My Path To The Supreme Peak

Chapter 3: His First Step To The Supreme Peak

[Reconstruction begins.]

"AHHH!" Shen Yuan's scream echoed through the ancient chamber as a force unlike anything he had ever experienced surged through his meridians.

He dropped to his knees, clutching his chest as blue light spread beneath his skin. It felt as though invisible hands were tearing apart his meridians before stitching them back together.

His bones trembled. Blood trickled from his nose.

Yet beneath the agony, he felt something he hadn't experienced in three years.

Spiritual energy. It was flowing through his body.

Not the weak, obstructed trickle he had struggled to gather every day, but a powerful current that rushed through his meridians like a river breaking through a dam.

Shen Yuan gritted his teeth.

If this was the price of recovering his cultivation, he would endure it.

After what felt like an eternity, the blue light faded.

[Reconstruction complete.]

[Meridian obstruction removed.]

[Cultivation foundation restored.]

Shen Yuan collapsed onto his hands, breathing heavily.

He immediately examined his body.

The familiar heaviness that had plagued him for three years was gone. Spiritual energy responded to his thoughts, flowing through his meridians without resistance.

He sat cross-legged and attempted to circulate his cultivation technique.

A moment later, a faint golden glow surrounded his body.

The first layer of Body Tempering!

His eyes widened.

The energy continued gathering.

His muscles tightened, his bones vibrated, and his senses sharpened.

Second layer!

The breakthrough stopped only after he reached the third layer of Body Tempering.

Shen Yuan stared at his hands.

Three years. He had spent three miserable years fighting to advance even a fraction, only to achieve three breakthroughs within a few breaths.

A bitter laugh escaped him.

If the clan elders knew, they would probably choke on their tea.

Then the system appeared again.

[Supreme Path System]

Host: Shen Yuan

Cultivation: Body Tempering, Third Layer

Available function: Insight

Function description: Analyze cultivation techniques, identify weaknesses, and reveal potential methods of improvement.

Current objective: Defeat a stronger opponent through strategy.

Reward: Beginner's Gift.

Shen Yuan's excitement immediately cooled.

"Defeat a stronger opponent? What kind of ridiculous objective is that?"

The system remained silent.

He stared at the screen before sighing.

Fine. At least it hadn't demanded that he defeat some terrifying monster immediately.

He picked up his blade and examined the chamber.

Now that his senses had sharpened, he noticed faint symbols carved into the platform where the crystal had rested.

He approached and placed his palm against them.

A stream of information entered his mind.

[Ancient cultivation imprint detected.]

[Incomplete technique recorded: Shadowstep.]

Shen Yuan's breathing quickened.

A movement technique!

He had seen disciples from powerful families use similar techniques to dodge attacks with astonishing speed. Even a basic version would significantly improve his chances against stronger opponents.

He activated Insight.

A faint glow passed across the symbols.

[Shadowstep: Incomplete.]

[Primary flaw: Excessive spiritual energy consumption.]

[Recommended correction: Redirect spiritual energy through the lower meridians before initiating movement.]

Shen Yuan memorized the instructions.

He would practice later. First, he needed to leave the chamber before the Blackfang Wolf decided to dig through the rocks.

As if summoned by the thought, a furious growl echoed from the passage above.

The wolf was still there.

Shen Yuan's expression turned serious.

Before the reconstruction, encountering that beast had meant certain death. Even now, despite reaching the third layer, he couldn't afford to underestimate it.

He retrieved his fallen blade from the passage and studied the narrow opening.

The creature's head appeared.

Its red eyes fixed on him.

"You're persistent," Shen Yuan muttered.

The wolf squeezed through the opening, scraping its body against the stone.

Shen Yuan retreated toward the chamber's central platform.

The beast lunged.

He activated Shadowstep.

His body shifted sideways in a sudden burst, allowing the wolf's claws to miss him by inches.

The movement drained more energy than he expected, but it worked.

Shen Yuan's eyes brightened.

The wolf struck the stone platform, momentarily losing its balance.

He rushed forward and slashed at its exposed foreleg.

His blade cut through the fur, drawing blood.

The beast roared and spun around.

Shen Yuan barely dodged its snapping jaws. "Damn it!"

He couldn't keep exchanging blows. The wolf's body was naturally tougher, and a single clean hit could still cripple him.

He glanced at the chamber's walls.

Then he noticed the broken pillar behind the beast.

An idea formed.

Shen Yuan deliberately retreated toward the pillar, allowing the wolf to chase him.

The creature charged.

At the last moment, he slipped aside.

The wolf crashed into the damaged pillar.

The stone cracked. The pillar collapsed across its hind legs, pinning the beast long enough for Shen Yuan to thrust his blade toward the vulnerable area beneath its jaw.

The wolf struggled violently.

Then it went still.

Shen Yuan staggered backward, his chest heaving.

He had won. Not through overwhelming strength, but by observing his enemy, using the environment, and taking advantage of a single opening.

A notification appeared.

[Objective completed.]

[Beginner's Gift acquired.]

A small storage pouch materialized on the platform.

Inside were five low-grade spirit stones and a dark medicinal pill.

Shen Yuan nearly laughed.

Five spirit stones!

That was more than his remaining savings, and he hadn't needed to beg the clan for a single one.

He collected the wolf's beast core, stored his rewards, and headed toward the passage.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the ancient chamber.

What exactly had he awakened?

And why had such a mysterious system chosen him?

He had no answers. But he had something far more valuable than answers.

An opportunity. Shen Yuan stepped into the passage, his grip tightening around his blade.

Tomorrow, he would return to the Shen Clan.

And this time, he wouldn't return empty-handed.