Chapter 14: Tempest in the Dim Cave

Inside the dim cave, I slumped against the rough wall, my body trembling as I tried to catch my breath. The relentless wind-bladed rabbits had finally been driven off, but not without leaving their mark. I pulled out my first aid supplies and started bandaging the small injuries I had sustained, the tension in my muscles slowly easing. I used the Stellar Body Forging Technique and some red orbs to recover quickly.

But then, without warning, the silence was shattered.

KRRRRAAAAKKKK!

The screech was a sudden, blinding assault on my senses. It was a shriek so piercing and shrill that it felt like it was clawing at my eardrums. I clamped my hands over my ears, trying to block out the sound, but it was no use.

The screech was unrelenting, a jagged, frantic KREEEEEEE! that seemed to rip through the very fabric of the night.

As the sound roared on, heavy, oppressive qi energy began pouring from the depths of the cave. It was thick and suffocating, pressing down on me with a force that made it hard to breathe. It grew stronger by the second, as if whatever it was had just been born.

I recognized the energy was similar to the wind energy I had been passively using, but this was on a whole different level. My blood ran cold as I realized what this meant. This was the essence of a powerful entity, something far beyond my current understanding.

My eyes darted around the cave, trying to find the source of this malignant presence. The shadows seemed to dance and twist unnaturally as the screech continued, and the air grew colder, more hostile. It felt like the cave itself was alive with the energy, warping and shifting in unsettling ways.

My instincts signaled danger from the entrance. I turned my head in a fast motion...

Then, I saw it...

A towering wind blade emerged from the sky, heading straight for the cave entrance, cloaked in swirling winds. It was the Wind Overlord, a creature that looked like it was made of pure, churning air currents. Its form shifted and flowed like a storm caught in a tempest, constantly changing as if it were part of the wind itself.

Its eyes glowed with an eerie, unnatural light, and the pressure it radiated nearly brought me to my knees. The Wind Overlord seemed to gather the surrounding wind energy into a vortex of razor-sharp blades, each one crackling with deadly intent. I could feel the sheer power of its presence, and it was overwhelming.

Crash!

The thick blade sliced the entrance right open, leaving me exposed to the imposing creature.

Desperation clawed at me as I stumbled backward, my limbs feeling like lead. I knew I had to escape, but my training had taught me that using my storage-created vortex to leave the dimension was a risky maneuver, especially when I was in such a state. Still, it was my only chance.

The Wind Overlord let out a terrifying roar, a mix of the screeches I had heard and the violent wind swirling around it. The sound was deafening, and the wind blades it conjured sliced through the air, their edges glinting with deadly precision. I could feel the pressure of the attack bearing down on me, and I knew I had to move quickly.

"Storage!"

With every ounce of strength I had left, I staggered toward the familiar vortex. The swirling energy was barely visible through the chaos surrounding me, but I threw myself into it, feeling its powerful grip envelop me.

The world around me exploded into a whirl of colors and sensations. The Wind Overlord's roar faded into the distance, replaced by a disorienting rush of energy. I felt a sharp, splitting pain that made me gasp, but before I could fully process it, I was yanked out of the dimension.

When I tumbled into the familiar surroundings of my room, I collapsed onto the floor, my body trembling uncontrollably. The screeching of the Wind Overlord and the weight of its energy still echoed in my mind, a chilling reminder of how close I had come to being torn apart.

I reached for my back, hoping not to find new injuries. Desperate for some comfort and guidance on the injuries, I called out to the Impartial Goddess.

After the harrowing encounter, I needed to make sure I didn't have any hidden injuries. Only after getting the ok from the Impartial Goddess that there were no hidden injuries, could I breathe a sigh of relief.

As I sat there, catching my breath and trying to steady my racing heart, the gravity of the situation hit me hard. The Wind Overlord wasn't just another beast it was a formidable force, and I would need more than just skill to face it again.

I knew that I had to prepare myself better, train harder, and understand the energies and entities within this dimension. This battle was far from over, and the Wind Overlord was only the beginning of the challenges that awaited me.

But as I lay there, exhausted and bruised, I also felt a renewed sense of determination. After some comfort from the Impartial Goddess, I made my way over to my meditation mat. My cultivation from the last couple of days was rewarding, bringing me near the 8th stage of the Martial Student realm.

And I felt that after I calmed down, it was the right time for a breakthrough. That sense of danger had helped me in the last few days to rise quickly. As I knelt down, I whispered, "Storage," and took out seven more orbs. After focusing, I absorbed the first... it transformed into a caramel-like stream heading to my black hole as I used the Stellar Body Forging Technique.

The technique, with the help of the thick qi energy and a couple more red orbs, soothed my wounds and steadily lit up the final star from the second internal vortex.

Crack!... Crack!... Explosion!

At that, the qi energy contained in my body exploded forth, flowing into my surroundings. That incredibly dense energy that exploded forth brought about another transformation. The breakthrough to the 8th stage of the Martial Student realm opened up an incredibly exciting feeling. It was my cells that brought that excitement. They were shouting in excitement, crazily absorbing the qi energy dumped into the surroundings.

Mmm... Mmm... Mmm...

My cells were resonating with each other, steadily transforming into small red dwarfs storing even more qi in my body. So that's what the cultivation manual of the Stellar Body Forging Technique truly is for. It makes someone carry the energy of hundreds of millions or billions of stars.

Becoming truly invincible, unreachable.

I took the first step, creating the red dwarfs with their destined reddish color, even if they are not on the sun level I can still upgrade them in the future. The energy they brought was truly enormous, making my capacity triple the normal 8th-stage Martial Student.

This huge amount of energy will help me immensely when I step into the Martial Adept realm, where Martial Artists can use Qi with their innate attributes. Like Fire Qi, Wind Qi, Thunder Qi, etc. 

As I was immersed in the comfortable aftermath of the breakthrough and the cell transformation, I suddenly noticed my storage showing me the Stellar Body Forging Technique's picture with a new "!".

I reached to take the book out and flipped through the old pages I already knew, seeing if there was something new. And something new I found. The last time, I was blocked from turning past the introductory pages, but now I could read further. It felt like the book judged me as worthy to read ahead now. The new pages started with the title: "Cosmic Transforming Technique."

This technique sounded formidable, almost like it was straight out of a cultivation novel.

The first chapter was called Burning Sun Fist. It described a particular way of using your fist to bring about the flames of the True Sun without turning to ashes and multiplying the attack power.

As I tried to turn past the Burning Sun technique, I felt a new restraint that made me unable to turn the pages further.

"Seems like I need to become stronger, or maybe there is some other way I could break that barrier down," I said, wishing to uncover more mysteries. I put the book back in storage because I was not in the condition to practice a new technique due to my injuries.

I spent the next two hours recovering from my injuries and appreciating the excellent recovery speed. At close to 1 am, I finally fully recovered.

Feeling a wave of exhaustion hit me, I made my way into the bathroom and had a refreshing shower, cleaning the sweat and blood from my body.

As exhaustion had accumulated to a level where I could sleep standing, I made my way to bed and ended my day feeling accomplished.