Virtual Reality Cultivator-Chapter 28: The Path to True Strength

Ethan stood tall, though his body still felt the exhaustion from his fight against Lazarus. Every breath he took felt heavy, but deep in his chest, there was a fire that kept burning.

"I've come so far since I first entered this game," he thought. "But I'm still not strong enough."

Claire stepped forward, her gaze assessing Ethan carefully. "Good, you lasted longer than I expected. That means you truly can improve."

Ethan gave a faint smile, but he knew Claire wasn't done speaking.

"But as Lazarus said, you're still lacking one thing."

Ethan nodded. "Intuition."

Lazarus smiled in satisfaction. "Good. You understand the concept, but understanding it and mastering it are two very different things."

Ethan clenched his fists. "Then, what should I do to improve it?"

Lazarus stared at him deeply. "You must reach a state where your body and mind act without hesitation. When you fight, you can't just rely on sight or strategy. You need to feel your opponent's movements and react instinctively."

Ethan paused to think. In Immortal Cultivation VR, he always had the game system helping him—status bars, radar, attack indicators—all of it made fighting feel easier.

But in the real world, there was no such help.

He had to feel everything with his own body.

A Different Kind of Training

Claire gestured for Ethan to follow her. "If you really want to train your intuition, I have the perfect method for you."

Ethan followed Claire to another part of the headquarters. Narrow hallways and metal stairs led them to a small room dimly lit by a few soft lights.

Inside the room, five small mechanical balls floated in the air.

Ethan stared at them, confused. "What are these?"

Claire pressed a button on the wall panel.

BEEP!

Suddenly, the balls moved—at high speed!

Swoosh!

One of the balls fired a small beam of light toward Ethan!

His reflexes kicked in, and he dodged, but then the second ball attacked from the other side!

BAM!

Ethan was hit in the shoulder. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to make him lose his balance.

Claire smiled slightly. "This exercise is designed to sharpen your instincts. You can't just rely on your eyes or calculations. If you want to dodge the attack, you need to learn to feel it coming before it arrives."

Ethan sighed. "So this is like a reaction training?"

Lazarus, who was also watching, shook his head. "It's not just that. This trains your Qi awareness."

Ethan frowned. "Qi awareness?"

"When someone truly understands the flow of Qi, they can feel movements around them—even without looking directly."

Claire grinned. "In short, you need to learn to fight without your eyes."

Ethan stared at Claire in shock. "Wait, you mean I have to... fight with my eyes closed?"

Lazarus nodded. "Exactly."

Fighting Without Sight

Claire handed Ethan a black cloth. "Tie this around your eyes."

Ethan hesitated for a moment but finally complied. As soon as he tied the cloth and his vision vanished, everything felt more intense.

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The sound of the mechanical balls buzzing filled the air.

Ethan tried to focus. "I can't see... but I can still hear."

Swoosh!

One of the balls launched an attack at him!

Ethan tried to guess its direction based on the sound—but he was too slow!

BAM!

The shot hit his back.

Claire chuckled. "You're relying too much on hearing. That's good, but not enough."

Ethan took a deep breath. He tried to remember what Lazarus had said earlier.

"I need to feel the Qi around me... not just rely on sound."

He began to focus his mind, allowing the Qi in his body to flow more naturally.

And suddenly—he could feel something.

It wasn't sight, it wasn't sound... but a subtle presence in the air.

Swoosh!

Another ball attacked!

This time, Ethan dodged before the shot could hit him!

Adrian, who had been watching from a distance, whistled in amazement. "Whoa, he's really starting to get it."

Claire nodded in satisfaction. "Seems like he has talent after all."

Lazarus remained silent, but the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

A New Step Toward Power

After hours of training, Ethan finally removed the cloth from his eyes. His breath was heavy, his body drenched in sweat, but his eyes were filled with a new sense of determination.

"I can feel the Qi around me... even if it's just a little."

Lazarus patted him on the shoulder. "That's the first step toward truly becoming a cultivator."

Claire added, "But don't get too satisfied yet. You've only just begun. If you want to survive against Zenith, you'll need to keep improving this skill."

Ethan clenched his fists.

"I'll keep getting stronger."

Adrian laughed. "I thought you'd give up halfway. But looks like you really are stubborn."

Ethan smiled faintly. "I can't give up now. It's no longer just about survival—I want to know the truth behind all of this."

Lazarus looked at him sharply. "If that's the case, be ready. Because the next trial... will be harder than you can imagine."

Ethan was undaunted.

The real world and the virtual world had become one.

And he would face whatever came his way.