Under the watchful gaze of dozens of gathering onlookers, the hooded figure of Kyril watched as the burning mansion came crashing down.

“Hey, look Kyril survived…”

“Yeah… but do you think he’d survive for long? He’s got no parents or home left… Ay! Such a pitiful state for a child…”

Whispers among the onlookers travelled like the wind as each of them discussed the future of Kyril. How could a mere ten year old boy face the challenged life had to bring?

However, while to others Kyril may seem like an inexperienced child being released from home, a sheep thrown into a den of tigers, this was just what they thought. With Kyril retaining his past life’s memories, it did not matter if he was ten years old or a thousand, he was sure to survive!

“Haa...” letting out a deep breath, Kyril walked away with his disappearing back to the onlookers…

This world contained many mysteries as numerous as the clouds in the sky. In fact, for each cloud, there are at least ten more treasures to find, ten more ancient techniques to discover, and ten more secrets to unravel. Such was the size of the Hundred Sky World.

And within the Hundred Sky World, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of different continents containing countries existed either as a large body of land held up by the sea or on some floating island which drifted throughout the sky. On each continent, Practitioners who trained in the Magical Arts capable of defying the natural laws of the world covered the lands.

Right now, in a building infested with books located in the High Moon City, Kyril sat with several open books around him. Having just been reborn into a world Kyril knew nothing about, Kyril needed to find out more about it, exploring the world was secondary.

After all, to live in ignorance would simply be walking towards one's death!

Kyril succumbed himself into deep thought with his eyes glued onto the book. “It seems like this Hundred Sky World is far more advanced than the world of my previous life. Moreover, from all the books I've read, it looks like everyone in the world can cultivate! ...Ay! Truly lucky. If only that were the case in my previous life…”

In Kyril's previous life, only a handful of mortals had bodies that were blessed with the ability to cultivate. Even after reading book after book, learning technique after technique, no matter how much Kyril tried to cultivate, he could not do so. But now he was reborn into a world where cultivation had no restrictions.

In this world, his mortality no longer tied him down. With time, his dream would no longer just be a dream, but a reality!

“But this Magical Arts… it requires the use of Magical Devices and its foundations are quite lacking. The books here say that Magical Arts is a way of training the mind and body, however that is not all. Cultivation is the way of strengthening the mind, body, and spirit! A Practitioner can still be formidable without a strong mind or body, but without a strong spirit, one's path of cultivation will be affected!”

Strengthening the mind meant superior essence attacks while, strengthening the body meant superior physical attacks. However, strengthening the spirit meant superior will. Without the will to practice Martial Arts, you would always be at the bottom stuck at a bottleneck.

With the memories of his previous life, even though Kyril could not cultivate, just from the knowledge he had gained from reading, Kyril could see the flaws in Magical Arts.

“The form of cultivation in this world may be through the Magical Arts, but it is no good. If I want to reach my goal, I first need a good foundation.”

Grumble...

As the sun set and the sky turned shades of red, Kyril was awoken from many hours of reading by hunger.

“I should go look for food…”

Closing up the books and returning them to the shelves, Kyril walked back into the streets of High Moon City.

Buildings built upon wood and stone lined the streets which extended into the horizon, while beasts reaching as tall as an adult ridden by men and women trotted along.

Aside from beasts, there were carriages that moved without anything pulling it, and by the side, street vendors who, with the simple flick of their hand, sent various goods flying into the air, as if it grew invisible wings.

Kyril watched in admiration at the new scenes in front of him as he neared the southern gates of High Moon City. These gates stood at the height of a two story house and were mounted by walls equally tall which surrounded High Moon City.

“Hold!”

A guard at the side of the gate held their palm out at Kyril.

“State your purpose!”

“I am going to the Grassy Mountains,” Kyril replied.

“Grassy Mountains?” The guard frowned. A ten year old kid wants to go into the Grassy Mountains?

“Kid, the Grassy Mountains isn't a place for children to play in. Go back home and play there!”

Home… Kyril’s face twitched. “I thank you for the warning, but I am not going to play.”

Not going to play? The guard paused for a while and stared at Kyril before letting out a sigh. “Kid, you should be ten right? Although you can start cultivating now, you shouldn't be too reckless. If you want to go into the Grassy Mountains, fine, but if your life is in danger you must immediately come back!”

“I know, thank you for for the guidance!” With a light bow, Kyril walked through the gates.

Upon entering the Grassy Mountains, Kyril recalled pieces of information he read from the library. The Grassy Mountains is a large plain that separated the High Moon City from other neighbouring cities and is covered in trees reaching tens of metres tall, and wide stretches of green grass filled with herbs, rocks, and other forms of features belonging to nature. Within the Grassy Mountains, countless Magical Beasts roamed the forests in search for prey. But, although some of these Magical Beasts were dangerous, they existed in the deeper areas. Within the outskirts, the Grassy Mountains were relatively safe.

“Only beasts as high as the late stage of the Body Refining Realm should be here. Beasts of that strength are capable of uprooting trees, but they can’t use any Magical Techniques so defeating them shouldn't be too hard… But even though I'm at the early stage of the Body Refining Realm, since I haven't familiarised myself with this body I shouldn't yet fight head on…”

Ever since coming into this world, Kyril did not have time to look at his body. If he were to fight against a Magical Beast in such a state, it would be like asking to have his bones broken.

Understanding this, Kyril headed straight for the forests with his eyes sweeping around as if scanning every single leaf on the tree. At every tenth breath, Kyril etched a mark on the tree trunk with a sharp stone.

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Under the shadows of the trees and around the dimly lit shrubbery, Kyril watched his every step.

Rustle...

Kyril heard the sound of a nearby bush moving.

“Guaa…” At the sound of light growling a four legged animal emerged from the bush.

Kyril froze as his eyes locked onto the four legged animal that was half the height of an adult.

“...It’s a Spike Tailed Wolf.”

Fur as black as the night and eyes as red as blood. The Spike Tailed Wolf could incite fear into any Magical Beast that looked at it.

Remembering back to a book of Magical Beasts he read in the library, the Spike Tailed Wolf was a Magical Beast of the early stages of the Body Refining Realm. It had spikes as long as fingers and as sharp as needles covering it's tail which gave it the ability crush trees.

Gripping the stone in his hand, Kyril's mind raced. Blood pumped through his veins causing small worm like veins crawling under his skin.

“Hou!”

The Spike Tailed Wolf roared and sent leaves twirling into the air as its red eyes directed endless amounts of bloodlust at Kyril.

“Hm!”

Kyril jumped back and a space of fifteen metres separated the two. One one side, an aura filled with instinctive killing intent surged forth while on the other side, a calmness like still water.

“The weak points of Spike Tailed Wolves are at the eyes and neck. If I can strike those two areas I've won. But if I'm hit even once by that tail, then I'll be ripped into shreds…”

In a flash, several plans to fight the Spike Tailed Wolf went through Kyril's mind.

Picking up a small stone from the ground, Kyril threw it at the Spike Tailed Wolf's head and turned around running.

“Let's try this,” Kyril grinned.

Pack!

The stone lodged itself into the centre of the Spike Tailed Wolf's head.

“Hou!” The Spike Tailed Wolf roared in pain.

This human thinks it can throw a stone at me and then run away!

Bending its legs, the Spike Tailed Wolf bore fangs as sharp as knives.

Pa!

With a snap the Spike Tailed Wolf straightened it's legs, shooting its body out like an arrow. Each spike on its tail sent screeching whistles as it sliced through the air.

Ten… five… four… three…

Pa!

This time the Spike Tailed Wolf jumped into the air.

“Hou!”

Widening it's mouth, globules of saliva spued out of its mouth while greediness and hunger filled it's eyes.

Die human!

“Heh, gotcha~”

A grin surfaced on Kyril's mouth as he too jumped with his hands grabbing a branch as thick as three fingers.

Whish!

Letting go, the branch came swinging from the side right into the Spike Tailed Wolf’s head.

Peng!

“Hauu!” A shrill cry escaped the Spike Tailed Wolf's mouth as it flew through the air and smashed its side onto another tree followed by the sound of its neck breaking.

“Did that do it?”

Kyril watched as the Spike Tailed Wolf fell down to the ground with his hands tightening around the stone.

Seconds passed and then minutes, yet the Spike Tailed Wolf no longer moved. Seeing this, Kyril sighed. Even if the trap did not manage to kill the Spike Tailed Wolf, it would still have been injured so finishing it off would not prove to be difficult. But if the branch had missed it, then his body would have already been riddled with holes.

“I should hurry up and take this Spike Tailed Wolf away from here otherwise the scent of blood or the sound of the fight may attract other Magical Beasts.”

Using the sharp stone, Kyril drained the blood of the Spike Tailed Wolf and tied it up to a stick with some vines before carrying it away on his back.

* * *

Venturing a little deeper into the Grassy Mountains, Kyril searched for a place to start a fire. He needed a place that was not easy to get in, but easy to get out.

After around an hour of going through the forests and plains, he found a place. A cave big enough to fit the height of two adults located three or four metres above ground.

“This should work,” Kyril said and gathered some sticks and stones.

“Only about a third of it would be enough for me. I'll sell the rest tomorrow at the market,” Kyril planned his future actions as he started the fire.

Aside from food, he needed money. Of course, with his past experiences, surviving in the wild without money would be no problem, but if he wanted to achieve his goal, to reach for the stars, then money was necessary to obtain resources.

“Guwaaa!”

A sudden roar pierced the sky. Above the trees, a fiery glow lit up the darkening sky while slowly approaching him…

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