Hope moved through the forest like a shadow, his eyes scanning for a Rank 4 beast to challenge. He wasn’t sure if he could handle it with just one arm, but he knew he had to try. To not try was to stagnate—and that, he despised more than anything.
As Hope ventured deeper into the Flamedragon Mountain, three figures were discussing his fate from afar.
“Do you think the chaos from days ago was caused by him?” Eliza asked, her voice laced with concern.
Hila’s gaze narrowed, her lips curling in slight disdain. She shook her head, clearly frustrated. “Why are you still fixated on this? It’s been two days, and you keep asking the same thing. Do you honestly think that kid could survive against the Flame Wyvern?”
Eliza’s heart sank at her sister’s words, and she couldn’t suppress the wave of sadness that washed over her. She lowered her gaze to the ground, her thoughts swirling in a whirlpool of uncertainty. ‘Did he really die just like that?’ Her mind struggled to reason with the absurdity of it, yet there was an inexplicable feeling that tugged at her. They were strangers, mere fleeting acquaintances, but in the short time they’d spoken, she had sensed something genuine about him. And that little panther—that bond was unlike any she had seen, it showed he wasn’t as insensible as he let on.
Asher, standing silently beside them, couldn’t help but sigh at the tension between the two. Hila’s harshness weighed heavily on the group, and he could see Eliza was visibly hurt. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hila, don’t be so harsh. Eliza’s just worried about his life. It’s natural to be concerned when you don’t want someone you’ve met to die without a trace.”
Hila merely sneered, her voice cold as ice. “You think that kid will even have a body left to show?”
Eliza ignored her sister’s biting words, choosing instead to focus on Asher’s comforting tone. “Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ll wait for six years and see if fate brings us together again.” She smiled faintly, but her thoughts were far from serene. ‘I hope you’re alive...’
Asher nodded solemnly, his eyes distant. “We’ve finished here. It’s time to head back. Master will be worried about you two.”
Hila quickly spoke up, trying to ease the tension in the air. “Mom’s worried about you too, don’t forget that.” She gave Asher a concerned look, wanting to reassure him, especially since he was her mother’s disciple. She didn’t want him to feel unimportant or neglected.
Eliza, snapping out of her somber thoughts, forced a smile and nodded in agreement. “Hila’s right. Mom always worries about you, Senior Brother.”
Asher couldn’t help but feel the weight of their concern, but he smiled wryly, touched by their efforts to make sure he didn’t feel resentful of their mother or his master. “I know, I know” he said, shaking his head with a small chuckle. “Now, let’s get out of here and head back home.”
Both Hila and Eliza nodded, and together, they moved swiftly towards home, the Golden Sun Sect.
Meanwhile, Hope had just found his prey. A Stoneclaw Bear, towering at a massive 4 meters tall, stood before him. Its muscular frame and broad shoulders made it a terrifying sight. Its fur, rough and stone-gray, resembled granite, forming a natural armor that seemed to shimmer with an almost otherworldly resilience. The bear’s claws, large and jagged, looked as if they were forged from polished stone, gleaming with deadly sharpness. Its eyes, a fierce amber, glowed with an intimidating ferocity. The bear’s broad jaws were lined with razor-sharp teeth, a perfect fit for the predator it was.
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The Stoneclaw Bear was too absorbed in its hunt to notice Hope’s presence. It was stalking its own prey, a Rank 3 Deer, nearly 3 meters tall, with unusually sharp antlers that made it a formidable opponent in its own right. The deer was unaware of the danger closing in around it.
Hope, blending with the shadows of the dense forest, moved silently, his footsteps light and calculated. He was closing in on the bear, every step a quiet promise of the confrontation to come. His right hand gripped his mystic-grade sword tightly, the weapon a reassuring weight in his grasp. He needed this—needed to prove to himself that he could face down a creature like this.
The minutes stretched on like hours, the tense silence only broken by the soft rustling of leaves and the distant calls of birds. The Stoneclaw Bear had inched closer to its prey, its focus entirely on the deer, unaware of the imminent threat. At that moment, Hope saw his opportunity.
With a surge of determination, he drew his sword, and for the briefest moment, a faint glow flickered along its surface as he focused his sword intent into the blade. The energy swirled around the sword as if coating it with an ethereal power.
In a flash, Hope dashed forward, the world blurring around him. His sword swung through the air with the speed of a striking serpent, aiming for the bear with everything he had.
The Stoneclaw Bear’s instincts screamed at it to dodge, but as it attempted to sidestep, a flash of movement sliced through the air, and its vision was split in half. Blood spurted from its open wound as half of the bear’s head hit the ground, the other still gruesomely attached to its body. Hope stood motionless, the aftermath of his strike rippling in the air. A surge of satisfaction coursed through him, a quiet thought echoing in his mind: ‘I can do it. Even with one arm, I can still slay a Rank 4 beast with relative ease.’
The brief moment of triumph settled his nerves, restoring his confidence. He sheathed his sword with a swift, practiced motion before plunging his hand deep into the bear's skull, extracting its beast core with a ruthless efficiency. ‘I need to hunt more.’ His thoughts were sharp, focused, and unyielding.
Without hesitation, he moved on. Over the next few hours, Hope killed three more Rank 4 beasts, each more dangerous than the last. His skill and precision were growing with each battle. Finally, he retreated to his cave, his body weary but his spirit brimming with the energy of his victories.
Inside the cave, the little one was feasting on a Rank 1 rabbit it had caught. As soon as it saw Hope, it bounded over to him, eager and affectionate, licking his boots with unrestrained joy. Hope watched it with soft, almost tender eyes, the connection between them growing deeper with every passing day.
“I’m back” Hope murmured quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
The little panther paused, its tongue still dripping, before it bobbed its head up and down as if to say “Yes, you are.”
A sense of warmth flickered in Hope’s chest, but there was no time to linger in such feelings. He had many things left to do.
And so began his routine. Six hours dedicated to hunting, ten hours spent cultivating, and eight hours focused on pondering the intricacies of his intents. He had yet to challenge any Rank 5 beasts, but he used the Rank 4 ones as tests—experimenting with his evolving ideas and refining them.
Two months later, Hope finally achieved a breakthrough in his Essence cultivation, advancing from the early Soul Resonance to the mid Soul Resonance. His body cultivation, still in the midst of the mid Eternal Cinderheart Awakening, was inching closer to the late stage. Progress was slow but consistent, and Hope felt the weight of every step forward.
He had also turned fifteen a month ago, though he hadn’t even noticed.
His world had been consumed by the pursuit of strength, the obsession with growth. His focus on cultivation was so intense that time itself seemed to blur, each day a cycle of hard work and dedication. His Fire Intent had also advanced, progressing from the early to mid stage. He had already been on the verge of it before arriving at Flamedragon Mountain, and his experiences over the past few months had helped him solidify his theories.
But Hope was never one to rest on his laurels. To him, what he called “small successes” were simply stepping stones. And so, the routine continued.
Months soon turned into years.
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