Kellan inspected his injuries, grimacing at the sight of the gash across his cheek and the nasty wound on his leg.
A dull ache pulsed through him, and he could feel his strength waning with each passing moment.
"This leg injury… if I don't handle this soon, it might cripple me," he muttered under his breath, the realization striking him harder than he wanted to admit.
Despite the pain and exhaustion weighing him down, he forced himself to move.
He knew that staying still was as good as signing his own death warrant.
If he encountered another enemy, especially in his weakened state, there was little hope he'd survive.
His mind drifted back to the recent encounter.
"That girl… the Bone Sacrifice Realm, and she's so young. How is that even possible at her age?"
He shook his head, the disbelief mingling with frustration.
And her companion—just the thought of him sent a shiver down his spine.
The pressure from his aura had been suffocating, and Kellan knew that this man couldn't have been that much older than himself.
"He's probably not much older than me, yet he's stronger than anyone I've ever seen."
Realizing he was wasting precious time dwelling on these thoughts, Kellan forced himself to focus on his next steps.
"First things first—I need to get out of here and deal with these injuries."
He pushed through the forest, searching for somewhere he could tend to his wounds.
Soon enough, he found a secluded cave partially hidden by dense foliage.
Limping inside, he settled down with a low groan as the sharp, biting pain in his leg flared up again.
"This… this is worse than anything I've endured, even fighting the Nightshade Clan didn't leave me this injured."
Determined not to let the pain break him, Kellan took a deep breath and focused on his storage bag.
He reached inside, pulling out a roll of cloth and a small vial of medicinal ointment he'd picked up from the clan.
Uncorking the vial, he applied a generous amount to his leg, feeling the cool, tingling sensation as it seeped into his skin.
Almost instantly, a warm sensation spread through the wound, dulling the pain and making his muscles relax.
"This stuff is incredible… if I'd had this when we went out last time, Big Bone wouldn't have ended up so injured."
A small, bittersweet smile touched his lips as he thought of his friend. He couldn't help but wonder how Big Bone was faring now.
He wrapped his leg tightly with the cloth, binding the wound to hold the ointment in place.
"That should keep it stable," he muttered, inspecting his work with satisfaction.
"At least now I'm not at risk of bleeding out."
But the relief was short-lived.
He could still feel the strain from the recent fight, and a deeper frustration gnawed at him.
The recent encounter had been a harsh reminder of how weak he was, of how far he still had to go.
He clenched his fist, remembering the overwhelming power of his opponents.
Just thinking about them made him feel small.
His thoughts turned to his cultivation.
"If I don't push myself to get stronger, people like them will keep pushing me to the edge of death,"
He whispered, his tone edged with determination.
Elder Wei had always told him that cultivating while injured or exhausted would accelerate breakthroughs, provided he had the mental fortitude to endure the pain.
This, he decided, was the perfect moment to put that advice to the test.
Settling himself into a cross-legged position,
Kellan closed his eyes and began to control his breathing, letting each breath draw in the spiritual energy that surrounded him.
His mind drifted into the depths of his consciousness as he activated the Temporal Breathing Technique, allowing him to attune himself to the essence of time itself.
Slowly, he let his mind wander through memories of all the struggles he'd faced so far
The brutal fights, the narrow escapes, the cold, hard lessons he'd learned on the path of cultivation.
Each memory sharpened his resolve, fueling a fierce desire within him.
"I need to be stronger," he vowed.
"I can't be left vulnerable like this, at the mercy of others."
As he focused, the spiritual energy around him responded, flowing into his body and coursing through his veins like liquid fire.
He could feel his blood thickening, his muscles tightening, as his body absorbed the energy with a hunger that matched his determination.
Hours slipped by unnoticed, each moment spent drawing him closer to a breakthrough.
Eventually, Kellan opened his eyes, feeling an unexpected lightness in his body.
He looked down, inspecting his leg and face, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"What… the injuries are nearly healed, and the poison… it's gone!"
He ran a hand over his leg, testing it.
There was no stiffness, no lingering pain—only a faint, fading ache.
"Is this from the medicine, or… could it be something else?" he wondered, a hint of unease mingling with his relief.
After a moment's hesitation, he dismissed the thought with a shrug.
"Not that I'm complaining. Maybe I'm more talented than I thought," he murmured,
A faint smile tugging at his lips.
He shifted his focus to his cultivation level, feeling a familiar warmth coiling within him.
"Almost at the third level of the Blood Solidification Realm," he realized, clenching his fist with renewed determination.
Reaching this level would put him one step closer to catching up with those powerful adversaries—and perhaps, even surpassing them.
Revitalized, he rose to his feet and stepped out of the cave, blinking against the fading light of the afternoon.
"Time to hunt those red-tipped boars. Hopefully, I can track some down before the sun sets."
Moving through the forest, he let his mind drift to his newfound abilities.
"I need to understand how I've been able to control time during fights.
If I don't figure it out, it'll end up biting me later," he thought, his brow furrowing in concentration.
After a short while, he spotted his target.
A large, red-tipped boar emerged from behind a thicket, its brown fur bristling as it locked eyes with him.
The creature was nearly his height, with a pair of tusks stained crimson at the tips, like they'd been dipped in blood.
The boar snorted, pawing the ground and lowering its head, preparing to charge.
"So, it's as territorial as they say," Kellan murmured, bracing himself.
This was his chance to test his abilities properly. "Alright… let's see how this time manipulation really works."
The boar roared and barreled toward him, its tusks gleaming dangerously in the dimming light.
Kellan took a deep breath, steadying himself.
As the boar neared, he focused, and the creature's movements slowed.
The world around him seemed to stretch, each second unfurling in prolonged clarity, allowing him to analyze the boar's every step.
"I can adjust my perception of time to make their attacks seem slower," he thought, dodging the beast's initial strike with ease.
The boar's tusks cut through the air as it lunged past him, missing him by inches.
Kellan felt the rush of its strength, the heat radiating from its body as it charged.
He sidestepped with a fluid grace, gathering a surge of spiritual energy and activating his Temporal Qi.
Time seemed to flow differently within him as he threw a punch, landing it squarely on the boar's side.
The beast let out a guttural grunt as it skidded across the ground, but quickly regained its stance, eyes blazing with fury as it shook off the impact.
Kellan narrowed his gaze, watching the creature closely as it readied itself for another charge.
"I can speed myself up, but only briefly, and it drains a lot of energy," he noted, feeling the strain on his reserves.
"I have to be cautious not to overdo it."
With a snort, the boar launched itself at him again, its tusks gleaming even more menacingly in the fading light.
This time, Kellan held back, channeling only a fraction of his energy to conserve his strength.
He braced himself, letting the boar draw closer, calculating every detail of its approach—the angle of its tusks, the rhythm of its steps.
He realized that the amount of speed he achieved directly correlated with how much spiritual energy he used, and controlling this ability was going to be critical.
The boar thundered toward him, closing the distance in seconds.
Kellan sidestepped just as it was about to strike, pivoting smoothly and landing a quick blow to its side.
The boar staggered but remained relentless, turning sharply to charge him once more.
Each charge seemed to come faster than the last, and Kellan's mind raced as he matched his movements to the creature's aggression.
As the boar closed in for another attack, Kellan decided to test the limits of his power.
He clenched his fists, drawing in a deep breath as he poured more of his spiritual energy into his fist.
The air around him seemed to ripple, as if reality itself was bending to his will.
He watched the boar's massive form slow, every muscle, every breath appearing as if caught in a molasses-like suspension.
He could see the flick of its tail, the dilation of its eyes, even the minute tremors in its nostrils as it inhaled.
Kellan moved with surgical precision, stepping forward and slamming his fist into the boar's snout with all the power he could muster.
His punch connected with a thunderous impact, and the creature flew back, tumbling across the ground with a heavy crash.
Blood trickled from its head as it scrambled to its feet, staggering unsteadily and eventually falling down.
"'Temporal Fist,'" Kellan murmured, breathing heavily.
"It's just a simple punch, but with my Temporal Qi channeled at a single point, it becomes devastating.
If I could figure out how to use this technique in other ways, maybe even with kicks or grapples…"
The possibilities began to swirl in his mind, each one promising new ways to fight, a way to become stronger.
He crouched beside the fallen boar, extracting its demonic core with practiced precision before stowing it safely in his storage bag.
"Now, let's see if this meat really can strengthen my body."
With a satisfied grin, he hefted the boar over his shoulder and started to walk back towards the clan.