Battle Through the Heavens: Beyond the Great Thousand

Xiao Yan stood at the edge of the ruins of the Hidden Archives, the weight of the knowledge he had uncovered settling in his mind.

As he looked out toward the vast, open horizon, a strange feeling washed over him—a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty.

This world was far different from the Great Thousand World, and its rules were still a mystery to him.

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, golden light across the landscape.

It had been days since he had entered the Hidden Archives, and during that time, he had absorbed what little knowledge he could.

The basics, he thought—how to harness the cosmic force now flowing within him, how to tap into its power—but there was so much more to understand.

The Archives had only offered him a glimpse of its vast storehouse of wisdom, and he knew that the answers to the greater mysteries lay ahead.

As he began walking, a thought struck him—he hadn't eaten in what felt like forever. The familiar sensation of hunger gnawed at him, reminding him of his mortal needs.

In the Great Thousand World, he had been free from such earthly concerns. Food, sleep, rest—these had become irrelevant to him once he transcended his mortal body.

But here, it seemed, his old limitations had returned.

He smiled to himself. It seems even in this new world, I must face the same basic trials.

He had heard from the Bookkeeper that the cosmic force he now wielded was tied to the very fabric of existence, but understanding how to use it, how to weave it into his everyday life, would take time.

For the first time since his arrival, Xiao Yan felt the weight of his body—the thirst, the hunger, and the fatigue. His footsteps faltered slightly as a sense of longing for the comfort of food and rest washed over him.

Yet, there was no fear in it, only the quiet acceptance of his new reality. This was a world of balance, where even someone like him, with the power of the cosmos now stirring within him, had to deal with the mundane.

His gaze swept the landscape, and he noticed a small patch of trees off in the distance.

It looked like a fertile place, and perhaps, if he ventured there, he might find something edible.

Without another thought, he made his way toward the trees, feeling the faint vibrations of the cosmic force that now pulsed through him as he moved.

The journey wasn't long, but the subtle effects of hunger made every step feel heavier.

His mind wandered back to his days in the Great Thousand World, where he could go without food or sleep for months, even years, without feeling the need for sustenance.

But here, even the smallest exertion of his cosmic force seemed to require more energy, more nourishment.

When he reached the trees, he was pleased to find a few fruit-bearing plants.

They weren't much, but it was enough to satisfy the gnawing hunger within him. He picked a handful of fruits and ate, the flavors tangy and fresh—completely different from anything he had known before.

It was a simple meal, but for the first time in a long while, Xiao Yan savored the feeling of satisfying his body's needs.

As he ate, his mind began to churn once more with the information he had gathered from the Hidden Archives. Cosmic force.

He understood the basics now—the raw, untapped energy that flowed through the universe, a force that bound all things together. It was not like Dou Qi; it was something deeper, more fundamental.

And yet, the more he pondered it, the more he realized that he was only scratching the surface.

The key to using cosmic force was not in brute strength or mindless manipulation. It was in understanding the very nature of the force itself.

The Hidden Archives had shown him glimpses, but he knew there was still so much to uncover. How did one truly command the vastness of the universe? How could he align his own being with the cosmic rhythms that dictated existence?

Finishing his meal, Xiao Yan leaned against a nearby tree, his body finally feeling some semblance of relief.

For a moment, he allowed himself to relax, just enough to enjoy the peace that had settled over him. But even in this quiet moment, his mind was not idle.

He knew that rest was only temporary. The journey ahead would require more of him than mere sustenance and sleep.

He needed a plan.

The vast wilderness stretched before him—an untouched land that held both opportunity and danger. There were no guarantees here, no guides to show him the way forward.

In the Great Thousand World, he had always been driven by purpose, by the endless quest to master alchemy and cultivate his Dou Qi.

But now, in this strange new world, his purpose was unclear. What was the next step? What was it that awaited him?

Rising from his resting spot, Xiao Yan decided it was time to move forward. He still didn't fully understand the cosmic force, and his immediate needs had been met.

But there was a deeper hunger within him—a hunger for knowledge, for mastery, for answers.

The only way to find them was to push forward, step by step, toward whatever destiny this new world had in store for him.

With his renewed determination, Xiao Yan began his journey once again, with a faint hum of cosmic energy resonating through his body as he walked deeper into the unknown.