After storing the meat, he jogged back toward the cave. Night was already approaching, dark clouds filling the sky as he arrived.
He needed to prepare the meat before darkness completely settled.
Moving the makeshift door he had disguised at the cave's entrance, Lican stepped inside and began setting up everything he would need. He hung the meat over wooden stakes, starting with the legs. He let them dry first before moving on to the python meat.
While the meat was being prepared, he brought out the bag and reached inside.
His fingers closed around something smooth.
He pulled it out.
A pearl-like crimson object rested in his palm.
Lican stared at it for a moment before turning it slowly between his fingers, inspecting its glossy surface. The faint light from the cave reflected against its crimson sheen, making it seem almost alive.
Staring at the beast core, Lican saw no trace of the savageness it had displayed before. Yet somehow, he could feel it.
The savage aura had not disappeared.
It had retracted deep into the core.
Lican remained deep in thought, his fingers slowly turning the crimson object as the aroma of roasted meat filled the cave.
His eyes shifted.
The tender python meat was nearly ready. Its rich fragrance, mixed with the sweetness rising from the roasting flesh, was almost impossible to resist.
Growl!
His stomach rumbled loudly.
Lican swallowed his saliva and quickly turned the meat over, exposing the other side to the heat.
He then wrapped another leaf around a small collection of spices and fruits he had gathered while hunting.
He had no experience cooking. He wasn't a chef, nor did he know the proper way to prepare such a meal. He simply experimented, mixing the fruits and crops he could remember the cook back home using.
He tasted a little.
Then added more.
Another pinch.
A little more mixing.
Lican eventually stopped and sighed.
His thoughts drifted back home.
For a moment, the warmth of the cave seemed to disappear, replaced by memories he hadn't meant to recall.
He shook the thoughts away and returned to the meat.
After preparing the sauce, he laid out a fresh, clean leaf and placed the hot python meat on top.
Steam rose from the flesh.
Lican carefully spread the sauce across the meat, coating its tender surface
with the strange mixture he had created.
"Hmm… nice," he hummed as he tasted the meat, nodding with satisfaction at his work.
As he swallowed, a refreshing sensation spread through his body.
"Wow!"
Lican exclaimed in surprise. He could feel his energy surging, as though a warm current was brewing within his flesh.
Elated, he continued eating, piece after piece, barely giving himself time to breathe.
Soon, his stomach was bulging slightly.
He rubbed his belly and smiled.
"Ah… so nice."
His body felt strangely light and energetic. Every muscle seemed charged with strength. He felt hyperactive, almost as though he could leap from the cave and run through the entire forest.
Then—
"Ah!"
A scream tore from his throat.
Pain exploded throughout his body.
It wasn't unbearable, but it was sharp—deep enough to feel as though countless needles were pricking his bones from within.
Lican's expression changed.
Shit… was the meat poisonous?
The pain intensified.
He immediately sat upright, gritting his teeth as he tried to steady his breathing and calm his nerves.
After several minutes of excruciating pain, Lican finally felt it subside.
His body went still.
With his eyes still closed, his nose suddenly scrunched.
What the hell is that smell?
He snapped his eyes open and immediately looked around for the source of the stench.
Then his gaze fell upon his own body.
Black liquid was seeping from his pores, slowly flowing down his skin.
His face filled with panic.
But before he could react, he felt it.
Something was different.
His body felt stronger.
Lican furrowed his brows and slowly stood.
"Shit…"
He froze.
Something felt wrong.
Or rather, something felt different.
Looking down at himself, he quickly realized why.
He had grown.
Almost four inches taller.
His eyes widened.
And then he heard it.
The faint rustling of leaves outside the cave.
The distant chirping of insects.
Even the subtle movement of branches swaying in the night breeze.
Sounds he could never have heard before were suddenly crystal clear.
Amazement filled his eyes as he remembered the pain that had just torn through his body.
His expression slowly changed.
"Did I just… break through?"
A smile gradually spread across his face.
He couldn't hold it back anymore.
"Hahahaha!"
Lican laughed aloud.
It was rare for his normally expressionless face to show such emotion, but at that moment, he couldn't care less.
He rushed outside.
Even beneath the forest's semi-darkness, everything appeared clearer than before. He could distinguish the outlines of trees, stones, leaves, and distant movement with ease.
"Shit… did I just become a cultivator?"
A smirk tugged at his lips.
He stomped his foot against the ground.
Crack!
A thin fracture spread beneath his foot.
Lican's eyes widened.
Then his body moved.
He leapt toward the nearest tree, caught a branch, and swung himself forward.
Using the tree as a pivot, he catapulted himself through the forest.
Whoosh!
His body shot between the trees.
"Hahahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the darkness.
He had passed many beasts along this path before, but this time, most of them didn't even have time to notice him before he was already gone.
He was faster.
Much faster.
Lican continued forward, leaping from tree to tree until the familiar sound of rushing water reached his ears.
The stream.
He sprinted toward it and dove straight into the water.
Splash!
He scrubbed the black residue from his skin, washing away the foul-smelling liquid that had poured from his pores.
After nearly a minute, he climbed out and looked down at his body.
His eyes narrowed.
The wounds covering him had changed.
The deep cuts and bruises that should have taken a week or two to heal had already begun to scar over.
Some were almost completely healed.
Lican slowly touched one of the scars.
This would have taken weeks before.
He clenched his fist.
His skin looked different beneath the moonlight, shining like polished copper.
His flesh felt denser.
Harder.
Stronger.
He could feel the difference in every part of his body.
Lican's smirk returned.
"With this body…"
He looked toward the dark forest.
"I can fight beasts head-on now."