Chapter 5: The First Hunt
Back in the secure confines of his new home, Rhys sat cross-legged on the stone floor and delved back into the System’s interface.
He needed a complete inventory of his new assets. He called up the status screen again, but this time, he focused his intent on the line item for his foundation.ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt
The text expanded, providing a wealth of new information.
[ Foundation : Void-Tempered Immortal Body (Tier: Transcendent)]
[ Description : A theoretical foundation that has been successfully actualised. The host’s body has been deconstructed and reforged with trace amounts of void energy, granting a vessel of unparalleled potential in the Mortal World.]
[Passive Abilities]
Void Affinity : The body naturally absorbs ambient Qi at a slow but constant rate, purifying it automatically. Cultivation efficiency is increased by 1000%.
Metaphysical Resilience : The body possesses extreme resistance to all elemental energies, as well as common poisons, toxins, and curses.
Flawless Regeneration: As long as the host possesses a lifespan, the body will actively regenerate from any injury. Minor wounds heal in seconds, and major injuries in minutes. Complete cellular reconstruction is possible.
Rhys read through the list, trying hard to remain calm but grinning from ear to ear anyway. He had known it was good.
After all, his foundation was of the Transcendent tier. But this was on another level entirely.
His Qi absorption rate wasn’t that absurd. While his absorption of Qi was same as any cultivator, with Void Affinity, all the Qi he absorbed was also purified simultaneously.
This meant he didn’t have to worry about bottlenecks because of accumulated impurities. Hell, he might even be able to directly absorb Qi from monster cores without fearing corruption.
Metaphysical Resilience gave him huge resistance against elemental energies. That meant he could train in extreme environments without fearing unexpected injuries.
And Flawless Regeneration...
"This is just my foundation in Body Tempering," he whispered in awe.
’What happens when I get to Core Formation? Or Soul Forging?’
The possibilities were so vast they were almost frightening.
His gaze fell upon the locked ’Cultivation Advancement’ function again. The System’s message was clear: The System can only build the foundation, not the tower.
He understood.
The System could give him a perfect vessel and perfect skills, but the actual accumulation of power—the journey from one stage to the next—was on him.
He had to fill the vessel himself. It was a challenge he gladly accepted. It would keep things from getting boring.
A low growl from his stomach reminded him of another, more immediate need. He hadn’t eaten since morning.
While his new body could probably survive for weeks without sustenance, the habit of hunger was deeply ingrained.
Besides, he wanted to test his combat prowess on something other than an inanimate boulder.
He donned his now-clean-but-still-damp clothes, fastened the moonstone pendant around his neck, and stepped back out into the forest.
’Time for a hunt.’ Excitement burned in Rhys.
He moved between the trees, his senses on high alert. He bypassed several small, non-spiritual creatures, looking for a worthy first opponent.
It didn’t take long. He picked up a scent—a mix of predator musk and a faint, sharp tang of Qi.
A Spiritual Beast.
He followed the scent, his perfected Stealth making him a true phantom. He came to a small clearing and saw his prey.
It was a Shadowcat, a beast known to the families of Silverwood.
Roughly the size of a leopard, its fur was the colour of midnight, allowing it to blend seamlessly with the shadows cast by the dense canopy.
It was a Low-Grade Stage 1 Spiritual Beast, known for its terrifying speed and razor-sharp claws that could tear through steel.
For a normal Body Tempering cultivator, it was a deadly threat.
For Rhys, it was a perfect test subject.
The Shadowcat was stalking a large, horned rabbit, its body low to the ground, muscles coiled like springs. Rhys watched, intrigued.
He could see the flow of Qi around the beast, a faint, dark aura that clung to its fur.
He decided to make the first move. He was hidden in the boughs of a large tree twenty yards away, a perfect vantage point.
He raised his hand, channeling the Qi his body had already passively absorbed.
Spark Fist.
He didn’t want to use the full, perfected version that had bored through the boulder. He tried to dial it back, to create a smaller, less destructive projectile.
He compressed the fire, shaping it into a fist-sized ball, and launched it.
FWOOSH!
The attack was still far too loud. It shrieked through the air, a miniature sun that lit up the entire clearing.
The Shadowcat, with its predator’s instincts, reacted instantly. It abandoned its hunt, twisting its body in an impossible mid-air contortion.
The fireball missed it by a hair’s breadth, slamming into a tree behind it and detonating with a deafening explosion that sent splinters and burning wood flying everywhere.
The Shadowcat landed silently, its yellow eyes immediately locking onto Rhys’s position.
So much for a surprise attack.
"Well, that was subtle," Rhys deadpanned to himself, dropping lightly from the tree.
The beast hissed, its form blurring as it charged. It was unbelievably fast, a black streak against the forest floor.
But in Rhys’s enhanced perception, its movements were clear, almost slow. He could see the twitch of its muscles, the path its claws would take.
He didn’t bother with another Spark Fist. This was a close-quarters fight. He met the charge head-on, throwing a simple, straight punch.
He didn’t use any Qi, relying purely on the mechanical strength of the Void-Tempered Immortal Body.
His fist connected with the Shadowcat’s head.
There was a sickening thump, like a melon hitting stone.
The beast’s charge came to an abrupt, final halt. Its body went limp, flying past him from the momentum and tumbling into a heap, its neck bent at an unnatural angle. It was dead before it hit the ground.
Rhys stood there for a moment, looking at his fist, then at the dead creature. The fight had lasted less than three seconds.
The beast’s legendary claws hadn’t even had a chance to touch him.
He walked over to the carcass, a thoughtful frown on his face.
"The Spark Fist is an artillery cannon. It’s loud, flashy, and overkill. If I use that for hunting, I’ll either vaporize my dinner or attract every predator for miles. I need a scalpel, not a sledgehammer."
As he stared at the dead Shadowcat, a new thought struck him. He focused his will on the creature, thinking of the ’Analyse Object’ function that had been grayed out before.
To his surprise, a new notification pinged in his mind.
[Host has successfully interacted with a Qi-infused object post-foundation establishment. Function ’Analyse Object’ is now unlocked.]