It had been two months since Adam entered the gate.
The world beyond was merciless—untamed, wild, and indifferent to the weak. But Adam had survived. Not just survived—he had grown. Every day was a cycle of survival and growth. During the day, he hunted beasts and adapting to the strange, foreign power that now coursed through his veins. At night, beneath a sky stitched with alien stars, he cultivated in silence.
In the early days, Adam focused on tempering his flesh and muscle. The process was painful, pushing his body beyond its mortal limits. But he endured. He tempered his body nine times within the first few weeks, an achievement bordering on monstrous. Each refinement awakened hidden potential, and the strength he gained felt exponential, as though his very cells burned with newfound energy.
But with strength came instability. His movements felt unnatural, almost too fast, too strong. So Adam crafted a routine to bring balance to his body and mind. By day, he adapted—moving, fighting, adjusting. By night, he cultivated—slowly forging the path forward.
The next stage in cultivation was Bone Forging.
Compared to the flesh, the bones were far more resistant to change. Every session felt like his skeleton was being shattered and reassembled under immense pressure. Agony pulsed through every limb. But Adam didn't flinch. He endured, breathing through the pain, focusing his mind.
It was during this stage that his ability, Insight, truly shined.
As he meditated, he could see the movement of energy within his own body—like rivers of light threading through his veins, arteries, and bones. He began to understand the rhythm of his cultivation, the flow of internal force. With this awareness, he refined his technique. Instead of flooding energy aimlessly, he directed it with precision—infusing each bone deliberately, steadily strengthening its structure from the inside out.
It was slower than brute-force cultivation, but infinitely more stable.
Each night, he sat cross-legged in silence, his breath shallow, his awareness sharp. He tracked the ebb and flow of energy, the minute shifts as his bones absorbed the refined force. Day by day, his body grew tougher, denser. He was becoming something more than human.
But even as he grew stronger, the world didn't stop trying to kill him.
Hunting had become second nature. The beasts that roamed this realm were varied—feral creatures born from the world's unstable energy. Most were Grade 1 beasts, though some neared the peak of their grade. They came in all shapes: scaled, furred, fanged, clawed. Some were fast, others had armor-like hides. But all of them were dangerous.
And Adam fought them all.
Not every battle was easy. He bled. He limped. He nearly died—more than once. But with each fight, he learned. He began to notice patterns.
Beasts, despite their chaotic nature, had weaknesses.
At first, it was mere intuition. A hesitation before an attack. A shift in posture. But as he observed more, something else awakened within him. Using Insight, he began to see faint outlines around living creatures—ethereal traces of energy that wrapped around their forms.
At first, it was barely visible. But as he concentrated, those outlines became clearer, like silhouettes drawn in light. The stronger parts of the beasts glowed dense, vivid—muscles ready to strike, claws poised to rend, jaws tightening with force. But in contrast, there were faded zones—blurred, fragile outlines on the beast's form.
These were weak points.
He struck those faded zones. And each time, the result was devastating. A single well-placed strike to the base of the skull. A thrust through a gap in the ribs. A slash beneath the throat. Beasts that would have taken dozens of blows fell with one or two precise attacks.
With each kill, his understanding deepened. It wasn't just energy flow—it was intent. The dense energy often signified preparation to attack or defend, while the faded parts lacked energy reinforcement, making them vulnerable.
He tested this theory relentlessly. Different beasts, different anatomies—but the pattern held. With experience, Adam began mapping these energy patterns instinctively, reacting in combat with unnatural precision. Insight no longer just helped him understand—it helped him predict.
Still, there were limits.
Some beasts had overlapping energy—camouflaged patterns that fluctuated with movement. Others could shift the density of energy through will or instinct. But even then, Adam had the advantage of clarity. He fought with precision while his enemies fought with rage.
Every battle was a lesson. Every wound a reminder.
At night, he brought what he'd learned into his cultivation. With Insight, he mapped the flow of energy through his own bones, refining his Bone Forging process to mirror the patterns of natural defense and attack. If the beasts could redirect energy to protect vital parts, then so could he. He began reinforcing the bones in his arms and legs first—his weapons and mobility. Then his ribcage and spine—his foundation. Lastly, his skull.
The pain was maddening.
But he didn't stop.
He grew.
Weeks passed, and Adam's movements became sharper, more fluid. His body, though lean, pulsed with controlled strength. When he struck, he did so with purpose. When he moved, he flowed like water across stone. His senses, honed through constant tension, could pick up minute changes in the wind, faint shifts in the soil, the low growl of a beast lurking nearby.
He was no longer prey.
Still, Adam knew he was only at the beginning.
This world was vast, and he had yet to meet anything truly powerful. The beasts he fought were only Grade 1—barely scratching the surface of what lay beyond. But Adam wasn't afraid. If anything, he was eager.
Because deep within his soul, the desire to grow had taken root.
Not for revenge. Not for power's sake. But for truth.
The Nine Chaotic Worlds cultivation technique he practiced was ancient, forbidden—whispered of only in the ruins he'd explored. Yet as he followed its path, he felt something awaken within him. A calling. A pull toward something greater, something vast and unknown.
He was a Seeker of Truth.
And in this world of chaos and danger, Adam Carter would carve his path—one step at a time.