theways

In a world where power ruled and trust was a blade waiting to strike, Lu Yan walked alone. Not out of fear, not out of weakness, but because solitude had always been his greatest strength. As a plant summoner, the earth itself bowed to him. Forests obeyed his whispers, roots coiled at his command, and even the wildest of flora bent to his will. There was no need for allies—until he met them.

Fan Zhi. Lila. Jian Mo.

The strongest of the strong. A warrior whose blade could cleave mountains, a magician who wove destruction with a flick of her fingers, and his most trusted—his shadow—Jian Mo. Not a friend, not family, but the one person Lu Yan had allowed closest.

Their strength was undeniable. Their presence, unavoidable.

And so, for the first time, Lu Yan walked beside others. Together, they ventured into the final dungeon, an ancient ruin pulsing with power long lost to time. Every step deeper tested their skill, their will, their loyalty. They bled together, fought together, survived together. Or so he thought.

The betrayal wasn’t reckless. It wasn’t obvious. It was precise, patient—rooted in greed, waiting for the perfect moment to surface.

Every look, every word, every shared battle had been a thread in their web. They had studied him, learned the way he thought, anticipated his every move. They knew his strengths, but more importantly, they knew the weaknesses even he had overlooked.

So when the final trial came, when the dungeon itself trembled with the weight of the power they had sought, the trap was already set.

The air was thick with heat, the walls licked with molten fury, the ground unstable beneath their feet. And then, Jian Mo struck first.

A blade—not of steel, but of something darker, something ancient—sank into Lu Yan’s back. A paralyzing force surged through him, seizing control of his body, locking his power away in an instant. The one person he had trusted most had known exactly how to sever him from his strength.

Fan Zhi’s sword followed, slicing deep. Lila’s magic wrapped around him like a serpent, binding him in chains of searing energy.

They had calculated every detail. No dramatic speeches, no arrogance—just cold, efficient betrayal.

And then, without hesitation, they cast him into the abyss.

The last thing he thought about was Jian Mo’s face, expression unreadable as the molten depths swallowed him whole.

Pain.

Fire that melted flesh, burned bone, and tore through his very essence.

For the first time, Lu Yan truly knew what it meant to die.

But fate was not done with him.

In the heart of the inferno, something stirred. A force beyond comprehension. A power that did not belong to this world. The fire did not destroy him—it remade him.

The pain became something else.

Something worse.

Something greater.

Then, darkness.

When Lu Yan awoke, it was not to fire, nor stone, nor the ruins of the dungeon.

It was to a world reborn.

The sky above him was a fractured canvas of impossible colors, shifting and writhing like a living thing. The air was thick, charged with an energy that thrummed beneath his skin. And all around him, the earth pulsed—not as he had once commanded it, but as something wild, untamed, ancient beyond reason.

The plants here were not mere tools of a summoner’s will. They were alive in ways he had never imagined. And they watched him.

He was no longer the betrayed summoner.

He was something else.

Something far greater.

As he stood amidst the endless forest, his body still echoing with the power that had saved him, one thought burned brighter than all the rest:

if fate brought me here I would master it all. 

The winds whispered his name. The trees bent, waiting.

The Life begins with a seed 


--- 

....

(Hello Author here, I'm open for any suggestions)

Forest Cultivator

The earth shuddered. Not from him—something else.

Beyond the mist-veiled valley, shadows slithered between the trees. Predators. He could feel them before he saw them. The ground pulsed beneath his feet, trembling with their silent approach. The air carried their presence—cold, calculated, deadly.

Moonshade Beasts.

Their silver eyes burned through the darkness like twin crescents of a fractured moon. Their bodies were sleek, rippling shadows against the midnight fog, moving with unnatural grace. They were hunting him.

From the gloom, larger figures emerged. Different. Stronger. Smarter.

He counted. Three at Level 7—larger, battle-scarred, their movements precise. Behind them, another five—Level 6, moving in disciplined formation. Further back, the weaker ones—Level 5, nearly indistinguishable from the shadows they prowled within.

At the center, watching, waiting—the leader.

Its presence coiled through the air like a phantom of the abyss. Larger than the rest, its fur shimmered with something unnatural—an aura that swallowed the light around it. It did not move with the others. It did not rush to attack. It waited. Calculating.

The weaker ones would test him first.

Steel met flesh. His blade flashed once, a silver arc through the night. Blood splattered across the dirt, the beast crumpling mid-air before it ever reached him.

[You have slain a Level 5 Moonshade Beast.]

The pack hesitated. Just for a breath. Then—they swarmed.

Claws. Teeth. Shadows converging. Fast.

Lu Yan raised his hand. The forest answered.

The ground split apart, roots bursting from below, twisting and lashing like living serpents. One of the charging Level 5 beasts was impaled instantly, vines wrapping around its body, constricting until bones snapped like brittle twigs.

Another fell. But they did not stop.

A Level 7 warrior broke through the wall of roots—a blur of muscle and fury. It moved differently, dodging the grasping vines with unnatural agility. Smarter. Faster. It leaped, fangs bared, claws aimed straight for his throat.

A pulse of energy surged outward. The air trembled. The trees around him twisted, bark splitting apart, jagged edges forming like living weapons. Roots tore free from the earth, slithering like serpents, weaving an unbreakable barrier.

Lu Yan's breath was slow, steady. They were hesitating. Good.

His power surged, the forest bending to his will. This was his domain. They had invaded.

The Level 13 Moonshade Beast took a single step forward, and the entire battlefield froze. The other beasts—those that had charged so fearlessly—fell back. Not in fear. In obedience.

Lu Yan's grip on his blade tightened. This was no mindless beast.

Not a snarl. Not an animalistic display of dominance. A grin.

Recognition flickered in Lu Yan's chest, a cold understanding curling around his spine.

[New Mission: Irregular Beasts]

[Defeat the Irregular Moonshade Beast (Level 13)]

[Mission Reward: ???]

Lu Yan exhaled slowly. His pulse was steady, controlled. The weight of the forest pressed against him, waiting for his command.

The creature's silver eyes burned into him, full of something ancient.

A moment stretched—taut, silent, electric.

chapter 33 “The Hunt Part 3”