"Yes!" he said instantly, excitement flashing across his face as his heart pounded wildly in his chest.
The moment he agreed, a fierce gust of energy surged inside him. Warm, powerful Qi flooded every corner of his body like a roaring river that had finally broken through its restraints.
Then—
BOOM
A violent wave of energy exploded outward from him, rustling leaves and bending nearby branches before being forcefully dragged back into his body as if the world itself refused to let it escape.
A crushing pressure descended upon him. His muscles trembled under the weight, his breathing turning heavy. Slowly, gradually, the pressure began to fade. The raging Qi settled into calm, steady currents.
After a while, everything returned to normal. The forest stood quiet and undisturbed, as though nothing had happened.
However, that was far from the truth.
A great deal had changed.
The system's voice echoed in the middle of Alex's thoughts, but he ignored it. He did not need confirmation. He could already feel it.
His body felt completely different. Stronger. Lighter. Sharper. His muscles had grown denser, filled with explosive power. His eyesight had sharpened until distant details became clear. His hearing improved so much that he could catch faint rustling sounds far away.
Most importantly, he could feel energy flowing through his blood vessels, circulating throughout his entire body in smooth, controlled streams.
Closing his eyes, he focused inward.
There it was.
A spherical, crystal-like structure suspended within him, radiating faint light. From it, countless fine energy pathways spread like delicate threads weaving through his body.
His Dantian and meridians.
He concentrated further, carefully observing what other changes had occurred. There were many subtle but nothing drastically different beyond the breakthrough itself so he ignored for now.
That was enough for now.
"How much energy do I need for the next breakthrough?" he asked.
<200 Qi energy.>
Alex gasped in surprise.
The requirement had doubled from before.
And that was not the only problem he was facing.
Even after breaking through, he did not consider himself strong enough to fight monsters. The thought of fighting alone did not give him courage.
Of course, what use was courage if he did not have the strength and skill to implement it?
He was only at the first stage of the Foundation Realm. There might be many monsters at the same level or even higher lurking within the forest.
Recklessly challenging them would be foolish.
So, he decided to collect herbs instead.
Then he heads a little deeper into the forest, though not beyond the place where he had first awakened in this world. That area had been quiet before, free of monsters, and for someone who had just stepped into the Foundation Realm, safety mattered more than pride. His footsteps were steady, but his thoughts were anything but calm.
"However, the problem is that I don't know anything about herbs, much less how to collect them," he muttered to himself.
He spent the next few minutes thinking while walking toward the familiar clearing where everything had begun. His mind raced through possibilities, yet none of them seemed practical. In the end, he arrived at a simple conclusion.
Luck.
If he had survived this long on instinct and chance, then he would rely on it once more.
Upon reaching the spot, he immediately began searching the surroundings with careful eyes. Since he had no knowledge of medicinal plants, he could only depend on observation. Anything that looked different from the rest, anything that stood out from the ordinary greenery, would be his target.
Minutes turned into an hour. Sweat gathered on his forehead as frustration slowly built within him.
Then suddenly—
"YES!" he shouted, his voice ringing through the forest.
After searching for what felt like ages, and far from where he had originally started, he finally found something unusual. Nestled among ordinary shrubs was a plant that clearly did not belong. It stood slightly taller than the surrounding vegetation, elegant and proud. Five purplish petals bloomed at its crown, glowing faintly as if infused with hidden energy.
Even from a distance, it looked extraordinary.
But Alex did not rush forward.
He restrained himself.
Who knew what kind of strange plant it was? It could be poisonous. It could release toxins the moment it was touched. In a world like this, carelessness could mean death. That single thought was enough to make him cautious. He avoided the thorns and sharp edges, observing it carefully before making a move.
Just as he prepared to pluck the flower, another thought struck him.
What if the entire plant was valuable?
What if selling only the flower meant losing a fortune?
His hand froze mid-air.
In a cultivation world, ignorance was expensive.
Without hesitating any longer, Alex carefully snapped off the thorns along the stem, making sure not to damage the body of the plant. Once that was done, he crouched down and began digging around its base with steady hands. He didn't just pluck the flower. He loosened the soil, uncovered the roots, and removed the entire plant intact, refusing to leave even a single root behind.
The plant itself was no larger than his palm. With no storage pouch or container on him, he had no choice but to carry it carefully in his hand as he resumed his search.
Hours slipped by.
The forest gradually dimmed as the sun lowered toward the horizon. It had been more than five hours. His legs were tired, but his persistence paid off. He found two more unique plants.
The first one made his eyes widen slightly. It looked exactly like the earlier flower. Same shape. Same size. Same faint glow. The only difference was its colour. Instead of purple, its petals were pink.
The second plant, however, was completely different.
There was nothing special about its appearance. No glow. No unusual petals. No distinct fragrance. It looked like an ordinary plant one would step over without a second glance.
Yes. Just a normal plant.
Yet Alex didn't collect it blindly. When he had first noticed it, the plant had glowed faintly for a brief second before returning to normal. It could have been a trick of the light. It could have been his imagination after hours of searching.
But instincts mattered in this world.
And his instincts told him not to ignore it.
So, he uprooted that one as well.
'I should head back,' he thought as he glanced at the orange sky.