Tower of Heaven

The boulder in question was a far cry from the domineering appearance it held when Atlas first discovered it.

The large boulder that could've easily towered over two grown men was now somewhat lackluster. Atlas's constant abuse caused it to wear down heavily.

There were fist indents covering its entire surface. While some were a mere 6 inches in depth, the strength of Atlas's fists grew rapidly with his practice.

But he wasn't necessarily getting stronger.

It was more accurate to say Atlas was growing into his strength than anything else.

Even if the Qi Seed Realm was merely the second realm of cultivation, granting the strength to crush stones at most, it was still strength an ordinary mortal couldn't imagine.

The body would naturally adapt to this change, but if one waited for this natural process to follow through, it'd take years upon years to just consolidate their realm.

But consolidation was only the first step. After consolidation, one needed to truly undergo the process of cultivation and building to rise in power.

Essentially, Atlas was undergoing the consolidation process. He wasn't doing work to increase his cultivation, instead, he was getting his body adept at using his current strength.

This was the reason why, even though he knew he had the ability to, Atlas never switched to a tougher surface to continue his training after the boulder began wearing down.

Strength and control training on the boulder usually took around 4 hours. Since Atlas left 3 hours at the end of each day to sleep, he had 4 more hours remaining in the day to train.

As for what he did in these four hours? Truthfully, Atlas couldn't think of any good exercises to do in the forest. Usually, partaking in extreme situations and entering extreme environments where the body was stretched to its limits was the best way to train, but Atlas didn't have access to any such environments at the moment.

But he could create the situations he needed if he tried hard enough.

For the four hours Atlas had remaining in the day, he'd hunt without end. Racing through the unnamed forest, he'd gather the ire of large beast groups, luring them together and leading them to a chosen clearing.

Once he arrived here, he would finally begin fighting. After all, battle was the best method of consolidation.

Today, the target of Atlas's hunt was a pack of Mace-Tailed Rhinos.

These beasts were merely Qi Seed Realm beasts, but they were far more fearsome than their counterparts.

To begin with, these beasts were evolved from rhinos. Even as mere animals, rhinos were known for their insane strength and defensive capabilities.

Mace-Tailed Rhinos were named after the strange way their tails mutated, becoming heavy blunt weapons that could easily crush skulls. When this tail was combined with their natural defensive capabilities and strength, these rhinos were incredibly ferocious.

Luckily for most cultivators, these rhinos were beasts with strong individuality. They rarely got together in packs, and when they did, it was only to fight each other for dominance.

Atlas, however, didn't possess this kind of luck. Not only did he find a pack of Mace-Tailed Rhinos, but he also managed to provoke them and gather their collective anger.

Still, Atlas didn't show any fear. The expression on his face was incomparably excited.

He finally found an opponent worthy to become his punching bag.

He didn't use his flames or his chain sickles, Atlas directly charged into the pack of rhinos with qi revolving around his fists.

Bang!

His fist impacted the nearest rhino in the center of its forehead. Although he couldn't penetrate its skin, the force of his punch traveled through the skin and rattled the rhino's skull, temporarily stunning it.

When this was done, Atlas didn't actually spend more time on this rhino. Instead, he turned to face the other three rhinos around him.

'Should I fight recklessly or conserve my strength?'

He had to consider it. He didn't know how using his strength here would affect his future training. The beasts he fought in the past month didn't have nearly the same capabilities as these Mace-Tailed Rhinos.

But his dilemma didn't even last a single second. His eyes became firm and his fists tightened.

'The only way to improve is to constantly push myself to the edge. Why should I waste time pondering needlessly?'

As if to prove the veracity of his own words, Atlas shot towards another rhino, dropping to the ground and sliding under its belly before it could react.

Voom!

A burst of spiritual energy clouded his fist as he sent a fierce uppercut into the beast's underbelly.

Of course, this area was the most vulnerable part of the rhino's body. It was an area that they would usually protect with their lives on the line, but this time, Atlas had simply been too fast.

Bang!

With a dull thump, his fist submerged into the rhino's fleshy internal body. Ignoring the disgusting feeling on his skin, Atlas unclenched his fist and ruthlessly grabbed at the nearest organ he felt.

Squelch!

With a gruesome sound, he crushed the organ into pieces. The rhino's pained roar filled the air, but he continued his activities as if he didn't hear it.

Roar!

The rhino began recklessly stomping its legs, causing small quakes in the earth that vibrated through Atlas's body. He could feel his blood rolling from the impacts, but he didn't move. Even this could be considered a type of training.

At the same time, seeing their comrade in danger, the two able rhinos turned their attention as well.

Although Mace-Tailed Rhinos weren't a united species, they would surely ignore this stereotype if they were up against an outside threat.

But once again, their resistance was useless. While they were specialized in strength and defense, Atlas was more adept at speed. Before the rhinos could make any moves on him, he'd already slid out from underneath their companion and moved out of the way.

Boom!

Two rhinos charged together and hit their fellow's body, causing it to erupt with blood and guts. If Atlas left the rhino half-dead, then it could finally be considered killed after this move.

Most likely, the rhinos were attempting to crush Atlas along with their poor comrade, but Atlas was long gone by the time their charge ended.

His steps took him in front of the stunned rhino that was slowly beginning to wake up. Using a similar method, he mutilated this one as well.

Now, only two rhinos remained for Atlas to fight, and if they didn't have a numbers advantage on him, they didn't have any advantage at all.

The fight ended without suspense, Atlas remaining standing and the four rhinos becoming weights he would use in future training.

And with the fight concluded, Atlas returned back to the waterfall to clean himself.

At least for today, his training was over. The only thing left to do was get ample sleep before beginning his routine again.

Looking at the glistening moon in the sky, Atlas let out a sigh of emotion.

'In my first life, I climbed from the bottom with slow and painful steps. To even reach the peak of Qi Seed Realm took almost ten years. Yet, I am now closing in on that goal within months of beginning my cultivation journey. Fate is truly a strange thing.'

Atlas didn't quite know how to feel about the disconnect between his two lives, but he shelved the matter without thinking about it further.

Regardless of anything, the struggles he went through in his first life were the building blocks that allowed him to steadily and rapidly increase his strength in this one.

And so as to not discount all the effort he spent last time, he needed to fully utilize his advantages in this life to reach the true peak, the one he could only dream about before.

But before that, the only thing on his schedule was more ardent cultivation and training.

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