Brian Carter immediately shut his mouth at the mention of survival. In the current situation, arguing further was pointless. Preserving his life was the most important thing.

“This jade slip contains my sect’s introductory cultivation method, as well as various miscellaneous texts, such as alchemy, artifact forging, and all sorts of strange tales and anecdotes. You can read them like novels when you have time.” Old Man saw that Brian Carter had fallen silent, so he began to explain seriously, and also taught Brian Carter how to access the various contents within the jade slip. There was so much content that it made Brian Carter's eyes blur; the collection was no less than that of Qidian Chinese Network. Damn, how many years would it take to read all of this?

Old Man naturally saw through Brian Carter's thoughts and smiled, “You can ignore the rest for now, but you must start practicing the introductory cultivation method immediately. First, it can help you survive when fighting wild beasts. Second, while cultivating and absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, it can greatly delay your sense of hunger.”

Damn, the introductory cultivation method can actually substitute for food. For Brian Carter, whose stomach was touching his back from hunger, this was excellent news. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of goodwill toward this damned Old Man; it seemed he wasn’t pushing him to his death after all. Just as Brian Carter was about to ask something, Old Man's figure began to fade, startling him.

“My dear obedient disciple, time’s up.” A rare trace of kindness appeared in Old Man's eyes. “Your talent is the best I’ve ever seen, but unfortunately, both your body and mind lack tempering. As the saying goes, jade must be carved to become a gem. Don’t blame your master for being harsh; I went through the same thing back in my day. I discovered this planet by accident—it’s full of spiritual energy, a hundred times stronger than your original planet, and very beneficial for your cultivation. Live well. A thousand years from now, I hope to see you alive. By then, the two of us, master and disciple, will roam the universe together, carefree and happy, making our sect’s name known far and wide.”

“Master!” Brian Carter cried out in shock, watching the phantom before him shatter. Only at this moment did Brian Carter truly feel his master’s painstaking intentions and his complete departure.

He remained lost for a long time.

Chapter Two: Competing with a Tiger for Food

More than two months later.

Brian Carter quickly picked nameless fruits from the tree and stuffed them into his arms. Time is money—Brian Carter had changed this saying to “time is life.” For the past two months, he had been practicing the introductory cultivation method to delay hunger, and whenever that damned white tiger went out hunting, he would sneak out of the cave to pick some fruit from nearby trees to stave off hunger. Old Man was right: practicing the introductory cultivation method did indeed slow down hunger. But slowing it down was one thing—he still had to eat. Not daring to go far, he could only gather some fruit from the trees each time.

He had wanted to get some meat, but this was the territory of that damned white tiger—what animal would dare enter its domain? Over the past two months, Brian Carter was no longer the clueless rookie he had been. With his improved eyesight, he finally realized that the white tiger was no ordinary tiger, but one that had already acquired innate true qi. In places rich with spiritual energy, all living things could passively absorb the essence of heaven and earth. If a creature was lucky enough to survive, over time, it would gradually develop true qi within its body. After a long period of refinement and a stroke of luck, it could achieve innate true qi. Once it reached the innate stage, it was extraordinary—not only would its intelligence continue to grow, but it would also shift from passively absorbing spiritual energy to actively doing so, reaching even higher realms.

Of course, there are always pros and cons. According to the miscellaneous records, the number of species that can achieve innate true qi is less than one in ten thousand, and they are all extremely powerful beings. Weaker creatures simply cannot withstand the test of time and are eliminated by nature. Of course, there are exceptions—many weak species, through various coincidences, have achieved the innate stage or even higher realms.

Humans are born with intelligence, and as long as they have the right methods, they can take the initiative from the very beginning. This advantage far surpasses most species. Brian Carter was just like this. In just over two months, using the method of absorbing the essence of heaven and earth from the sect’s introductory cultivation manual, his body underwent marvelous changes. Not to mention the qi that now slowly flowed through his meridians—after being tempered by the essence of heaven and earth and true qi, his physique had undergone a revolutionary transformation. His movements were more agile, his strength steadily increased, and his senses were several times sharper than before. Ordinary creatures would need to endure countless years to reach this level, but Brian Carter, using his sect’s special method, had reached it in just over two months—an incredible speed.

Such rapid progress was thanks in no small part to the ever-watchful innate white tiger outside. If not for the pressure from it, and the fact that the restriction at the cave entrance would only last for three months, how could Brian Carter have cultivated so quickly? Yet the more he cultivated, the more afraid Brian Carter became, and he also realized how terrifying the so-called innate stage was. Even though his body was now full of true qi, facing that innate white tiger would still be like an egg hitting a rock.

Suddenly, a rustling sound reached Brian Carter's ears. With his hearing now several times sharper than before, Brian Carter quickly locked onto a target more than ten meters to his left. What he saw immediately made his eyes light up.