After hearing everything the old skull had said, I fell into silence.
Whether I remained inside this cave or stepped outside, neither path guaranteed survival. One merely delayed death, while the other forced me to face it. In the end, both led toward the same destination. If that was truly the case... then hiding here served no purpose. I'd rather gamble for the slightest chance to live than quietly wait for death to find me.
Just as that thought settled in my mind, a familiar mechanical voice echoed within my consciousness.
Ding!
Quest Issued
First Trial of the Old Skull
Objective: Collect 50 Beast Cores from beasts of your realm or lower.
Reward: ???
Penalty: Upon failure, all gains obtained within the cave will be stripped away.
My gaze lingered on the translucent panel before me.
...It really does resemble the systems from those cultivation novels I read in my previous life.
The reward remained hidden behind question marks, yet the penalty was displayed without the slightest hesitation.
"Oi."
The sudden voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Have you started mumbling to yourself again, brat?"
I immediately raised my head.
"N-No, Senior. I accept."
A loud laugh echoed throughout the chamber.
"Hahaha! Good. Since you've accepted the trial, let me see something first."
He tilted his massive skull toward the far end of the chamber where darkness swallowed the passage.
"See that corner? Run."
I blinked in confusion.
Run?
Of all the things I expected him to say, that certainly wasn't one of them.
Before I could ask another question, his gaze settled on me once more.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
His tone instantly turned cold.
"Move."
I drew a slow breath before taking my first step.
Clack...
My claws struck the stone floor with a dull sound.
Another step followed.
Clack... Clack...
The sound echoed throughout the empty chamber as I tried to increase my speed, but every movement felt painfully stiff. My limbs refused to obey, as though they had forgotten what running even meant. Then again, after remaining motionless for ten years, perhaps that wasn't surprising.
I gritted my teeth and forced more strength into my legs.
Faster.
Faster.
At least... that was how it felt.
A faint sense of accomplishment had only just begun to rise before the entire chamber erupted with laughter.
"HAHAHA! Look at this little brat!"
"You call that running?"
His laughter showed no sign of stopping.
"With that speed, you intend to collect fifty Beast Cores? Do you think beasts will politely hand them over? No... they'll eat you first."
Another burst of laughter escaped him.
"Tell me, brat. Do you think those beasts will patiently wait until you arrive before offering you their Beast Cores?"
"They'll tear you apart first... then make a feast out of you."
The corners of my mouth twitched. Just how many times had this old skull humiliated me already?
Even my parents had never mocked me this much. Not even the supervisors back at the office had embarrassed me so thoroughly. Still... perhaps those experiences weren't completely useless. At the very least, they had thickened my skin enough to endure this.
The laughter gradually subsided before his expression turned serious.
"Enough. You're completely hopeless. I don't even think you'll survive long enough to collect a single Beast Core. That's precisely why I never placed a time limit on your trial."
His gaze remained fixed on me.
"And with the way you're leaking Beast Qi, the moment you leave this cave you'll be announcing your location to every beast on this mountain."
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"You might as well shout, 'I'm here! Come and eat me!'"
Silence filled the chamber.
He let out a slow sigh.
What exactly can I teach this brat? Everything I know belongs to beasts far beyond his level. If I teach those techniques, his body won't endure them.
His gaze lingered on me for a moment before something seemed to come to mind.
...That technique.
Yes. That should suffice.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
"I'm going to teach you something. Don't mistake this for generosity. I'm only preventing everything you've taken from this place from going to waste. If you die outside, all the Qi and resources you've consumed will have been squandered. Consider this your final chance. Prove that you're worth the investment."
My eyes lit up the moment I heard those words.
"Yes, Senior."
Without another word, the old skull opened his mouth slightly.
A thin strand of dark golden Beast Qi drifted through the air before shooting straight into my forehead.
The instant it entered my mind—
"UGHHH!!"
My vision turned white.
A splitting pain erupted inside my head as an overwhelming flood of unfamiliar memories poured into my consciousness. Countless movements, breathing methods, and Beast Qi pathways surged through my mind at once, leaving no room to think.
I collapsed onto the cold stone, clutching my head while my body convulsed uncontrollably.
"AAARGH!"
Every part of my mind felt as though it were being torn apart and stitched back together over and over again. The pain grew worse with every passing second until even screaming became difficult.
The old skull frowned as the young tortoise suddenly went limp.
"Brat?"
Receiving no response, he lowered his massive skull slightly.
"Brat."
...I can still hear your voice... you crazy old man...
What the hell did you shove into my head...?
No reply came from the young tortoise.
"...Don't tell me you've entered Qi Assimilation again."
His empty eye sockets narrowed.
"Hm... It shouldn't be this painful. It's only a foundation technique. At your cultivation, the worst you should be feeling is a slight headache while comprehending it."
He silently observed the young tortoise, his expression gradually becoming serious.
Something was wrong.
The strand of Beast Qi he had used to pass on the technique should have merged into the young tortoise's body after delivering its contents.
Instead, it continued fluctuating violently.
Its circulation became increasingly unstable, as though the Beast Qi itself were changing into something he no longer recognized.
At the same time, the familiar mechanical voice echoed within my mind.
Ding!
Unknown Beast Foundation Technique detected.
Analyzing compatibility...
Compatible techniques found.
• Stillwater Longevity Method
• Primal Core Circulation
Shared foundational principles confirmed.
The detected technique exceeds the host's current comprehension capability.
The original foundation technique will be rewritten into a cultivation method best suited for the host.
The following techniques will be consumed.
• Stillwater Longevity Method
• Primal Core Circulation
Proceed?
[Yes] [No]
My consciousness had already been swallowed by the unbearable pain, leaving me unable to answer... unable even to think.
Host unable to respond.
Default selection confirmed.
Initializing reconstruction...
The inherited technique suddenly shattered apart.
The countless Qi pathways that had just entered my mind broke into innumerable fragments before colliding with the two skills I already possessed. One governed recovery, another refined Beast Qi through the core, while the newly inherited foundation controlled the circulation of Beast Qi itself.
The boundaries between the two skills and the newly inherited technique vanished. They no longer remained separate.
Their principles collided, rejected one another, then fused together again. Time and time again, they broke apart and reformed, as though an invisible force was rewriting them from their very foundations into something entirely new.
Outside, the old skull watched in complete silence.
The Beast Qi carrying the technique he had transmitted no longer followed the structure he remembered. Its circulation, Qi pathways, and even its rhythm had begun changing into something unfamiliar.
Impossible...
This wasn't simple comprehension. No amount of talent should alter a foundation technique to such an extent.
It almost seems as though... he's forging an entirely new technique from the one I gave him.
A faint smirk appeared on his skeletal face.
Perhaps I underestimated this little brat after all.