Chapter 10: The Burning Eyes in the Forest
The wind roared in Flux’s ears as he soared across the sky, standing firm atop his flying sword. Below, the nd stretched like a living tapestry—rolling green hills, winding silver rivers, and clusters of shadowed forest. The st light of the sun bathed the world in a golden haze, setting treetops abze in fiery hues as dusk approached.
Behind him, Oaktown faded into the horizon. Ahead, the Wildwood awaited.
He inhaled deeply, catching the faint scents of moss, bark, and distant beasts. The air here was crisper, colder, and charged with wild, untamed qi. He could feel it thrumming beneath his feet.
It had only been a few days since he left, but something felt… off.
As he descended toward the edge of the dense forest near his cave, a creeping unease stirred in his gut.
No birds. No rustling in the bushes. Just silence.
He narrowed his eyes and slowed his descent, his boots touching down softly on the leaf-covered ground.
“…Too quiet.”
Drawing in a breath, he expanded his spiritual sense outward like a net. It swept through the underbrush, over mossy roots and up the swaying trees.
Then—there. A flicker.
A sharp pulse of qi, like a bde grazing skin. Faint… but predatory.
Flux froze.
His cave was just ahead—its entrance nestled between two familiar boulders, half-covered in vines and shadow.
And something was watching him.
His hand instinctively went to the hilt of his flying sword.
Snap.
A twig cracked behind him.
Flux spun just in time to see a blur streaking from the underbrush—a pair of glowing red eyes locking with his.
A bck-furred panther burst into the clearing, muscles rippling with power, fmes dancing along its spine like a burning mane. Its aura surged with Foundation Establishment qi—wild, pulsing, hungry.
“Foundation Establishment. First level,” Flux muttered, stepping backward. “But fast… and aggressive.”
The beast’s eyes narrowed.
With a guttural growl, it leapt.
Flux kicked off the ground and shot into the air. A breath ter, the beast’s cws carved through the spot where he had stood, sending rocks and soil flying in all directions.
He hovered above the treetops, expression calm but sharp.
“Looks like someone missed me.”
The panther roared and sprang again, cws wreathed in fiery qi. It moved like a phantom—silent, savage, and terrifyingly quick.
“Let’s see how much I’ve improved.”
He flung his hand forward.
“Sword—go!”
His flying sword responded instantly, unching from its sheath with a crack of dispced air. It glowed with faint azure runes as it sliced through the sky toward the demon beast.
But the panther twisted midair and caught the bde on its fming cws, deflecting it with a screech of metal and fire. Sparks flew. The beast nded in a crouch, snarling.
Flux's eyes narrowed. “Your reflexes are sharp.”
The beast lunged again.
He drew a talisman from his new pouch, qi already pouring into it.
“Fmeburst Seal—ignite!”
The paper fred red and erupted in a bst of fire midair. The explosion caught the panther mid-leap and sent it crashing into the ground below, smoke and fme engulfing it.
It howled in fury, rolling through the underbrush as its fur caught fme. But it wasn’t down.
Flux didn’t hesitate.
He dropped from the sky like a bolt of lightning, sword spinning into his hand.
“Piercing Gale!”
Wind exploded around the bde as he thrust downward, channeling qi into the attack. His sword screamed through the air and struck true—burying itself deep into the beast’s chest.
The panther let out a final, choked roar.
Then it colpsed.
The fmes along its spine flickered once… then faded into embers.
Flux stepped back, chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm.
He examined the corpse, wiping a smear of blood from his cheek.
“Strong. If I were still at the first level, that might’ve ended differently.”
He crouched and harvested the materials with practiced efficiency—the core was deep red and warm, pulsing faintly with stored power. He carefully removed the cws, a patch of the fming mane, and the sharp obsidian teeth.
“These’ll fetch a good price,” he murmured, slipping them into his pouch. “Especially that core…”
The shadows grew deeper as night fell. With one st gnce at the beast’s body, Flux turned and made his way to the cave.
---
The entrance welcomed him like an old friend—vines hanging low, the stone cool under his hand as he stepped inside.
Inside, the air was still and comforting. He dropped his pouch beside the fire pit and lit it with a flick of qi. Warmth spread instantly, casting flickering light on the cave walls.
He sat, rubbing his temple.
“Demon beasts waiting for me at the door. Lovely. I’ll need to sweep the area… make sure no more surprises are lurking.”
He got up and exited the cave again, scanning the surroundings. His spiritual sense reached farther this time, tracing the forest’s natural qi flow and seeking disruptions.
Nothing.
Still, just to be sure, he drew a few formation stones from his pouch.
“Let’s set a basic warding array. Nothing fancy—just enough to catch anyone sneaking around.”
He pced the stones in a circle and fed them qi. Thin lines of silver light connected them, creating a faint dome around the entrance.
Satisfied, he returned to the cave.
He unpacked a sb of the freshly harvested meat from the panther’s thigh and set it over the fire, watching the fat sizzle and the scent rise.
“Foundation Establishment beast meat. Should be good for recovery… and cultivation.”
He pulled out the demon core and weighed it in his hand. The warmth tickled his palm.
“Hm. Using this now might push me forward again. Risky… but with the meat supporting me, the bance should hold.”
He sat down, closed his eyes, and pced the core on his p.
Qi gathered like a whirlpool.
The fire dimmed as Flux began to draw the energy into his dantian. Streams of scarlet power surged through his meridians—fierce, votile. But he directed it smoothly, guiding the flow with will and focus.
The meat he’d eaten before stabilized the turbulence, providing a nourishing bance.
His qi sea swelled, refined and condensed.
One hour. Two. Then three.
Suddenly—snap!
Something shifted deep within.
His eyes opened slowly.
A faint ripple of spiritual pressure rolled outward.
“Third level of Foundation Establishment.”
His voice was calm. But a small, pleased smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Smooth breakthrough. No bottleneck this time. The core really did the trick.”
He stood and stretched, body warm, light, energized.
Outside, night had fully fallen. The stars above twinkled between the canopy, and the forest was once again alive with distant howls and rustling leaves.
Flux sat near the fire, bde resting across his knees.
Eyes half-lidded, he whispered to the night.
“I’m growing stronger… fast. But so is the world around me.”
He looked toward the dark horizon.
Infie
