In the Beast King's Cliff, deep within the Monster Forest, a middle-aged man sat in a wheelchair. Resting on his lap was a small ground dragon, its eyes half-closed in languid comfort. Around them, chunks of floating rubble hovered, combining and recombining into larger stones. The man stared at the cliff face where over a dozen circular caves, each two meters in diameter, had been carved into the rocky surface. Above him, a young man leapt from one floating stone to another, carefully judging his next target before launching himself into the air. With a thunderous punch, he struck the cliffside, creating another cavern. However, this one was slightly smaller than the first.
The young man descended step by step using the stones as his footing. With a final somersault, he landed on the ground, but his trembling hands betrayed his exhaustion. He glanced at his shaking fists and muttered to himself, "One day and I've only managed this much? Climbing the cliff earlier wasted so much time. I need to make up for it."
The man in the wheelchair approached him. "Little An, maybe you should rest," he said gently. "The Evil King's Combat Arts take a toll on your body, especially here, with the gravity field of Beast King's Cliff. Pushing yourself this hard is dangerous." His tone was filled with concern.
Straightening his back, the boy looked at the array of caves he had carved into the cliff. Determination flared in his eyes. "No," he said firmly. "This is just the first day. I can't afford to stop." He launched himself upward again, landing on a smaller floating stone as he climbed higher.
Three hundred meters up, his foot slipped on a precariously balanced stone. Already drained of energy, he lost his balance and plummeted toward the ground.
"Damn it!" The man in the wheelchair raised two mechanical arms to catch the boy, but the hovering stones blocked his path.
As he fell, the boy struggled to regain control of his body, but he was too fatigued. A sharp impact to his head blurred his vision, and everything went dark.
"Move!" The man roared as a wave of energy exploded outward, scattering the floating stones. He deftly manipulated the mechanical arms to catch the unconscious boy, lowering him carefully into a pool of clear water nearby. Turning to the small ground dragon at his side, he ordered, "Little Dragon, bring me those bottles of pills."
The dragon scrambled to fetch several bottles from beside the pool, depositing them at the man's feet. The man inspected them carefully, opened one, and handed a pill to the dragon. "Give this to him."
The dragon padded over to the boy and placed the pill into his mouth. The pill dissolved immediately, and its effects began to spread through his body.
The man noticed faint ripples forming in the pool around the boy, a rhythmic movement eerily similar to the energy flow he exhibited during meditation. Surprise flickered across his face. "Even unconscious, his energy continues to circulate? What technique is he practicing? Not even the Dark Art or Dragon Clan's supreme skills can do this. Could it be that his cultivation is more advanced than either?"
As the sun set, the forest fell silent. The man gazed at the boy's face, a mix of curiosity and nostalgia clouding his thoughts. "He looks more like him every day…"
The night passed uneventfully, but the peace was broken at dawn by a thunderous crash. Startled, the boy awoke to find the man inspecting a massive boulder that had smashed into the ground. The ground dragon perched on his shoulder, peering curiously at the stone.
"What happened, Beast King?" the boy asked, climbing out of the pool and hurrying over.
The dragon leapt from the man's shoulder onto the boy's, nuzzling him affectionately.
"He likes you better," the man chuckled before pointing at the boulder. "This? It seems to have formed from the rubble you dislodged while creating that first cave."
"Really?" The boy examined the boulder, then glanced back at the cliffside. "It does look familiar. So, these floating stones combine with precision, not randomly."
Suddenly, his expression darkened as he looked up. "If the first boulder fell, then the second…" He barely finished his thought before another massive rock came hurtling toward them.
The man began to gather his energy, but the boy raised a hand to stop him. "Let me handle this."
Standing his ground, the boy braced himself, channeling his strength into his legs and arms. As the boulder neared, he struck it with both palms. The impact sent a jolt through his entire body, but he shifted his stance, dissipating the force and redirecting the boulder to the ground.
"That was heavier than I expected," the boy admitted, dusting off his hands. His relief was short-lived as another boulder came crashing down, then another, and another. He faced each one head-on, redirecting them with practiced skill. By the time the eighteenth boulder fell, they were arranged in a circle around him, matching the eighteen caves he had carved into the cliff.
The man shook his head. "You're rushing things."
"What do you mean?" the boy asked, confused.
"You've strengthened your arms, but your legs and core remain underdeveloped," the man explained. "The Evil King's Combat Arts require balanced strength. Without it, you'll never unlock its full potential. I skipped the foundational exercises, thinking you were ready, but I underestimated the gap in your training."
The boy frowned, recalling his climb. His legs had contributed little, relying almost entirely on his arms.
"There's still a way to fix this," the man continued, pointing at the caves. "You'll live in each cave, starting from the first. The gravity increases with each one. Only when your body adapts can you move to the next. This way, your strength will become balanced and refined."
The boy thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Beast King, I can't agree to that."
"What?!" The man's voice rose in frustration. "You must understand, without balance, you'll never master the Combat Arts. This isn't the time to be stubborn!"
"It's not that, Beast King," the boy replied calmly. "I just think moving through all eighteen caves one by one will waste too much time. I'll go straight to the eighteenth."