards a nearby tree and circled around it, using it for protection. The boar slammed into the trunk with terrifying force, splintering the wood. There was no time to rest.
As Xiao ran, an idea flashed in his mind.
Wouldn't that work?
He shifted his path, heading deeper into the forest, toward the area his instincts had warned him against.
This wouldn't be the craziest idea I've had—if it works.
The boar didn't hesitate to follow, its primal rage driving it forward. As they plunged deeper into the mist, visibility became almost nonexistent, and Xiao, already struggling to catch his breath, could feel his lungs burning.
But then, Xiao spotted it: the boar in the mist, faint but real. His plan was coming together. He glanced over his shoulder at the boar, then disappeared into the thick foliage.
The boar barreled through the trees, blinded by its fury. Suddenly, Xiao sprang from beneath a cover of leaves, driving his spear toward the boar's underbelly, its weakest point.
The spear struck, piercing the skin, but only slightly—the boar's hide was thick, even at its most vulnerable spot. Xiao didn't even attempt to retrieve his weapon. He immediately turned and ran, abandoning the spear in the boar's flesh.
The boar, enraged, stomped wildly, trying to crush him underfoot. It felt a brief connection and kept stomping, but there was nothing beneath it now. Confused, the beast snorted, its eyes searching. When it spotted Xiao, running with his left hand hanging limp, the boar let out a bellow of pure fury and charged again, faster this time, as though Xiao had killed its entire family.
Xiao raced out of the mist, trying to outrun the injured boar. The creature, now bleeding from the wound he'd inflicted, was slower than before, but still faster than Xiao. If not for his broken hand that was broken instead of something else than, it might have caught him by now.
Thinking quickly, Xiao zigzagged between trees, forcing the boar to tire itself out. Minutes passed, and the boar's eyes dimmed, its pace slowing. Finally, it tripped and fell hard, giving Xiao the opening he needed to escape.
With every ounce of strength he had left, Xiao kept running. His vision blurred, and he knew he was close to passing out. A piercing scream echoed from behind him, but Xiao didn't look back. He could only guess that the creatures waiting in the shadows had finally made their move on the weakened boar.
At last, Xiao broke free of the mist, his left hand throbbing with pain. He felt a fleeting sense of relief but knew he couldn't stop. There could be other predators nearby.
As he walked back to his camp, Xiao smirked, pushing past the exhaustion.
'I've been through worse in my last life. This wasn't even a challenge.'
When Xiao approached his camp, he made a careful detour, ensuring that no creatures were following him. He couldn't afford to be traced back to his camp and killed while he slept.
20 minutes later
Xiao arrived at his camp and immediately began using the Emerald Lotus Rebirth Breath technique to speed up the healing of his injuries. Afterward, he waited for a while, staying alert to ensure that no creatures had spotted him entering the camp.
Only after waiting for a few hours, when he was sure it was safe, did Xiao finally allow himself to sleep peacefully.