Dual Realm Exchange System

Damian reappeared with his staff raised and every muscle in his body tense.

His eyes swept left, right, behind him, and above, but nothing attacked.

No sword came flying toward his neck, no cultivator shouted about an ancient inheritance, and no gigantic demonic beast opened its mouth to swallow him whole.

Instead, Damian found himself standing in a small grassy clearing surrounded by trees.

He stared silently at the scene, then his lips twitched.

"...Another forest?"

Was the Dual-Realm Exchange System doing this deliberately?

His first arrival in Valoria had dumped him unconscious inside a forest, and his grand entrance into Shengyuan had apparently followed the same theme.

Well, at least he was conscious this time.

Damian immediately checked himself.

Two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes, and nothing hurt.

His robes, Spellbook, dagger, component pouch, Guild card and blackwood staff had all crossed over perfectly.

More importantly, the faint golden structure of <Mage Armor> remained firmly wrapped around his body, while the additional <Shield> effect from the scroll was equally stable.

Damian released a long breath.

"Good."

That alone answered one extremely important question.

Crossing realms did not cancel magic.

He immediately tested further.

The spell formulas inside his mind remained perfectly intact.

<Firebolt>.

<Frost Ray>.

<Mage Hand>.

<Burning Hands>.

<Mage Armor>.

<Magic Missile>.

Everything was there, yet something still felt different.

Damian closed his eyes and extended the magical perception granted through <Arcane Knowledge>, and the sensation struck him almost immediately.

Energy filled the world around him.

Trees released it, grass carried it, the soil contained traces, and even the insects crawling through fallen leaves existed within the vast invisible ecosystem of supernatural power.

Mana?

Hmmm, actually not really.

Damian frowned.

This was not mana, at least not exactly.

"So this is spiritual energy..."

He had expected some dramatic difference.

Perhaps mana would feel warm and fluid while spiritual energy felt ancient and domineering.

Perhaps his magic would struggle to function entirely.

Instead, the revelation was almost stranger because of how similar the two energies were.

At their fundamental level, mana and Shengyuan’s spiritual energy felt like twins, their core nature almost identical.

Both were supernatural energies generated and circulated through the world, reacting to living beings and capable of influencing matter and supernatural phenomena.

The differences appeared only when Damian examined their behavior.

Valorian mana was... friendly?

That sounded ridiculous, but it was the best description he could think of.

Mana in Valoria responded eagerly whenever a Mage reached outward.

It was like an enthusiastic child being called over to help with something interesting.

Give it structure, provide intent, apply the correct formula, and mana practically jumped into position!

Shengyuan’s spiritual energy behaved very differently.

Damian reached outward, and the spiritual energy moved, but reluctantly.

It resisted his magical control by an almost imperceptible amount, requiring his mind to pull harder before it responded.

It was neither hostile nor impossible to manipulate, but simply... wary.

Damian opened his eyes.

"Huh..."

Somehow, he felt that this was important, extremely important.

He crouched beneath a tree and remained there for several minutes, forgetting momentarily about exploration as his mind turned over the implications.

Why?

Why would nearly identical energies behave differently?

While the obvious answer would be different universal laws, Damian possessed an unusual advantage.

He already understood Valorian mana at a Novice level through <Arcane Knowledge>, while his knowledge of cultivation fiction gave him enough conceptual context to form hypotheses about Shengyuan.

For example, Cultivators absorbed spiritual energy into their bodies.

Suddenly, Damian’s eyes narrowed.

Right!

Those fellows did not merely borrow it from the environment before releasing the majority back afterward.

They inhaled it, refined it, stored it inside themselves, and used it to strengthen their bodies, extend their lifespans, and break through mortal limitations!

Cultivation was fundamentally taking energy belonging to the world and turning it into personal power.

Damian suddenly remembered countless absurd lines from cultivation stories on Earth.

Going against the heavens, defying fate, stealing immortality, and seizing fortune.

If the heavens refused them, they would overturn the heavens.

Then came heavenly tribulations, where the world itself supposedly hurled lightning at cultivators attempting major breakthroughs.

Damian slowly looked at the forest around him.

Could those ridiculous phrases have been far more literal here?

Spiritual energy was partly created and circulated through countless forms of life and the greater environment.

Cultivators then plundered that energy, trapped it inside themselves and used it to escape the normal limits imposed by nature.

If that had happened for thousands—or millions—of years...

No wonder Shengyuan’s energy seemed cautious.

It had learned.

Valorian mana, meanwhile, rarely suffered comparable treatment.

Mages manipulated ambient mana externally, clerics channelled divine forces, and other Classes and supernatural beings interacted with mana in their own ways, but even the darkest Demon Lord generally shaped, corrupted, or converted ambient mana rather than consuming vast quantities permanently into his own existence.

Valorian mana was the supernatural equivalent of a dodo bird on an island with no predators.

Trusting, responsive, and completely unaware that somewhere in another universe lived lunatics who would stuff it into their bodies until they became immortal.

Damian chuckled.

"This is obviously only a theory..."

But his instincts told him he had touched something important.

The difference between the two worlds might not simply be magic versus cultivation, but their entire relationship with supernatural energy.

Valoria cooperated with power, while Shengyuan seized it.

Damian stored that thought away, as he had much more important things to worry about right now.

Namely...

Where the hell was he?

As though waiting for that question, the Dual-Realm Exchange System suddenly released a series of notifications.

[Realm Passage Successful.]

[Host has entered Shengyuan.]

[World Adaptation Complete.]

[Local environmental energy identified: Spiritual Energy.]

Another panel appeared.

[Current Location:]

[World: Shengyuan.]

[Continent: True Spirit Continent.]

[Region: Southern Desolate.]

[Sector: Azure Water Sector.]

[Local Major Powers:]

[Evergreen Sect.]

[Azure Water Sect.]

[Nightmare Corpse Sect.]

Damian stared at the final name.

"Nightmare Corpse Sect..."

That sounded exactly like the kind of organization he should avoid.

Another notification followed.

[Tutorial progression condition satisfied.]

[Tutorial Quest Three initiated.]

[A Different Path — Tutorial Quest Three

Description: You have stepped into Shengyuan, a realm where living beings seize Spiritual Energy from heaven and earth to temper their flesh, refine their Qi and pursue transcendence!

As the Dual-Realm Exchange System Host, merely possessing Valorian power is insufficient. Learn the foundation of Shengyuan’s cultivation system and establish your first step upon its path!

Objective One: Acquire a complete introductory Cultivation Technique.

Objective Two: Successfully begin cultivation.

Objective Three: Reach Body Tempering Realm — Entry Stage.

Reward: Special Power - One Proof, Eternal Proof.]

Damian’s eyebrows rose.

"So I actually have to cultivate, huh?"

Boy was it tempting!

He already had magic, and now the System intended to let him stack cultivation on top?

Damian had absolutely no complaints.

The problem was acquiring a technique.

He doubted he could simply walk up to the first sect he encountered and ask for their cultivation scripture.

For now, information came first.

Damian checked the sun, selected what appeared to be the easiest direction through the forest and began walking.

His <Survival> Specialization immediately proved useful.

He avoided difficult terrain, recognized several potentially poisonous plants and paced himself carefully rather than trying to rush through an environment he did not understand.

He had food and water stored within the Dual-Realm Exchange System, so there was no need to forage.

Several hours passed, the sun gradually descended, and Damian’s legs began protesting long before his supplies did.

His horrible physical Attributes had followed him between worlds too.

He had just begun considering finding somewhere defensible to camp when he noticed something between the trees.

Thin, controlled smoke rose steadily from a nearby campfire.

Damian immediately slowed.

People?

Hopefully good ones.

He approached cautiously, using trees as cover until voices became audible.

"...I’m telling you, Senior Brother, the tusk alone should count for contribution points!"

"Only if you kill the beast first, idiot," a girl laughed.

Damian relaxed slightly as he eventually reached the edge of another clearing.

Four youths sat around a campfire, two boys and two girls, all appearing somewhere between thirteen and sixteen.

They wore matching green-and-white martial robes, though each carried different weapons.

The oldest-looking boy had a straight sword resting across his knees. Beside him sat a round-faced younger boy carrying a spear, while one girl had two short sabers strapped behind her waist and the other carried a bow.

Damian stepped forward deliberately, a branch snapping beneath his boot.

All four reacted instantly, weapons coming free as the leading boy stood.

"Who’s there?!"

Damian raised his free hand. "Easy, young man. I’m not hostile."

Four sets of eyes landed upon him, their suspicion lingering for approximately three seconds before confusion replaced it.

The oldest boy frowned. "A mortal?"

His eyes scanned Damian’s face.

Fair skin, weak breathing, and no obvious cultivation pressure.

Then his gaze lowered to Damian’s robes.

The dark fabric with its golden edging and embedded magical channels, the blackwood staff crowned by a crystal, and the faint flow of spiritual energy, technically mana structures sustained through local spiritual energy, around Damian.

The boy’s expression changed, and so did the others, as horror appeared.

The sword immediately lowered. "S-Senior!"

The other three followed.

"Greetings, Senior!"

Damian blinked.

Ah, it seems they had misunderstood.

Excellent!

He smiled faintly. "There is no need for such formality, young ones. I am merely a traveler."

That somehow only made them more convinced, as powerful experts always said things like that!

The oldest boy hurriedly cupped his hands.

"This junior is Jian Rui, an Outer Hall disciple of the Evergreen Sect. These are my junior brothers and sisters, Bo Wen, Lin Meiyu and Shen Lian."

Each introduced themselves respectfully.

Damian nodded. "Damian Baines. You may consider me... a traveling adventurer."

The unfamiliar title only increased their curiosity.

Jian Rui hesitated. "Senior Damian, would you care to rest beside our fire?"

Damian almost laughed.

<Persuasion> did not make him an actor, but fortunately these youths were doing most of the acting for him.

"I appreciate the hospitality."

Within minutes, Damian was sitting beside them as conversation followed.

The teenagers were naturally curious about the mysterious foreign expert wearing strange robes and carrying an unfamiliar magical artifact.

Damian answered selectively.

He had traveled far, practiced an unusual system, and came from a homeland that possessed strange beasts, adventurers, and magic.

Then, because the four youths were hanging onto every word, Damian began recounting cultivation stories he remembered from Earth.

He was careful to avoid specific cultivation realms or terminology that might expose him, sticking only to stories.

A wandering swordsman entering an ancient ruin, a demonic cultivator betrayed by his disciple, an expert hiding his identity inside a mortal city, and a treasure appearing that attracts hundreds of competing factions.

To Damian, these were recycled webnovel plots.

To the four teenagers?

They were incredible accounts of the cultivation world!

"Senior has truly traveled extensively..." Lin Meiyu whispered with shining eyes.

Damian smiled mysteriously.

Talk was cheap however, as he knew eventually someone would test him.

Sure enough, Bo Wen finally gathered his courage.

"Senior, forgive this junior’s curiosity, but your technique... I cannot sense its fluctuations at all."

There it was.

Damian looked toward the campfire. "Different paths reveal themselves differently."

He raised his staff.

"Glacies!"

WHOOSH!

A Frost Ray struck the campfire, ice exploding across the burning wood and extinguishing the flames instantly.

The four disciples shot upright.

Before they recovered, he waved his staff again.

"Ignis!"

ZIU!

A Firebolt struck the frozen logs, and flame erupted again.

Silence.

Four mouths slowly opened.

"Holy shit, he didn’t make any hand seals..."

"I... I also didn’t sense him circulate Qi through his meridians!"

"Fire and Ice Dual Mutated Spirit Root?!"

Jian Rui stared at Damian with renewed reverence.

"Senior must be at least within Qi Condensation!"

Damian’s expression did not change externally, but internally?

’At least, huh...’

Wasn’t Qi Condensation or Qi Refinement usually the first realm?

Interesting!

Damian casually lowered his staff.

"My path makes ordinary comparisons difficult. What stage have you four reached? Your spiritual fluctuations are rather faint."

A calculated question. They tested him, so now he was right to dig information from them.

Jian Rui immediately answered.

"We are only Outer Hall disciples within Body Tempering, Senior. Until we complete Body Tempering and break into Qi Condensation, we cannot open our Qi Sea and truly store refined Qi."

Ah, so that was it.

Body Tempering came first, with Qi Condensation being the first stage where cultivators actually stored spiritual energy internally.

Damian filed everything away and asked: "What brings four Outer Hall disciples this deep into the forest?"

"A sect mission, Senior. A mortal village nearby reported Fierce Beasts destroying crops and attacking livestock. We were ordered to investigate and eliminate them," Jian Rui replied.

Damian became interested. "Oh? And how far is it from here?"

"Around three li," the young lad answered quickly.

Hmmm... Perfect.

"Do you mind if I accompany you?" Damian asked with a smile.

The four youths stared with pleasant surprise before their faces lit up.

A mysterious expert actually wanted to accompany them?!

"Of course not, Senior!" Jian Rui rushed to agree with a flushed face.

Right away, the four youngsters’ sense of security practically doubled!

After another brief rest, the group departed.

Then Damian discovered a problem.

Jian Rui circulated his cultivation technique, his feet accelerating as Bo Wen and the girls followed suit.

Within seconds, four teenagers were moving through the forest at speeds that made Damian’s mouth twitch.

They leapt over roots, bounded onto tree branches, and crossed several meters with each step.

Even Body Tempering disciples could use basic Qigong movement techniques!

Damian remained where he was, folding his arms with twitching lips.

The youths travelled nearly a hundred meters before noticing.

They stopped, turned around, and saw Damian still walking slowly... very slowly by their standards.

Jian Rui’s expression became baffled.

"Senior...?"

Damian maintained his composure.

What was he supposed to say?

Sorry, my AGI is 2 and all four of you could probably outrun a sports car?

Absolutely not.

He chuckled softly.

"I am currently tempering my Dao Heart through the experience of mortal limitations. You need not concern yourselves with me. Take the lead."

The four youths froze.

Dao Heart... mortal experience...

As expected of a Senior!

Jian Rui immediately looked ashamed.

"To rush while Senior deliberately experiences the mortal world would be disrespectful. We shall accompany you."

Damian almost told him that was unnecessary, but his legs quickly reminded him that keeping up was impossible anyway.

"Do as you wish."

So the four cultivators slowed down.

Damian spent the rest of the journey telling them another story to ensure nobody thought too deeply about why their mysterious Senior became mildly winded after climbing a steep hill.

Eventually, Jian Rui raised one hand. "We’re close."

The group pushed through a line of bushes, revealing a large watering hole ahead.

Damian stopped, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So those are your Fierce Beasts, huh?"

Three enormous boars drank near the water.

Each stood roughly as tall as a deer, with thick brown hides, massive shoulders and curved tusks capable of opening a man from stomach to throat.

Beside them wandered four piglets, though calling them piglets felt ridiculous, as each one was already around the size of an ordinary adult wild boar.

The four Evergreen disciples became serious.

Damian stared at the monstrous animals, his staff slowly shifting within his grip.

Well then.

It seemed his first day in the cultivation world was going to involve combat after all!

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