Wu Yuan was a blur of motion, a tiny silver thief darting through the assembly of beasts.

He abandoned caution, using his superior speed to snatch Lunar Essence right from under the noses of his “fellow” worshippers. He wasn’t suicidal enough to rob the alpha predators—wolves and tigers were strictly off-limits—but the middle-tier animals were fair game.

Rabbits, deer, badgers—Wu Yuan pressed himself boldly against their sides, inhaling the precious mist meant for them. These smaller animals glared at his sharp teeth and glowing claws, filled with anger but not daring to speak out.

Wu Yuan glanced at the Fox Demon. The sphere of Lunar Essence surrounding the Great Demon was thinning.

Time is running out.

Gritting his teeth, Wu Yuan decided to gamble. He abandoned the small fry and dashed into the danger zone. He zipped past wild wolves and mountain cats, stealing huge gulps of their essence before sprinting away.

He didn’t bother digesting the energy; he just hoarded it, stuffing his meridians to bursting point. He was racing against time, a frantic vacuum cleaner in a field of angry predators.

The wolves and cats stared at the audacious little rat with murderous intent, but the Fox Demon’s presence kept them frozen. They could only grind their teeth and focus on absorbing what was left, vowing to skin this insolent rodent the moment the ritual ended.

Chaos erupted. The smaller animals, having been robbed by Wu Yuan, refused to leave empty-handed. They swarmed the larger beasts, trying to scavenge crumbs of moonlight. The summit descended into a silent, shoving frenzy.

Amidst the confusion, no one noticed Wu Yuan slip away.

He was stuffed. He had stolen so much Lunar Essence that his body was literally glowing.

Seeing the Fox Demon’s ritual concluding, Wu Yuan scurried into his pre-dug escape tunnel. He needed to hide immediately. Right now, shining like a silver beacon, he looked absolutely delicious.

“Ying.”

With a soft cry, the Fox Demon stood. It ignored the chaotic scuffle below, stepping into the empty air and vanishing into the night sky, moving far faster than before.

As the cry echoed, Wu Yuan felt a sudden shift within his own body.

His Demon Power began to circulate on its own, spinning wildly.

“Whoa!” Wu Yuan jumped, terrified. “This power is my lifeline! Don’t tell me it’s going out of control!”

He focused inward, only to realize he could still guide the energy. The panic subsided, replaced by curiosity.

He observed the trajectory of the power. It was moving in a specific, complex pattern. And as it moved, the digestion of the stored Lunar Essence skyrocketed. It was vastly superior to his crude breathing imitation.

This… this is a cultivation manual.

Wu Yuan hurriedly memorized the circulation path, etching the complex route into his mind.

He crawled to the tunnel entrance, looking toward the empty sky where the fox had vanished. His expression turned solemn.

He bent his small waist in a deep, respectful bow.

“The Great Kindness of the Fox Immortal will be remembered for eternity!”

He didn’t know if the fox was male or female, or even a true Immortal. But to a rat, the difference was academic.

As he bowed, he thought he heard a faint “Ying” echo in his mind. He shivered and bowed even lower.

After a long moment, Wu Yuan straightened up, stroking his whiskers with satisfaction.

“Courtesy costs nothing. I’ve officially introduced myself to a boss. I’m on the radar now.”

He glanced back at the chaotic summit, sniffing disdainfully at the brawling animals.

“Such crude beasts,” he scoffed, feeling a sense of intellectual superiority. “Wait until I cultivate properly. I’ll teach you all a lesson for glaring at me earlier.”

With a flick of his tail, he turned and disappeared into the earth.

He would lay low for a few days. Let the heat die down.

Three days later.

In the depths of his burrow, Wu Yuan stared at a fist-sized rock.

He took a deep breath. Black light swirled around his right paw, condensing into a sharp, vibrating aura.

He struck.

BANG!

The rock shattered.

Wu Yuan didn’t stop. He squeezed the fragments, his tiny claws grinding the stone into fine powder.

“Awesome!”

His eyes shone with excitement.

This was the first time he had weaponized his Demon Power. After digesting the stolen Lunar Essence, his reserves had grown to five strands. He could now externalize the energy, coating his body in a lethal shroud.

The hard stone that would have broken his claws a week ago was now as fragile as tofu.

“I’ve finally transcended,” he whispered. “I’m no longer just a rat. I’m at the top of the Little Green Mountain food chain.”

The future was bright.

Wu Yuan left his mountain hideout in high spirits, trotting back toward his main home.

He didn’t sprint in paranoia this time. He strolled, admiring the scenery, stopping to smell the flowers.

Suddenly, the Karma Bead flickered.

[Green Intelligence: The Black Brocade Snake lies in ambush in your burrow, waiting for your return. Its belly conceals a treasure.]

Wu Yuan stopped. He raised an eyebrow.

Black Brocade Snake?

It had to be the same one. The one that chased him during the Spirit Grass run. The one that ambushed him on the way to the summit.

“What a fateful meeting from a thousand miles away!”

Wu Yuan almost wept with joy.

“It’s so touching! He was afraid I’d come home hungry, so he delivered himself to my doorstep!”

“I’ll reward you by letting you enter my stomach so we never have to part again!”

He picked up the pace, eager for lunch.

Despite his jokes, Wu Yuan knew his mental state was fragile. The stress of survival, the fear of death, and the lingering instincts of the rat body were taking a toll. He found himself thinking more and more like a rodent.

To maintain his humanity, he needed a coping mechanism.

His solution? He became a drama queen.

In his past life, when writing his thesis became unbearable, he would roleplay different characters to keep himself sane. It turned out, this method worked wonders for a rat, too.

Wu Yuan arrived at his burrow. He peered into the pitch-black entrance but didn’t go in.

Instead, he started tapping rhythmically on the ground outside, making a racket. Why ruin his furniture with a fight? Better to lure the guest out.

Hiss…

A familiar sound. The Black Brocade Snake shot out of the hole, jaws unhinged, aiming straight for Wu Yuan’s throat.

Wu Yuan didn’t dodge.

He opened his arms wide, embracing the strike.

The snake bit down on his neck.

CLACK.

The snake’s eyes widened. It felt like it had bitten into solid granite. One of its fangs snapped cleanly off.

Before the snake could process the pain, Wu Yuan wrapped his tiny arms around the serpent’s thick body.

“Good brother!” Wu Yuan squeaked, slapping the snake’s back with terrifying force. “You’re too enthusiastic! Knowing you were waiting for me gave me the strength to come home!”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Each “friendly” pat was like a sledgehammer blow. The snake’s spine shattered. Its ribs pulverized.

The Black Brocade Snake thrashed wildly for a moment, then went limp in Wu Yuan’s loving embrace.

Wu Yuan’s paw-force hadn’t just killed it; he had tenderized the meat from the inside out.

“No! Don’t leave me alone! I’m just a lonely mouse!”

Wu Yuan wailed dramatically, dropping the limp noodle of a snake onto the ground.

He wiped a fake tear, then licked his lips.

“Time to skin and debone. Snake meat for lunch.”