By a stony creek in a quiet valley, a young man in black knelt over a Beetle. It had a metallic sheen to its dark shell, an ugly cross between an armored crab and a powerful Heavenly Horned Beetle.
With a dagger in his other hand, he swiftly severed its still-struggling claws. The joints split open, revealing white, tender meat.
Without hesitation, the young man raised a severed claw to his lips. He sucked the meat from the shell as one would a crab leg, swallowing the soft flesh along with the tougher bits.
"Black Beetle killed. No Spirit Core gained. Eat the flesh of the black Beetle to gain zero to ten Lingyuan Points randomly."
"Black Beetle flesh eaten. Zero Lingyuan Points gained."
A disembodied voice echoed in Gu Chen’s mind as the familiar data materialized with it.
Gu Chen: Not evolved.
Life span: 200 years.
Required for evolution: 100 Lingyuan Points.
Genyuan Points gained: 79.
Spirit Cores gained: none.
Gu Chen’s face tightened with frustration. Zero Lingyuan Points. From more than thirty black beetles in a row. He must have eaten so much black-beetle flesh that his body could no longer evolve from it. Zero Points! When will I ever finish the first evolution and gain status?
More than a century ago, humanity’s technological ascent peaked with the mastery of space teleportation. But the first transit was a shock. It sent them neither to the past nor the future, not even to another planet. At the other end of the channel lay a completely different world.
It was a world beyond their wildest imaginings, and in it, all their technology was useless. A machine gun was less effective than a simple steel knife. Missiles and nuclear warheads were nothing more than inert metal; no machine, no electronic device would function.
Horrifying creatures of every description roamed this new land. Humanity, once the apex predator of its own world by virtue of its intellect and tools, was suddenly at the bottom of the food chain.
But a startling discovery offered hope. When they managed to kill some of the world’s weaker creatures and consume their flesh, their bodies began to change, evolving at a rapid, inexplicable rate.
To their astonishment and joy, they also found that with every evolution, their lifespans increased. For all of humankind, this was the most incredible news of all.
Over the next hundred years, more and more people entered this world, which they named "Spirit Crucible." They gradually learned its rules, hunted its fauna, and felt their own bodies transform. The higher their level of evolution, the longer they lived. In theory, if one could continue to evolve, one might even achieve immortality.
In Spirit Crucible, technology was dead. Only the most primitive skills—the art of the fight—could ensure survival. Ancient martial arts, long dismissed as relics in the modern era, proved to be unexpectedly powerful here.
Every forgotten style of combat was rediscovered and refined. After more than a century of development, entirely new schools of martial arts were formed, their influence spreading far and wide.
But beyond martial arts, Spirit Crucible offered another path to power: the Spirit Core.
Upon killing a creature, one had a chance of obtaining its Spirit Core. These Cores manifested in countless forms. Some could be summoned to fight alongside their master, while others took the shape of armor or a weapon.
Some Spirit Cores could even grant a human the ability to transform, taking on the form of a terrifying monster, a magnificent bird soaring through the heavens, or an insect burrowing deep underground.
Martial arts and Spirit Cores, however, had nothing to do with Gu Chen.
Just as in the old world, the greatest power was held in the hands of a select few.
Gu Chen had completed his integrated compulsory education and entered Spirit Crucible on his sixteenth birthday. All his schooling had taught him were the most basic of the new martial arts—the same entry-level techniques known by everyone.
As for Spirit Cores, their prices were so astronomical that Gu Chen couldn't afford even the most common one.
Without powerful martial arts, a Spirit Core, or even a decent weapon forged from modern alloys, Gu Chen could only hunt the weakest low-level creatures for their flesh. His time in Spirit Crucible had been a desperate struggle.
But the more he ate, the less his body responded. He had reached a point of diminishing returns. After three months in Spirit Crucible, he still hadn't managed to complete his first physical evolution.
He had tried hunting more powerful creatures. Once. The attempt on even the weakest of them, a primitive Bronze-Fang Beast, had nearly cost him his life. He’d been forced to recuperate for almost a month before he could return.
By now, he had consumed every type of common creature in the area. Their flesh no longer did him any good. If he didn't risk hunting something stronger, he would be stuck here forever.
Steeling himself for another attempt on a Bronze-Fang Beast, Gu Chen’s eyes caught a flicker of movement in the creek. Something was climbing out from the ripples.
At first he thought it was just another black Beetle, but something was wrong. All the beetles here had black shells; this one glinted with a brilliant, unmistakable gold.
Gu Chen watched, transfixed, as the creature emerged from the water. It was a black Beetle in shape, but that was where the similarities ended. Its body, the size of a basketball, was a lustrous gold, as if sculpted from the metal itself. Its eyes were like flawless, crystalline gems. If not for its slow, deliberate movements, one might mistake it for an inanimate treasure.
What is this thing? Gu Chen wondered, his gaze locked on the golden Beetle.
He had killed countless black beetles over the past few weeks and knew their habits well. Their eyesight was poor, but their hearing was incredibly sharp. As long as he didn't move, he could remain unnoticed, even at this close range.
Gu Chen remained perfectly still, watching the bizarre creature. To his surprise, it began to crawl directly toward him.
The moment the golden Beetle was within reach, Gu Chen struck. One hand slammed down on its golden shell, pinning it to the ground. With his other, he drove his dagger into the fragile leg joints. In a blur of motion, six swift, practiced cuts severed all six of the creature's claws.
The golden Beetle thrashed, its body flipping over to expose its underside. Seizing the opening, Gu Chen plunged his dagger into a small white mark on its belly and twisted the blade sharply. The struggling instantly ceased.
"Divine-Blood creature black Beetle killed. Beast soul of Divine-Blood Ironscale Beetle gained. Eat the flesh of Divine-Blood Ironscale Beetle to gain 0 to 10 Lingyuan Points randomly."