Derek slowly pushed himself up. His muscles still ached, but the overwhelming exhaustion had lessened quite a bit.

Darkness surrounded him. He was deep in the forest with no source of light. If not for the faint moonlight slipping through the branches, he wouldn't even be able to see what was around him.

Using the ground for support, Derek managed to get on his feet.

"It's going to be rough going back in this condition… I had no trouble fighting monsters on my way here, but returning like this would be impossible." He fell into deep thought.

But just as he was trying to figure out what to do, his eyes landed on the crystal core lying near him — the one the serpent left behind.

"What is this…?" Derek walked over, picked it up, and examined it closely.

"It looks like another core… just like the one Instructor Peter fed me."

Despite the ominous appearance of the core, Derek's eyes flickered with a reckless idea.

"If the demon core made me stronger… will this one do the same?"

He hesitated. The thought was dangerous, stupid even — but tempting.

"But what if I fall unconscious again like last time? And what if it doesn't even work? I'm not a beast… that demon core might've worked only because I also carry demon blood." Derek's mind tangled with doubt.

Yet… for some strange reason, something inside him told him he could do it. And he was still alone in the middle of the forest. Returning without strength was not an option.

"Let's see if I can handle it."

With that thought, he sat down in a lotus position and stared at the core for a long moment.

Then he swallowed it.

Without wasting a second, he shut his eyes and focused.

The moment the core reached his stomach, it melted instantly, and a violent surge of energy exploded through his meridians.

For a heartbeat, it felt like his entire body was swelling from the inside — about to burst apart if he didn't refine the energy immediately. Derek clenched his teeth, forcing his mind to focus on refining it.

But fate had other plans.

A new wave of pain ripped through him. His veins began to darken, as if something venomous was spreading through his body.

And it truly was venom.

The serpent's core carried the same poison the beast itself could produce, and now that poison was invading Derek's body.

The poison spread fast. Too fast.

Derek's body jerked violently as the corrupted energy surged through his veins. His breath hitched. His vision blurred. His skin darkened in places, thin lines of black crawling beneath the surface like living tendrils.

"Urgh.....!"

He clenched his teeth, every muscle in his body trembling. It felt as if he was being torn apart from within.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

Each pulse sent another wave of pain through his meridians.

The serpent's venom was eating away at him, trying to rot him from the inside out.

Derek's mind screamed for him to stop.

But his will refused to break.

'I can do it. I have to. There is no other way.'

He forced his consciousness inward, guiding the enormous amount of energy to circulate along the proper path after refining it. Each circulation was like dragging burning iron spikes through his veins, but he didn't stop.

Not for a second. Hours passed.

On one side, the enormous amount of spiritual energy, on the other side, the attack of venom.

Sometimes he felt himself slipping. Sometimes the darkness grew too heavy.

Sometimes he lost track of time and even his own heartbeat.

But he never let go. The moon slowly crossed the sky. The forest remained dead silent. The night grew colder.

At some point, Derek's trembling began to decrease. His breaths grew steadier.

The violent surges of energy flowing through him gradually softened — like a raging river calming into a gentle stream. The black lines beneath his skin began fading, replaced by a faint glow. The poisoned energy was changing.

No… He was changing it.

Dawn approached.

Golden sunlight pierced through the leaves, falling over Derek's unmoving figure.

Then...

BOOM!

A thunderous pulse of energy rippled outward from his body, scattering leaves and shaking branches.

Derek's eyes slowly opened, glowing faintly for a moment before settling.

His entire body felt lighter, stronger, his vision clearer, as if a massive burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He slowly exhaled.

"...I broke through again."

He looked at his hands, feeling the flow of energy within him. His meridians pulsed strongly, filled with refined internal energy.

His realm had risen. He was now a D-class cultivator.

But that wasn't all.

Though Derek didn't notice it, the poison that had once tried to kill him had been thoroughly refined. Transformed. Integrated.

His body had adapted. His constitution had shifted.

Without knowing it, Derek had gained a powerful passive ability....

Poison Immunity.

He breathed in deeply, feeling the fresh morning air fill his lungs.

All his injuries had healed, and exhaustion was totally gone.

"Looks like… I survived. And my strength increased as well, just as I had hoped," he said softly to himself. A smile spread across his face.

He slowly stood up, steadier than before.

The sun rose higher, its rays falling over him, warming his skin.

After standing there for a while, familiarizing himself with the new strength flowing through his body, Derek finally began walking forward.

Along the way, magical beasts lunged at him again. But this time… even the C-class ones couldn't touch him.

His cultivation realm had only risen to D-class, but his actual strength and combat power had already reached B-class — maybe even higher.

Every beast that attacked him fell within seconds.

Their movements looked slow. Their attacks felt predictable. Their bodies crumbled under his strikes.

Soon, Derek saw the faint outline of the forest's exit ahead. He followed the familiar path back, stepping over the remnants of his earlier battles.

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