chapter 3: Foundation establishment stage

Deep within the forest, far from the bloodied battlefield, a pair of eyes gleamed beneath the shadows of ancient trees.

They shimmered with cold intelligence — like polished amethyst cut with silver veins — and stared toward a distant mountain cave. There was no sound, no breath, no motion.

Only instinct.

It had sensed something… not a scent of flesh, not the trace of prey — but spirit energy so dense it distorted the natural flow of the forest. The beast didn't move. It only watched, still as a statue, its fur blending with the fog. Somewhere beyond the trees… the mountain pulsed.

---

Inside the Cave.

A golden pool shimmered softly in the center of the cave — still, yet alive. The walls pulsed faintly, glowing with ancient runes long eroded by time. Above, a narrow crack in the stone ceiling let in a single beam of light that pierced the darkness like a divine eye.

Lin Ye stood beside the pool, with a damaged hand , but his eyes sharp.

His clothes were torn, dried blood still clung to his side, he stood straight, silent, watching the golden liquid swirl slowly within the pool like molten spirit.

"Spirit Soul Energy… condensed, liquefied." His voice was barely above a whisper. "This… this isn't something meant for mortals."

He extended a hand, letting it hover just above the surface. Instantly, the skin on his palm began to sear — not with heat, but pure pressure.

Lin Ye pulled back, shaking the pain off.

"If I were to even touch it directly..." he murmured, lips curling slightly, "…there would be nothing left of me but ash."

But just as he turned to leave, his body froze.

A pulse.

Not from the pool — but from the mouth of the cave.

His eyes narrowed. That presence…

Slowly, he turned his gaze to the entrance, a faint smirk forming on his lips despite the dull ache in his limbs.

"Heh… persistent, aren't you?"

From the mist at the entrance, a form emerged — large, majestic, and brimming with untamed spirit energy. It padded forward silently, its snow-white fur catching the golden light from the pool. Two elegantly curved horns jutted from its head, shimmering with a prismatic glow, as if carved from starlight itself.

Its eyes locked onto Lin Ye.

It was the same 4th-level Spirit Beast — the one that had chased him across the battlefield, into the forest.

And now… it had found him again.

The Spirit Beast stepped into the cave — slow, deliberate, unafraid.

...

Lin Ye took a step back, his eyes never leaving the beast's.

"Still remember me?" he muttered, "You chased me through half the forest like a mad dog."

The beast growled low. Not angry. Not savage. Measured.

A warning.

Then, without sound or signal, it leapt.

A flash of white and radiant, and Lin Ye barely rolled aside — the beast's claws slammed into the rock where he'd just stood, shattering it like brittle glass. Shards exploded in all directions.

Lin Ye grunted, drawing a half-broken saber from the ground. His muscles screamed, ribs already cracked, but there was no hesitation.

The beast struck again — faster than before — and Lin Ye raised his blade to parry.

Clang!

The blade snapped in half on impact. Lin Ye was sent flying into the wall, coughing blood. The cave trembled with the force.

"Tch... Not even a proper weapon."

He wiped his mouth and stood. Again.

The beast charged. Lin Ye ducked, rolled beneath its belly, and drove the jagged remnant of his blade into the soft underside.

A shallow cut.

The beast roared — more insulted than injured — and turned sharply, its horn catching Lin Ye's shoulder. Blood sprayed.

He collapsed on one knee, gasping. The cavern flickered, his vision blurring.

Too strong... this isn't a fight. It's execution.

But just as the beast prepared to strike again, Lin Ye's body stopped trembling.

He closed his eyes.

Breathed in.

And for a moment... the golden pool behind him rippled.

His left eye glowed faintly, a warmth unfurling — not searing, not wild like fire... but gentle, steady, ancient.

The beast froze.

Its sharp gaze snapped to Lin Ye.

Thin threads of blue flame began to dance across his wounded fingers — light, like petals drifting in wind, but the cave temperature dropped in response. These flames weren't destructive.

They were pure.

The beast stepped back. Its instincts screamed.

Lin Ye opened his eyes. They now flickered with a dim blue hue — not bloodlust, not rage — but something calm, yet overwhelming.

He didn't attack.

He simply raised his hand, and the gentle flames pulsed once… softly.

The beast growled, but its body didn't move forward again.

It watched him, long and slow.

Then, without a sound, it turned.

It padded toward the cave entrance, Just before vanishing into the mist, it looked back — its glowing eyes meeting Lin Ye's.

Not with hatred.

But… acknowledgment.

And then, it was gone.

---

Lin Ye collapsed against the cave wall, blood seeping from his wounds, eyes still reflecting the last trace of azure flame.

"...So even beasts can recognize the power of the flame."

He chuckled bitterly.

"Then maybe... I'm not as useless as they thought."

___

The cave was silent, save for the faint hum of spiritual energy in the air.

Lin Ye sat cross-legged against the cold stone wall, his breath steady, his presence calm—but beneath that stillness, the cavern trembled faintly, as if it too sensed the change within him.

His eyes opened slowly.

Two sharp, crimson irises flickered in the dark.

"Foundation Establishment Stage," he muttered.

His voice was calm, but his words carried weight.

"After nearly a year of cultivation in this cave… I've done what takes others four—sometimes five—years."

A faint wind passed through the narrow crevice of the cave mouth, rustling his long hair. He didn't move.

He raised his left hand.

A soft azure glow bloomed in his palm—elegant, fluid, and strangely warm for a flame. It cast reflections on the cave walls, dancing like gentle moonlight across rippling water.

But Lin Ye didn't smile.

His brows furrowed slightly.

"This flame…" he whispered. "So calm… so light..."

He closed his fingers slowly, letting the flame flicker and vanish.

"What stage does your power truly belong to?"

He stared at his palm as if it were a question he hadn't earned the answer to yet.

Because deep in his bones, he knew—

This wasn't the power of someone in the Foundation Stage.

This was something else.

Something not meant for this world....