Zhou slithered out of the hole, his hunger still unsatisfied and his core empty—but not crawling. He made his way to the site where the prey lingered, a location near a quiet creek, the moonlight of the recently set sun illuminated the area.
Zhou looked around, confused, still searching for the beast he had smelled. His confusion was quickly cleared when his eyes caught a flicker by the side. His instincts screamed at him that something wasn't right.
He coiled tightly around himself, lowering his body into a striking stance. A loud hiss escaped his fangs, sharp and taunting, as if daring the hidden beast to attack.
From the dark trees, a figure emerged—a rat, and a rather large one at that. It crept forward with unnerving confidence, as though it had been born without fear. Zhou's stance relaxed slightly, his body language dismissive, as if declaring that the opponent before him was no threat.
Yet deep within, Zhou felt a strange unease. His instincts shrieked at him, almost in words: "RUN."
He couldn't understand why, until he looked again. Blue sparks crackled faintly across the rat's fur—Qi.
Zhou's coils tightened instantly, the weight of realization pressing down on him. He wasn't the only one who had cultivated Qi.
Worse still, judging by the sheer density of energy radiating from the rat, it was leagues above him.
Before Zhou could even steady his thoughts, the rat lunged. Qi engulfed its body, amplifying its speed and strength to terrifying proportions.
Zhou barely reacted in time as claws raked across his belly, leaving shallow but searing wounds. Blood trickled down his scales. The rat struck again, carving more lines into his flesh.
Zhou countered with a desperate snap of his jaws, but the rat leapt back at the last instant. He lashed out with his tail, striking again and again, but every attempt missed. His movements grew sluggish, his body tiring.
It was as if the rat could see the future , Further it was even targetting his Dantian in its attacks and trying to reopen old wounds
Then, suddenly, it all made sense. The rat had been tailing him , studying him, analyzing his every move. It had chosen this moment—when Zhou's Qi and energy reserves were depleted—to reveal itself. It tailing him had become more plausible when he remembered that every time he got injured he just let his blood drip , probably creating a trail for predators
No wonder it smiled each time it dodged. The grin was not arrogance, but certainty.
It had been waiting. Watching. Learning.
The very air around them seemed to tighten.
Zhou now understood that the rat wasn't prey but a threat-- one he couldn't handle.
Zhou's body screamed in pain, his energy nearly extinguished. The rat's grin widened as it prepared to finish him.
But Zhou's instincts, whispered a single command: Escape.
He turned around and coiled into an S , propelling himself away , the rat giving chase , till they got to the creeks shore. There Zhou jumped into the creeks , drifting into a more open river . While the rat persisted in chasing Zhou into the creek , jumping inside and following him.
Once Zhou drifted into a river , one looking almost enchanted.
The rat hesitated , its persistence chase coming to a halt and then almost fearfully , it swam back ,even using qi to increase its speed.
Then-- Zhou felt it . A rumbling in the water , his coils tightened and he felt something he had never felt since he was born --Fear.
The river grew suddenly grew unnaturally still, a sharp contrast to its turbid nature a moment ago. Zhou's coils trembled as the water beneath him suddenly rumbled, a deep vibration that seemed to echo in his bones.
Then, from the depths, a shadow rose. Scales glistened faintly in the moonlight, but many were cracked and torn. A massive head broke the surface, one eye clouded and the other burning with molten gold.
The creature exhaled, and the current itself seemed to bow.
"Tch. A half-formed worm dares trespass into my waters? Crawl back to your hole before I decide to end your pitiful existence."
Zhou froze, his instincts screaming at him to flee. Yet something deeper stirred within him—an intuition, sharp and undeniable. If he left now, he would gain nothing. If he stayed, he might learn… something.
The beast's gaze lingered on him, then shifted away as if he were beneath notice. Its massive body shifted, and Zhou saw it clearly now: deep wounds carved across its torso, blood seeping into the river. The water carried the metallic tang of it.
The beast muttered, almost to itself, voice thick with venom.
"That bastard fucking hairless Ape… to strike me so… I'll grind his bones to dust. and take those Damn pupils eyes for myself when I recover. Insolent wretch, thinking he could wound me…"
Its golden eye flicked back to Zhou, narrowing.
"Don't look at me like that, hatchling. Even broken, I could crush you with a flick of my claw. Remember this: what you see before you is weakness. And yet, even in weakness, I am beyond your comprehension."
Zhou hissed softly, his body low in the water.
The beast sneered. "Pathetic. You can barely hold your Qi together, and yet you slither about as if you are a predator. Your core isn't even fully formed—it's a lump of sludge rattling in your belly. You think yourself clever because you can spark Qi? Hah. You're a starving hatchling gnawing scraps while true beasts feast."
It shifted again, wincing as its wounds pulled. "If you wish to crawl out of the mud, you'll need to kill, devour, and claw your way upward. Otherwise, you'll die as you are—weak, pitiful, and forgotten."
The beast closed its good eye, dismissing him. "Now leave me. Your whining presence irritates me." it says its eyes close and ambient qi encircles its wounds as if trying to heal it.
Yet Zhou did not move. Something deep within hissed louder than fear: Stay. Endure. Learn.
The beast's golden eye opened once more, gleaming with cruel amusement.
"Still here? Very well, worm. If you insist on lingering, then choke on this. I'll carve truth into your skull, not as a gift, but as punishment."
The river pulsed. A crushing weight of Qi surged outward, slamming into Zhou's body. His coils convulsed, his vision blurred, and then—his mind ignited.
Knowledge poured into him, not in words but in searing images and truths that branded themselves into his consciousness. He saw the ladder of cultivation, each realm divided into nine layers, each step a cliff that crushed the weak.
Mortal Beast Stage — where he crawled now, in the second layer. His core not even half-formed, his Qi unstable, his body little more than flesh and instinct. Most beasts were born here, and most died here.
Spiritual Awakening Stage — where cores solidified, where beasts began to think and reason, where Qi could be drawn from the world itself. The first step of true cultivation.
Core Formation Stage — where the core condensed into something denser, stronger, able to store and release Qi at will. Beasts awakened faint whispers of their bloodlines, humans strengthened their fragile meridians.
Core Refinement Stage — where impurities were burned away, Qi sharpened and purified. Techniques grew deadly, beasts awakened minor abilities, humans scarred the land with their arts.
Spirit Core Stage — where the core evolved, resonating with the world. Beasts gained true intelligence, often speech. Humans and beasts alike projected Qi beyond their bodies, shaping it into weapons, domains, even storms.
The torrent of knowledge was too much. Zhou's mind buckled, his thoughts fracturing under the weight of truths he was never meant to bear at his stage. His Qi, already depleted, surged wildly out of control. His body spasmed, blood leaking from his wounds as his core trembled on the verge of collapse.
Deviation.
The beast's laughter echoed in his skull, cruel and mocking. "Pathetic. Even knowledge is enough to break you. You are weaker than I imagined."
Zhou writhed in the water, his hunger gnawing at him, his wounds burning, his Core emply like a desert. For a moment, he felt himself slipping—his mind unraveling, his body ready to give way.
But something deep within him refused. A stubborn spark, a will that refuses to die . And with sheer willpower , Zhou managed to calm his raging Qi
The river calmed. Zhou lay trembling, his body battered, his spirit scarred, but alive.
The beast's golden eye regarded him with faint surprise, then narrowed again in disdain. "Hmph. You survived. Barely. Remember this, hatchling you are weak and will always be weak if you act like prey instead of a predator"
The eye closed, dismissing him once more.
Zhou floated weakly in the current, his body screaming, his hunger gnawing, his Qi nearly extinguished. Yet within his scarred mind, the ladder of realms burned bright.
Zhou's body floated away from the lake and was washed up by the side of the shore of the same creek he jumped into.
His body contorting violently from the pain, but with sheer willpower oncemore , Zhou managed to coil his body onto a near by tree to rest.
A few minutes passed
Zhou's rest was interrupted by a pair of glowing eyes , the rat's eyes.