*Chapter Two: The Law of the Jungle**
Rhein didn't allow himself a single moment of rest. The coldness that had settled in his veins was no longer just a mask—it had become part of his new existence. He moved among the three corpses with lethal pragmatism, his mind working swiftly to assess the situation and extract maximum benefit. *In a world ruled by self-interest, everything has a price… even the dead.*
He stripped the bodies of anything valuable: two rusted knives, a small pouch of copper coins, and a piece of dried meat from one of their satchels. It wasn't a grand haul, but it was better than nothing. More importantly, it was another lesson: *Power doesn't just grant you the right to dominate—it grants you the right to take everything.*
*"They were fools,"* he whispered to himself, testing the weight of the knife in his hand. *"They relied on their numerical advantage and ignored the fact that desperation can be a weapon."* He reflected on the fight for a moment. He hadn't won because he was stronger—he had won because he was quicker to think and more willing to die… and to kill. His current body, still in the middle of the Bone Refinement stage, had barely been able to keep up with his plan. *"Damn it, this body is too weak. Had I hesitated for even a second, I'd be the corpse now."*
He knew the scent of blood would attract spirit beasts sooner or later. He had to leave. Wiping away his traces as much as possible, he ventured deeper into the forest, distancing himself from the scene of his small crime. Every step was calculated, every glance analytical.
The forest of *Yan Tian* wasn't just trees and plants—it was a living entity that preyed on the weak. Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, their impossibly colored leaves dancing in a breeze that carried strange whispers. He could feel invisible eyes watching him from the shadows, and the Qi in the air, though pure and invigorating, carried a hidden danger. *"This world… is both my enemy and my ally,"* Rhein thought. *"It grants me power, yet seeks to devour me at every turn."*
After an hour of cautious travel, he heard the violent sounds of battle coming from a small valley ahead. He immediately dropped behind a dense thicket and crawled carefully to the edge of the ridge.
Below, a fight was raging. Five farmers, dressed in matching blue uniforms—clearly members of some sect—were surrounding a beast resembling a boar, but the size of an ox, with stone-like skin and toxic green light gleaming from its tusks.
*"Hold your ground! This beast's core will help us break through to the Muscle Refinement stage!"* shouted their leader, a young man with an air of arrogance.
Rhein watched them coldly. Their movements were sloppy, full of openings. They relied solely on brute strength. *"Amateurs,"* he thought contemptuously. *"They have power but don't know how to wield it. Had I been leading them, this beast would've been dead with half the effort and no casualties."*
One of the farmers—a boy who looked about the same age as Rhein's current body—made a fatal mistake. He charged recklessly forward, and the beast struck him down with a swift lunge of its tusks. The boy screamed in agony and died instantly.
*"Idiot!"* the leader spat in anger, though he didn't seem saddened by his comrade's death—only furious at losing a team member. *"No matter. Keep attacking!"*
This scene reinforced Rhein's conviction: *In this world, you're just a tool in the eyes of your sect—discarded the moment your usefulness ends.* The idea of building his own sect, where no one held power over him, flashed in his mind as the ultimate goal.
He waited patiently, hidden in the shadows. After a long and bloody battle, the four remaining farmers finally killed the beast. They were exhausted and wounded. As they gasped for breath, the leader began extracting a glowing spiritual core from the beast's head.
At that moment, two figures emerged from the opposite side of the valley. They were older men, dressed in black robes, and the aura radiating from them was noticeably stronger.
*"We thank you, young brothers of the Blue Cloud Sect, for your trouble in hunting this beast for us,"* one of them said with a forced smile.
The young leader's face twisted in fury and fear. *"You're from the Black Shadow Sect! This beast is ours!"*
The other man laughed. *"And who said you had the right to keep what you hunt?"* He moved like lightning. Before the exhausted farmers could react, they fell one by one, their throats slit with demonic precision.
Rhein watched it all without blinking. *Theft, betrayal, murder… these are the true laws here.* He had seen the weak crushed, and the stronger among them crushed by those even stronger.
*"So this is the game,"* he whispered to himself as the darkness in his eyes deepened. *"It's not just about climbing in power—it's an endless food chain."*
He waited until the two Black Shadow Sect men had left with the spiritual core. Then, he slipped into the valley. He wasn't interested in the corpses—only in the boy who had died first. He had noticed something everyone else had overlooked in the heat of battle. The boy's hand was still tightly clutching a small plant with shimmering silver leaves, torn from a crevice in the rock in his final moments.
Rhein approached, ensuring the area was clear. He pried open the dead boy's fingers and took the plant. He wasn't an expert in spiritual herbs, but he could feel an intense, concentrated Qi emanating from it.
*"You died for nothing, boy,"* Rhein said to the plant, not the corpse. *"But your death won't be entirely in vain."*
He found a small, hidden cave behind a nearby waterfall—the perfect place to hide. Sitting in the darkness, the silver plant in his hands, he knew what he had to do. He would use this herb's energy to push his body to its absolute limit.
"The peak of the Bone Refinement stage,"
he said steadily. "I'm coming."