Despite the entities lurking in the shadows, the scenery surrounding Feng Luotian was an undeniable masterpiece of nature.
A sprawling field of Phoenix Horsetails blanketed the hillside in a searing crimson hue, the stalks swaying in the breeze like a sea of flickering embers.
Amidst the vibrant flora, dozens of One Horn Emerald Squirrels darted with frantic energy, their jade-colored fur catching the light as they spiraled through the field.
Scattered across this fiery landscape were massive, grey mounds that appeared to be boulders, but a closer look revealed them to be White Spike Rock Rhinos. Even in their deep, post-meal slumber, their titanic forms stood taller than the surrounding oaks, their spiked hides mimicking the mountain's natural terrain.
Beside the hill, the river ran through the valley, its indigo surface glittering in the light. Hundreds of Moon Lotuses drifted on the current, their pale petals scattered across the water like stars.
This serenity was periodically shattered by violent, subterranean explosions beneath the water's surface. Fierce skirmishes between aquatic monsters sent fountains of spray high into the air, the droplets refracting the sunlight into transient, dazzling rainbows.
"Mhm, this is perfect," Feng Luotian remarked, his satisfaction evident in the curve of his lips. He moved with efficient grace, establishing a small camp near the lively riverbank.
Once his base was secured, he stretched his limbs and arched his back, the joints popping in a sequence. "Alright, first things first," he muttered, his gaze sharpening. "Let's find someone to train with."
Luotian sprang into the nearest tree. He moved swiftly from branch to branch, heading deeper into the thicket until the dense foliage hid him from the riverbank.
After traversing a significant distance, he came to a halt atop a massive, moss-covered branch, his eyes scanning the emerald gloom below. Something had snagged his attention—a subtle shift in the forest's rhythm.
Luotian brushed his spatial ring, and the body of one of the thugs appeared. It dropped to the forest floor with a heavy thud. He remained on the branch above, relaxed but alert as he waited for a monster to approach the bait.
To pass the time, he retrieved the monster cores he had obtained in the exchange and laid them out along the broad span of the branch. Their varying hues—viridian, cerulean, and deep amber—formed a mesmerizing, luminous display against the rough bark.
He eyed the Triple Dots Lightning Cobra Core, his hand reaching out with the intent to begin the grueling process of Refinement. But before his fingers could brush the stone, CRONOS stirred, sending a ripple of energy through his consciousness.
///// Introducing new feature [Instant Refinement]: Refine the desired monster cores instantly.
///// 57 monster cores detected.
///// +48% energy at Four Fangs
///// +27 proficiencies to [Pinnacle Flash Lightning] Level 1
"Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha…"
His laugh came slowly, each forced note more sarcastic than the last. Yet another task that should have required time and effort was apparently about to be done for him.
"Don't tell me it could really…" he murmured to himself, his voice wavering between disbelief and a spark of intense expectation.
With a sharp, decisive breath, Luotian sent a singular command pulsing through CRONOS: Refine all the cores.
Whoosh.
In a soundless blink, every monster core vanished. The vibrant light was snuffed out, leaving nothing but the empty, moss-covered wood where the treasure had rested moments before. Before he could even register the loss, a torrential stream of data flooded his mind.
///// Level: Four Fang (66%)
///// [Last Dance Curse] Level 4: Temporarily increase the user's level by 1 for 8 minutes. However, the user must collect 10 souls within this time. Failure to do so results in a decrease of 2 levels.
///// [Momentum Eyes] Level 4: Allows the user to perceive the momentum and trajectory of objects within a 35-meter radius.
///// [Pinnacle Flash Lightning] Level 1 (29/100): Wraps the user's body in lightning. Speed +200%. Lightning Resistance +2%.
"No wonder Little Yun could catch up to me in such a short time," Feng Luotian muttered, a complex mixture of amazement and resignation coloring his tone. "Why didn't she tell me about this? Or… could her bloodline possess a completely different feature?"
He sighed, still struggling to accept how easily CRONOS had accomplished the task.
Refining monster cores normally required patience and care. Cultivators had to guide their Theríon into a core, draw out its energy gradually, and refine it to match their own. Rushing the process could be fatal.
Absorbing energy too aggressively could shatter a cultivation base, leading to severe repercussions. At best, it resulted in a hollow, unstable growth; at worst, it caused a soul core injury or a catastrophic internal explosion, leaving the cultivator crippled or dead. Patience was not just a virtue; it was a survival requirement.
For those trapped in the level of a commoner, the ordeal was even more grueling. Lacking an energy link, they could only linger near the stones like moths to a flame, waiting for the essence to seep out naturally—a process that could span years of stagnant waiting.
Alternatively, they required a powerful benefactor to bridge the gap.
In Luotian's past as a cripple, he had received such assistance from the Peacock Lord himself. But outside of those rare, forced sessions, he had been relegated to sitting in front of the cores for an eternity, watching the energy trickle into his pores with agonizing slowness.
Now, however, a singular intent was all it took to bypass that struggle entirely.
Now the cores were gone, their power absorbed without strain. CRONOS had revealed so many extraordinary features in succession that Luotian was beginning to feel numb. Surely, he thought, the next one wouldn't surprise him quite so much.
But even as he held that thought, a faint, dangerous smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Well… I'll just have to wait and see," he murmured to the rustling leaves, knowing full well that CRONOS possessed a terrifying habit of exceeding expectations at every turn.
* * *
After about half an hour of idle waiting, Feng Luotian's patience was finally rewarded as a massive shadow emerged from the dense thicket, moving deliberately toward the lifeless body he had placed as bait.
The figure grew larger with each step, and when it finally broke into full view, his eyes locked onto a truly imposing sight. Standing three meters tall, the lion's muscular frame exuded raw power. Its shimmering silver fur seemed to ripple like liquid metal under the soft, filtered light of the forest. The coat wasn't just silver—it glinted as if dusted with countless tiny shards of crystal, catching every stray ray of light that pierced through the canopy above.
But it wasn't the fur that demanded attention—it was the tail. A long, whip-like appendage swayed methodically behind the lion, ending in a wicked blade that gleamed ominously. The edge, sharp and curved, appeared to shimmer with a faint greenish tint, a foreboding promise of its lethality. Each flick of the tail carved faint arcs in the air, the movement exuding an eerie elegance, like a pendulum measuring the seconds until its prey's doom.
Its golden eyes glowed faintly as they locked onto the corpse, a gaze filled with calculated hunger. The lion moved with a grace that seemed at odds with its sheer size—every step deliberate, its enormous padded paws making almost no sound as they pressed into the forest floor. Even the faintest crunch of leaves beneath its weight seemed to blend seamlessly into the natural symphony of the forest, as if it were a creature born of the wild itself.
Feng Luotian smiled faintly, studying the monster with anticipation. From the density of its aura, he could tell it had survived countless life-and-death encounters. A worthy training partner had finally arrived.
///// Six Fangs Blade Tail Silver Lion
///// [Poison Blade]: Imbues its tail with poison lethal enough to instantly kill those three levels higher and paralyze those one realm above.
I can even sense the monster's bloodline and ability?! Feng Luotian marveled inwardly, the tactical data from CRONOS blooming in his mind like a high-tier scroll. His lips curled into a sharp, daring grin as he continued, And to think my first training partner is a Blade Tail Silver Lion! I'll be very rich after this harvest.
The lion cautiously surveyed its surroundings, its nostrils flaring as it tasted the air for rival predators. Satisfied that it held the apex position, it approached the corpse and began its grim cultivation session, its massive, bone-crushing jaws tearing into the remains with a wet sound.
At that moment, Feng Luotian leapt from his high perch, his coat snapping in the wind as he landed with feline grace directly in front of the beast. He had deliberately chosen not to strike from the shadows; after all, his primary goal wasn't a quick execution. He wanted a sparring partner to train with.
The sudden manifestation of the young man startled the lion. It recoiled instinctively, its luminous gold eyes narrowing as it sized up this unexpected intruder. To the beast, Luotian's total lack of a visible aura seemed to confirm its own absolute superiority. Its initial hesitation quickly ignited into a territorial rage.
With a deafening roar that vibrated through Luotian's very marrow, the lion charged. Its blade-like tail whipped through the air with a high-pitched whistle, a green-tinted blur of death. It lunged forward, extending massive claws that were individually larger than Luotian's torso, slashing with a fury meant to rend him into ribbons.
But every swipe, every desperate blow, was an exercise in futility.
Through Momentum Eyes, Feng Luotian tracked the monster's every shift in weight and muscle tension. Each frenzied attack was telegraphed in his mind seconds before it manifested. He wove and dodged, slipping through the relentless onslaught like water flowing around a sharp rock.
He maneuvered with a calculated rhythm, positioning himself directly beneath the lion's neck—a soft, unprotected spot.
Without a heartbeat of hesitation, Feng Luotian launched himself upward, his fist arcing toward that vulnerable spot in a blur of focused kinetic energy.