The entire forest was cloaked in an eerie silence. Despite the sun lighting his path, Wen Ran moved cautiously, his senses sharp and alert. He had been traversing this massive forest for more than half a day, yet he had found nothing—not even a single rabbit. The emptiness gnawed at his mind, and hunger slowly began to creep in.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't had anything to eat since arriving in this world..." he muttered under his breath. To him, going without food for a few days with his current cultivation level was not much of a challenge. After all, the stronger a cultivator became, the less reliant they were on food for sustenance.
In the world of cultivators, it was common for practitioners to survive solely on spiritual energy for years, even decades. Some of the truly powerful could one day shed their mortal shell entirely, freeing themselves from all earthly desires, including the need to eat or sleep. For now, though, Wen Ran was far from such heights, and the pangs of hunger served as a frustrating reminder of his current limitations.
"I need to find something to replenish my strength. If I had to fight a powerful beast in this state, I'd be asking for my own death..." Wen Ran muttered, his tone grim. Several more hours passed, but to his growing frustration, not even a single berry came into view.
This forest is dead. Does it even have a beast guarding a golden ginseng? he thought bitterly. It feels like I've been conned by the system. Sure, I appreciate the help with my dantian, but now I'm going to starve to death before the quest even has a chance to kill me. His complaints echoed inside, but outwardly, he quickened his pace, his sharp eyes scanning every detail around him.
And then, something caught his attention.
"A broken branch!" he whispered under his breath, his excitement barely contained. A small paw print—left by an unknown animal—led away from the spot, faint but visible. To Wen Ran, it could only mean one thing: dinner. He wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away.
The tracks were barely noticeable, but Wen Ran's skill as a hunter compensated for it. In his past life, he had practiced hunting with his father as a child, memories that were both beautiful and unbearably painful. For a moment, those memories threatened to resurface, but Wen Ran buried them deep, locking them away beneath the immense weight of loss.
His father's death had always been a mystery, a regret that lingered like a shadow in his chest. It was a heart demon he had never been able to overcome, a wound that time could not heal. But now isn't the time for distractions, he reminded himself, focusing on the task at hand. If he couldn't find food soon, even his cultivation would not save him.
The track led Wen Ran deeper into the forest, the dim light of the evening sky creeping in and making it harder to follow. Shadows stretched long across the ground, and the dense foliage seemed to grow thicker with each step he took. Despite the dwindling visibility, Wen Ran noticed something that lifted his spirits slightly—berry bushes scattered along the path. However, his hope quickly turned to irritation.
"Greedy..." he muttered under his breath, his voice laced with annoyance. The bushes had been picked clean, as if some creature or person had feasted here recently, leaving nothing behind.
He pressed on, his patience thinning with each passing moment. About the time it would take to brew a cup of tea, Wen Ran's sharp gaze caught sight of movement up ahead. His steps slowed, his focus narrowing on a creature in the clearing.
It was a rabbit—but not an ordinary one. Its pristine white fur gleamed even in the fading light, its size easily double that of a normal rabbit. Thickly built, it exuded an aura that hinted at its extraordinary nature. Wen Ran's eyes narrowed, filling with spiritual energy as he activated his heightened vision. The rabbit was bathed in a faint ethereal glow, and he quickly spotted eight thin, shimmering circles encircling its form—a clear indication of its cultivation level.
"Eight circles..." he whispered, his lips curving into a slight smirk. This wasn't just prey. This was a spiritual beast, one that could likely put up a decent fight. But to Wen Ran, it also meant one thing—this would be a meal worth the effort.
What Wen Ran didn't realize was that in this world, the technique of infusing spiritual power into one's eyes was considered advanced—far beyond the reach of cultivators at the Spirit Gathering or even Spirit Flow stages. For him, however, it was as natural as breathing, a skill ingrained deeply from his past life where cultivation was leagues more advanced. Normal cultivators here relied solely on sensing the aura radiating from others to gauge their strength, a method that Wen Ran could easily manipulate to his advantage.
The rabbit remained oblivious to Wen Ran's presence as he crept closer, each step carefully placed to avoid detection. His arms shimmered faintly with an ethereal light as he channeled spiritual energy into them, ensuring his aura remained concealed. His skinny frame slipped silently between the towering trees, and then, with a sudden burst of movement, he launched his attack.
The ground where the rabbit had stood erupted with a small shockwave as Wen Ran's fist struck the earth with force, sending dirt flying into the air from the impact and leaving him covered in a fine layer of soil. To his growing annoyance, the beast had leaped away at the very last moment, narrowly evading his strike.
"Come back here!" Wen Ran growled, frustration lacing his voice. "I only want a leg—maybe two! Spare me some!"
He bolted after the rabbit, his movements swift and precise, but no matter how fast he ran, the creature remained elusive. Eventually, realizing the futility of the chase, he slowed to a stop, panting lightly. Irritation simmered within him, but just as he was about to give up entirely, something caught his eye.
To his left, a faint golden shimmer glinted from atop a stone altar partially hidden by the dense foliage. The setting exuded an eerie, ritualistic air, as though sacrifices had been performed there long ago. And resting on the altar, bathed in a soft glow, was his target—the golden ginseng.
"I've found you," Wen Ran murmured, a grin spreading across his face as a mix of triumph and wariness settled in his heart.