I Can Only Cultivate In A Game

[Location Unlocked: Bloodshade Hunting Grounds]

[Warning: Yellow Zone proximity ]

[ Danger level: Mild ]

Victor stood at the stone-marked threshold where the forest canopy shifted from lush green into a dull crimson hue.

This was the beginning of the Bloodshade Hunting Grounds. The air itself felt different—thicker, charged with faint traces of hostile qi that made the hairs on his arms stand.

The outskirts, while considered relatively safe, still brimmed with pressure.

Twisted trees with barks etched in strange runes rose like skeletal arms from the blood-colored soil. Glowing insect-like creatures buzzed around lazily, emitting faint traces of spiritual light.

He had no interest in the common spirit beasts that skulked about here—small tusked lizards, wind-tailed foxes, even the occasional spike-ridged panther. These were nothing but distractions.

Victor's goal lay deep within: the mythical Shadow-Eyed Moon Serpent. And to find it, he needed to cross the yellow zone and reach the edge of the red.

As he moved through the outskirts, he kept to the shadows. He avoided patrols of robed cultivators—some working solo, others in groups—hunting beasts to sell or refine. The hunting grounds had no lack of activity.

Occasionally, a group would cheer as they downed a mid-tier beast, or a lone cultivator would whisper incantations before finishing off a wounded creature with a glowing sword.

A system notification blinked briefly in the corner of Victor's vision:

> [You have entered: Bloodshade Hunting Grounds – Yellow Zone]

<[ Warning: Increased spiritual pressure detected. Energy expenditure increased by 20% ]>

The yellow zone welcomed him with a change in qi density.

The trees here were more spaced out, replaced with colossal stone formations that resembled petrified vertebrae. The earth was harder underfoot, and soft tremors ran through it like distant growls from slumbering giants.

Victor pressed on.

The pressure on his shoulders now has increased. Not enough to slow him completely, but it was certainly noticeable. He could still channel his qi, but it required more concentration and burned slightly faster than usual. Every movement became more deliberate.

On the horizon, spiky towers of crystal jutted out from the ground at odd angles. The terrain in the yellow zone was warped from centuries of battle and qi refinement. He passed ancient statues cracked and toppled with inscriptions on them that were half-erased by time.

Some of the carvings depicted celestial beasts he didn't recognize. Others bore images of great cultivators locked in combat with monstrous entities.

Victor found himself in awe, even while navigating carefully.

Finally, after what felt like hours of controlled movement, he stood at the foot of a sloping hill veiled in thick, reddish mist.

> [You have entered: Red Zone - Proceed with caution. Spiritual pressure increased by 45%.]

The moment his foot crossed into the red zone, it was as though gravity had been cranked up several notches. His knees buckled slightly under the invisible weight pressing down on his body.

His qi circulation stuttered and sputtered before resuming at a far more sluggish pace.

"Damn…" Victor exhaled sharply while clenching his jaw as he adjusted. His breathing slowed. Every step here would cost him energy and time.

"They weren't kidding when they said its more suited to Nascent Soul Realm cultivators..."

Still, he pushed forward.

The ridge he searched for—Serpent's Hollow—was not too deep into the red zone.

He had studied its location from the map he purchased, and now he recognized it by the tall stone arch formed from two twisted, obsidian-colored trees fused at their trunks.

The ridge lay beyond that arch—an elevated, crescent-shaped ledge that ran along the side of a massive ravine. Mist poured from the bottom of the ravine like a bottomless spiritual leak, and a strange chill radiated from it.

The Serpent's Hollow was a place where serpent-type spirit beasts gathered to hibernate, molt, and battle for dominance.

If the myths were true, the Shadow-Eyed Moon Serpent had been spotted here before—once every few decades. The beast's rare appearance always caused a stir, but only a handful of accounts ever survived those encounters.

Victor knelt at the edge of the ridge, peering down into the trench that split the landscape.

He could already spot the long, writhing forms of serpents slithering between rock formations. Some were crimson-scaled with glistening tails. Others had translucent skin, revealing glowing qi veins beneath. A particularly massive one lay coiled around a skeletal dragon's ribcage, seemingly asleep.

These weren't ordinary serpents. They were exotic spirit beasts, each radiating their own elemental aura—flames, poison, frost, or lightning. And each one was dangerous.

Victor's eyes sharpened. If the Shadow-Eyed Moon Serpent was truly here, he'd have to be patient.

From what he knew, the beast was a creature of the night, and its presence was often heralded by a drop in temperature and an unnatural silence from the surrounding wildlife.

For now, he hunkered down behind one of the craggy boulders dotting the ridge, slowing his breathing and conserving his energy.

The red zone's oppressive pressure would drain him fast if he wasn't careful.

Time passed slowly. The occasional shriek of serpentine combat echoed across the hollow, followed by deep growls and sudden eruptions of qi. Victor avoided them all, watching from a distance. Occasionally, another cultivator's silhouette would appear briefly on the far side of the ridge before disappearing again.

But Victor's focus remained locked on the ravine.

He knew the hunt was only just beginning.

> [New objective: Observe the Serpent's Hollow for signs of the Shadow-Eyed Moon Serpent. Survive in the Red Zone for 24 hours]

<[ Reward: 200 Taels. +Minor Frost Resistance. +Affinity boost: Ice Element ]>

Victor let out a sigh. "Twenty four house is a lot of time… but let's see.

Hours passed and the night air in the Bloodshade Hunting Grounds grew colder.

Victor's breath came in shallow wisps, visible in the moonlight as he crouched silently near the edge of the Serpent's Hollow, hidden beneath a set of rocks with qi-dampening properties he discovered during his exploration.

The hollow itself was incredibly steep with its craggy gorge veiled in mist.

Faint hissing echoed through the ravine, and slithering shadows danced against the ridges as dozens of serpentine spirit beasts patrolled below.