The last time Victor cultivated, it had taken hours just to raise his percentage by even 1%.
But now?
Even though he had only just begun, he already felt his progress bar nudging forward.
---
Ding!
✅ Foundation Establishment Progress Increased (45% → 47%)
---
Victor was speechless.
This is way faster than before.
But why?
Could it be...?
His eyes widened slightly.
The environmental adaptation!
Since his body had adjusted to the terrain, it must have also improved his ability to absorb Qi from this environment.
This meant—
He could cultivate faster here than anywhere else!
A grin spread across Victor’s lips.
"I might actually reach 70% before I even move forward."
Closing his eyes again, he resumed cultivating with renewed excitement.
The Qi from the surroundings rushed into him at a steady pace.
Inside his meridians, it flowed like a steady river, strengthening his foundation little by little. Your adventure continues at freewebnovel
With each breath, Victor could feel his body changing.
His muscles felt stronger.
His mind felt clearer.
His Qi flowed smoother.
He continued for another hour, completely immersed in cultivation.
He had forgotten how good this was.
---
Ding!
✅ Foundation Establishment Progress Increased (47% → 49%)
---
(( Hours Later ))
Victor remained sat cross-legged, feeling the rush of qi coursing through his body.
Cultivating for hours had never felt this productive. His Foundation Establishment Realm percentage was rising faster than ever, and in just a couple of hours, he had reached 90%.
"At this rate, I might actually break through before nightfall," he thought out loud with a tone of excitement knowing that it would reflect in his real life body too.
However, as he approached 95%, the progress slowed to a crawl. Each percent took longer than the last, and soon, the once-fluid sensation of absorbing qi became sluggish. He felt the natural resistance of breaking into the peak of Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Tch… should have known it wouldn’t be that easy," Victor muttered.
Despite this, he pressed on. He originally intended to reach 50% before resuming his journey so technically he already passed bis goal.
Before he knew it, a night had passed in Ascendant Realms, and the first light of dawn touched the rocky expanse before him.
His cultivation stood at 99%, but it no longer mattered. He had spent long enough in meditation. It was time to move.
Victor stretched his limbs and rolled his shoulders as he stood up. He glanced at his tattered, dust-covered cultivation robes and the still-broken sword in his grasp.
"I really need to get better gear at some point," he sighed.
Still, something about how he could sit for days without feeling bored puzzled him. He wasn’t exactly the patient type in reality, yet here, he could sit motionless for hours, days even, and still feel satisfied.
Was it because this was a game? Was it because his body in reality wasn’t physically feeling it? Either way, he set those thoughts aside and began his journey forward.
Victor moved across the rocky terrain, taking in the spiky cliffs and distant mountain paths in the surroundings.
He had been walking for some time when a sudden system notification popped up.
———
> [Warning: Body needs sustenance.]
Qi alone cannot sustain you indefinitely. Find food and water.
———
Victor frowned. "Right… food."
His stomach growled loudly causing him to wince. The sensation was disturbingly real. The grumbling didn’t stop, and before long, he could feel an emptiness in his belly, as if his real body were hungry too.
"Okay, this is weird," he muttered. "Feels like I haven’t eaten in over a day… oh wait, I haven’t."
He scanned the area for wildlife but found nothing. No rabbits, no deer, not even the creepy spirit-infested animals he had fought before. The barren landscape stretched for miles, offering only dry shrub and visible boulders.
With no other choice, Victor turned his gaze toward the river in the distance. "Water should at least help a little."
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As he approached the riverbank, he saw rippling movements beneath the surface. His eyes narrowed. Long, dark figures moved beneath the water, circling slowly.
> [ Analysis: Unidentified aquatic creatures detected ]
Victor sighed. "Of course, the first creatures I find are in the water."
At first, he considered just drinking the water and leaving, but his stomach protested violently.
"Alright then," he drew his broken sword. "Guess it’s sushi night... or day..."
Victor stepped cautiously into the shallows, watching as the creatures stirred. The moment his foot splashed, they reacted.
Two large, fish-like creatures shot out of the water with sword like faces and razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the morning sun.
"Whoa, the fish here are aggressive!"
Victor slashed at the first one, but his broken sword barely scratched its scales. The second fish jumped into the air and slapped his face with it’s tail fin, sending him staggering back onto the riverbank.
"It just bitch slapped me... this little..." Victor suddenly recalled his first encounter with the wolf and thought; ’What goes around comes around huh?’
However, his eyes suddenly widened as he realised that the slap really packed an abnormal force.
"They’ve got qi?! Who the hell gave fish qi cultivation?!"
The creatures circled back into the water, preparing to lunge again.
Victor gathered qi into his sword and activated Wind Blade.
He slashed out just as one of the fish leaped at him. This time, the attack connected, severing the fish in half. The other one dived at his legs, but Victor used Phantom Mirage Steps to shift to the side, avoiding it entirely.
The fish jumped upwards again and this time he used Gale Strike to send the second fish crashing into a nearby rock. It flopped violently before going still.
Victor let out a breath. "Damn, I just fought fish like it was a boss battle."
He dragged the fish out of the water, skinned them with his broken blade, and started a fire using the friction of his sword against the dry twigs he gathered.
He figured that everything would burn to a crisp if he used the dragon breathing art to ignite flames.
As the smell of roasting fish filled the air, Victor’s stomach grumbled even louder.
"Finally."
When the fish was cooked, he took a bite—and immediately regretted it.
It was the chewiest, most rubbery, overly tough thing he had ever eaten. He couldn’t believe that the wolf he ate back then tasted better than this.
But he had no choice. With a grimace, he forced himself to eat, gulping down water to help it go down.
> [New Buff Acquired: Well-Fed (+10% Qi Recovery Rate for 2 hours)]
[New Buff Acquired: Hydrated (+5% Physical Endurance for 3 hours)]
Victor sighed. "At least there’s some benefit to eating this crap."
With his hunger satiated, Victor resumed his journey, climbing over boulders and navigating the rough terrain.
Another hour passed, but the supposed Devil Forest was nowhere to be seen.
Victor frowned. "I should have reached it by now…"
The thought that he might be lost crept into his mind, but there was no one around to ask for directions. Miles of rocky terrain stretched ahead, with only occasional trees and distant mountain paths.
"Great," he muttered. "Guess I just keep going."
All of a sudden, a scream pierced the silence.
"HELP!"