Immortal's Paradox

Lei sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of his rented room, his breathing steady as he immersed himself in cultivation. The familiar warmth of qi flowed through his meridians, his progress painstakingly slow but steady. With the Nanospirit monitoring his internal state, Lei was acutely aware that he had barely reached the threshold of mid-Qi Foundation Realm.

Not quite there yet, he thought with a sigh.

"You've made progress", Mao reminded him while licking his paws, "But your spirit stone reserves are critically low. You may want to prioritize acquiring resources soon."

"Right",Lei opened his eyes and stood, stretching his arms above his head. "Nanopsirit, turn off the cultivation function for now."

The qi flow gradually stilled as the Nanospirit deactivated the process. Lei began packing his belongings, carefully stashing his new mace and the enchanted items he had acquired from the secret chamber. Once everything was stored in his spatial ring, he stepped out of the room and handed the innkeeper his key.

"Checking out?" the innkeeper asked, glancing at him.

"Yeah. Keep the change," Lei replied, tossing a few spirit stones. He didn't bother sticking around for pleasantries.

---

As Lei left the city walls, he activated his pulsatile qi search function, a technique that sent waves of qi into the surroundings to detect creatures or individuals. While walking, he unfurled the Zhao family scroll again, studying it carefully.

The document detailed the hierarchy of the Inner Sanctum: one guild, one ruling country, two dominant sects, and three major families. Among these, the Zhao family was noted to have close ties with one of the sects. Unfortunately, the scroll lacked further details about the sect's identity.

More puzzles to solve, Lei mused, rolling the scroll up again.

Mao yawned from his perch on Lei's shoulder, his claws gently kneading into Lei's coat. "All this scheming and planning. Doesn't it tire you out?"

"It's better than running blind," Lei replied, his voice firm. "Besides, the sooner I understand my enemies, the faster I can deal with them."

With the Nanospirit's assistance, Lei ensured no tracks were left behind as he ventured further into the wilderness. Once he was deep enough in the forest, he restarted his cultivation function and continued searching for qi foundation monsters using the pulsatile qi waves.

However, trouble soon came in the form of a pack of mid-Qi Foundation bats. The creatures screeched loudly, their razor-sharp wings glinting in the sunlight as they swarmed toward him.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Lei muttered, weaving through the trees with aerodynamic evasion techniques.

The Nanospirit quickly adjusted his path, guiding him to a safer area. Eventually, the bats lost interest, and Lei stopped to catch his breath.

"That was close," Mao commented lazily.

Lei shot him a glare. "You could've warned me earlier."

As he was about to reply further, his qi search function pinged again, this time detecting something massive nearby. Stepping cautiously into a clearing, Lei found himself face-to-face with a gigantic creature: a Titanhide Rhino.

The beast towered over him, its slate-gray skin like armor, glinting in the sunlight. Its horn, thick and jagged, pulsed faintly with qi energy. The air around it shimmered with the sheer force of its aura—this was a Core Formation Realm monster.

Mao, ever the scholar, leaped onto a nearby rock. "Fun fact: The term 'core formation monster' is technically a misnomer. Monsters already have cores when they're born. The term only refers to how their qi at this stage resembles a human's Core Formation Realm—"

"Thanks for the lecture, Professor Mao," Lei interrupted with a smirk. "But I'd rather focus on not dying right now."

He cracked his knuckles, his gaze narrowing on the rhino. "Besides, I'm lucky this isn't a predator. It's slow, strong, and built like a fortress. Perfect practice for my mace."

The rhino snorted, its breath misting in the cool forest air as it pawed the ground, readying to charge.

---

Lei readied himself, gripping his enchanted mace tightly. With the knowledge he'd gained from the enchanting books, he understood its true power: the ability to bypass defenses by sending vibrational force through whatever it struck.

The rhino bellowed and charged, the ground trembling under its massive weight. Lei waited until the last moment, then sidestepped with a burst of aerodynamic agility, narrowly avoiding the horn.

Jiǔ Huǒ Quán! That's what he named his new martial art. It meant Kyrokunesis. A combination of all the martial arts he came in contact with in his past life with the techniques of the new life. He countered with Molten Kick, his leg enveloped in searing heat as he struck the rhino's side. The blow landed, leaving a scorch mark but barely fazing the beast.

"Alright, big guy. Let's see how you like this," Lei muttered.

The rhino turned, its eyes glowing with fury. It charged again, and this time Lei met it head-on. He activated Iron Will, reinforcing his body to withstand the shockwave as he swung the mace in an upward arc. The weapon struck the rhino's horn, and the vibrational force surged through its body.

The beast roared in pain, stumbling slightly as cracks formed along its horn.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Lei taunted, his voice steady despite the strain.

The rhino retaliated, swinging its massive head toward him. Lei evaded with a series of aerodynamic flips, landing gracefully a few feet away.

He followed up with Molten Punch, his fist glowing with molten energy as he drove it into the rhino's flank. The attack left a deep burn, but the beast's armor-like hide still held strong.

Purple Blast activated, the Nanospirit announced.

Lei unleashed a wave of energy and heat, suppressing the rhino momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, he closed the distance and struck its legs with the mace. The vibrations destabilized the beast further, forcing it to kneel.

The rhino roared again, swinging its horn in desperation. Lei ducked, rolling under the massive creature and striking its underbelly with another Molten Punch.

"Almost there," he muttered, sweat dripping down his brow.

The rhino tried to rise, but Lei didn't give it the chance. He channeled all his qi into one final attack: a combination of Molten Kick and the mace's vibrational force. The strike landed squarely on the rhino's forehead, the vibrations surging through its skull.

With a final, pained bellow, the Titanhide Rhino collapsed, its massive body shaking the ground.

Lei stood over the defeated beast, breathing heavily. Mao hopped onto his shoulder, his tail flicking with amusement. "Well, that was dramatic."

Lei smirked, wiping sweat from his face. "You're welcome."

---------------

As the rhino's qi dispersed, Lei felt a surge of energy flow into him, as he absorbed the energy from it's core. Further tempering his body and improving him cultivation. His progress toward was slow, but the sheer amount of energy in the core not only helped him break through, but it took him further into the mid qi foundation realm. He heard a crack from his body.

Scan complete. Data processed. Your body has reached Core Formation strength and defense thresholds. 'Iron Will' has been upgraded, and 'Pulsatile Qi Search' is now stealthier. New function 'Intimidate' has been acquired, it is now possible to pressure living targets with lower cultivation, debuffing their movement and attack.

"Let's harvest what we can and move on," he grinned, turning toward the beast. The road ahead was long, but Lei felt more prepared than ever.