"W-who are you?! Why do you look like me?!" Tian Yi was terrified when he realized that the face before him was actually his own face.

"I like it, so I decided to use it."

"You decided to use it…? You're not human, are you?"

"Humans don't exist in the Primal Expanse. Other than you, who came here from another world, everyone here is what you call beasts."

"Another world?" Tian Yi couldn't comprehend this information and became dazed.

Seeing his dumbfounded expression, the entity with his face said, "I am the Primal Monarch, and you are currently in my world, the Primal Expanse."

He continued, "What are you going to do now? Humans cannot survive in this world alone, and you're not even a cultivator. The moment I leave you alone, you'll become someone's food or toy until you die."

Tian Yi fell silent.

A moment later, he spoke in a defeated tone, "My family abandoned me because I was born without talents, and I somehow ended up in this dangerous place. I think this is Heaven's way of telling me to just die. I am just a powerless mortal. Who am I to go against Heaven's will? No matter what happens to me, I will accept it."

The Primal Monarch smiled and said, "You're an interesting human. Despite your young age, you're surprisingly clear-headed and intelligent."

"This Heaven you speak of doesn't exist here. No, to be more precise, I am Heaven here!" The Primal Monarch boldly declared.

"I don't care how mighty your Heaven is; it won't influence my territory. So if you want to survive, I can make that a reality."

Tian Yi stared at the Primal Monarch with wide eyes and spoke in a dazed manner, "Even if you say that, how am I supposed to survive in this place?"

The Primal Monarch showed a wide smile and said, "Humans have never managed to pique my interest, but I think it'll be fun to have you around for some time."

"You want me to follow you?" Tian Yi asked.

"You don't want to?"

"I'll do it!" Tian Yi responded without any hint of fear in his voice. This was the first time he felt accepted and needed, so he had no reason to refuse, even if that individual was not human.

"Good."

After the Primal Monarch accepted Tian Yi as his follower, he escorted Tian Yi back to his home, which existed in a different dimension. There, the Primal Monarch taught Tian Yi everything he needed to know about the Primal Expanse and the entities living there.

'This brat truly has a bright mind. His ability to learn and comprehend things is almost frightening. Even Predators who have lived for tens of thousands of years wouldn't be able to match him.' The Primal Monarch quickly realized that the notion of Tian Yi being talentless was completely false.

'To throw away such talents, humans are such foolish creatures.'

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed since Tian Yi began studying under the Primal Monarch.

"Listen here, you brat. If you want to live more than a hundred years, you'll need to start cultivating. However, it's impossible for humans to cultivate properly in the Primal Expanse since your bodies cannot adapt to our environment. If they forcefully cultivate our Chaotic Essence, they will turn into mindless beasts."

"In that case, isn't it hopeless for me?" Tian Yi spoke calmly, almost as if it didn't matter to him whether he could cultivate or not.

"A hundred years is already a long time—enough to live a fulfilled life."

"That's what someone who's never truly experienced life would say. Anyway, the reason humans are unable to cultivate Chaotic Essence is because they don't have a Chaotic Heart, something all beasts in the Primal Expanse are born with."

"In that case, what will happen if we give them a Chaotic Heart?" The Primal Monarch spoke with a profound smile as he glared at Tian Yi, who swallowed nervously.

"Is it even possible for a human to acquire a Chaotic Heart?" Tian Yi raised an eyebrow.

"We'll find out soon enough."

"I guess so."

Tian Yi understood that he was the subject of an experiment that had never been done before, fully aware that things could go disastrously wrong, yet he remained indifferent.

The Primal Monarch went to the Primal Expanse to prepare for Tian Yi's experiment.

He returned a few hours later and prepared a bath filled to the brim with the blood of various beasts.

"First and foremost, we need to strengthen your frail body. This will be incredibly painful, unlike anything you've ever experienced before, so brace yourself."

However, to the Primal Monarch's surprise, Tian Yi neither screamed nor showed any signs of pain during the tempering from the beginning to the very end, lasting for six hours straight.

"How do you feel?" The Primal Monarch asked Tian Yi as he emerged from the bath.

"Feels like my body is surging with strength," he said.

"Did you not experience any pain during the tempering?"

"I did, and it hurt like hell." Tian Yi calmly replied.

"..."

The Primal Monarch gazed at the blood bath and thought to himself, "I never could have imagined he'd endure six hours on his first tempering. How interesting!"

He began to feel that he had made the right choice in taking Tian Yi under his wing. Over the next four years, Tian Yi continued to bathe in the blood that the Primal Monarch provided. The pain he endured grew more intense as the quality and potency of the blood increased.

"Your body should be strong enough to grow a Chaotic Heart now."

The Primal Monarch retrieved a mountain of treasures and continued, "Although we are born with a Chaotic Heart, it isn't complete at birth and requires tremendous effort to complete it. Once completed, Predators can further grow a second or even third Chaotic Heart by consuming large amounts of treasures. Let's see if you can grow a Chaotic Heart by consuming treasures."