The lingering warmth of Qi still pulsed through his veins. His body, once ordinary, now felt different… alive. Stronger. As if he had just taken his first real breath in this new world. The Supreme Dao System had bound itself to him, offering a path forward—cultivation, power, and survival.
But he was still alone.
The towering trees around him swayed gently, whispering secrets in a language he couldn't understand. The distant river shimmered under the sunlight, its crystal-clear waters untouched. It was peaceful. Too peaceful.
But that peace didn't last long.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps shattered the silence. Before he could turn around, he felt a strange energy approaching rapidly. There was no time to think before someone emerged from between the trees.
It was a girl.
With sharp features and wide eyes, she stared at him in clear shock, as if she had seen a ghost. Her clothes were slightly torn, as if she had been running from something, but what stood out the most was her expression—she was utterly bewildered by his presence, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Impossible…!" she whispered under her breath, her gaze locked onto him.
He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her reaction. Before he could speak, she took a step back, her eyes still filled with disbelief.
"How… how are you here?!" she asked, her voice unsteady.
"What do you mean?" he asked calmly, trying to make sense of the situation.
She examined him closely, scanning him from head to toe before suddenly freezing. Her expression shifted from shock to utter disbelief.
"Your clothes… your skin… No, this can't be! No one has lived here for years!"
A cold chill ran down his spine. "What do you mean by 'no one'?"
"This land is abandoned… No one lives here. Even the strongest clans don't dare to approach this place. But you…!" She paused, then added in a low voice, "You don't look like you're from this world."
He fell silent for a moment, trying to process her words. She wasn't entirely wrong—he himself didn't even know how he ended up here. But hearing it from someone else made him realize just how strange his presence in this place truly was.
Before he could think further, a notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Ding! A high-energy entity has been detected near the host.]
He looked at her again, now even more curious about who she was and why his presence here seemed impossible to her.
"You… who are you?" he finally asked.
She stared at him for another moment before whispering, "The real question is… who are you?"