chapter 2: fighting with fire beast
Bhoumik returned to his small house, the faint glow of the village fading behind him. He closed the door quietly, locking the world out once more. His breath steadied as he sank back into his meditative posture, his mind refocusing on the path ahead. The village head's words had been pointless. Power was the only thing that mattered, and he would have it.
His fingers brushed the jade pendant again, the cool surface a reminder of the mystery that still haunted him. Who had left him here? What family had abandoned him to rot in this forsaken village? The answers were out there, somewhere beyond the confines of this small place. And he would find them—when he was ready.
His mind drifted to the Master Realm, the next step in his cultivation journey. He could feel the bottleneck holding him back, the invisible wall between him and his next breakthrough. But it was weakening. With each passing day, he drew closer to shattering it.
Bhoumik's eyes flickered open, sharp and focused. The moment he reached the Master Realm, he would leave this place behind. The village, the people, their fear and hatred—none of it would matter anymore.
Outside, the rain began to lighten, the clouds breaking apart to reveal the faint glow of a distant moon. Bhoumik stared out into the night, his thoughts filled with one single purpose: ascend, survive, and dominate.
The world might have turned its back on him, but one day, it would know his name. And when that time came, the power he wielded would be absolute.
He would no longer be the cursed orphan of a small, fearful village. He would become something far greater.
And when he finally found the people who had abandoned him, they would regret the day they had cast him aside.
As Bhoumik sat in the silence of his small house, the energy of the world around him swirling through his veins, a faint sound from outside broke the calm.
A knock at his door.
It was hesitant, a soft tapping that seemed almost uncertain, as though the person on the other side wasn't sure if they truly wanted to disturb him. Bhoumik's eyes flickered open, his expression still cold and unreadable. No one came to him, especially not at this hour. The villagers feared him too much to approach without reason.
He stood slowly, his movements deliberate and calm as he walked to the door and swung it open. Standing before him, drenched from the rain but trembling, was a young girl. She couldn't have been much older than ten, her clothes tattered and soaked through, her face pale with fear. Her eyes, wide and filled with uncertainty, met his for only a second before she quickly looked down at her feet.
Bhoumik narrowed his eyes, recognizing her as one of the village children. He didn't know her name—he had never bothered to learn the names of the villagers—but he had seen her before, running with the others who always avoided him.
"What do you want?" His voice was sharp, colder than the night air, and the girl flinched, stepping back instinctively.
"Please… help," she whispered, her voice cracking with fear.
Bhoumik's gaze didn't soften. "Help with what?"
She hesitated, clutching the soaked fabric of her dress in her small hands, her knuckles white. "My brother... he went into the forest. The wild one."
Bhoumik's expression darkened slightly. The wild forest was forbidden, especially for children. Everyone in the village knew that it was dangerous, filled with beasts and spiritual creatures that could tear apart a grown man, let alone a child. Anyone foolish enough to enter the forest alone rarely came back alive.
The girl looked up at him, desperation in her eyes. "I know you're strong. Stronger than the others. Please… he's in danger."
Bhoumik said nothing for a long moment, studying her. It was true—his cultivation had progressed far beyond what any of the villagers could hope to achieve. But the idea of helping them, of risking his life for people who had done nothing but fear and hate him, stirred no sympathy in him.
"Why should I care?" he asked, his voice cold and emotionless.
The girl's face fell, her eyes filling with silent tears. She lowered her head again, shoulders trembling as she struggled to form a response. "I… I don't have anyone else. The elders won't help, and the village head… he's too old. If you don't—"
Bhoumik raised a hand, cutting her off. "Enough."
The girl fell silent, her lip quivering as she looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. For a moment, Bhoumik felt a faint flicker of something deep inside him—a memory of what it was like to be abandoned, to have no one. But he pushed it aside just as quickly.
"This isn't my concern."
He turned away, ready to shut the door in her face, but before he could, something in the distance caught his attention. A faint ripple of energy, barely noticeable, but there. His eyes narrowed, the sharp perception he had honed through cultivation focusing on the source. It was coming from the direction of the wild forest.
And it wasn't just any energy. It was hostile.
Bhoumik hesitated, his hand still on the door. If it was something dangerous, it could easily claim the boy's life within minutes. But that wasn't what made him pause. No, it was the power he sensed—the kind of energy that only came from spiritual beasts. Creatures whose cores were valuable for cultivation. The thought of facing one, of testing his strength against a true threat, stirred something within him.
"Where in the forest?" he asked suddenly, his tone shifting.
The girl blinked, surprised by his sudden change. "N-not far, I think. Near the old shrine, in the deepest part."
Bhoumik stepped outside, his long black hair swaying with the motion as he tightened the strap around his jade pendant. He didn't care about the girl or her brother. But if there was a powerful beast in the forest, one that could help him break through his bottleneck, it was worth investigating.
"Stay here," he ordered, his voice cutting through the girl's sobs. Without waiting for her reply, he turned and started toward the forest.
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The wild forest was dense, thick with old trees and heavy foliage that blocked most of the moonlight. The deeper Bhoumik ventured, the darker and more oppressive it became, the sounds of the village fading into silence. His movements were swift but controlled, his eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of the boy or the spiritual beast.
The girl had been right—her brother wouldn't last long in a place like this. Already, Bhoumik could sense the presence of dangerous creatures nearby, lurking just beyond his sight. But they were low-level, insignificant. Nothing compared to the energy he had sensed earlier.
He pushed deeper into the forest, his breath steady as he followed the faint trace of Qi that led him toward the old shrine. It wasn't long before he spotted something in the distance—a faint glow, barely visible through the thick trees.
As he neared, the air around him grew heavier, more oppressive. And then, he saw it.
A beast, large and ferocious, stood near the shrine's broken stone pillars, its eyes glowing with a predatory light. Its fur was dark and matted, its claws sharp and glistening with blood. In its jaws, the limp body of a boy—the girl's brother—hung lifelessly, the light already fading from his eyes.
But Bhoumik didn't care about the boy. His attention was focused entirely on the beast before him, its energy pulsing with power.
"Perfect," Bhoumik muttered, his cold eyes narrowing as he stepped forward, the beast's gaze locking onto him.
This would be his test. The final push he needed to break through the seventh level and claim the next step in his cultivation journey.
As the beast snarled, dropping the boy's body and charging toward him with a roar, Bhoumik's expression remained calm, almost emotionless. His hand moved to his waist, gripping the jade pendant briefly before his fingers curled into a fist, drawing the Qi within him to the surface.
The fight had begun.
The beast's roar echoed through the forest, its feral growl sending a shudder through the trees. As it charged, Bhoumik didn't flinch. His stance remained solid, his mind sharp and calculating. The beast, though large and intimidating, was still low-level, but its presence was nothing to be underestimated. Its fur rippled with energy, and Bhoumik could feel the heat radiating from its body a fire-type spiritual beast.
Its glowing red eyes locked onto Bhoumik, its jaws snapping with bloodlust. The dead boy at its feet was a grim reminder of what would happen if he underestimated this creature.
But Bhoumik had no intention of backing down.
He had no cultivation techniques, no advanced arts to rely on. What he did have was pure, raw strength, honed through two years of relentless training. His fists were his only weapons, his knowledge of vital points and basic martial combat his only defense.
The beast lunged, its massive claws swiping at him with terrifying speed. Bhoumik dodged the first strike, his body moving with precision, but as he stepped to the side, the beast's second claw came faster than expected, slicing across his arm with a searing pain. Blood sprayed from the wound, warm and thick, but Bhoumik's expression remained unchanged.
The pain was nothing new to him. Pain was a part of life—a constant companion.
He spun, bringing his fist up in a swift arc, aiming for the creature's jaw. His knuckles collided with the beast's thick hide, the impact sending a shock through his arm, but the beast barely flinched. It snarled, its burning breath washing over him as it lashed out again, this time catching him across the chest.
The force sent Bhoumik flying, his body slamming into a nearby tree with a sickening thud. He gasped, the wind knocked from his lungs, blood dripping from the fresh gashes across his torso. But still, he pushed himself up, his vision blurred for a moment before it cleared. The pain was sharper now, but it was nothing that could stop him.
"Come on, then," Bhoumik muttered, his voice low, as he wiped the blood from his mouth. His dark eyes flickered with an abyssal coldness as he faced the beast again, determination written in every line of his body. This was the moment—the moment he had been waiting for. A real challenge.
The beast growled, its claws digging into the earth as it prepared for another strike. This time, flames sparked from its mouth, glowing embers lighting up the night as it reared back, unleashing a torrent of fire toward Bhoumik.
His instincts kicked in immediately, and he dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast of searing flames that scorched the ground where he had stood just moments before. The heat was intense, burning the edges of his robe as he rolled to his feet, his breath coming faster now.
The beast was stronger than he had anticipated. It wasn't just its physical size or the fire—it was the raw power it possessed, even as a low-level beast. Bhoumik clenched his fists, the pain from his wounds pulsing with every heartbeat, but he couldn't afford to stop. Stopping meant death.
The beast charged again, and this time, Bhoumik didn't dodge. Instead, he stepped forward, meeting the creature head-on. His hand shot out, grabbing hold of the beast's foreleg and twisting with all the strength he had. The creature roared in pain as its limb cracked under the pressure, but its retaliation was immediate.
Its jaws clamped down on Bhoumik's shoulder, teeth sinking deep into his flesh. A surge of agony shot through him, his blood spilling freely from the wound, but his expression remained cold, his body moving on instinct alone. He couldn't let this end here. Not like this.
With a grunt of effort, Bhoumik swung his fist into the beast's eye, a solid blow that finally made the creature release him with a howl. He staggered back, clutching his shoulder as blood dripped down his arm, his breathing ragged. The pain was overwhelming, but in that moment, something inside him snapped.
He felt it—the barrier inside his mind, the bottleneck that had kept him trapped in the seventh level of the Martial Mortal Realm. It was weakening, cracking under the pressure of the fight, of his desperation.
He was close. So close.
But the beast wasn't done.
With a feral snarl, it opened its mouth again, flames gathering between its fangs as it prepared to unleash another firestorm. Bhoumik's body was trembling, the blood loss making him lightheaded, but he refused to give in. He gathered his spiritual enegry, what little he had left, and focused it into his legs, preparing for one final strike.
The flames erupted from the beast's mouth, but this time Bhoumik was faster.
He leapt into the air, his body twisting mid-flight as he came down with a powerful kick aimed directly at the beast's skull. His foot connected with a resounding crack, the force of the blow sending a shockwave through the creature's body.
The beast staggered, its fire sputtering out as it tried to regain its balance. But Bhoumik wasn't done. He landed, immediately following up with a series of rapid punches, each one aimed at the creature's weak points. The eyes, the throat, the joints—he knew where to strike, and he struck with precision and power.
The beast roared, its body convulsing under the onslaught, but Bhoumik didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not until the beast was broken.
His fists slammed into the creature's skull one final time, and with a sickening crunch, the beast collapsed to the ground, its body limp and lifeless.
Bhoumik stood over the fallen creature, his chest heaving, his body trembling from the exertion. Blood dripped from his wounds, pooling at his feet, but he barely noticed. The only thing he felt was the surge of power coursing through him.
The bottleneck had finally shattered.
As he stood there, bloodied but victorious, the familiar coldness settled over him once more. He had won. He had killed the beast. But the emptiness remained.
This was just the beginning.
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