At twenty-eight years old, Airan realized a sobering milestone: twelve full years had passed since he first opened his eyes in this brutal cultivation world.
A full decade and two years of grinding, patience, and meticulous choices had brought him to this exact moment.
A whole year had flown by since he first set up his modest wine-distillation cycle.
That steady trade had changed everything.
Now sitting firmly as a Level 4 Qi cultivator, Airan had finally packed up his sparse belongings and left the rough-and-tumble slums of Zone D behind, moving his operation into the safer, more stable confines of Zone C.
In the hierarchical layout of the outer rings, the inner zones commanded a much higher price for safety and security.
Airan now paid a steep 5-spirit-stone monthly rent for his new dwelling, and his dietary expenses had scaled up as well—he was spending 5 spirit stones per half-kilogram for high-grade spiritual rice to sustain his body’s elevated Qi demands.
His companion had grown alongside him. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
The puppy was now two years old.
Thanks to a lifetime diet rich in spiritual rice, the hound was noticeably larger and more muscular than any average mortal street dog, carrying a sleek, dense coat and a quiet, alert intelligence in its eyes.
Sitting by his wooden table in the Zone C dwelling, Airan looked down at the massive dog resting by his boots and fell deep into thought.
It was time to take the next step for his closest companion: awakening the hound into a true spirit beast. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
In this world, a clear dividing line separated beasts.
Demonic beasts possessed immense cultivation power and ferocious strength, but fundamentally retained ordinary mortal animal instincts and blind rage.
Spirit beasts, on the other hand, combined cultivation power with near-human intelligence, strategy, and loyalty.
Airan began reviewing what rare resources, pills, or medicinal catalysts he would need to spark that intelligence and guide his companion across the threshold.
Author’s Note: Thanks for reading Chapter 10!
Airan’s journey from a penniless herb collector to a spirit distiller starts here.