.....
Ji Ji stepped out of the cave slowly, blood covering his robes. He wasn't tired.. instead, he felt a strange, unfamiliar kind of strength.. cold, calm, and deadly.
The trees outside twisted like they were in pain, and the sky was shrouded in violet clouds that foretold no good. Even the air felt foreign.. thick with an energy that didn't exist in his former world.
He paused for a moment, gazing at his hand.
"This body..."
He whispered, closing his eyes. Within him echoed memories that weren't his.. the past life of the former Ji Ji.. his emotions, his pain, his fear of betrayal.
"They killed him for his blood essence.. what a foolish reason."
He opened his eyes again, a faint smirk forming on his lips: "But this blood now.. is mine."
Suddenly, he felt something approaching.
Footsteps.. Four men were rushing toward him. Members of the same clan that had betrayed Ji Ji. When they saw him standing before the cave, they exchanged startled looks.
.. "Is that.. Ji Ji? How did he survive?!"
One of them laughed mockingly: .. "Even if he did, he's still trash. Kill him."
But before one of them could draw his sword, Ji Ji moved.
It wasn't an ordinary movement.
The air seemed to freeze.. and he appeared in front of the closest one, striking his chest with a bare hand. A terrifying force erupted from his body, shattering the man and sending him crumbling like a broken doll.
.. "Impossible!"
The others turned to flee, but didn't get far. With a single glance, their bodies froze and their souls crumbled from within, as if something inside them had snapped.
Ji Ji stood among the corpses, his eyes glowing with a dim red light.
He spoke quietly: "It seems this world shows no mercy to the weak.. Very well. I won't be weak ever again."
Then he turned toward the horizon, where dark mountain ranges loomed, and an ominous pull of fate called to him from afar.
And so.. his first steps in this new world began.
...
Ji Ji walked slowly through the shadowed forest, taking in every tree, every rock, every speck of this world. Everything seemed both unfamiliar and oddly familiar at the same time. The memories of the original Ji Ji trickled into his mind as if he'd lived that life himself.
"A cultivation world.." he murmured.
This world had no place for the weak. No law would protect you, no mercy stood in the face of greed. Only the strong survived, and the path to power was riddled with death and betrayal.
According to Ji Ji's memories, cultivation realms were divided into multiple stages, each harder than the last, and each separating the weak from the strong.
Qi Condensation Stage
The foundation of cultivation. A cultivator absorbs the world's Qi into their body, purifying and refining it. It consists of nine layers, each a leap in mastery over spiritual energy.
Foundation Establishment Stage
Here, a cultivator forges a stable core inside their body.. a base that supports their Qi and allows them to step into higher realms. Failing here ends one's cultivation path.
Core Formation Stage
The cultivator condenses their energy into a golden core, the center of power and control. Those who succeed become part of the elite.
Nascent Soul Stage
One crafts a spiritual form capable of leaving the body.. a manifestation of power that lets them face dozens, even hundreds, of foes alone.
....
In Ji Ji's memories, he had reached the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. Still early on the path.. but now, with a mind that didn't belong to this world, Ji Ji had become something else entirely.
"The fourth layer.. too weak," he muttered, breathing steadily.
Yet, he felt his control over Qi had improved. As if his new consciousness carried an inherent understanding of this system.
He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. Qi from the surroundings began to gather.. faint violet strands of energy whirled around his body.
Within minutes, he felt the Qi inside him flow more smoothly, and a dim glow spread across his skin.
He opened his eyes and gazed up at the sky.
"This world thrives on strength.. and I came from a world where the weak fell. I will never be weak again. Not here. Not anywhere."
He smiled faintly, stood, and walked toward the distant caravan passing on the horizon.
....
After a full day's journey across rough terrain, the caravan finally arrived at the city's outskirts.
It was called Xuanji City.. a world unto itself. Towering black stone walls, carved with glowing spiritual runes, stretched for miles, pulsing with a power that felt alive. A nearly invisible barrier of Qi enveloped the city, only passable with permission or overwhelming strength.
From the main gate, wide roads paved with luminous stones stretched inward. Shops lined the sides, selling every imaginable good a cultivator might need.. rare herbs, spirit tools, cultivation manuals, even beast blood.
The crowd was a mix of ordinary humans and terrifyingly powerful cultivators. Some flew on swords, others rode massive spirit beasts.
The scent of power filled the air, and everyone walked with caution. A wrong look could end in a deadly duel.
Ji Ji entered the city with the caravan, no questions asked. The only condition upon joining had been simple:
> "If we're attacked by beasts or bandits.. protect yourself and help if you can."
Fortunately, no such danger had come.
Ji Ji stood in a corner of the marketplace, observing the surroundings, trying to grasp the depth and complexity of this world. But soon, he encountered his first real obstacle...
He didn't possess a single spirit stone.
In this world, spirit stones were everything.. currency, energy source, and a measure of one's status.
He hesitantly entered a small shop and glanced at a book behind the glass.
"How much for this?" he asked.
The shopkeeper gave him a slight sneer. "Five low-grade spirit stones."
Ji Ji nodded and walked out silently.
"I have nothing.. not even enough to eat or stay in the city."
But his eyes weren't worried.
They were calm. Cold.
"If I don't have a path.. I'll carve one."
He turned to a wooden sign on one of the alley walls:
"Wanted: Rare Herb Forager .. Reward starts at 10 spirit stones."
After reading it, Ji Ji didn't hesitate. He headed straight to the source.. a small building by the market square bearing a sign: "General Missions Guild."
Inside, an elderly man greeted him. His cultivation was weak, but his sharp eyes showed the experience of someone who'd seen countless cultivators enter.. and never return.
"I came for an herb gathering mission." Ji Ji spoke calmly.
The old man examined him briefly, then pulled out a yellow paper from a wooden drawer and laid it on the table.
"Third-tier mission. Head to Xinglu Forest north of the city and look for a herb called Bloodflame Grass. It only grows in areas where fire-element beasts have died. Bring back three healthy samples and you'll earn twenty spirit stones."
Ji Ji took the paper and simply said: "Understood."
Xinglu Forest wasn't far. Within an hour, Ji Ji moved cautiously among the towering, intertwined trees, the strange sounds echoing all around.
He pulled out a simple dagger he'd obtained when entering the city.
As he walked, he felt a subtle shift in the air.
A beast.
He jumped with a speed unfitting of a fourth-layer cultivator and turned to face a wolf-like creature.. its eyes burning, flames licking from its mouth.
"A Lesser Flame Wolf?" he murmured.
He stepped back, channeling his spiritual energy. He wasn't powerful, but he wasn't an ordinary man either...
In an instant, something on his chest glimmered.
The pendant.
The same pendant from the cave.. but this time it didn't glow.. it trembled slightly, as if reacting to the threat.
Ji Ji smirked coldly, then dashed forward.
Within moments, the wolf lay burning at his feet.
Amid the ashes, three glowing red herbs appeared.
Bloodflame Grass.
"Time to harvest."
On his way back, Ji Ji was silent.. but it seemed he had regained something.. not just strength, but something deeper.
"In this world, wealth means power, and power means freedom.. and I will claim all three."
••••
End of Chapter
....