CHAPTER 44: BLANK BOOK

Six months passed quickly.

In the solitude of the End Mountains, days and nights repeated themselves as Kyrian wandered alone during the days. In silence, while his eyes focused on any different path that might appear.

During the nights, he cultivated. He spent little time in silence with his legs crossed while the thin Qi was absorbed through his eyes. On the surface, he was progressing.

But deep down, he knew he was too slow. It would take years for him to advance a small stage of the realm.

The Body Enhancement Realm had been the first step. The energy required was not that much. But now, the challenge was different.

In the Qi Accumulation Realm, it was necessary to gather as much energy as possible in one’s dantian until it reached its limit. And then advance.

The dantian would grow layer by layer.

Kyrian, however, possessed two dantians. They were smaller than described in the book. But the amount they could absorb was much greater than it seemed.

It would be double the Qi. Double the effort. Double the time.

Each night he looked up at the starless sky, without the particles, he felt an even stronger desire to find the passage.

He wanted to leave this place soon, devoid of vitality and energy. The little Qi that existed there was like a drop in a leaking bucket.

If he had spirit stones, he could solve this. Kyrian had learned about them from Wei Feng. But there was none of that in the ring left by the old man.

The only thing left for Kyrian was to focus all his attention on finding a way out. And that was what he concentrated on.

He spent his days running along the cold slopes. But it was no use. It was always the same. There didn’t seem to be a path.

It was then that he decided to take a small break after searching every day for months, staying in a small hidden cave. Kyrian slept right there.

And it was the next day that something different finally happened. After leaving the cave, he found a path, a trail between the rocks, that hadn’t existed yesterday. Kyrian didn’t remember seeing it.

He followed the trail carefully, climbing the mountain, drawing closer to the storms. The sound was deafening.

As he got closer and closer, that was when his eyes caught something strange.

A narrow crack in the mountain wall. So discreet it could have been just a shadow. But as soon as Kyrian looked at it, he noticed the strangeness. He could see the air there ripple slightly.

He extended his hand. The sensation was immediate, like touching the surface of an invisible lake.

His eyes widened. He had finally found something.

His heart raced, for if there was a barrier, then something was being guarded behind it.

Without a second thought, Kyrian crossed through.

His world spun. The ground disappeared beneath his feet, and, for an instant, everything around him turned into darkness.

When he could see again, he was no longer on the mountain.

In front of him appeared a cave, stretching out before him. Like a small rocky dome. Illuminated by blue stones that released a soft glow.

In the center of the cave, there was only one thing. An altar made of stone. Upon it rested a closed book.

Just below, a small metal plaque with words engraved on it.

"From Xiao Jun to the Destined."

Kyrian approached, his eyes fixed on the plaque.

"Xiao Jun..."

The name meant nothing, but the phrase might have been written for him.

Kyrian extended his hand and touched the book. He expected something. Some light, some sound, some different sign. He already thought of the book as some treasure hidden by a powerful cultivator. Just as he had learned in the books.

But nothing happened.

At least nothing he could notice or perceive.

The instant his fingers touched the cover of the book, an invisible energy coursed through his skin, crossed every inch of his body, passed through his eyes, and invaded his dantians. And then returned to the book. Kyrian did not see or feel it.

To him, it was just an ordinary book. But still, it should have something interesting inside. Despite the cover having nothing.

He then opened it. The pages were blank. Completely. Not a single mark, no symbol. It was completely empty.

"A useless book?" Kyrian murmured.

Slightly frustrated, after flipping through it, he quickly closed it.

But the moment he did, once again his body fell into a space of total darkness.

An absolute silence took over. His body seemed to cross through something invisible. And then, when he blinked again, there was no longer a cave, the empty book in his hand had completely disappeared.

Unexpectedly, he appeared in a forest.

But not an ordinary forest he was used to.

The green of the leaves shone with vitality. The air was so pure that each breath seemed to pour rivers of energy into his lungs. Everything seemed clearer, more alive.

He stood still, his body quickly adapting to the new environment. But his eyes were not still. They were watching the Qi particles dancing in the air like dust under the light.

It took him a few seconds to understand, and then he turned around.

Behind him, different mountains rose. They were not the dry mountains he was used to. With only rocks and snow and black soil.

The only thing the same was the dark clouds covered in lightning that crowned the top. The hidden crashing lightning roared in the distance, making him confirm what he was thinking.

"I... crossed through." Kyrian murmured slowly.

A chill ran through his body. He was in the Northern Region.

Finally, he had left the Mortal Lands.

An involuntary smile spread across his lips. But before he could do anything to savor the moment of happiness, a sound interrupted him.

A heavy rustling came from his left, among the trees.

Kyrian immediately turned his body, his eyes narrowing.

A shadow then suddenly emerged. Four legs, tense muscles, and gray eyes shining with raw hostility.

It was a wolf.

But not a common wolf he had seen before. Its fur was thick and gray, like iron. Its size was much larger than any wolf he had ever seen.

But most importantly, as soon as he saw it, he felt its strength. It was a beast. Its strength was at the peak of the Body Enhancement Realm.

The wolf growled, showing white fangs sharp as blades. There was no hesitation in its eyes. Kyrian had invaded its territory.

The attack then came.

The beast charged at high speed in his direction. Kyrian immediately went into guard, his eyes focused.

He instantly saw the beast’s movement, the Qi left his dantians at the same moment, coursing to his fist. And then, Kyrian also advanced.

The punch struck the wolf’s skull directly with impact. The beast’s head could not withstand it, exploding in a cloud of blood and bone fragments that scattered everywhere. Staining Kyrian’s face and clothes.

The lifeless body of the beast was thrown backward.

Silence.

Kyrian remained still with his fist extended forward. His breathing stayed calm.

Drops of blood slowly dripped down his skin, falling to the ground. He looked at the rest of the fallen corpse.

Then murmured with a strange smile.

"Perhaps I overdid it a little."

Kyrian had used all his strength, besides his intent. It was obvious what would happen. He then realized that he did not truly know his own strength. After all, he had only fought against Wei Feng all this time.

He would need some good fights to get used to it. To get used to fighting powerful beasts and cultivators. Just thinking about it made his blood and eyes boil with excitement.

He had finally entered another world. A world more alive, more cruel, filled with Qi.

Kyrian immediately felt he belonged in this place. It was exactly where he needed to be, the place that would make him grow stronger and stronger.