The Sky Mist Art, originating from the Sky Mist Sect, was a technique tailored specifically for Qi Accumulation Realm cultivators. Grey sat in silence, deliberating, before a determined nod. He would continue with this technique.
He settled into a cross-legged position and closed his eyes. "I'm supposed to sit cross-legged… right?" he thought, uncertain.
He followed the breathing patterns from the jade slip, his breaths slowly settling into a calm, steady rhythm. After several cycles, a faint wisp of mist escaped his lips. His awareness, still weak, began to stir. He sensed it—tiny, unseen particles in the air, subtle and silent, steadily flowing into his body. They merged seamlessly with his fragile soul, a gradual, stable fusion. His cultivation base was increasing, slowly but surely.
Time slipped away unnoticed. When he opened his eyes, the sky was a canvas of deep, looming red clouds. "I was cultivating for that long? It felt like only a few minutes…"
His gaze dropped to the jade slip. He remembered its warning: for new practitioners of the Sky Mist Art, time would lose meaning. What seemed like moments could stretch into hours. His body buzzed with energy, and he felt oddly refreshed, cleansed.
"I'll have to be careful… If I lose track of time this easily, I might cultivate for days without realizing it. That could be dangerous."
He noticed something else. He wasn't as hungry as before. "Strange. I was starving earlier..." Just as the thought settled, his stomach let out a loud, undeniable growl.
"…Okay, not that strange," he chuckled weakly. "I need to find food."
The Hunt for Survival
A search of the entire house yielded nothing edible. His hunger gnawed at him. "My memories say I only ever ate meat and wild fruits from the Forbidden Forest. Sorry, stomach—you'll have to wait a little longer." Resigned, Grey resumed his cultivation. Hours passed in silence. When he opened his eyes again, the cold light of dawn was filtering through cracks in the walls.
He sighed, but this time, his breath curled into a visible mist. He had reached the second level of the Sky Mist Art.
He stepped outside and glanced at the twisted trees and overgrown earth. "How did I even end up here?" he murmured, a question he often asked himself.
A short while later, Grey carefully made his way through the eerie forest. The crimson clouds still swirled overhead, casting an oppressive shadow. The air was cold, biting at his skin. Fog clung to the ground in patches, obscuring the path. He slowed, every muscle tense. He knew what dwelled in this mist—creatures, some as powerful as the Minotaur that had killed him. The memory flickered in his mind, and he instinctively rubbed the back of his head. He had no intention of dying again.
After several minutes, lungs burning from the cold air, he caught sight of a small black rabbit near the entrance of a burrow. Unlike most animals here, it hadn't mutated. But it pulsed with energy; its cultivation base was at the second level of Qi Accumulation. Well within his capability. The only problem was he had no idea how to catch it.
Crouching behind a crooked tree, Grey frowned. He had no hunting experience. And skinning it? That was another problem. He hesitated too long. The rabbit, sensing danger, vanished back into its burrow.
"Think, Grey. How are you supposed to catch a rabbit?"
His stomach growled again, louder this time. With a sigh, he pressed onward. He found another burrow. Pulling a small knife from his pouch, he approached the rabbit that had just emerged. He inhaled. Exhaled. Steady. His gaze trembled, but he was determined. "It's just a rabbit. You're not scared of a rabbit…" he repeated to himself.
But as he lunged, the rabbit bolted. "Argh. Damn it!"
He found another. Then another. Each time, the rabbit escaped. But on the seventh attempt, as the rabbit turned to flee, Grey sprang forward and caught it by the ears. It kicked and thrashed, but he held firm.
"Finally!" he gasped, panting. "But… what now?" His hand trembled slightly as he brought the knife to the rabbit's throat.
A clean slice. Hot blood sprayed across his face. He flinched, but his grip only tightened. The rabbit struggled for a few more seconds before going limp. Grey stood there, holding the body, his breath shallow. "I just… killed a rabbit." His hands shook. Slowly, he wiped the blood from his face. A shiver ran down his spine, but when his stomach growled again, he licked his lips.
"...Sorry, buddy."
By noon, he returned to the house, placing the rabbit's body on the ground. He pulled out a small coal stove. With some effort, and what little he remembered from the previous owner's memories, he got a flame going. For Grey, this was his first kill, and it weighed on him.
He quietly skinned the rabbit and hung its meat over the stove to roast. He washed his hands using the last of the water in his bottle, but it wasn't enough to get them truly clean. He stared at the empty bottle. The Corroded Zone had rivers and lakes, but most were tainted and undrinkable. The few clean sources of water were guarded by powerful beasts.
After checking the meat again, Grey sighed and stepped outside. He would have to find water, no matter how dangerous it might be.