The scroll still smelled faintly of dried blood.
Orin laid it carefully on the desk, smoothing its wrinkled surface. He had memorized every Sanskrit word, every stroke of the diagrams, and every requirement etched into its ancient fiber.
> "Three core herbs for the foundation stage: Snow Iron Leaf, Redroot Lotus, and Wind Essence Fern…"
They sounded like fantasy ingredients—but Orin had lived in two worlds. He knew better.
> "Time to dig deeper."
---
Step One: Obscure Marketplaces
He started on niche forums—places where spiritual energy enthusiasts, alternative medicine practitioners, and borderline conspiracy theorists gathered.
Most were garbage. Snake oil, fake pills, and overpriced "dragon blood sap" that turned out to be food coloring.
But one user, VeiledHerbalist77, caught his eye.
> "Looking for real chi-holding herbs? Urban fields aren't as empty as they seem. Look in decayed temples, beneath telecom towers, near unrenovated rooftops. Energy flows where belief once stood."
It was vague. But it made Orin think.
He used map overlays and plotted locations in his city with those criteria.
---
Step Two: Real-World Confirmation
For the next two weeks, he used nights to visit odd places:
The fenced edge of an abandoned temple behind a construction yard.
A small Buddhist shrine atop a department store's roof.
A neglected community garden beside a telecom relay.
He brought a fake camera and pretended to be a vlogger to avoid suspicion.
Most nights? Nothing.
But once, near the old temple, his body… tingled.
It wasn't just goosebumps—it was as if his cells briefly vibrated. His skin prickled. His breath slowed.
He bent down and dug gently into the overgrown soil.
Something shimmered beneath the roots of a twisted bush.
A pale, metallic-veined leaf. Smooth and unnaturally cool to the touch.
> "Snow Iron Leaf...?"
It matched the sketch in the scroll exactly.
He gently wrapped the Snow Iron Leaf in cloth and sealed it inside a thermos.
His first real cultivation ingredient.
> "One down. Two to go."
But the more he searched… the more he realized something.
He wasn't alone in this.
There were others. Quiet, rich, hidden—walking the line between modern and mystical.
And soon, he'd have to step out of the shadows and deal with them face-to-face.
--
Late at night, the soft glow of Orin's laptop illuminated his focused face. The city hummed quietly beyond his dorm window, unaware of the secret world he now tread.
He finally got his first ingredient Snow Iron Leaf. He wants to use it, but first, he needed the remaining ingredients:
— Redroot Lotus
— Wind Essence Fern
---
Using a layered VPN and the encrypted browser bundle he had pieced together weeks ago, Orin navigated the dark corners of the web. Hours of patience finally led him to a thread on a restricted forum:
> "HeavenMart: Your one-stop shop for rare herbs and martial reagents."
He clicked the link to open it.
The marketplace loaded.
And it was real.
Herbs. Jade scrolls. Spirit bone powder. Cultivation manuals.
Orin's heart pounded when he saw listings for both the Redroot Lotus and Wind Essence Fern—available in "limited urban grown" batches. Expensive, yes. But within reach thanks to his steady mobile game revenue.
> "Buy now."
---
Three days later, a black van pulled into the delivery lot behind his dorm.
Orin stood still in the alley's corner, activating his innate talent to render himself undetectable unless he willed it otherwise. The shadows clung to him unnaturally.
A man in a courier uniform stepped out, holding a reinforced metal case. His eyes scanned the space.
Then froze.
> "W-Who's there?"
He saw nothing. But his instincts screamed danger.
In a shaky voice, the man placed the case down and bowed slightly to the air:
> "Respected senior… Your package."
He backed away slowly, never turning his back until he got into the van and drove off.
Orin deactivated his talent and picked up the case.
> "Huh. So hiding my face really works. That guy probably thinks I'm some Grandmaster."
--
Orin sat cross-legged on the dorm room floor, wrapped in silence and darkness. His breath was calm, but his heart pounded like a war drum.
Before him lay the now-familiar Sanskrit scroll, its ancient script painstakingly translated over weeks. The section he had finally reached was titled:
> "The Path of Flesh: Skin Strengthening – Lower Stage."
This was the first realm—not fancy or flashy, but the foundation. Every cultivator started here: transforming their fragile mortal skin into a vessel that could bear Qi.
And for that, the scroll was clear:
You needed three rare herbs to catalyze the transformation. Orin had painstakingly acquired them all:
Snow Iron Leaf: to temper the skin with cold resilience.
Redroot Lotus: to infuse fiery endurance.
Wind Essence Fern: to harmonize both extremes and awaken the body's first breath of Qi.
---
Over a low flame, he ground and blended the herbs as directed. The mixture sizzled faintly and turned into a thick, dark-green paste that reeked of minerals and smoke.
Orin stripped to the waist and, taking a deep breath, smeared the warm paste across his arms, chest, and back.
Pain erupted instantly.
It was like bathing in acid and ice at the same time. His muscles locked. His jaw clenched. But he held still. The scroll had warned him:
> "Let the fire and frost merge. Only then shall the body open its first gate."
The pain subsided after several minutes—but what followed was stranger. His skin prickled. A strange numbness spread across his arms and torso. Then… warmth. Faint, rhythmic pulses beneath his skin.
His pores opened.
He could feel the Qi in the air—light as mist, drifting all around. Somehow, his body was drawing it in.
> "This… is the beginning?"
---
First Step on the Path
The Lower Stage of Skin Strengthening had begun. The herbs had opened the body's surface layers. Now he could refine himself just by meditating and absorbing ambient Qi daily.
He opened his eyes and glanced down.
His skin had a faint sheen. Not glowing, not armored—but denser. Healthier. Slightly tougher. He scratched his arm and felt the difference. His nails barely left a mark.
> "It worked."
He had taken the first step into cultivation.
From now on, progress would rely on effort, patience, and the natural Qi of the world. No more expensive herbs were strictly needed—though having them could accelerate the process.
> "Lower… Middle… Higher… Peak," he murmured. "Once I reach Peak, I'll be ready for the next stage"