Chapter 10: In Forest

"Hmm, faster than I thought," a voice echoed, amusement dancing on the face of the Ghost King.

Lod's eyes cracked open, the world a fractured reflection through a surface. Crimson escaped through the cracks, like fog but in blood red.

He breathed deeply, the red fog entering his body through his nose, mouth, and ears. It was an amazing sight to watch. This wasn't air; it was power, raw and unfamiliar, coursing through his veins like fire.

"How are you feeling?" Ghost King asked with a surprised expression.

Lod rose, his gaze falling on a nearby tree. He clenched his fist, the power surging through him.

Bang.

With a thunderous crack, his punch split the air and cleaved a gaping hole in the tree trunk.

"I feel like… I became very strong," Lod said with a smile, the red mist swirling beneath his skin, a silent testament to his transformation. He wanted to test his strength and felt good after seeing the result. He also noticed that the fog was mixed with the blood inside his body, which made him even stronger than he had revealed yet.

"Haha," Ghost King laughed out loud and nodded. "This is how it should be! I can guess it is not the most of your strength; you have to keep growing strong here."

Lod was already prepared for a long stay here; he had to adjust to this uncomfortable environment and start training so he could become strong fast. But the 'celebration' thing still bugged him.

Night fell, the wind whipping at Lod's cloak as he sat atop a rocky outcrop. The moon cast its pale light on the endless forest, a place both beautiful and ominous. It was cold, but he didn't feel it. While looking at the moon, he remembered how things were going in his life. Even though he couldn't tell it, there were many things he didn't understand…

'Ah, whatever. I will take some rest,' he thought and closed his eyes. His master said he would be back in a few hours, so he tried to sleep on the mountain.

The next morning he woke up, but he didn't find his master. Instead, there were a few books beside him that he had never seen before.

'He left them here?' he thought and read them. The collection of worn books contained maps, details of the treacherous forest, locations of water sources and beasts. It mentioned the territory he was in under a Big Doat beast. It would not attack anyone until they tried to disturb its sleep.

"Big Doat? What animal is that?" Lod wondered since there were no images in the book nor any descriptions about the monsters. Just names and warnings.

After reading everything, he started to make a plan to live here. He understood that his master wanted him to train here by making him live alone… which he didn't hate.

"I wanted to live alone back when I was a kid… Now it is time, haha," he chuckled, tucking the books into his shirt.

'First, I need to find a big tree,' he thought and looked around. He could see many tall trees, but a towering tree, its branches reaching for the heavens, caught his eye. With newfound speed, he raced towards it, the world blurring past him. Reaching the tree, he marveled at its size and was satisfied as he planned to make a small home inside the tree itself. Picking up a sharp rock, he started carving.

He spent three straight hours carving out a home in the tree and accomplished his goal—a huge hole that could fit more than 20 people appeared inside the tree. After some more work, he finished it.

"Maybe because I broke through, I don't feel that much hunger… but I feel a little tired," Lod said to himself. Dismissing the thought, he set out to find food and water.

Dusk painted the sky as Lod began his training in the place where there was more Qi. He poured himself into his training, pushing his limits. He couldn't sense his progress, but he felt stronger, his body adapting to the power coursing through him.

Two months passed in a relentless cycle of training and exploration. The red fog within him had doubled. "Few more days and I will break through… second stage of the Qi Body Forging," he muttered to himself while sitting naked on the ground. His body became strong enough to endure the cold here.

In the past two months, Ghost King didn't even visit once. But Lod also didn't care much about it as his focus was all on training and becoming strong.

Finally, after twelve arduous days, Lod sensed the fog reach its limit.

"AHH."

A searing pain erupted from his core as the red fog surged outwards, forming a crimson shell around him. It felt like needles tearing through his skin, but he gritted his teeth, enduring the agony.

For ten agonizing hours, the shell pulsed with an otherworldly glow. As Lod absorbed Qi at an abnormal rate, cracks began to spiderweb across its surface. Finally, with a deafening crack, the shell shattered, raining down crimson fragments around him.

These fragments, however, defied gravity, swirling and turning into a single sphere in front of him. Slowly, the sphere condensed, transforming into a single, glistening drop of crimson liquid. It resembled a single drop of blood, pulsating with unimaginable power.

Lod inhaled deeply, drawing the drop into his mouth. It bypassed his throat entirely, coursing directly into his heart.

"Ah…"

A searing heat flared within him, threatening to consume him. Yet, through the pain, a triumphant smile spread across his face.

"Second stage..." he whispered, his voice hoarse but filled with newfound confidence.

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