Shadow Cultivator

A loud roar cut through the silence of the night, causing Li Yuan to freeze in place. The ground beneath his feet trembled, as if nature itself was warning him of an impending disaster. A cold mechanical voice sounded in his head:

Warning: a strong enemy has been detected nearby. Task: Survive. Find a place of safety.

"Survive?" - Li Yuan whispered, looking at the panel in front of him. His heart was pounding frantically and cold sweat ran down his back. He desperately looked around the surroundings, but all he saw was darkness and faintly flickering fireflies hanging in the air.

Suddenly the fireflies began to move, lining up in a thin, sinuous line. It was as if they were calling out to him, pointing the way. Li Yuan did not wait. He took the first step, and then ran, barely restraining the scream bursting from his chest. The trees with their twisted branches whizzed past, the shadows seemed to lengthen as they followed him.

From behind came the cracking sound of trees breaking, accompanied by an ominous growl. Li Yuan didn't turn around, but his imagination was already drawing a monstrous creature that was approaching him. At this moment, a new message flashed before his eyes:

Ability activated: Spiritual Trace.

Description: allows you to capture the spiritual energy of creatures within a radius of 50 meters.

The world around him changed. The air was filled with thin shimmering lines, each one stretching from living beings. A red line, pulsing like an artery, stretched straight toward him. It was coming from a creature that was slowly approaching. Li Yuan turned around and saw it.

It was a huge tiger with black fur crisscrossed with glowing cracks. Its eyes burned with golden light, and its claws seemed to leave flame marks on the ground. The creature moved with frightening grace, and its roar seemed to shake the air around it.

Threat level: extremely high. Fighting is impossible.

"Extremely high? Fighting is impossible!" - Li Yuan shouted out, feeling panic gripping his body. The air around him was getting hotter and hotter, as if the very presence of the tiger was burning out all living things. He turned and ran again, realizing there was no other way out. The fireflies, fortunately, kept pointing the way.

He spotted the dark silhouette of a cave ahead, half-hidden behind a rubble pile of rocks. Without hesitation, Li Yuan headed there, hoping that this hiding place would slow the monster down at least a little. After squeezing inside, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily. The air in here was warm and a little musty, but it was better than out in the open.

But his hope of safety faded quickly. The tiger, growling furiously, struck the entrance with its claws, and some of the stones collapsed inside the cave. Li Yuan felt small shards hit his back and bounced against the wall. The monster's giant paw squeezed its way inside, clawing at the rocks and scratching the floor. A fiery breath erupted from the tiger's mouth, causing the air in the cave to heat up. The stones that caught fire from the heat scattered around.

"I can't even hide here?" - his voice was full of despair. He looked around and noticed an altar at the back of the cave. Old, covered in dust, but emitting a faint golden glow. A panel flashed before his eyes:

A place of power has been discovered. Explore to develop cultivation skills.

"Cultivation?" - He repeated, feeling a mixture of fear and hope. But there was no time to ponder. There was a rumbling sound from outside as the tiger tried to break through again. Li Yuan took a deep breath and stepped towards the altar.

As he placed his hands on the surface of the altar, Li Yuan froze, feeling fear boiling in his chest. "What if it destroys me?" - flashed through his mind. But there wasn't much of a choice. Warmth immediately began to spread through his body. It was a strange, enveloping sensation, as if he were being pulled into another world. Images flashed before his eyes: stars, ancient trees, people in long robes sitting in meditation. They were not just visions - he felt as if they were part of something great, but inaccessible to his mind. Suddenly he felt a strange pain, as if the energy of the altar was reaching into the very depths of his soul. Memories he didn't know he had suddenly resurfaced. Someone was sitting in this same spot, meditating for long hours, and a voice came from the darkness as if whispering, "You must remember..."

New quest: interact with the place of power to activate the first skills.

"If I don't try this, I'll definitely die," he whispered, and gathering all his will, he let the energy of the altar penetrate deeper. He felt like he was being immersed in a torrent that was tearing his body apart and then reassembling it. It was like a torrent of boiling water, scalding him from the inside out. Every second was agony, but he felt new strength come with the suffering.

You have learned: Basic Cultivation Fundamentals.

Skill obtained: Inner Vision.

Li Yuan felt something change within him. This feeling was unlike anything he had experienced before. His body felt light and his thoughts became clear, as if a door to a new world had opened in front of him. He felt the aura of the cave, the light of the altar, and even the fiery fury of the tiger outside.

But the tranquility did not last long. The monster, growling furiously, managed to push its head inside the cave. Its burning eyes stared directly at Li Yuan, and its mouth opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. The panel flashed again:

Warning: the enemy has detected your location. Use your new skill to assess the situation.

"Assess the situation? That won't stop him!" - He shouted out, but still activated Inner Vision. The world around him changed. Now he could see not only the tiger's physical body, but also its aura, a massive, glowing flame that bound everything around it. Unlike the tiger, his own aura was tiny and barely noticeable.

However, he noticed something strange. Behind the altar, in the far corner of the cave, was a hidden door, barely visible in normal light, but standing out vividly in his new vision. "The fireflies... they've been showing me the way," he realized.

"This is my chance!" - Gathering all his strength, Li Yuan rushed towards the door. He squeezed through the narrow passage, leaving behind an enraged tiger. The beast tried to follow, but its massive body was too big for the narrow passage. The tiger continued to growl furiously, pounding its paws on the stone entrance. Its every movement shook the cave, causing small stones to fall from the ceiling. Li Yuan felt a shiver run down his back - the shelter seemed unreliable.

The passage led him to a new part of the cave, where the air was clearer and the walls were covered with ancient inscriptions. Here, in this quiet part, Li Yuan felt relatively safe, but realized that it was only a temporary shelter. He took a breath and looked at the carved symbols.

It was as if they were calling out to him. One phrase caught his attention:

"Immortality begins with sacrifice."

His heart sank when he noticed that some of the symbols seemed familiar. Fear and curiosity gripped him at the same time. He cautiously reached out and touched one of the symbols. It seemed to come alive, filling his mind with strange images and making him feel as if he was already connected to this world. One of the patterns resembled something from a distant dream: a glittering circle surrounded by graceful lines like rays of sunlight. "I've seen it before... but where?" "Why does it look like I've seen them before?" - he pondered, feeling a strange sense of deja vu. The panel activated again:

New assignment: study the ancient inscriptions to unlock their mystery.