The forest was eerily quiet in dark night, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the faint, ominous hissing that seemed to come from every direction. The youth stood in the middle of a small clearing, his bare chest glistening with a thin layer of sweat despite the biting cold.

His pants were torn at the knees, and his hair was a mess, sticking out in every direction like he'd just rolled out of mud. But his eyes were exceptionally sharp and focused, darted around the clearing, taking in the dozens of green, venomous snakes that surrounded him.

"Duh, to think it'll be this many!" he muttered under his breath. The snakes, unimpressed, coiled tighter, their emerald scales glinting in the moonlight. Their forked tongues flicked in and out, and their beady eyes locked onto him with a mix of hatred and malice.

Mo Yichen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright, alright. Stop it already, It's disgusting!" The snakes hissed louder, their bodies swaying menacingly.

One particularly bold serpent lunged forward, its fangs bared. Mo Yichen yelped, jumping back with surprising agility for someone who looked like he hadn't slept in days.

He instantly reached into his crimson spatial ring, pulling out a handful of small, pointed pebbles. They looked unassuming at first but then with a flick of his wrist, he poured a stream of mana into one of the pebbles.

It glowed faintly, humming with energy. Mo Yichen tilted his body, his movements fluid and precise, and hurled the pebble at a 45-degree angle. The pebble shot through the air like a bullet, its speed catching the lead snake completely off guard.

Before the serpent could even think about dodging, the pebble struck it with a sickening squelch, piercing straight through its body and emerging on the other side, covered in blood.

The snake let out an ear-piercing hiss, its body writhing violently before it finally went still, its tail giving one last, pathetic twitch. The other snakes froze, their hisses turning from aggressive to… well, terrified.

They backed away, their slithering movements suddenly a lot less confident. Mo Yichen smiles, brushing imaginary dust off his hands. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyone else want to try their luck?"

He turned his attention to a small, cyan-glowing herb nestled at the base of a gnarled tree. Its leaves shimmered with an otherworldly light, and the air around it seemed to hum with energy. Mo Yichen's eyes lit up.

"Finally, I found it!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with relief and triumph. He crouched down beside the herb, pulling out a small, pointy shovel from his spatial rift. "Don't worry, little guy," he said to the herb as if it could hear him. "You're coming with me. I promise I'll take good care of you." his lips curled up as he started digging.

As he began to dig, the snakes watched from a safe distance, their hisses now tinged with what could only be described as pure, unadulterated hatred. How dare this scruffy human steal our treasure! One particularly dramatic snake even reared up, shaking its head as if to say, This is an outrage!

Mo Yichen glanced up, catching the snakes' glares. "What?" he said, shrugging. "If you didn't want me to take it, maybe you should've been stronger. Just saying."

The snakes hissed again, but it was a defeated sound, like they knew they'd been outsmarted. Mo Yichen ignored them, humming a small tune as he carefully extracted the herb from the soil.

The cyan glow bathed his face, making him look almost ethereal, well that is, if you ignored the fact that he was half-naked, covered in dirt, and had a shovel in one hand.

As he stood up, holding the herb triumphantly, the snakes watched in silent misery. Their treasure, the thing they'd guarded their whole lives, was now in the hands of this… this slimy little boy! One snake let out a particularly mournful hiss as if to say, We've failed our great ancestors.

Mo Yichen glanced at them one last time, a grin spreading across his face. With that, he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the forest, the cyan glow of the herb fading into the distance.

The snakes remained in the clearing, their hisses now a mix of anger and resignation. If snakes could cry, they probably would have!

Mo Yichen stepped into the dimension, feet sinking slightly into the damp soil as he made his way through the overgrown weeds.

It had been a week now. A long, exhausting week of sprinting through forests, fighting bloodthirsty beasts, and—his personal favorite—getting nearly bitten to death by venomous snakes for rare herbs.

Despite the absurd amount of near-death experiences, his efforts had paid off handsomely.

Tucked safely within his spacial ring were herbs that would make even the most experienced alchemists weep tears of joy. Most of them were incredibly hard to find, either due to their excruciatingly specific growing conditions or the fact that they were guarded by territorial, flesh-ripping spirit beasts.

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Like the Luminous Azurebane Herb, he just got.

Mo Yichen glanced at the delicate bluish-green stalk resting in his palm and let out a small laugh. What a little troublemaker.

This mid-grade herb was famous for curing any type of venom, which made it ridiculously valuable—but also ridiculously hard to obtain. Not because it was rare (though it was), but because it had a nasty habit of growing in the middle of viper-infested areas.

And not just any vipers—poison-spewing, overly aggressive vipers.

He had barely managed to get this herb before an entire nest of venomous snakes decided he looked like lunch. Fortunately, he had been practicing the Soulforge Art this past week and had gained a certain proficiency in weaponizing pebbles.

Yes. Pebbles.

He, a former master alchemist, had resorted to using pebbles at enemies like some crazed beggar defending his last piece of bread.

The thought was both humiliating and oddly practical considering his poor circumstances at the moment.

Back in his old life, everything had been different. He had resources, influence, and students scrambling to fetch whatever he wanted—herbs, materials, rare ingredients. One word from him, and a fully stocked laboratory would appear before he could even lift a finger.

But now?

Now he had to physically go out and risk his life just to pluck a single plant from the dirt.

Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

Shaking his head, Mo Yichen focused on the task at hand.

He bent down, fingers brushing against the weeds as he started yanking them out with newfound speed. After a week of breaking through his stage to two stars now, his strength and speed had increased significantly. In the beginning, clearing even a small area of weeds would take hours of frustrating labor.

Now? Now works like he had been possessed my a farmer demon.

Within an hour, he had cleared out a solid 30-meter patch of land, leaving behind rich, dark soil, pulsing with spiritual energy.

Straightening up, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, then stretched his sore muscles with a satisfied sigh. Hard work will pay off!

This was a major achievement.

He reached into his storage ring and pulled out a shovel—a simple tool, he made using rock and wood.

Carefully, he dug small, even holes into the soil, making sure to space them out properly. Alchemy was all about precision, after all—whether it was in the lab or out in the field.

Once he was satisfied, he pulled out six different mid-grade herbs, each one still in its immature stage.

He smiled faintly. Perfect.

Immature herbs had the unique advantage of shedding their seeds before they fully matured, meaning that if he planted them now, he would soon have a self-sustaining garden of rare, high-grade herbs.

With steady, slender, and pale hands, he carefully placed each herb into its respective hole, covering the roots with soil and patting it down lightly. His fingers worked quickly, and in no time, all six herbs were nestled securely in the freshly prepared ground.

Stepping back, he admired his work.

"Not bad," he muttered to himself. His face, covered in sweat and dirt.

If anyone from his old world saw him now, they'd probably choke on their own spit. Mo Yichen, the renowned alchemy genius, was reduced to a secluded tribal.

He dusted off his hands, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment. This is going to be his garden, his own goldmine!

Mo Yichen turned around, missing the faint shimmer of blooming seeds drifting from the freshly planted herbs.

With a self-satisfied sigh, he stepped out of the dimension, feeling the solid ground beneath his feet once more.

And that's when he heard it.

A long, low howl echoed through the trees, sending a chill creeping up his spine.

His eyes narrowed instantly, sharp as daggers as he turned toward the sound. Wolves.

Carefully, he moved without a sound, slipping through the foliage like a shadow. Hidden behind a dense, dry bush, he peered through the gaps—and what he saw made his brows furrow in confusion.

A pack of six large wolves surrounded a haphazard pile of dry branches and bushes, their gray fur bristling, their eyes glinting with hunger and... hesitation?

They were watching the pile of trash like a treasure.

But there was something off.

The wolves weren't lunging, not yet. They were cautious. Their bodies were taut, muscles coiled as if ready to attack, but at the same time… they weren't pouncing.

Mo Yichen frowned. He had seen plenty of spirit beasts in the past week, and normally, they have the patience of a starving man in front of a feast.

So why were these wolves acting like they were hesitating?

His first thought? A herb.

Rare herbs often grew in dangerous areas, and sometimes, they exuded an aura that deterred even ferocious beasts. But Mo Yichen had never heard of one that hid under a random pile of dead twigs.

His curiosity flared.

He reached into his spacial ring, fingers brushing over the smooth pebbles he had prepared. With a flicker of mana, he poured his spiritual energy into one, the small stone humming faintly in his grip.

Eyes locked onto the wolf closest to the pile, Mo Yichen flicked the pebble with precision. It cut through the air like an arrow, slicing toward the beast's exposed flank.

At the very last second, the wolf twisted, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. The pebble skimmed past its neck, leaving a thin gash.

A thin line of crimson bloomed across its fur.

The wolf let out a sharp growl, snapping its head toward the direction of the attack. Its glowing eyes locked directly onto Mo Yichen's hiding spot.

Ahh Shit! Mo Yichen cursed under his breath, fingers tightening around another pebble.

Too late. The wolves were already on high alert. Their ears twitched, their growls deepened, and their gazes darkened.

The moment his fingers twitched, preparing to launch the next pebble, the wolves moved.

The closest one lunged forward, but Mo Yichen was bit faster. Thank heavens!

With a sharp breath, he flicked the second pebble with more force. Mana surged through it, increasing its speed until it became nothing more than a faint blur.

This time, the wolf wasn't lucky.

The pebble punched clean through its neck, exiting out the other side dripping in dark, warm blood.

The wolf let out a piercing, agonized howl, staggering backward as blood gushed from the open wound.

He didn't die. But the blow was fatal. For a brief moment, Mo Yichen felt the rush of victory—

Until he felt six pairs of glowing yellow eyes burning into him.

A beat of silence.

Then pure, unfiltered rage. The wolves snarled, teeth bared, muscles tensed, and this time, there was no hesitation.

Mo Yichen cursed again. Loudly.

The lead wolf threw back its head, howling so loudly that Mo Yichen swore he felt the vibrations in his chest. The other wolves spread out, surrounding him.

Well now.. this was going to be a problem.. Mo Yichen thought taking a deep breath and rolling his shoulders.

"Alright then," he said, cracking his knuckles. "There is no going back now.." He poured more mana into the stones, preparing for the next wave.

The wolves tensed, then charged.