After ten relentless days of arduous travel and harsh training, Arthur and Grandmaster Kim finally stood at the threshold of the Ironspike Gale Wolf's domain. Before them rose a vast mountain range—jagged peaks towering like ancient titans, their summits veiled beneath swirling mists. The howling wind carried an eerie resonance, whispering through the crags like the lingering voices of long-forgotten beasts.
The **Ironwood Cliffs** dominated the horizon, stretching over 5,000 meters into the heavens. Their towering slopes were clothed in dense forests, gnarled roots gripping the slate-gray rock like ancient claws. Thick veils of mist drifted between the trees, obscuring the landscape and reducing visibility to mere meters ahead. Every rustling leaf and distant roar hinted at the countless creatures lurking unseen beyond the fog, watching, waiting.
The atmosphere was dense—alive with tension. The entire mountain felt like a living creature, its pulse beating beneath their feet.
But these ten days had not been merely a journey to reach this place. No, for Arthur, they had been a crucible. A trial by fire.
Under Grandmaster Kim's unforgiving guidance, Arthur had been pushed to the brink of his physical and mental limits. Day after day, he had run through tangled forests and rocky paths until his legs trembled and gave way. Night after night, he hunted low-ranked beasts, honing his reflexes and instincts through real battle. He practiced his soul breathing technique relentlessly—whether walking, sprinting, climbing, or even while barely awake—until it became as natural as breathing itself.
Through this merciless regimen, Arthur had finally broken through the Organ Sub-Stage of the Body Tempering Realm, the final realm of the Body Tempering stage. His muscles had thickened, his bones hardened, and now even his internal organs coursed with refined energy. His stamina, strength, and combat intuition had soared far beyond the boy who had started this journey ten days ago.
But now came the true test.
Arthur squinted through the mist, adjusting his vision to the pale, shrouded world ahead. "Grandpa, is this the Ironspike Gale Wolf's mountain?" he asked, awe lingering in his voice.
Grandmaster Kim's eyes, sharp and discerning, scanned the looming cliffs. His expression remained calm, almost casual, as he nodded. "I believe so."
His tone might have been light, but his words carried weight. "This place is thick with spiritual beasts. Cultivators who walk the martial path rarely venture here—it's the soul path seekers who tread these lands, hunting for soul beasts and the rings they leave behind."
Suddenly, his expression sharpened. His pupils turned a faint gold as he swept his senses across the wilderness. The aura he detected deep within the forest and atop the distant cliffs was vast, oppressive even.
"And we'll need to tread carefully." His voice dropped, low and grim. "There's something powerful dwelling deeper in the forest... and another, stronger still, at the peak of the mountain. Far beyond your level for now."
Arthur's excitement flickered briefly into unease, but it only fueled his determination. He nodded resolutely. "Understood, Grandpa. Let's go find the Ironspike Gale Wolf."
Grandmaster Kim gave him a rare, approving smile. "Good. Let's move."
But hunting a spirit beast wasn't as simple as finding one and striking it down. No, the task was far more delicate.
They needed to find an Ironspike Gale Wolf of sufficient maturity—one whose soul ring would be worth claiming, but whose power Arthur could endure during the absorption process. Too young, and the soul ring's power would be insignificant. Too old, and the ring's energy could overwhelm Arthur's body and soul, risking injury or death during fusion. And beyond that, they had to subdue the beast without causing unnecessary damage to its soul—damage that would corrupt the soul ring's quality.
It was a delicate balance, and without Grandmaster Kim's experience, Arthur might have spent months wandering these mountains, or worse—fallen prey to the very beasts he sought to hunt.
But even with a master by his side, the danger was real. Spirit beasts, especially ones as cunning as the Ironspike Gale Wolves, were not mere animals. They were predators—vicious, territorial, and frighteningly intelligent. Finding the right wolf, defeating it cleanly, and safely absorbing its power—it would be no easy feat.
Arthur clenched his fists, his heart hammering in his chest.
This was it. His first hunt. The first step to carve his name into this world.
Grandmaster Kim glanced at him one last time. "Stay sharp. This mountain eats the careless."
Arthur nodded firmly, his grip tightening on the strap of his bag as they crossed the invisible threshold into the ancient forest.
The air changed immediately.
As Arthur stepped into the dense wilderness, his senses were hit by a surreal shift—the air was thick, humming, almost alive. His breath slowed unconsciously, as if his body instinctively adapted to the weight of the environment. But it wasn't just the silence or the eerie stillness of the towering trees that made the forest feel strange. It was the fog—not natural fog, but one saturated with soul force, so rich and dense that it had taken on physical form, draping the woods in an ethereal silver mist.
Arthur extended his hand. Tiny flecks of light—like translucent dust—floated in the air and clung softly to his fingers. A faint tingle ran up his arm.
"Grandpa," he whispered, his voice almost reverent, "the soul force in this place… it's insanely dense. It's not like anything I've ever felt before."
Grandmaster Kim hummed in acknowledgment. "That fog isn't just mist. It's pure, unrefined soul energy, condensed by the forest over decades. This entire mountain is a living reservoir. Beasts that live here grow faster and stronger than anywhere else in the kingdom."
Arthur's eyes gleamed with realization. "If we find the spirit beast early… can I stay here to train? Just for a bit?"
His voice carried a note of quiet hope. He wasn't being greedy—he understood this opportunity was rare. An environment like this could accelerate his soul path cultivation in ways most dreamers could only imagine.
Grandmaster Kim looked at him, pausing mid-step. His gaze was calm, thoughtful.
"If we find your soul ring soon," he said finally, "you may use the time to train here. But be warned—staying longer than needed in a spirit beast's domain comes with its own risks."
Arthur nodded quickly, a flicker of determination in his expression. "I understand."
And with that, they moved deeper into the forest.
The world beyond became darker, quieter. The massive trees stretched impossibly high, their trunks like ancient stone pillars, their canopies forming an interwoven roof that filtered the sunlight into fragments. It felt like walking through a cathedral built by nature, and the air was filled with an almost holy reverence.
As they walked, soft rustles and distant calls echoed through the trees. Then, as they turned a bend beside a crystalline stream, Arthur froze.
A group of spirit beasts stood ahead.
Elegant, silvery-furred creatures with luminous horns and gentle, glowing eyes grazed near the water's edge. They looked almost ethereal, their coats shimmering faintly under the misty light—white-rank spirit beasts, shaped like deer but exuding a quiet, magical aura.
"Wow…" Arthur whispered, eyes wide with wonder. "So… soul beasts really look like this?"
He crouched behind a thick bush, watching with barely contained excitement. The spirit deer moved gracefully, munching on spirit grass and sipping from the stream. They gave off no hostility, only an ancient gentleness, as if they were spirits of the forest themselves.
Grandmaster Kim said nothing. He stood a few paces behind Arthur, letting the boy soak in the sight. He knew this moment was important—it was Arthur's first true encounter with spirit beasts in their natural environment. Not in books. Not in lectures. But real.
And the forest continued to reveal its wonders.
They passed white-rank monkey-like beasts swinging between vines, their eyes gleaming with playful intelligence. A doe-shaped creature with translucent fur leapt across a shallow pond, its hooves never once touching the water. They saw massive moose-like beasts with crystalline antlers, rabbits with glowing blue stripes, eight-legged spiders camouflaged as tree bark, and even sheep-like creatures whose wool shimmered like silk threads woven from moonlight.
Arthur found himself whispering names in his mind—deer… monkeys… spiders… rabbits… sheep… Though the creatures had their own names in this world, many bore close resemblance to animals from Earth. It gave him a strange sense of comfort… and of disorientation.
But as the day wore on and the sun began to sink behind the mountains, casting long shadows through the forest, the tension slowly crept back into Arthur's chest.
They had seen dozens of spirit beasts.
But not one Ironspike Gale Wolf.
Not even a white-rank cub. Let alone a matured, purple-rank one.
Arthur tightened his jaw, glancing at the sky now tinged with orange hues. The wind whispered louder through the trees, and shadows danced strangely beneath the roots.
"Grandpa," he said at last, breaking the silence, "why haven't we seen even a trace of them?"
Grandmaster Kim frowned slightly, glancing around as if feeling the same unease. "Wolves are territorial and cunning. If they've sensed us, they're already watching. Or they've pulled deeper into the cliffs."
Arthur glanced up the ridge of the mountain ahead—mist still clinging to its jagged slope like a shroud. The true hunt hadn't even begun yet.
And the mountain…
wasn't going to make it easy.
.
..
...