Gently, Kael Vorn pushed open a wooden door that hung ajar. The room before him was clearly a bedroom.


    There was a tattered wooden bed, still bearing some bedding, yet soiled and threadbare from the passage of time. A wardrobe stood nearby, and Kael Vorn used his short dagger to nudge open the wardrobe door.


    The clothes inside were in a pitiable state. With a light touch from his hand, they disintegrated like brittle parchment, having long since succumbed to the elements.


    Kael Vorn quietly backed out of the room and turned to open another door. As the door creaked open, his heart jolted in his chest.


    Opposite the doorway, propped against the wall, lay a skeleton. Kael Vorn instinctively held his breath and tightened his grip on the short dagger.


    Glancing from the skeleton to the dagger in his hand, a sense of unease crept over him. He decided to retreat, moving slowly backwards.


    Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a rather large item - a red fire axe.


    This axe had been retrieved from an old fire box at the base of the building in his home''s residential area. Once home, he had painstakingly sharpened it to a fine edge.


    Sheathing the short dagger and hanging it from his waist, he hefted the fire axe and re - entered the room with the skeleton.


    He began by surveying the room''s layout. It was remarkably similar to the previous one. A bed, a large wardrobe, and a bedside table were the main furnishings.


    The skeleton lay at the foot of the bed, and beneath it was a dark - brown stain. Could this be the residue left after the body had decomposed? Kael Vorn wondered.


    Approaching the skeleton gingerly, he gently prodded it with the fire axe.


    To his surprise, the skull rolled away with just that slight touch. Kael Vorn froze in his tracks, startled. After a moment, he regained his composure and continued his examination.


    The skeleton was a dark gray color, a testament to the long years it had spent in this state. Besides the detached skull, its ribs were strewn across the floor.


    Kael Vorn leaned in closer and noticed fractures in some of the ribs. Moreover, the leg bones were nowhere to be found, and among the arm bones, only the bones of one hand remained.


    Suddenly, Kael Vorn''s eyes narrowed. On the bones, he saw what appeared to be teeth marks.


    He picked up a rib and scrutinized the mark intently. There was no doubt about it - these were human - like teeth marks. Growing up in a poor family, Kael Vorn and his brothers rarely had the luxury of eating meat.


    When they did get pork ribs, they would devour them with such gusto that the bones were often left with distinct teeth marks.


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    The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.


    Had this person been eaten? The thought sent a shiver down his spine. When they ate cooked pork ribs, they could leave teeth marks easily.


    But for these marks to be on a human skeleton... had the body been cooked as well?


    If not, the force required to leave such marks on raw bones was unfathomable.


    Kael Vorn took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. The skeleton had clearly been here for ages.


    Even if it had been the victim of some macabre act, the perpetrator was long gone. There was no use scaring himself senseless.


    Kael Vorn raised the fire axe and began to scatter the skeleton''s remains. He knew of the existence of skeleton soldiers, a type of undead.


    It was better to be safe than sorry, and destroying the skeleton was a prudent precaution.


    After that, he checked the last room.


    It was uneventful, containing nothing more than a dilapidated bed. There were no new skeletons to be found. Kael Vorn carried his backpack to the innermost room.


    Looking around, he decided to move the rickety sofa to the door. The iron door was out of the question - it creaked loudly with even the slightest movement, and that could attract unwanted attention.


    The sofa, though not much of a barrier, could at least give him a bit of warning if danger approached.


    Only then did Kael Vorn have the chance to inspect his backpack.


    The spatial rift had sliced a large hole in the bottom, and he was eager to see what was left. Opening it, he let out a sigh of relief. Most of the essential items were still there.


    The tent and some miscellaneous items had been lost, and a portion of the food had fallen out.


    Thankfully, the survival kit given by Ren Zhengyang was intact. Kael Vorn took stock of the remaining food. If he rationed it carefully, it would last.


    He quickly cleaned the room. The bed and bedding were in such a state of disrepair that using them was out of the question.


    He tossed them into another room and swept the floor, resigning himself to sleeping on the hard ground for the next few days.


    ...


    Kael Vorn leaned against his backpack and stretched out on the floor to rest. Finally, the tension that had gripped him since the Spirit Awakening process began gradually eased.


    His current situation was manageable.


    He had found a temporary haven, and as long as he remained cautious and avoided unnecessary risks, there was a good chance he would survive until he could return to Blue Star.


    He focused his mind, trying to sense the beacon that, he knew, was in his head. It was the key to his return to Blue Star, but for now, it felt faint and elusive.


    According to the books he had read, when the beacon felt as if he could crush it in his mind, that would be the signal for his return.


    Suddenly, an odd sensation coursed through his body, starting from his head. It grew stronger by the second, and Kael Vorn felt as if his mind was being scrambled.


    He was dizzy, as if he were trapped in a whirling washing machine. Despite the discomfort, a surge of excitement welled up within him. This was it - the Spirit Awakening!


    He was on the verge of obtaining an extraordinary physique, of leaping over the metaphorical dragon''s gate.


    With his remaining strength, Kael Vorn clutched the fire axe tightly and fixed his gaze on the door. He was determined to be ready for any unexpected events.


    Gritting his teeth, he fought to remain silent, knowing that in this perilous Spirit Realm, any noise could spell disaster.


    ...


    Time seemed to stretch on endlessly. Eventually, Kael Vorn''s consciousness began to clear. He shook his head, still feeling the lingering effects of the dizziness.


    A metallic taste filled his mouth - it was blood. Touching his face, he found traces of blood around his mouth and nose.


    Alarmed, he quickly rummaged through his things and found some tissues. In this dangerous place, silence and the absence of any blood - smell were of utmost importance.


    He wiped his face clean and sealed the blood - stained tissues in a plastic bag to prevent the smell from spreading.


    As he examined his body, he could feel the changes. His strength had increased, his body felt lighter, and his senses were more acute. Even his mind seemed sharper.


    It was clear - he had successfully awakened.