The late Foundation Building semi-plane was a vast desert.
Gabriel surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping across the yellow expanse in every direction. The sky above was a perfect blue, untouched by a single cloud, and the sun blazed fiercely, casting a harsh, golden light over the land.
"There are no beasts or monsters here?" Gabriel murmured to himself. His eyesight was exceptional, and with the desert stretching out before him, flat and devoid of much in the way of dunes or other obstacles, he could see for miles. Yet, there was no sign of any movement. No creatures, no disturbances.
"Or..." A sudden realization struck him.
"The monsters and beasts must live beneath the sand!" Gabriel smiled, his expression one of understanding. He could feel the thick layer of sand underfoot, and with his seventh layer of Qi Condensation, his spiritual sense allowed him to perceive its depth—at least ten meters.
Of course, compared to the actual depth of the sand beneath, which may be miles deep, seeing ten meters with his spiritual sense does not even cover the surface.
"My low-level cultivation is really a massive weakness," he thought, his smile fading into a frown. "My spiritual sense is so out of step with my combat power!" Yet, there was little he could do about it. The system and power boosts that had granted him strength only affected his physical body, not his cultivation.
Just as Gabriel mulled over his situation, a tremor ran through the ground beneath him.
"My incredible physical senses make up for my lack of spiritual sense," he thought, bracing himself.
The tremor grew stronger, vibrating through the desert floor, and with it, strange sounds reached his ears. Low and distant, yet unmistakable.
"A whale? A sand whale?" Gabriel's mind raced. He had once attended a class in his sect where they discussed the sounds beasts made. The noise now echoing through the sand had the distinct resonance of a whale.
"But whales live in water!" Gabriel mused aloud. "Well, I suppose there are also creatures in the sand that make similar sounds."
The tremors grew stronger, and the noise became more intense, vibrating the very air. Of course, "intense" was relative. To an ordinary person, or even a Qi Condensation cultivator without a body as sturdy as Gabriel's, the rumblings would be completely undetectable.
"It's coming!" He didn't even bother drawing his knife. Against creatures of the late Foundation Establishment rank, a low-level knife would be useless—more likely to shatter than to harm.
"It has to be enormous—at least 200 meters long!" Gabriel mused, his eyes narrowing as he glanced downward.
Suddenly, the tremor increased, becoming so powerful that even an ordinary person would have noticed. Less than a second after, the ground erupted, and a massive creature, its mouth agape, swallowed everything on the surface, including Gabriel.
...
"Man-eating whale?" Gabriel thought, his mind calm despite the situation.
Inside the whale's stomach, he was surrounded by darkness, the sand thick around him. He could barely make out anything, but it didn't matter. In fact, he didn't need to see at all. What he needed now was to strike, to test the full extent of his power.
He swam through the dense sand for a while, feeling for the boundaries of the beast's stomach.
Soon, he found it!
"Take this!!" With a wild grin, Gabriel gathered all his strength into his right fist—the dominant hand—and thrust it toward the barrier.
Bang!
...
A deafening sound shattered the silence.
The entire desert semi-plane shook with the force of the blow. The earth trembled as a massive wave of sand surged across the surface, as though an atomic bomb had detonated deep within the ground.
Then, an explosion of lava erupted in the distance, gushing upward with an intense, fiery power.
From a few hundred meters away, a figure emerged from the molten chaos—naked yet utterly unfazed.
The man stood tall, observing the destruction, a wild grin spreading across his face.
His laughter rang out, filled with raw excitement.
"This level of power… this should be at least early of Core Formation as I expected!" Gabriel chuckled to himself.
"Amazing. Now, my physical body alone is as strong as an early Core Formation cultivator! If I reveal this power, I could easily become an elder of the sect!" He couldn't contain his joy, laughing freely. Of course, he didn't know if his power was only at the early of the Core Formation—or if it exceeded that.
The whale that had swallowed him disintegrated upon impact, unable to withstand the force at all.
Against Gabriel's direct hit, which had the might of at least Core Formation power, no Foundation Establishment beast or cultivator could resist.
As for his clothes—they were gone. Burnt away by the explosion, they couldn't survive the intensity of Gabriel's strike. The garments, expensive and designed to withstand the battles of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, were no match for his overwhelming strength.
Gabriel simply shrugged and summoned a new set of clothes.
With a casual stride, he walked toward the portal that would take him out of the semi-plane.
There should be no beast here that could threaten him now. If he let loose with his full strength—if he allowed his hands and feet to move freely—he risked causing more damage to the environment of this semi-plane. That could attract attention from the city, lead to investigations, and raise unwanted suspicions.
...
Gabriel stepped out of the portal and gazed at the Core Formation section ahead. His eyes scanned the large, imposing entrance, where a sign boldly displayed:
"Entry Fee: 1,000,000 Spiritual Stones"
"I don't have that," Gabriel muttered to himself, a hint of frustration in his voice. But then, a smile spread across his face.
"But now, I have other options."
Before he had gained the power of a Core Formation cultivator, Gabriel had been hesitant to venture into the wilderness. The fear of encountering powerful beasts had kept him cautious. Now, however, that worry seemed insignificant.
"Still, I should be cautious," he reminded himself.
He rented a room equipped with a Core Formation-level protective formation. It cost him 20,000 Spiritual Stones a day, a price he was willing to pay for safety. Once inside, he immediately called on the system.
Name: Gabriel
Cultivation Level: 7th Layer of Qi Condensation
Power Boost: 759,410/1,000,000
"System! Boost me seven hundred fifty-nine times at once!" Gabriel commanded eagerly.
Ding! Task established!
759,000 Power Boost Points deducted!
Boosting in progress!
A warm, comforting energy surged within his chest, quickly radiating outward through every inch of his body.
"Amazing! It's not hot, just a comfortable warmth!" Gabriel thought, his body tingling with euphoria. The familiar, soothing sensation washed over him.
...
Several hours later, he slowly came to his senses.
"I should be a lot stronger now!" he mused, his heart beating faster with excitement. "There should be no danger in paying a visit to the Darkline Forest!"
The Darkline Forest was notorious for being a deadly place, home to Core Formation-level monsters. But Gabriel wasn't concerned. With his current strength, he was confident he was a match for even the mid-stages of Core Formation beasts and monsters.
"I still have more than a week off," he thought, already planning his next move.
Without a second glance at his surroundings, he left, heading straight for the Darkline Forest.
...
The Darkline Forest was not under the jurisdiction of Sky City. It was an ownerless place, open to anyone who wished to enter. However, access didn't guarantee survival. Only strong cultivators could venture into its depths and leave alive.
While the forest was undeniably dangerous, it wasn't a death sentence for those who knew how to navigate it.
Decades ago, Nascent Soul cultivators from several cities had banded together to eliminate the only Nascent Soul-level monster that had once made the forest its home. Since then, the forest had been deemed relatively safe for Core Formation cultivators, as long as they were cautious.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators, if they grouped together, well-equipped and prepared, could safely hunt around the periphery of the forest, avoiding the deeper, more perilous regions.
In recent decades, the number of hunters flocking to the Darkline Forest had grown significantly.
Beast and monster body parts were highly sought after, fetching large sums of money. In addition, deep within the forest lay rare resource points that could be sold for even greater wealth. The promise of such rewards had drawn many, turning the Darkline Forest into a bustling hub for those seeking fortune—and for those brave enough to face its dangers.
...
Freya, a cultivator at the 6th layer of Foundation Establishment, was a deputy elder of the Snow City Immortal Sect.
She had taken a task to capture a few beasts and monsters that could be found on the outskirts of the Darkline Forest.
Of course, she didn't come alone. Four others accompanied her—each prepared for the hunt, armed with various trump cards and strategies.
The plan seemed simple enough. With a team of experienced Foundation Establishment cultivators, all equipped and ready, there shouldn't have been any problems hunting on the periphery of the forest. Even if they encountered a Core Formation beast or monster, they would at least have the ability to escape.
But things didn't go as planned.
The team encountered a mid-Core Formation Fox Beast with strange, unpredictable abilities. The creature was far more dangerous than they had anticipated.
Freya was the only one who managed to escape, barely surviving the encounter. Bloodied and exhausted, she fled from the forest, her mind racing with the horror of what had just occurred.
...
Flying at maximum speed, Freya cursed under her breath. "Damn beast! Damn beast!"
When they first encountered the Fox Beast, the team had immediately used their trump cards to escape, but it was no use. The creature had a strange illusion ability that disoriented them, confusing their senses of direction. As a result, they ended up running deeper into the forest instead of away from it.
The beast, with its terrifying powers, seemed to toy with its prey, killing Freya's companions one by one.
"Am I going in the right direction?" Freya thought, dread sinking into her chest. She wasn't even sure if she was still under the influence of the beast's illusions.
She had repeatedly checked her spiritual sense and maps, confirming that this direction should lead her to the Snow City sect's watchtower stronghold, located near the forest.
If she could make it there, the formation at the stronghold could protect her from the Fox Beast.
But the problem was that she had no way of confirming for sure that she wasn't under the beast's illusion!
Desperation surged within her, and she pushed herself to go faster.
But just as hope seemed within reach, a sudden blow hit her from behind, sending her flying like a cannonball. She slammed into the ground, her face scraping the dirt.
Blood spattered across her face as she looked up, her heart pounding in fear.
Standing before her was a massive fox—at least ten meters tall—its fur a striking mix of silver and white, and its three tails flicking with ominous grace.
"You humans are despicable!" The fox's voice rang out, surprisingly clear and full of fury.
Beasts and monsters at the Core Formation realm often possessed intelligence comparable to humans and could speak the human language. However, many were too arrogant to bother learning it. This fox, however, was different—it could speak, and it had something to say.
"Get away, beast!" Freya struggled to push herself up, but the pain from the blow was overwhelming. The strike from the fox had been laced with the crushing power of a Core Formation beast, and she was severely injured.
"You humans killed my ancestor, slaughtered tens of my children, tortured them, and used them!" The fox continued, its voice rising angrily. "You even dared to capture my husband! Where is he? Is he alive? Tell me!"
Freya had no idea what the beast was talking about. She knew nothing about its "husband" or its ancestors.
"Your Snow City captured my husband!" The fox's fury reached a boiling point. "Talk! Or I will make the rest of your life a living hell!"
Just as the situation grew more tense, a voice broke through the air.
"Well, this is interesting."
A man in golden armor stepped forward, his face calm and smiling, as if he were watching an intriguing spectacle unfold.
Freya's heart sank when she saw him. The man appeared to be a Qi Condensation cultivator—far weaker than her.
But the fox's reaction was the exact opposite. It immediately discarded Freya, tossing her aside with a flick of its tail, and instead, focused intently on the man in golden armor.
"Who are you?" the fox demanded, its tone low and dangerous.
From the fox's perspective, the man was the most dangerous opponent it had ever encountered. Instinct screamed at it to be cautious, warning it of the unseen threat before it.