A faint sound of running water echoed in the darkness.
Isshin slowly opened his eyes.
He was lying on wet ground. Mud clung to his clothes, and the cold seeped through his body. He pushed himself up, still disoriented.
"…I should be dead right now!" he muttered. "How am I still alive?"
"I am very confident somebody pushed you, i could tell to some extent even from inside your consciousness" Raijin said.
Isshin froze. "What? Who?!"
Raijin stood in front of him in his human form, arms crossed. His expression was more serious than usual.
"Whoever it was... he can't get away with this."
Isshin narrowed his eyes. "You're not telling me everything. How am i not bleeding and in completely fine condition?"
Raijin looked away slightly. "i am not exactly sure myself.."
Isshin exhaled but didn't push further.
"…No one's hearing me from here" he said quietly.
The cave was cold and damp. Moss covered parts of the walls, and faintly glowing crystals gave just enough light to see.
Then
A sound.
Isshin moved quickly and hid behind a rock.
He leaned out slightly.
A strange creature crawled across the ground.
Its body was round, almost like a ball, with a single large eye in the center. Thin arms dragged along the ground as it moved.
[Ghoul]
Isshin stayed still.
When it turned away, he moved.
Thunder qi flowed into his sword.
One clean strike.
The creature let out a short sound before collapsing.
Isshin didn't stop.
He moved deeper into the cave.
Another creature came at him from the side.
He dodged and struck it with a qi-enhanced punch, knocking it off balance.
He jumped.
Lightning cut through the air.
The creature avoided it and came back at him.
Isshin stepped in this time.
He channeled qi into his leg and kicked upward.
The impact snapped its neck.
It hit the ground and stopped moving.
Isshin took its core and kept moving.
More creatures passed nearby, but he stayed hidden and avoided unnecessary fights.
Further in, the cave changed.
Ruins.
Old, worn-down structures, covered in dust.
In the center, a stone platform.
A rusted spear stood planted in it.
Behind it, a large staircase led up to a massive door.
Isshin walked up and pushed.
Nothing.
"maybe try hitting it" Raijin said.
Isshin nodded and struck it with thunder qi.
The impact echoed, but the door didn't move.
He stepped back and returned to the platform.
The moment he stepped on it, runes lit up beneath his feet.
Before he could react, the platform dropped.
Fast.
The fall only lasted a few seconds before it hit the ground with force.
Dust filled the air.
Isshin coughed and looked around.
Then he saw it.
A massive chamber.
Blue flames lit the area.
Monsters filled the space.
Ghouls.
Armored skeletons.
Things he couldn't even recognize.
At the center, a throne.
A skeleton sat on it.
Its eye sockets began to glow.
Then it stood up.
"AFTER 7,000 YEARS… SOMEONE FINALLY ARRIVES."
Isshin checked.
[Skeleton King – ???]
Isshin was not strong enough to identify the cultivation realm.
His body tensed.
Raijin spoke quickly.
"calm down Isshin.... he is an undead, they have a basic understanding of things and intelligence, try to see if you can reason with him."
Isshin steadied his breathing.
The Skeleton King was suddenly in front of him.
Isshin stepped back but didn't run.
"I SHALL TAKE OVER YOUR BODY" the King exclaimed
Isshin didn't hesitate.
"h-hey! its not fair!, l-lets have some kind of challenge to it, you can't just do this to someone so much weaker than you, have some pride!"
There was a pause.
Then the Skeleton King laughed.
"WHAT CHALLENGE DO YOU SEEK?."
"i- i will fight your summons that are similar to my strength, if i am able to beat them, you will not take over my body and i leave, if i lose you can do what you want"
Isshin's claim was very bold, the chances that the King would listen to his stupid request was low, but running was not really an option, and Raijin can not interact with outside beings like other people due to the necklace.
Guards appeared and grabbed Isshin.
A pouch was thrown toward him.
Inside were supplies and pills.
"EVERY TWO WEEKS, YOU WILL FIGHT," the King said. "STRONGER EACH TIME."
A pause.
"IF YOU DIE, I TAKE YOUR BODY."
The King was not with human language, but it was enough for Isshin to understand what he meant.
The doors slammed shut.
Isshin started cultivating deep inside the dungeon.
There wasn't time to think about anything else. He focused on what was in front of him. The qi in the cave was much denser than anything he had felt before, and it made things clearer for him.
He sat still, breathing slowly.
Then something changed.
A pressure.
He opened his eyes.
Darkness surrounded him.
At first, there was nothing. Then a faint light started to form around him.
Raijin stood in front of him.
Isshin took a step forward. "Where am I?"
"Your inner world," Raijin said.
Isshin looked around.
It was empty. Quiet.
"When a cultivator reaches a certain point, they can enter this space," Raijin continued. "It grows stronger as your soul grows. Normally, you wouldn't be able to access it this early."
Isshin walked forward.
Then he saw it.
A massive door stood ahead of him, covered in strange symbols.
He felt drawn to it.
He moved closer, trying to look through it.
Just as he leaned in—
Raijin stopped him.
"Don't."
Isshin frowned. "Why?"
"whatever you do, do not open that door.."
Isshin paused, then stepped back.
"…What is that thing?" he asked.
"i believe that this is something that the Sage set up through your necklace, my instinct tells me to not approach it. forget about it for now" Raijin said. "Your inner world is still empty. Over time, it will develop. Life, planets, more. Eventually, you'll have control over everything inside it. But this is just temporary, i can not keep this open long enough, just enough so that the skeleton king won't be a problem later"
Isshin looked around again.
"So what do you even do here?"
Raijin shrugged slightly. "Time doesn't matter to me."
Isshin thought for a moment. "Are there others like you?"
"Not many," Raijin said. "But there are other beings. Some people form contracts with weaker ones. Others deal with things that aren't exactly… friendly."
His expression shifted slightly.
"There are also evil spirits. Not as strong as gods, but they have their own abilities."
Isshin nodded slowly.
"…So what am I supposed to do right now?"
"You can't beat the Skeleton King like this," Raijin said. "But this changes things."
Isshin looked at him. "How?"
"Time works differently here."
Isshin waited.
"One day outside is about two hundred days here."
Isshin blinked. "…Seriously?"
"You could stay here for years if you wanted," Raijin said. "But there are limits."
"What kind of limits?"
"You can't cultivate here. Your qi won't increase."
Isshin frowned. "Then what's the point?"
"Experience," Raijin said. "Combat, reaction, control. That's what you gain."
Isshin thought about it.
"…That's still enough."
Raijin nodded. "We won't stay here too long."
"Why?"
"If you push too far, your real body won't handle it when you return. It can kill you."
Isshin took that seriously.
"How long then?"
"Seven days."
Isshin exhaled.
"…Alright."
They started training.
Raijin didn't hold back.
Every mistake was corrected immediately. Every movement had to be precise. Isshin was pushed constantly, both physically and mentally.
There were no breaks.
Each day felt longer than the last.
By the end, his body felt heavy even inside his own mind.
Isshin RyugenLevel: 89Health: 48Strength: 55Stamina: 59Mana/Qi: 49Intelligence: 38Points Available: 0Cultivation Level: Golden Core Realm, 4th StageTitles: None
On the final day, Isshin lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
His body didn't want to move.
"…This is rough," he muttered.
His eyes started to close.
Raijin's voice came through.
"This is just the start. Don't get used to it."
Isshin let out a tired breath.
He didn't respond.
But he understood.