I left the clamor of Dusk Bane Outpost behind, the two hundred iron coins from my trades clinking in my pouch, alongside the bitter blood oranges and three Martial Arts tomes tucked safely in my pack. The Beast Vein Continent stretched before me, its jagged peaks and mist-shrouded valleys whispering of power and peril.
I had made up my mind; my destination was the Iron spike Canyons, a scarred expanse where sovereign beast lords had once clashed, leaving the earth steeped in battle essence. This battle essence was comprised of streams of residual qi and intent. If I could absorb that energy and master the Sacred breath Technique, my beast crystal along with my Meridians would grow, pushing my offensive strength foundation to new heights.
The journey took a full day, my qi-fueled stamina keeping my pace steady across rocky trails and tangled undergrowth. My ember coil bond sharpened my senses, the air tasting of dust and faint sulfur as I neared the canyons. Red scales flickered across my chest and arms, a reminder of my bond's fire, and my heightened taste caught traces of ancient power—metallic, like blood and lightning. By purple dusk, the Iron Spike Canyons loomed into view. Towering cliffs of red stone, their surfaces pocked with claw marks and scorched by long-forgotten battles.
The ground thrummed beneath my boots, the battle essence so potent it made my skin prickle. I chose a sheltered alcove; its walls etched with faded runes and set up my simple tent and sleeping canvas. The air here was heavy, tasting of ozone and charred bone, as if the earth itself exhaled qi.
I sat cross-legged as I began with the Sacred Breath tome open before me, its air runes glowing golden faintly under the starlight. Seung Lee Kim had said this technique would align my breath with the continent's essence, strengthening my qi. I was ready to test it. I began, following the tome's instructions: slow, deliberate breaths, each inhale drawing in the canyon's vital essence, each exhale cycling my qi through my core and blood.
My chest warmed, the ember coil's fire stirring as the technique took hold. For hours, I practiced, the rhythm of my breath syncing with the continents pulse. My scales flared briefly, and I felt my qi condense into a tighter coil.
I ate a handful of mental fire berries boosting my mental acuity and comprehension, but this time it was different—I could feel the latent intent essence of this ancient battle ground feed into my mental puddle, expanding it slowly.
To test my progress, I stood, focusing qi into my legs. I leaped, using the Sacred Breath technique to condense my qi into a tighter coil. This leap easily cleared fifteen horizontal feet. I blinked, stunned, then tested a strike. Continuing the sacred breath work I Channeled qi into my fist, I punched another a nearby boulder, my scales hardening at the point of impact. The rock split with a thunderous crack, the force reverberating through my arm!
Nearly 400 kilograms of force, I estimated, my heart racing.
The Sacred Breath technique had supercharged my offensive foundation, my leg muscles and strikes now carrying condensed power I'd never imagined. I tasted the air—sharp, electric, alive with the canyon's essence—and grinned. My beast crystal thrummed, an indicator that it was nearing its first level gain. But the Iron spike Canyons were not safe. A low growl echoed from the cliffs above, and my senses caught a musky, sulfuric tang—something predatory, perhaps tied to the dragon tracks I'd seen days ago.
I gripped my yew bow, qi ready, but the sound faded.
The Cloud Step technique and Hidden Dragon Palm waited in my pack, tempting me to learn more, but the Sacred Breath technique was foundation enough for now.
With my qi folding and nearly 400 kilograms of force at my command, I felt the continent's possibilities expanding. I would stay and soak up more essence while cultivating. Returning home with new-found strength. The Iron spike Canyons hummed around me, a crucible of power. I breathed in the battle essence as I continued the breath meditation. My tent sat nestled in a sheltered alcove, the glow of my small fire casting shadows on rune-etched walls.
The Sacred Breath Technique had folded my qi, granting my strikes and leaps nearly 400 kilograms of force, but my hunger for growth burned brighter than ever.
With my beast crystal inching toward its next level, I turned to the next tome from Seung Lee Kim. The Cloud step technique, promising the elusive double rise and air dash—skills perfect for my Offensive Strength Foundation. I sat cross-legged on my sleeping canvas, the tome open before me, its scaled leather cover warm under my fingers.
I read carefully, the tome's instructions written in flowing script, accompanied by intricate diagrams. The key to the double jump lay in a special sigil. A falling feather within a Star, its lines delicate yet sharp, like a blade slicing through wind. The tome instructed me to memorize the sigil, to hold its image in my mental puddle while channeling qi, aligning my qi and intent.
I closed my eyes, visualizing the sigil—Star and feather clear in my mind, the star's points radiant. My qi stirred, a fiery river coursing through my veins, amplified by the canyon's vital essence and the Sacred Breath technique. The tome warned that the double rise required precision: too little qi or intent, and I'd fall short; too much, and I would experience qi backlash, or recoil. The sigil burned in my intent, its feather drifting, its star pulsing.
Focusing my qi into my legs, I pictured the falling feather within a star, letting my intent guide my qi. I leapt, the Sacred Breath technique boosting my strength, and I soared higher than a normal charged jump, my scales glinting in the starlight. Mid-air, I summoned the sigil again, channeling a burst of qi through my feet.
A faint gust swirled around me, and I pushed against the air, the star feather sigil forming under my feet, I kicked off it and launched upward a second time!
The double jump carried me over a boulder thirty feet high. I landed lightly, my scales absorbing the impact. My heart raced, a grin spreading across my face.
It worked!
But the air dash remained. The tome described it as a lateral burst, using the same sigil to propel the body forward through the air.
I tried again, leaping and focusing on the sigil, this time angling my qi outward. I felt a rush of wind, my body lurching forward mid-jump, but I overshot, stumbling into a roll as I hit the ground. Dust stung my tongue, sharp and bitter. "Too much qi, and not enough intent" I thought as I got up brushing myself off. The double jump felt natural now, but the air dash demanded finesse.
I practiced for hours, each attempt smoother then the last, the sigil's image sharpening in my intent. By dawn, I could air dash forward a dozen feet mid-air!
My movements swift as the ember coil's whip-like strikes. My qi and intent surged stronger, the canyon's vital essence and the mobility technique cultivating my Intent and Meridians, pushing my beast crystal closer to its next level.
The bitter blood oranges in my pack tempted me so I ate a few. My qi and mental focus were both immediately refreshed. Ready for more cultivation. The Hidden Dragon Palm waited next, its wind-elemental attack promising power, but its difficulty loomed.
' ' RARARARARRRARA!!! ' '
A distant roar echoed through the canyons, reminding me of the dragon tracks I'd seen. The Iron spike Canyons held more secrets—beasts, plants, or ancient sites—and my new-found mobility opened new paths. I decided to pack my tent, the falling feather sigil still vivid in my mind.
My scales glinted, my qi was blazing spark. The Beast Vein Continent waited, and I was ready to soar. I let my qi surge, fueled by the Sacred Breath technique and guided my newly enlarged mental puddle. With the canyon's energy seeping into me my cultivation level had exploded!
With nearly 400 kilograms of force in my limbs and core and the ability to double jump, I tore through the canyons like a bat out of hell. I rushed over the landscape with inhuman speed, but the canyons were alive with danger, and my heightened sense of taste caught a new flavor on the wind—electric, sharp, like lightning on my tongue.
I froze, gripping my yew bow. The air crackled, and a low screech echoed from a nearby ravine. My ember coil instincts screamed: Genome Beast. Not the dragon I'd glimpsed in tracks, but something fast, predatory. I crept forward, using a double jump to scale a rocky ledge, my qi-fueled legs carrying me silently.
From the ledge, I saw it: a storm claw raptor, another attack type genome beast, its sleek, feathered body shimmering with arcs of lightning! If I managed to slay and absorb it's core I could perhaps add a lightening element foundation to my existing ember coil core layer. Its talons sparked against the stone, and its core—a pulsing sapphire orb—glowed beneath its chest.
This was no fang tusk Boar. This was my second-ever genome beast encounter, and its core could amplify my offensive strength foundation—or end me.
My heart raced, but I steadied my breath, channeling the Sacred Breath technique. The raptor's head snapped toward me, its eyes crackling with electric fury.
' 'Strike fast, aim for the core' ' I recalled Master Korren's training, but this beast was faster. Its lightning a deadly match for my fire. I nocked an arrow, qi surging into my arms, and loosed a shot. The raptor darted aside, a blur of feathers and sparks, and lunged, its talons slashing. I double jumped, the falling feather sigil flashing in my mind, I soared over the attack.
I landed, rolling, and fired another arrow, grazing the beast's flank. The raptor screeched, unleashing a bolt of lightning! I dashed sideways, my mobility technique barely keeping me ahead of the searing arc! My scales hardened, absorbing a stray spark, but pain lanced through my arm!
"Too fast!" I thought, tasting the singed ozone-heavy air. I needed to outthink it. ' ' Environmental control.' ' Using the canyon's terrain, I double jumped onto a higher ledge, baiting the raptor to follow. It leaped, talons sparking, and I met it mid-air with a qi-charged strike, my fist slamming into its ribs with 400 kilograms of force!
The beast staggered, but its tail whipped, sending a shockwave that knocked me back. I hit the ground hard, scales flaring to cushion the impact! The raptor was on me in nearly a heartbeat! My mind raced—my Hidden Dragon Palm tome could match its elemental power, but I hadn't studied it yet. Instead, I relied on speed. I double-jumped again, landing behind the beast, and drove my dagger toward its core.
The raptor twisted, its talons raking my side! It tore my coarse uwagi and ember scale protection drawing blood. The ember coil spirit hissed within my chest. Gritting my teeth, I channeled every ounce of qi, my scales glowing red, and I struck again! The dagger pierced the Storm claw raptors chest!
With a downward swipe I disemboweled the Raptor! And with a desperate twist, I carved its beast crystal free, intact. The storm claw raptor collapsed, intestines spewing from the deathblow I had dealt it. lightning faded from its feathers. I clutched the sapphire core, its energy buzzing in my palm like an angry hornet's nest. My body ached, blood trickling from my wounds, but triumph surged through me.
"WOOOO" I shouted " That is right!" This core, like the ember coil's, could be bonded or sold at Dusk Bane Outpost for cultivation resources. My qi thrummed in my veins, the canyon's vital essence and my new techniques pushing my beast crystal closer to a breakthrough. But the distant roar of another beast—perhaps that dragon—reminded me that the canyons still held greater threats.
I bandaged my wounds, the core heavy in my pack alongside my bitter blood oranges and tomes. The Beast Vein Continent tested my every step, but my scales burned brighter, my path clearer. My side ached from the raptor's talons, but my ember coil scales were already at work repairing themselves, and my qi, bolstered by the Sacred Breath technique, burned strong. To grow my meridian gates, I needed to cultivate the spiritual knowledge of the Hidden Dragon Palm.
The tome promised a wind-elemental strike to match my offensive strength foundation. But first, I needed a new safe haven. As my ember coil spirit informed me that I was being hunted. I spotted another suitable cliffside alcove, its narrow entrance opening into a surprisingly spacious chamber, its walls etched with faint, glowing runes from some ancient battle. The air tasted of stone, laced with the canyon's primal energy, perfect for cultivation.
I set up my sleeping canvas, my yew bow and quiver within reach, and sat cross-legged, the weight of my trials settling into my bones.
My heightened senses caught the faint sulfuric tang of the distant dragon, but the alcove felt secure—for now. From my pack, I pulled one more bitter blood orange, it's crimson rind pulsing faintly. I peeled it and ate, the tart juice bursting on my tongue, sharp and electric.
As I ate, fresh qi surged through my veins, strengthening my blood and vital organs, my ember coil scales flaring briefly across my chest. The effect was potent, but diminished compared to my first orange I had consumed in the Starlit Groves.
My body had already absorbed much of their power, knitting my frame with resilience, but each bite still pushed my beast crystal a fraction closer to its next level. I stored the remaining oranges, their value for trade at Dusk Bane Outpost outweighing further consumption for now.
I turned to the Hidden Dragon Palm tome, its scaled leather cover shimmering with wind-like patterns. Seung Lee Kim had warned it was the hardest of the three tomes, a wind-elemental attack that could amplify my ember coil's fiery strikes. I opened it, the pages crackled with spiritual knowledge, and I began to read. The text described a technique born from the sovereign beast lords, a palm strike that unleashed a concentrated blast of wind, sharp as a blade and swift as a storm.
The instructions were dense: channel qi through specific chakras, align it with your intent, and release it with a precise gesture. Diagrams showed a dragon's claw curling through a vortex its lines were mesmerizing. I traced the diagrams with my left finger, my qi stirring as I visualized the strike. The tome emphasized mental focus.
Too much qi, and the wind would scatter; too little intent, and it would fizzle. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply with the Sacred Breath technique, letting the canyon's vital essence fill me. My scales glinted, and I felt the ember coil's fire merge with the tome's wind, a volatile mix. I stood, facing the alcove's wall, and practiced the gesture—a slow, curling motion of my palm, qi flowing like a gust. Nothing happened at first, but I persisted, reading the tome's instructions again, and again. Memorizing the dragon's claw pattern.
Hours passed, my focus unbroken despite the ache in my wounds. A faint breeze stirred around my hand, my scales tingling as the qi and intent aligned. The Hidden Dragon Palm was within reach, but mastery would take time. A low rumble shook the alcove, dust falling from the ceiling.
My senses snapped to attention, tasting sulfur and ancient leather—the dragon, closer now. I gripped my dagger, the storm claw raptor's core a tempting prize in my pack.
I could continue studying, bond the new core, or move before the canyons' dangers could find me. My pack lay open, the storm claw raptor's sapphire core glinting in my hands, its electric pulse humming against my scales. I would have to bond it separately, forging a second foundation. I held the core aloft, its lightning-like energy sparking against my red scales.
The Ember coil's fire stirred within me, eager to welcome the raptor's essence beside it forging a dual foundation. I closed my eyes, drawing on the Sacred Breath technique, my breaths syncing with the canyon's pulse. I crushed the core in my fist, its sapphire light exploding into a torrent of qi and intent that flooded my body!
Pain seared through me, my scales flaring as the ember coil's fire met the raptor's lightning! My chest burned, the new beast crystal in my core pulsing wildly, growing denser, stronger. A rush of power surged, and I gasped as my body shifted, evolving!
My red Ember coil scales shimmered, then transformed! They were now laced with faint arcs of electricity that crackled across their molten surface!
They covered my arms, chest, and legs, back and face lighter and more flexible than before, yet radiating a dual energy—fire and lightning. I flexed my hand, a spark leaping between my fingers, and felt a surge of speed in my limbs, as if the Storm claw Raptor's agility had fused with the Ember coil's ferocity!
My strikes now carried 750 kilograms of force, as well as a shocking jolt, capable of stunning foes! My heightened sense of taste sharpened further, catching the electric bite of my own scales, a blend of sulfur and ozone. This was the second tier of my total evolution, a fiery, lightning-laced form that amplified my offensive foundation!
I stood, testing my new traits. I double-jumped, the falling feather sigil flashing in my mind, as I soared even higher than before! Arcs of lightening and fiery sparks trailing my path! Landing, I threw a practice strike at the alcove's wall, my fist crackling with electricity. The stone shattered! The impact laced with a stunning jolt that left my hand tingling. "This is progress" I thought, grinning.
My beast crystals thrummed. But leveling further would demand more qi rich rare plants, vital essence sites, or costly relics and tomes from Dusk Bane Outpost.
The Hidden Dragon Palm tome lay nearby, its wind-elemental strike a perfect complement to my new storm claw raptor core and lightning-laced scales. A distant roar shook the alcove, the sulfuric tang of the dragon growing stronger. I gripped my dagger, the storm claw's essence was now part of me. The Iron spike Canyons thrummed with vital essence, their blackened cliffs casting jagged shadows across my cliffside alcove.
My ember coil core, now at its second tier, pulsed with newfound power, my fiery scales laced with crackling arcs of lightning from the storm claw raptor's core. The transformation had supercharged my offensive strength foundation, granting my strikes a stunning jolt and my movements a blazing speed.
But the Hidden Dragon Palm tome called to me. Mastering its technique could weave my fire and lightning with wind, forging a strike to rival the Beast Vein Continent's fiercest predators. The distant roar now closer, urged me to train swiftly. I sat cross-legged on my sleeping canvas, the tome open before me, its scaled leather cover shimmering under the alcove's faint rune-glow. My heightened sense of taste caught the ozone tang of my lightning-laced scales, mingled with the canyon's ancient, metallic essence.
The Hidden Dragon Palm was a medium level technique for a beginner to master, demanding precise qi control through intent. Once mastered it would unleash a concentrated wind blast, sharp as a blade. The text described channeling qi through specific chakras, curling the palm like a dragon's claw, and releasing it with a burst of intent.
Diagrams showed a vortex spiraling from the hand, this was the Hidden Dragon Palm's key activation sigil. I stood, facing the alcove's stone wall, and began.
Breathing deeply with the Sacred Breath technique, I drew on the canyon's vital essence, my qi surging like a storm. My lightning-laced scales sparked, amplifying my focus. I visualized the stylized dragon's claw, curling my fingers as the tome instructed, and channeled qi into my palm. A faint breeze stirred, but it fizzled, my scales crackling without effect.
' ' Intent too scattered ' ' I thought, recalling the tome's warning: guide qi with intent. with restraint. The Hidden Dragon Palm wasn't just force—it was art. I tried again, my new trait guiding me. The lightning in my scales seemed to resonate with the wind-elemental technique, their electric arcs dancing as I curled my palm.
I pictured the dragon's claw, my chi flowing smoother, fueled by the storm claw's agility and the ember coil's fire. A gust swirled around my hand, stronger now, and I thrust my palm forward. A sharp blast of wind shot out, cracking the alcove's wall with a shallow gash! Sparks from my scales laced the wind, adding a faint, stunning jolt to the strike. I grinned, tasting the air's electric bite—my new trait was merging with the technique, making it uniquely my own. For hours, I practiced, each attempt refining my control. The lightning-laced scales enhanced my speed, letting me chain a simple palm strike with a double jump, launching me upward to unleash a mid-air blast that shattered a nearby boulder. The wind carried a shocking edge, and the force itself was nearing 850 kilograms with my qi's growth.
But the technique was taxing—and my qi drained fast, and my wounds from the storm claw raptor ached. Another rumble shook the canyons, closer now, the sulfuric tang of the dragon thickening the air. I gripped my dagger, my scales crackling with fire and lightning. I stood in my cliffside alcove, my lightning-laced ember coil scales crackling faintly, the Hidden Dragon Palm's technique still fresh in my muscle memory hours after practice.
My meridians were opening up little my little, thanks to the vital essence and spiritual knowledge I had cultivated with my time at the Iron Spike Canyons. But a persistent rumble shook the air, closer now, its sulfuric tang flooding my heightened senses. The Genome Dragon—whose three-clawed tracks I'd seen days ago—was stalking me.
Emboldened by my second-tier ember coil evolution and my new wind strike, I decided to test myself. If I could face this beast whatever it was, even briefly, I'd know my new limits. I packed up the tent and sleeping canvas, the tomes secure in my pack and gripped my yew bow. The dragon's roar echoed from a nearby ravine, its metallic, leathery scent growing stronger. I crept toward the sound, using a double jump from the mobility technique to scale a jagged bluff. The falling feather sigil flashed in my mind, my qi-fueled legs carried me silently up through the air.
Below, the dragon emerged—a massive, serpentine beast, its obsidian scales shimmering with molten veins, its eyes glowing like twin furnaces. Its core, a blazing amethyst orb, pulsed in its chest. This was no storm claw raptor; this was a lord-class Genome Beast, its power dwarfing my own.
My heart pounded, but I channeled my qi, scales sparking with fire and lightning. I loosed a chi-charged arrow, aiming for the dragon's flank!
The bolt struck, sparking harmlessly off its scales. The dragon's head whipped toward me, a roar shaking the canyon! It lunged, flames erupting from its jaws. I double-jumped! I soared over the inferno and unleashed a Hidden Dragon Palm strike mid-air!
The wind blast, laced with my scales' electric jolt, hit the dragon's shoulder, but it barely flinched, its tail lashing with enough force to crack stone! Realizing I was no match, I pivoted to escape. I channeled the Sacred Breath technique, my qi surging as I sprinted, using an air dash to weave between falling boulders.
The dragon pursued, its claws gouging the earth, flames shot out rushing in from behind to greet me!
I double-jumped again, scaling a cliff face, my lightning-laced scales boosting my speed. The dragon's roar faded as I crested the ridge, diving into a narrow crevice where its bulk couldn't follow. Gasping, my wounds from the storm claw raptor stinging anew, I knew I had survived by skill alone. The dragon was a goal for another day. With my limits clear, I turned my focus to survival and growth. Dusk Bane Outpost's markets offered a chance to trade for a stronger weapon.
But I needed coin. Hunting valuable beasts was my path. Over the next day, I tracked a pair of crested vipers, their skins and venom sacs fetching high price.
Using my double jump and Hidden Dragon Palm, I felled them swiftly, their sacs intact. I also ambushed a Razorback Boar, its tusks and hide valuable for armorers.
My qi-enhanced strikes, now nearing 750 kilograms accompanied with a shocking jolt, made the kills clean and easy, my pack was heavy with spoils. I trekked back to Dusk Bane, the canyon's vital essence still lingering in my veins and intent. The outpost's torches blazed as I entered the market, the air thick with sweat, steel, and spices. I sold the viper skins and sacs for 120 iron coins and the boar's tusks and hide for 80, bringing my total to 300 coins—enough for a significant purchase.
At a blacksmith's stall, a grizzled smith displayed a Jawbreaker Beast Hammer, its bone head etched with runes, its weight balanced for crushing blows.
"Three hundred coins," the smith grunted, eyeing my scales. I tasted no deceit in the blacksmith's words, and I handed over the 300 Iron coins. I lifted the Jawbreaker Beast Hammer and its etched runes burned with my chi, the hammer's heft replacing my father's dagger, which I tucked away with reverence.
The hammer felt alive in my hands, its qi resonance amplifying my lightning-laced strikes. With the Hidden Dragon Palm, my mobility skills, and my new weapon, I was stronger, but my encounter with the dragon's still loomed in my mind.