THE BLACK CULTIVATOR

THE VOID REALM

Three days had passed inside the Void Mountain. Outside, barely four hours had gone by.

Chris stirred in the darkness, a low groan escaping his lips.

"Ahhhh! Fuck!"

His eyes fluttered open, stinging from the dust. "God, wetin I go do myself?"

He couldn’t smell anything except his own blood — metallic, thick, and nauseating. Grunting, he planted both palms on the cold stone floor and tried to push himself up.

His arms buckled halfway. His face slammed into the ground first, then his chest. Spit flew from his mouth as dust shot up his nose.

"Ah-shu!"

He sneezed violently, then rolled onto his back with a pained hiss. "Ohhhh! I don die!"

Lying there, he stared at the strange, vein-like patterns glowing faintly across the tunnel ceiling.

[Host Body Status: Still Healing]

[Host Has Been Unconscious For Three Days]

"System… I missed you, sha," Chris muttered. "But you dey fuck up oh. That guy beat me like small pikin. You no fit drop something wey go help me overpower am?"

[I Wasn't Designed To Do That, Host]

[Host Must Earn Everything Through His Own Achievements]

Chris let out a weak laugh. "Man must earn everything through blood and sweat, no be lie."

"That resembles a tree vine." His vision studied the upper ceiling of the tunnel. The walls pulsed with a light that made his skin crawl — unlike the sterile glow of his old lab’s monitors, this energy felt alive… and hungry.

"Once I’m healed and able to walk again, I will dominate this place and get stronger," he whispered, his vision fading.

[25x Recovery Maxed Out… Bone Knitting At Accelerated Rate. Internal Bleeding Repaired.]

[Absorbing Dense Qi Energy To Stabilize Host And Restore Blood Volume To 40%.]

[Host Has Entered Temporary Sleep State.]

[Time Of Consciousness: Unknown.]

Outside the mountain, the rain had finally stopped.

Elder Sung stood before the ancient barrier, hands clasped behind his back. The translucent wall shimmered with lethal power.

*Just like the old stories,* he thought. *Only an immortal cultivator can pass through. Anyone weaker gets vaporized.*

"Master," a weak voice called.

Lira limped into view, her once-pristine robe torn and filthy. She dropped to one knee, clutching her broken ribs.

Sung didn’t turn. "You’re awake. Good. You’re still alive… and wounded."

Lira lowered her head, voice trembling. "Forgive me, Master. I have brought shame to your name."

"You were never his match," Sung said coldly. "Next time you see that boy, do not attack recklessly. Retreat and call for help. Do you understand?"

"Yes—"

The ground cracked. Sung’s aura slammed down on her like a mountain. Lira’s second knee hit the dirt. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she collapsed onto all fours.

"Master… please!" Tears cut clean lines through the dirt on her face.

Nearby disciples froze. Some dropped to their knees. Others trembled where they stood.

Lira’s body sank deeper into the soil as the sickening sound of cracking bones filled the air.

"Master…" she whispered, vision fading.

"Elder Sung!"

Hu descended from the sky with Elder Mia right behind him.

"Take her out of my sight," Sung commanded, voice flat.

The disciples rushed forward and carried the broken girl away.

"Brutal as always," Mia said with a faint smile.

"She needed the lesson," Sung replied. "What of the reinforcements?"

"They arrive in two days. Senior Yang is leading them. We’ve been ordered to wait," Hu said carefully.

Sung’s jaw tightened. Without another word, he shot into the sky like a comet and vanished.

Mia glanced at Hu. "Do they still hate each other that much?"

"More than before," Hu answered. "They haven’t spoken since the sect’s decade blood competition."

Mia sighed and turned back toward the barrier. "Let’s hope everything goes smoothly."

"That boy is probably already dead," she added with a cold smile. "The Void crushes anyone with a weak heart and weak mind."

"If he isn’t," Hu said, voice low and murderous, "I will kill him myself."

He disappeared in a flash.

Four days later, Chris’s eyes snapped open.

"Ahhh… my body dey pain me like mad!" Chris groaned through gritted teeth, bones popping as he sat up.

"Void Storage!" He summoned, voice barely a whisper.

A colorless cube appeared. He stretched his hand inside and pulled out a few fruits and leftover wolf meat porridge.

"Ham." He devoured two fruits at once, washing them down with gulps of the meat porridge, juice running down his chin.

"Haaaa." He drank a full jug of water, then tore a tiny piece of robe from his waist and wiped his mouth.

"Body no be firewood oh!" He shouted, pushing himself up to his feet.

Using the wall for support, he limped forward until the narrow tunnel opened into a vast, endless space. Floating castles and entire cities drifted lazily through the air.

[Host Have Entered Into The Void Realm]

[Notice: At Current Level Host Cannot Clear The Realm]

"Guy, leave your quest first. Make I observe this Void Realm," Chris said as he jumped onto a floating rock.

"Woah! Castles dey float through the air. Some look like cities, others smaller," Chris exclaimed, a smile lighting up his face.

For hours he climbed floating stairways and entered empty stone houses until he found a pool radiating thick, pure Qi.

"For this whole place, no animals, no humans, no gods, no demons, nothing. This place na ghost town," he said, removing his half-burnt robe.

He stepped into the pool. It felt like swimming in a warm hot bathtub. His meridians pulsed calmly as Qi flowed through.

[Host Body Status: Healing Complete]

[Dense Qi Essence Is Being Absorbed Automatically]

[Foundation Building Realm — Early Stage → Mid Stage Successful]

[All Stats Increased x10]

[+1 Grade 4 Brown Robe]

"If I stay in this realm long enough, I fit achieve Golden Core," Chris smirked.

[Warning: The Lion Clan Expedition Team Will Arrive In 2 Months, 4 Weeks]

"No wam," he said, stepping out of the pool. His toned body glowed with power under the strange light. He caught his reflection in a nearby mirror-like surface. "I look badass. Wait… I always have white hair like this?"

Hours passed as he continued moving from one floating city to another.

He finally arrived at a large crimson field where every blade of grass was blood red.

"What is this—"

The field shook. The realm shook. Even outside the mountain shook.

A massive hall emerged from the field — a giant temple floating on its own land. Tall black pillars with eagle heads carved on them, snake-like designs on the big doors, and a stairway that looked like it wasn’t there but was. Ancient writing glowed on the walls.

"Damnnn!" Chris took a step forward.

"Bam." He grunted. The ground cracked under his feet. Each step toward the stairway felt like an adult whale tied to his back.

Sweat poured from his brow with every grueling step. He clenched his fists and marched ahead.

Minutes later, he arrived at the stairway. With every step, the pressure multiplied.

By the fifth step, he dropped to one knee.

[Host Body Status: Multiple Cracked Bones]

[25x Recovery Engaged]

[Vast Qi Essence Flooding Into Host's Body]

[Foundation Building Realm Mid Stage: 20% >>>> 40%]

"Ahhhhh!" He roared, rising back up and taking the next step.

The Naija youth finally made it to the giant doors after the twentieth step.

He collapsed to the ground, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Omo, everything for this world na do or die?"

[Foundation Building Realm Mid Stage: 80%]

[Host Body Status: All Damages Healed]

"Void Stor—."

"Welcome, Challenger." A deep voice thundered through the entire realm. There was no body — just a voice.

"This is the first trial hall of the Void. Only those with courage and strength may enter.

Rules are simple:

Fight alone. No help from treasures or outside power.

Defeat all guardians within the time zone of one hour.

If you fail, you die.

If you win, you gain entry into the next city where you will search for the second trial hall.

At Trial Five, you will be granted the opportunity to leave the Void and given a Token of Return.

Do you accept, Challenger?"

Chris exhaled, eyes studying the rules board floating near the big doors.

"I accept," he said, pushing himself up.

The big doors opened with a groan. He stepped inside.

The hall was wide like a football field. He walked around, observing the large pillars and floating golden flames. The door that had opened was now gone. There was no other escape point.

The ground shook. Five circular lights appeared on the floor as soon as he reached the center of the hall.

Five Foundation Building beasts appeared from the light.

[Void Trial Has Begun]

[Daily Quest Activated]

[Daily Quest: Kill All Five Foundation Building Beasts]

[Rewards: +10 Healing Pills, +1000 System Points, +1 Advanced Body Refinement Scroll]