The first thing Rick felt was weightlessness. His body floated in a vast space where there was no up or down, no air, no ground, only endless blue darkness filled with drifting lights like distant stars. His chest rose and fell slowly, as if even breathing had become a strange discovery.He opened his eyes fully, and his breath caught.All around him, constellations stretched like glowing webs across the void. Some pulsed softly like beating hearts. Others flickered like lanterns in deep water. Thin lines of silver light connected every star, forming shapes that looked painfully familiar. Meridians. Channels. Pathways of Qi.Rick whispered, “What, what is this place?”The blue darkness trembled, and the System's voice echoed from every direction like a whisper carried by wind.[Welcome to the Inner Cosmos.]Rick turned his head slowly. “Inner Cosmos? This is inside me?”[This is the reflection of your pulse within the System realm.]Rick felt his pulse throb faintly, and in the dist

Rick did not know how long he had been trapped inside the Pulse Forge. Time had become a strange river here, flowing in circles instead of forward. Every moment felt stretched, pulled, twisted like threads of fabric. His heartbeat echoed around him, deep and heavy, like distant thunder trapped in a cavern.He stood in the middle of the vast glowing furnace, breathing hard. Sweat ran down his face. His hands shook with exhaustion. The golden heart floated before him, beating with slow and steady light. Every pulse carried a soft vibration that rippled through the entire realm.Rick reached toward it again. His fingertips brushed the beating organ.The world flashed white, and a shock of heat rushed through his veins. He gritted his teeth and steadied his breathing.“I can do this,” he whispered. “I have to do this.”The shadow of the Heavenly Physician appeared behind him, floating silently with its blurred face and ancient robes. It watched like a teacher observing a struggling stud

The morning sun was soft, almost shy, as it rose over the ruined village. Light spilled through the broken roofs, touching the damp soil where roots curled around rotting wood. The air smelled of smoke, herbs, and the fading trace of corruption. Birds did not sing here. Even the wind moved slowly, as if afraid to disturb anything.Luna woke up with a sharp inhale. Her eyes flickered open, glowing faintly like pale embers. She lay on a bed Rick had built from vines woven tightly together and covered with soft cloth. Her chest rose and fell, but each breath looked painful. Sweat rolled down her forehead and her teeth clenched as she tried to shift her body.Rick was already sitting beside her. He kept his eyes on her face. His posture was slightly hunched, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion. He looked smaller than usual, like a man who had not slept for days. His right hand was wrapped in dark cloth to hide the infected marks, but Luna noticed the slight tremble he tried to hide.“

Rick woke before the sun rose. The forest was still dark and heavy with mist, and the cold morning air clung to his skin like a thin sheet of ice. He sat on the edge of the ruined wooden bed, breathing slowly, staring at the black ring on his right wrist.It pulsed softly, steady and calm, almost like a second heartbeat pressed beneath the skin.He whispered to himself, “It is stronger than yesterday.”His real pulse beat softly in his chest. But beneath that familiar rhythm, he felt another one, deeper and slower, like a hidden drum echoing from a world far away. It unnerved him. It fascinated him. It frightened him. He placed two fingers on his wrist and closed his eyes. “Beat, beat, breath, slow, steady.” he whispered as he counted.But the moment he focused, he felt it. The mortal pulse. And the second pulse. Two rhythms. Two currents. Two lives.They were not fighting each other. But they were not exactly in harmony either. It was like listening to two different songs playing a

The Wilderness Gate opened with a long, ancient groan, as if the mountain itself were waking after a thousand years of sleep. Dust drifted into the cold air in soft clouds, and a deep echo rolled through the darkness that lay beyond the entrance. Rick stood trembling at the threshold, his breath heavy, his body still bruised from the Guardian’s blows. Luna held onto his arm tightly, her eyes wide as she stared into the hollow cave.“Rick,” she whispered softly, “I know you want to go in, but are you sure your body can handle this? You look like you can barely stand.”Rick took a slow breath and tried to steady himself. “I have to go. If we stop here, everything we faced up to now means nothing. The Guardian would not have bowed if the path ahead was not meant for us.”Luna frowned and leaned closer. “That does not make it safer.”Rick gave her a small, tired smile. “Healing has never been safe, Luna.”Her throat tightened, and she said nothing. Together, they stepped past the giant