He slowly became aware.
He was floating, suspended in a dark space. There was no light, yet he could see an object in front of him.
It was the rock.
'At long last, you have appeared.'
The voice came from everywhere, and resounded in Harry's mind.
'But you are so weak. How can you be so weak? You are so weak; the Detestable Heavens must be playing a cosmic joke.'
Harry tried to speak, but found himself unable. It felt like he was in a dream, aware, but his body wouldn't respond.
'Yet, this is your destiny, Bearer of the Condemned Physique, Bearer of the Cursed Spirit.'
Information flooded his mind. Something was being imprinted into his memories, yet when he tried to access it, only a bit was available.
Cultivate the strength to stand at the peak of Creation. One palm to flatten a mountain, one strike to carve a river. One finger to extinguish the stars, one thought to destroy the Heavens. One will to overturn…
Visions rushed through his head, too quickly for Harry to process. Thousands of them came and went, and he saw only brief glimpses before they were replaced by the next. He saw scenes of a man's life, of loss, of enemies, of fights, of betrayals… countless years of memories, condensed into a single instant, and then the visions slowed down, and he saw one clearly.
A figure stood in the void, with the starry sky for the background. Facing him was a massive army, made of millions of combatants. Groups of humans, beasts, and other odd creatures rushed through space, roaring and charging towards the shrouded figure. The view zoomed out, and kept on retreating, until the previous scene was just a tiny speck of a vast army, covering the entire cosmos, all assembled to fight against one man.
The scene changed again, but before he could see any more, the world around him turned dark.
Harry woke up to someone calling his name.
"Harry? Harry? Harry?"
Opening his eyes, he saw Slughorn peering at him.
"Oh, thank goodness, you're awake."
"What happened?"
"You touched the rock and fell unconscious. You nearly scared me to death, my boy."
Shakily, Harry got to his feet. He had seen a vision… of a battlefield set among the stars?
Then he realized there was something new in his memory. It seemed to be a cultivation technique, though he didn't know how he got it. The instructions for cultivating it were in his memory, as if they had been there all along.
"Are you alright, Harry? What happened when you touched the rock?"
"It spoke to me," Harry said slowly. "It showed me this vision of… well, I'm not sure." He trailed off as he realized the vision was too crazy. It was simply impossible.
"It spoke? And showed you a vision?"
"I don't know how to explain. But it also left me a cultivation technique."
"A cultivation technique? Which one?"
"I'm not sure. The instructions for cultivating it just appeared in my memory. I'm still trying to sort my memories out."
Slughorn and the cat gave an odd look at the rock, which had returned to its original nondescript appearance.
"The mysteries surrounding Lily grow deeper and deeper," Slughorn remarked. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Harry nodded. He felt perfectly fine, though spooked. He grabbed onto the rock again, only for nothing to happen. He tried a couple more times, but the rock remained dull and lifeless. He also tried to lift it – just as Slughorn had said, he was unable to even make it budge.
"As I said, this rock is extremely heavy. Not even I can lift it," Slughorn admitted. "When I suggested you try moving it, I was just jesting. I didn't expect you to react to it."
Shaking his head, Harry stepped away from the rock. If even Slughorn couldn't lift it, there was no way he could.
"Well, if you're feeling alright, our plans are unchanged. When you're ready, you and the cat can head into the Wyvern Woods to collect Beast Cores. Try to comprehend the cultivation technique, and let me know how it goes. I am very curious."
"I will," Harry said. Thanking Slughorn once more for all he had received in the past few days, he and the Exalted Cat exited Slughorn's home.
The two of them left Slughorn's basement and navigated around the outskirts of Ox Ford City. Seeing the ruined house behind him, Harry was again struck by a sense of curiosity, but decided to not say anything.
Instead, he thought about what the rock had imparted him.
Bearer of the Condemned Physique, Bearer of the Cursed Spirit.
The spirit – was that referring to his Magic Spirit? If so, why was it cursed? And what was a physique? He didn't feel like his body was abnormal in any way.
Then there were the words that described the cultivation technique – One palm to flatten a mountain, one strike to carve a river. One finger to extinguish the stars, one thought to destroy the Heavens…
Each sentence had been more ridiculous than the last, more domineering, more powerful. Could such power really exist? Ordinarily, he would immediately dismiss such statements… but the vision at the end, the one of trillions of trillions of soldiers fighting a galactic-scale war, had seemed so real, like Harry had been a part of that battle himself, that he had to give it a second thought.
But such a scene was obviously impossible. Not to mention the sheer number of combatants, how could humans and beasts fight among the stars? There was simply no way.
Lost in his thoughts, Harry and the cat reached the edge of the Wyvern Woods before he even realized.
"Before we begin, there are a few things we must discuss. Sit down."
Harry did so, and the cat began talking.
"In this world, what is the most important thing?"
Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again. How was he supposed to answer this question? Wasn't it too open-ended?
"Staying alive?" he finally guessed.
"Close. The most important thing is your strength. If you are strong, you can preserve your life. If you are weak, you are at the mercy of the strong. In our world of cultivation, your strength is all that matters."
"However, there are two kinds of strength – one through your cultivation, and one through your fighting ability. They are not the same. Of course, your cultivation level is very important. You are currently at the 4th level of the Body Tempering Realm – with your strength, you simply cannot defeat someone of the Qi Absorption Realm."
"But, cultivation isn't everything. It is totally possible for a 4th level cultivator to beat someone at the 5th level, or in rare cases, even the 6th level. Why? Because the weaker cultivator spent his time training on the battlefield, risking his life and learning how to fight. And the stronger cultivator spent his time nursed in the greenhouse, in a safe environment swallowing pills all day long. As a result, he has no battle experience, and his cultivation is all for show."
Harry nodded. What the cat was saying made sense to him.
"You are the latter. You've achieved your cultivation through swallowing pills, but have no fighting experience – and no, the one-sided beatings you've received don't count. What I am getting at is, do you want to grow stronger?"
The words resonated with Harry. All his life, he had been weak. In front of Dudley Dursley, he was weak. In front of Vernon Dursley, he was weak. When the Exalted Cat first met him, it had called him weak. Just earlier, even a rock had called him weak.
And they were all correct. Harry was extremely weak.
"Of course, I want to be stronger."
"Do you want the strength to protect yourself, the strength to fight against your enemies?"
"Of course," Harry repeated. Every day at Crystal Mine City was spent dreaming about beating Dudley, while cowering under the shadow of Vernon.
"Good. Slughorn and I want you to gain strength through fighting, not just by swallowing pills. If Slughorn wanted, he could get plenty of Beast Cores in mere moments. But if he did all the work, and we just fed you pills like a spoiled brat, you'd have high cultivation, but low strength. That's why we want you to collect Beast Cores yourself, so you can gain some fighting experience. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Harry nodded.
"I am setting down a rule. Unless you encounter a Magic Beast at the high-level of the Body Tempering Realm, I will not protect you. If you get injured, you must fight through it. If you cannot defeat it, you can run. But I will not protect you. I will only interfere when you are at the verge of death, so you better fight until the last breath. It is only those who continually risk their life who become strong."
"I understand," Harry replied. He knew that if someone always protected him, he'd never reach his full potential.
"Then let's go."
Though the Exalted Cat's words had roused Harry's fighting spirit, reality quickly dampened it.
Hunting Magic Beasts was easier said than done. They spent hours searching around the woods, until they finally stumbled upon a nest of a Mud Burrowing Rodent. It was only at the low-level Body Tempering Realm, and with Harry's newfound strength, he had killed it with a single strike. In the brief "battle", his life had been in no danger.
The Exalted Cat had showed Harry how to extract the Beast Core, which was located in the abdomen. It was a messy affair, but Harry had seen far more than his share of blood. In the end, he got a small brown bead, about the size of a grape.
"Do all Magic Beasts have these? What about humans?"
"Yes, all Magic Beasts do. These cores are related to how beasts cultivate. But humans don't have these cores, as human cultivation is different."
"I see. And is this enough to make a pill?"
"Boy, you are too naïve. A middle-quality pill needs a Beast Core at least at the middle-level of the Body Tempering Realm. That little rat was just at the low-level. Maybe five would be enough."
Harry's heart sank. He knew his consumption was enormous. He had needed 15 high-quality pills to enter the 4th level of the Body Tempering Realm. To enter the 5th level, a safe estimate would be 20 pills.
But those were high-quality pills, which required the Beast Core of a high-level Magic Beast. It was impossible for Harry to kill those, so he was limited to middle-level Beast Cores, and in turn, middle-quality pills. 20 high-quality pills were probably around 60 or so middle-quality pills. And if he needed five of these cores for a single pill… wouldn't he have to conduct a massacre?
"Then we need to find middle-level Magic Beasts!" Harry exclaimed.
"Finally realized? If you have the ability, then go and find them."
The rest of the day was spent wandering around the outskirts of the Wyvern Woods, aimlessly searching for Magic Beasts. At night, they found a small cave to rest in. For food, they ate wild fruits and the carcass of whatever beasts they managed to kill. The second and third days passed similarly.
After the third day, Harry obtained a grand total of six Beast Cores. Seeing his measly amount of progress, he wanted to curse. All he had found were some trivial low-level beasts, with the exception of a Spotted Deer, but it had fled before Harry could even unsheathe his sword.
However, he had made great progress in other areas. His Triple Burner Meridian achieved Perfect Opening in just three days, which shocked the Exalted Cat. He also grew accustomed to swinging the sword. Each stroke felt natural, smoother, like the sword was becoming an extension of his arm. He was eager to practice on an opponent – provided he could find one first.
Sweat dripped down Harry's back as he sat under a tree to rest. The Exalted Cat lay nearby, content to gorge itself on some berries. But Harry had no time for such leisure.
He hadn't seen a single beast all morning!
He was a fool, walking around lugging a sword, trying to hunt beasts that didn't even exist. He averaged two beast cores a day – in order to find 300, wouldn't he spend half a year in this forest?
"We need to go deeper," Harry blurted out, no longer able to contain his impatience.
The area they were in was in the outskirts of the Wyvern Woods, and was home to the weakest Magic Beasts. The deeper areas not only housed stronger Magic Beasts, but also a denser amount. His progress and battle experience would be greatly increased there. However, it was also more dangerous.
"I've been waiting to hear you say that," the cat said, jumping to its feet. "Let's go."
The two of them headed into the deeper areas of the forest. After nearly an hour of walking, and Harry was again about to curse his horrid luck, he saw a Magic Beast in front of him. A snake was lying on the ground a few meters in front of them. It was motionless, perhaps sleeping, making this a good opportunity for attack. Best of all, snakes had slow speed. If Harry couldn't defeat it, he could easily run away.
"Watch out for its tail," the cat cautioned when it saw Harry unsheathe his sword.
'Its tail?' Harry wondered. He didn't ask for details, because he knew the cat wouldn't bother to explain.
Slowly, he inched closer, then when Harry was only a few meters away, the snake shot up, and Harry realized how big it was. When the snake was lying down, it was difficult to estimate its size, as it was coiled onto itself. Now that the snake's main body and head were visible, Harry let out a gulp.
This snake was the largest he had ever seen. It was at least five feet long, and as thick as his thigh. All of a sudden, Harry realized why the cat warned him about the tail. Roughly four feet of its body was vertically erect, supported by the last foot, which must have been extraordinarily strong in order to prop up the rest of its body.
"Exalted Cat, what is the strength of this snake?"
"Middle-level Body Tempering Realm. You're on your own."
What the cat didn't say was that the snake was a Violet Metallic Serpent. These snakes were known for their tough scales, which Harry had no hope of penetrating. Yet, it wanted to see what Harry could do.
Harry leapt forward and slashed out with his sword. The other beasts Harry had killed only had some fur for protection, so his blade easily swept through them. But this snake was protected by scales as hard as rock. The moment his strike landed, Harry felt like he had smashed his sword into a wall. The snake was thrown a few feet away, but the impact nearly caused the sword to fly out of his grip.
The snake got back up, without even a scratch on its body. It hissed loudly, clearly irritated.
'Bastard human, I'll kill you!'
Harry was so surprised that he just stared at the snake, forgetting he was in the middle of a battle. As such, he didn't react in time to the snake's long tail whipping through the air and landing on his side.
A huge force smashed him into the ground. For a normal cultivator at the 4th level of the Body Tempering Realm, the snake's attack would probably have incapacitated him. But Harry was different. He had been beaten for the majority of his life, and had developed a resistance to pain. He quickly got back up, with renewed vigilance.
'Idiot human, soon you'll be my meal!'
Harry grew wary now. Everyone knew that Magic Beasts, once they reached a high enough level of cultivation, could speak. He had assumed the Exalted Cat was such a beast, but this snake was just at the Body Tempering Realm. What was happening?