The first rays of dawn stretched across the rugged mountainside, casting an eerie glow on the jagged cliffs and darkened valleys. Liang Zhen stepped out of the cave, his body transformed. His robes, torn and stained from the journey, clung to him as a testament to the brutality of his rebirth. Despite his blindness, the world around him was clearer than ever. His heightened senses allowed him to perceive everything with unnerving precision.
He stood motionless for a moment, the cool mountain air filling his lungs. His body moved without hesitation, swift and unimpeded. His once-restrained senses now guided him effortlessly. His blindness, once a curse, had become irrelevant. His body moved with speed and grace, and he was no longer burdened by the limitations of his former self.
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Liang Zhen's journey into the wilderness began in earnest. He moved effortlessly, as if guided by an invisible hand. Days passed, and he encountered the first rank monsters, creatures that were supposed to be formidable in their own right. The first to challenge him was a **Shadow Beast**, a massive, wolf-like creature with sleek black fur and razor-sharp claws. It moved through the forest like a phantom, its senses attuned to the slightest movement.
But to Liang Zhen, the Shadow Beast was nothing more than a fleeting disturbance. His heightened senses picked up on every movement before the beast even struck. His body responded without thought, the world slowing around him. He sidestepped the beast's lunge with ease, his body flowing like liquid. There was no excitement, no rush of adrenaline. The fight, if it could even be called that, was as devoid of emotion as a cold, empty grave. He struck once, a quick, lethal blow to the beast's skull, ending its life with a soundless, final thud.
There was no triumph in his heart, no thrill in the kill. Liang Zhen felt nothing but the cold silence of his own existence.
Over the next several days, the encounters grew more frequent. First came a **Rockhide Gorilla**, its massive, muscular body capable of smashing through trees with ease. Its strength was overwhelming to lesser cultivators, but to Liang Zhen, it was insignificant. The beast roared as it charged at him, but Liang Zhen had already moved. His senses guided him, allowing him to dodge with a precision that seemed beyond human. The gorilla's fury was wasted on him; it was a futile effort. A quick strike shattered its ribcage, and the beast crumpled to the ground, its life extinguished in an instant.
The next challenge came from a **Searing Viper**, a deadly snake with fangs dripping venom that could melt flesh. It coiled around a tree, waiting for the right moment to strike. But to Liang Zhen, its every movement was predictable. He felt no fear, no hesitation, only the cold, methodical certainty of his own power. His strike was swift, the viper's head severed from its body before it even had a chance to strike.
The monsters fell one after another, their strength no match for the sheer force of Liang Zhen's abilities. With each encounter, his resolve hardened. The monsters of the first rank were weak—weak compared to him, a shadow in the face of his unyielding strength. His heart did not beat. His breath did not quicken. He fought as if he were already dead, as if the world had become nothing more than a stage for his quiet execution.
Days passed, and Liang Zhen ventured deeper into the wilds, the scent of decay and danger growing stronger. Then, his senses alerted him to a shift in the atmosphere. Something more powerful, something greater, was approaching. As he moved deeper into the dense forest, the trees parted, revealing a towering beast—a **Crystalback Tyrant**, a second-rank monster. It was a creature of immense size, its body covered in crystalline armor that shimmered like glass in the sunlight. Its roar sent tremors through the earth, and its claws could crush boulders with ease.
Liang Zhen did not flinch. He observed the Tyrant as it charged toward him, its massive form crashing through the underbrush. He felt no fear. His heart remained still, cold, unfeeling. He did not move until the beast was mere inches away. Then, with a single fluid motion, he sidestepped, his senses guiding him perfectly. The Tyrant's claws raked the air where he had been, but Liang Zhen was already behind it.
The beast turned, but it was too late. Liang Zhen struck, his speed and precision overwhelming. He sliced through the beast's crystalline hide, tearing through the armor with ease. With a final, powerful strike, the Tyrant collapsed to the ground, its body shuddering as it died.
The second-rank monster, though powerful, was weak compared to the strength he had attained. Liang Zhen didn't even feel a glimmer of challenge. The monster had been nothing more than a minor obstacle to his cold, relentless progress.
As he stood over the fallen Tyrant, Liang Zhen's thoughts drifted to Blackthorn City—the bustling metropolis that was home to many, including his grandfather, Liang Tian Yi, the most powerful cultivator in the region. Liang Zhen remembered the stories of Blackthorn's strength, of how its greatest cultivators were said to control the elements—a power revered by many.
In Liang Zhen's mind, this was the pinnacle of strength in the human realm. His grandfather, who had mastered the stage of Elemental Control, was the strongest cultivator in Blackthorn City. To most, this would be an achievement to aspire to. But Liang Zhen felt no pride in this. He did not feel superiority or inferiority; he felt nothing at all.
The stage of Elemental Control, once thought to be the highest form of power, now seemed weak compared to the strength he had gained through the Eternal Body. The strength of the monsters he had faced was insignificant. The power he had gained made them all seem like nothing more than stepping stones.
His heart did not beat, and his thoughts were devoid of emotion. Liang Zhen had surpassed the strength of the first and second-rank monsters. His power was beyond anything he had once considered achievable. Yet, he felt nothing. The world around him was as cold and empty as his heart, and that was how he preferred it.