Slowly, he knelt beside one of the Tier 3 wolves, plunged a knife into its chest, and extracted its core before carefully harvesting its useful parts. Every portion mattered—these were merit points in the stronghold, and none were to be wasted.
He moved methodically from one wolf to the next, repeating the process until all of them had been taken.
Once finished, he rose, eyes sweeping the dark forest, but no immediate threat appeared. After erasing all traces of his presence, he retreated to a hidden spot to meditate.
Minutes later, he exhaled with a sigh and shook his head. "Still not enough."
Adjusting himself, he slipped silently through the undergrowth. Above, moonlight filtered through the alien canopy, illuminating the faint shimmer of qi lingering in the air.
Hours passed. He fought through several minor packs of wild beasts, each encounter draining a piece of his strength. His sword became an extension of his body, qi flaring and ebbing with each precise strike. By the time he paused to rest, he was coated in blood, sweat, and the sticky residue of forest creatures. His muscles ached, his qi trembled—but he adjusted himself carefully, allowing the wounds to close and the energy to circulate. He meditated, letting the forest's ambient qi merge with his own.
Finally, after what felt like days, Chu Feng reached a clearing bathed in silver light. The air here was different—thicker, denser, almost oppressive. His senses tensed immediately.
A low rumble rolled through the ground before him. From the shadows emerged a beast unlike anything he had faced: a Tier 5 feral monster, larger than three men, with jagged black scales glinting faintly under the moonlight. Its eyes glowed crimson, intelligent and cruel, radiating a terrifying aura of combat experience. Every muscle in its body screamed lethality. Its fangs dripped, and its claws left scorched lines on the forest floor as it shifted its weight.
Chu Feng's lips pressed into a thin line. "This one… It's not going to be easy." He inhaled, feeling the qi in his body align like steel threads.
The Tier 5 beast lunged with shocking speed. Chu Feng barely dodged, feeling the wind from its claws slice across his cheek. He twisted midair, sword flashing as his qi erupted, leaving streaks of blue-white light in the forest gloom. The beast's roar was deafening, a mixture of fury and calculation. Its eyes narrowed.
Every strike from Chu Feng was met with a counterattack. The beast was relentless, forcing him to expend every ounce of stamina and strategy. Each movement of his body was precision-honed through countless battles; yet, with every clash, his muscles screamed, his qi trembled, and his consciousness felt the edge of collapse. Blood mixed with sweat as he parried, dodged, and countered. "I… I can't let it touch me," he thought, clenching his teeth as a deep gash burned across his arm.
The beast's expression shifted—its snarl deepening into something more feral. It launched a series of brutal attacks, forcing Chu Feng to retreat step by step.
He stumbled, nearly collapsing under the crushing force of the last strike. The forest seemed to blur, his vision narrowing. His body screamed in protest. His inner dialogue burned: "I can't die. Not now… not here... I refuse!"
Summoning every fragment of his will, Chu Feng's qi erupted violently. It surged through him, spinning and coalescing into a terrifying aura that pushed beyond his current limits. His body shone with a blinding light, and the ground trembled beneath the momentum of his breakthrough to the Soul King realm.
Energy lashed outward like a storm. His aura roared, rising past Level 41… Level 42… and finally, Level 44. His eyes glinted with cold fury, teeth gritted, veins pulsing as his strength eclipsed the previous boundary of his cultivation. Every strike now carried the weight of an unstoppable force. The Tier 5 beast faltered for the first time, its intelligent crimson eyes widening in alarm.
Chu Feng didn't hesitate. Sword flaring with overwhelming qi, he advanced like a hurricane incarnate. Each movement forced the beast to retreat, each slash tearing through its scales, its flesh, and its defences. The Tier 5's roar became desperate, filled with both pain and disbelief, as if it could not comprehend being outmatched by a human.
Finally, Chu Feng's aura reached its peak, quaking through the forest. His body and soul fused with the energy of the breakthrough, his sword a streak of divine force. With a single, precise strike, he pierced the Tier 5's chest. The beast let out one final, ear-piercing roar, its eyes rolling back as it crumpled to the ground.
Chu Feng stood there, chest heaving, face streaked with blood and sweat. His expression was a mix of exhaustion, relief, and the faint glow of triumph. "I… survived. I broke through… Soul King Realm." His aura settled, powerful yet controlled, radiating an overwhelming presence that left even the forest trembling.
The clearing was silent. The Tier 5 beast lay dead, its powerful aura fading, leaving only a faint trace of feral qi lingering in the air. Chu Feng collected the beast's body into his spatial ring, erased all signs of his presence, and swiftly departed.
Finding the beast's lair, he settled down to meditate. From his satchel, he retrieved the bottle Master Lian had given him, took out a pill, and swallowed it. Closing his eyes, he focused on stabilising his breakthrough.
A week later, energy surged from the lair as he exhaled turbid qi. When he opened his eyes, they shone with two colours—one white, the other black. He stretched and checked his body, noticing that his cultivation had now reached peak Level 44. "It is still the fastest growing under immense pressure," he murmured.
Surveying his surroundings, he spotted various herbs and rare gems and gathered them all into his storage ring.
Calming himself, he recalled the last fight. At the very moment he had slain the beast, an inexplicable urge had compelled him toward the central area of the realm.
Elsewhere in the realm, battles raged across the land. Every participant who faced a Tier 5 beast experienced the same phenomenon: after defeating it, an inexplicable urge compelled them to move toward the central area of the realm. However, there was no time limit for those who felt the pull.
After reviewing his gains, Chu Feng finally rose, readjusted his posture, and stretched his limbs. His body was still humming with the aftereffects of his breakthrough, his senses sharper, his qi more stable. He glanced around the forest, noting that no other major danger presented itself. It was as if the realm itself had recognised the deeds of those who had conquered the Tier 5 beasts. By surviving and claiming victory, cultivators had earned the right to pursue the treasures scattered across the land.
Yet, the treasures themselves were not guaranteed. Fate and chance still played their roles. The realm seemed to test not just strength but insight, endurance, and the ability to seize opportunity. One could stumble upon a gem hidden in plain sight or a powerful herb lying in a shadowed crevice, while another could search endlessly without finding so much as a single leaf.
Chu Feng began the journey toward the central area. The path stretched vast and treacherous. Rivers of glowing qi meandered through alien forests, jagged cliffs rose sharply under strange moons, and winds carried whispers of ancient beasts and hidden dangers. Every step demanded vigilance, yet none of the dangers approached with the ferocity of the Tier 5 beasts he had faced.
Across the realm, other cultivators felt the same call. Some were injured, limping through the undergrowth, yet their determination never wavered. Some came across caches of rare herbs and spiritual stones. With each discovery, their cultivation deepened, their aura rippling outward as they absorbed the energy around them. Others were forced to retreat from environmental hazards, learning patience and strategy as much as combat.
Over time, patterns emerged. Those who had grown through their battles found the terrain itself bending to challenge them. Rivers of turbulent qi tested their focus. Mountains and cliffs forced mastery of body and qi. Storms of spiritual energy struck without warning, yet those who adapted emerged stronger. Individuals whose strength had only been average now developed subtle layers of control over their qi, while others saw their potential deepen, giving them new insights.
Chu Feng pressed onward. He encountered natural trials that resonated with his own cultivation, testing both his body and soul. The passage of time was almost imperceptible, yet he and others could feel themselves stretching, deepening, refining. His own body thrummed with newfound stability, each breath pulling qi into his meridians with increasing efficiency. Over the course of two years, his cultivation steadily rose, his aura becoming increasingly imposing. Level 44 had been a threshold, but continuous exertion, focus, and the ambient energy of the realm nurtured a slow, inexorable refinement.
Some discovered hidden chambers beneath cliffs, others traversed narrow ridges above rivers of qi, and a few stumbled into treacherous swamps that tested their endurance. All the while, Chu Feng moved steadily, his focus unwavering. Occasionally, he paused to meditate, stabilizing his breakthrough, adjusting the circulation of qi, and absorbing ambient energy to further strengthen his cultivation.
After countless weeks, he reached a plateau overlooking a vast expanse of alien forest. From this vantage, the central area seemed distant yet attainable. Glimmers of hidden treasures sparkled far below, and subtle flows of spiritual energy pulsed like living veins across the landscape.
It became clear that this journey was far from simple. Fortune had been divided unequally: some cultivators found themselves enriched, their qi blossoming in unexpected ways, while others grew in resilience and experience.
The journey stretched on for two years, with time measured not in days but in trials, battles, and meditative recoveries. Each cultivator was pushed repeatedly to their limits, forced to rely on nothing but themselves. Success was defined by personal growth, the deepening of cultivation, and the sharpening of intuition.
Every participant travelled alone. Though many were drawn by the same call toward the central area, none encountered companions along the way. The forest, the mountains, and the rivers seemed intent on isolating each individual, testing not only their strength but also their determination and willpower.
The realm's lesson was unmistakable: the path to true strength is solitary. Only through perseverance and self-reliance can one carve one's own destiny.