As the wolf leaped forward, Chen Yu moved. He twisted his body, using the branches around him as leverage, and dove to the side just as the wolf's jaws snapped where he had been perched. The Universal Eyes guided his movements, allowing him to see the best routes for dodging and slipping between the trees. The world slowed as he maneuvered with a speed he didn't think he had.

Branches whipped past his face, and his feet barely touched the ground as he darted through the opening he had spotted earlier. Behind him, the wolf snarled, crashing into the tree he had just been on, but Chen Yu didn't stop. He pushed forward, weaving through the forest like a shadow, his Universal Eyes helping him avoid every obstacle in his path.

He could see every root, every rock, and every low-hanging branch in his way, sidestepping them with precision as the wolf chased after him. The beast was fast, but with the help of his heightened senses, Chen Yu was faster.

His heart pounded in his chest, each breath coming in short, sharp bursts. He could feel the wolf closing in behind him, its breath hot on his heels. But the Universal Eyes gave him just enough of an edge, allowing him to predict the wolf's movements a split second before they happened.

Just ahead, Chen Yu spotted a small rise in the terrain—a natural ledge that he could use to his advantage. He pushed himself harder, his legs burning with the effort, and leaped onto the ledge, grabbing a sturdy branch to pull himself up. The wolf lunged at him, but missed by inches, its claws scraping the rock as it snarled in frustration below.

Chen Yu didn't waste time. He scrambled to his feet, using the ledge as cover, and kept running, putting as much distance between himself and the wolf as possible.

After several minutes of sprinting through the forest, his lungs burning and his legs screaming in protest, he finally slowed down, coming to a stop behind a thick tree. His heart pounded in his ears, and he leaned against the tree, gasping for breath.

"I… I did it," he whispered, hardly believing it. His Universal Eyes flickered for a moment, the strain of using them without much Qi starting to take its toll. He deactivated the ability, his vision returning to normal as the world around him dulled once more.

Chen Yu slumped to the ground, wiping the sweat from his brow, his entire body trembling with exhaustion. "Holy crap… I'm alive. I actually pulled it off."

But most importantly, "My ass is still there."

The adrenaline that had been driving him began to wear off, and a wave of fatigue hit him like a truck. He rested his head back against the tree, closing his eyes. Every muscle in his body ached, and his breath came in shallow gasps, but he'd managed to escape without getting torn apart by the wolf.

"I just dodged a giant fucking wolf," Chen Yu muttered to himself, still trying to catch his breath. "Feels like I'm living in a video game."

He let out a shaky laugh, his body still trembling from the adrenaline. He had barely any Qi left, and the Universal Eyes had taken a toll, but he'd managed to use his wits and meager abilities to survive.

"Okay, note to self," he sighed, letting his head rest back against the tree. "Next time, maybe don't piss off a wolf when you've got the Qi reserves of a dead battery."

He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. His mind raced, replaying the scene over and over. He had survived—barely—but he knew that was just the beginning. This world was dangerous, and he was woefully underprepared. If a single lower ranked spirit wolf had nearly killed him, what chance did he stand against anything stronger?

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"I need to get stronger," he thought, climbing down from the tree as carefully as his shaking legs would allow. His body ached, and his hands throbbed from gripping the spear so tightly, but he was alive. "I can't just sit around waiting for things to happen. I've got to train. Learn how to use my eyes properly."

As his feet touched the ground, he glanced around the forest, wary of any other predators lurking in the shadows. He still had no idea where he was or what dangers lay ahead, but one thing was clear: if he didn't get stronger fast, he wouldn't last long in this world.

"One step at a time, though," he muttered, shaking his head. "First, I need to find a safe place to rest... and maybe figure out what other surprises this system has in store for me."

With a weary sigh, Chen Yu set off through the forest once again, this time with a new resolve. The path ahead wasn't going to be easy, but if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he wasn't going to give up.

*

Chen Yu continued eastward through the Hidden Jade Forest, his stomach rumbling louder with each step. He hadn't eaten since waking up in this world, and his hunger was starting to gnaw at him like an angry spirit beast. The cool breeze rustled the leaves above, and the sounds of chirping birds and distant howls filled the air.

"This world is no joke," Chen Yu muttered, pushing aside a low-hanging branch. "I'm so sick of these big ass monsters, man."

He stopped to catch his breath and looked around, trying to get a sense of his surroundings. The forest was dense and alive with the sounds of unseen creatures. If he wanted to make it to the nearest settlement without getting eaten or lost, he'd have to be smart about his approach.

"I gotta start thinking," he said to himself, thinking back to all the novels he'd read. "What would a cultivation protagonist do in this situation?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, recalling the various stories he'd devoured back on Earth. Most cultivation protagonists would start by finding a safe place to meditate, harnessing their Qi to build up strength before facing any real danger. But Chen Yu wasn't sure if he had the luxury of time. He was hungry, tired, and well, angry.

As he continued walking, his mind wandered back to a particular webnovel he'd read, "Immortal Sovereign's Path." It was a classic cultivation story with a protagonist who was always ahead of the game.

One thing that stood out was the protagonist's unique cultivation method, the Primal Heavenly Body Technique. According to the novel, this method allowed the cultivator to absorb pure, raw spiritual energy from the surroundings and turn it into five primal elements for the user to effortlessly use as they wish, and also it had a small boon of slowly but constantly absorbing spiritual energy from the surroundings even when he wasn't cultivating, and of course it was also extremely overpowered later on in the novel when the protagonist starts obtaining laws, but out of all the novels he'd read, this technique was the best in boosting your cultivation early-game.

A grin spread across Chen Yu's face. "If I could use that technique here, I'd have a head start in cultivating. Maybe I could even bypass some of the early stages and get stronger faster."

But then, reality hit him. The "Heavenly Body Technique" was a fictional method, created by an author with a vivid imagination. There was no guarantee it would work here, even if this world had similar rules. Plus, if it was a powerful technique, it probably required specific conditions, knowledge, or resources that he didn't have.

"Still," he thought, "it's worth a shot. If I can even partially mimic the method, I might be able to jumpstart my cultivation."

Chen Yu found a secluded spot beneath a large tree, its thick branches providing ample cover. He sat down cross-legged, taking a few deep breaths to calm his mind. He had to approach this logically and methodically, just like he would with a complicated problem back on Earth.

"Alright, let's see if I can remember the steps," he muttered, closing his eyes. In the novel, the protagonist had started by grounding himself, connecting his body and spirit with the earth beneath him. Chen Yu focused on this idea, trying to feel the cool, firm ground beneath him, imagining roots growing from his body into the earth, anchoring him in place.

"I hope this works."