Chapter 158 — New Found Strength

Victor awoke several days later.

The first thing he felt was pain.

An aggressive headache pulsed through his skull, each throb making it difficult to think clearly. His vision was blurry when he opened his eyes.

He blinked.

Slowly, the world came into focus.

Victor looked down at his body.

He was still injured.

His skin had mostly healed, but several darkened patches remained where the tribulation lightning had burned him. His muscles ached, and his entire body felt exhausted.

Still…

He estimated he was around sixty-five to seventy percent recovered.

Considering what he had just survived, that was incredible.

Victor slowly sat up.

One thought immediately came to mind.

My Core.

The last time he had used the Black Phoenix Form, it had nearly destroyed his Core.

He couldn't afford for that to happen again.

Victor quickly crossed his legs and focused inward.

His consciousness entered his Inner World.

His Spiritual Core was there.

It was rotating normally.

A swirling vortex of energy continuously circulated within his Inner World, drawing in Spiritual Energy and sending it through his meridians.

Victor stared at it for several seconds.

Nothing appeared to be wrong.

He let out a long breath.

"Thank God."

His Spiritual Core had survived.

Victor then turned his attention toward his Black Phoenix Flame.

It was smaller than before.

The flame flickered quietly beside his Spiritual Core, its black flames considerably weaker than normal.

It simply needed time.

A few more days of cultivation should be enough for it to return to normal.

Victor couldn't help but smile.

I'm fine.

That realization brought an enormous amount of relief.

The Black Phoenix Form hadn't destroyed his Core this time.

In fact, Victor suspected he could probably use it again.

The problem was…

He didn't know how to activate it.

The transformation seemed to be reactive rather than something he could consciously trigger.

The first time, it had activated when he was pushed to the edge of death.

The second time, it had happened under the same circumstances.

That wasn't exactly reliable.

I need to figure out how to activate it myself.

Victor made a mental note.

That would definitely be something to ask Jack about.

He couldn't keep relying on the transformation to activate only when he was seconds away from dying.

Victor withdrew from his Inner World.

He looked around.

Lyra was sleeping nearby.

She was lying peacefully on the ground, her black hair resting around her face.

Victor smiled.

For a long time, he had traveled alone.

He hadn't realized how accustomed he had become to the loneliness until recently.

Having someone else around…

It was nice.

Victor quietly appreciated her presence for a moment.

Then he stood.

It was time to understand his new cultivation.

He moved his arms.

Then his legs.

He slowly walked around.

His body felt different.

Stronger.

Much stronger.

But the strength didn't feel natural yet.

It reminded Victor of what it would be like for an ordinary person to suddenly gain superhuman strength.

If he wasn't careful, he could accidentally hurt someone.

His body had entered an entirely new realm, and his mind hadn't fully caught up with it yet.

He needed to learn his limits.

Victor threw a few light punches into the air.

Then he shifted his weight and practiced a few basic movements.

He could feel the difference.

Everything was faster.

Stronger.

More responsive.

As Victor continued moving, his footsteps and movements eventually created enough noise to disturb Lyra.

Her eyes slowly opened.

"Victor!"

The word came out with a hint of excitement.

Lyra immediately realized she had spoken louder than intended.

Her expression quickly settled.

"You're okay."

Victor smiled.

"Yeah."

He stretched his shoulders.

"Everything seems to be okay now."

Lyra stared at him.

"There's nothing wrong with your cultivation?"

"No, no."

Victor shook his head.

"I already checked everything. I should be back in top condition within a few days."

Lyra smiled.

"That's good."

Victor paused.

There was something different about her smile.

It was genuine.

Almost innocent.

A small expression of happiness that she didn't bother hiding.

Victor couldn't help but smile back.

Victor eventually looked toward the entrance of the cultivation chamber.

He had learned something important recently.

Staying in one place wasn't going to help him grow forever.

He had already spent enough time here.

There were too many questions waiting for him.

And the mysterious locations marked on the map.

The deeper forest contained answers.

Victor knew it.

And now…

He was strong enough to survive there.

Victor reached into his storage ring.

The map appeared in his hand.

Lyra immediately recognized it.

She walked over.

"Where are we going?"

Victor unfolded the map.

"I think it's about time we enter the deeper forest."

Lyra looked down.

Victor pointed toward one of the symbols.

"This."

The symbol looked somewhat like a watchtower.

"It's the next location on the map."

He studied the markings.

"Probably two or three days from here."

Then Victor noticed something else.

Their route would take them near the area where he had encountered the blue mushrooms.

And potentially…

The panther.

Victor's mouth slowly curved upward.

A vindictive smile appeared on his face.

Lyra glanced at him.

She stared for a moment.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Victor's smile disappeared immediately.

"No reason."

Lyra gave him a suspicious look.

Victor returned his attention to the map.

"This is where we're going."

He pointed toward the symbol again.

He folded the map.

"I think we should leave as soon as possible."

Lyra nodded.

"Okay. Let's do it."

She had been sitting around for long enough.

Between cultivating and spending time in the Library with Jack, she was beginning to feel cramped.

A walk through the forest sounded good.

Victor smiled.

Then he remembered something.

"Gregol."

The air beside him distorted.

Gregol appeared.

"Yes, chosen one?"

Victor still wasn't completely accustomed to that.

"I'm planning to enter the deeper forest."

He held up the map.

"I want to investigate this location."

Gregol's expression changed slightly.

"Get your things ready. We're leaving tonight."

Gregol hesitated.

Victor noticed immediately.

"What?"

The older man looked uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, chosen one."

He paused.

"But according to the Guardian Spirit's rules, we aren't allowed to enter the deeper forest."

Victor looked at him.

Gregol continued.

"The tribe cannot enter."

Victor understood.

He didn't argue.

"Okay."

He folded the map.

"Then we'll have to go without you."

Gregol already knew he wouldn't be able to convince Victor to stay.

He nodded.

"Please be safe, chosen one."

Victor smiled.

"Don't worry, Gregol. I'll be fine."

He looked toward the deeper forest.

"If anything dangerous appears, I'll retreat."

Gregol nodded.

"Good."

Then, as usual, he disappeared.

Victor also spoke with Monklalusa.

The ancient monkey didn't have much information about the location marked on the map.

He simply told Victor to be careful.

The deeper forest was different from the areas around the Lava Rock Monkey Clan.

There were creatures there that Victor couldn't afford to underestimate.

As evening approached, Victor finished preparing his belongings.

The village gradually became quieter.

Victor stood near the edge of the village with Lyra beside him.

The deeper forest waited ahead.

He looked toward Lyra.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Ready."

Victor smiled.

There were still countless mysteries waiting for them.