As the two of them went deeper and deeper into the forest, the number of cultivators around began to decrease.
At first, they would run into strangers at roughly every incense stick’s time, but soon, even after an entire hour, not a single human figure appeared within sight.
After half a day of traveling, under Wen Hanshan’s lead, Lou Xingyao finally arrived at a desolate stretch of wilderness.
Wen Hanshan stopped and swept his gaze slowly across the surroundings before turning to him, “From here on, you’ll lead the way.”
“Huh? Oh! alright!” Lou Xingyao blinked in surprise before realizing what that meant. This was the beginning of his trial, from this point onward, he would have to rely on himself.
Realizing that, Lou Xingyao mimicked Wen Hanshan’s earlier actions. He looked around carefully, studying the terrain and environment before him.
However, the result was rather disappointing, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
To his eyes, the place looked like a perfectly ordinary patch of forest. The soil was overgrown with weeds, the air filled with the scent of damp leaves and earth. Strange trees rose in clusters all around, their roots gnarled and exposed.
Fallen leaves and scattered stones littered the ground, and occasionally, a few nameless wildflowers peeked shyly from between the grass.
No matter how he looked at it, this seemed no different from the ordinary forests back on Blue Star.
But Lou Xingyao knew better. The true nature of the Endless Forest was far from simple.
He subconsciously turned toward Wen Hanshan, wanting to ask for guidance but before he could speak, the man’s figure had already faded into the distance, disappearing completely from view. It was obvious he had done so on purpose.
Lou Xingyao exhaled softly. He knew Wen Hanshan’s intent, to let him stand on his own, to learn through experience. So he said nothing more. After thinking for a moment, he decided to take things one step at a time.
He adjusted his grip on his small pack, then continued in the same direction Wen Hanshan had been walking before.
As he went deeper, the ground began to show traces of familiar spirit herbs.
Most were low-grade, first-tier herbs, common and of little value. He already had quite a few in his storage space. But Lou Xingyao believed in the principle of “never leave empty handed.” Since they were here, why not gather them?
And so, he crouched and began to dig out every mature stalk he came across, tucking them neatly into his bag.
Before long, he found himself enjoying the process. There was an odd kind of satisfaction in it, almost like finding coins scattered across a busy street.
As he moved, eyes scanning the ground, something bright red caught his attention. Beneath the roots of an ancient tree, a cluster of small crimson fruits shimmered faintly in the filtered light.
His heart skipped a beat, “Zhu Hong Fruit!”
Zhu Hong Fruit was a bush-grown fruit, named for its vivid scarlet hue. Each berry was about the size and shape of a goji berry, and for that reason, it was often overlooked by the untrained eye.
Yet, unlike goji berries, its flesh was sweet and juicy, with a faint floral fragrance. The taste was somewhat reminiscent of lychee, pleasantly fresh and addictive.
High-ranking cultivators often treated them as snacks to satisfy their cravings, but beyond that, the fruit also replenished spiritual energy, serving as the main ingredient in the first-tier Qi Replenishing Pill.
Because of that, its value far exceeded that of other low-tier herbs.
Lou Xingyao’s face lit up. A handful like this could sell for a decent price!
He remembered that the shopkeeper who had given him seeds before hadn’t included Zhu Hong Fruit among them. To find one growing wild here, he couldn’t help feeling ecstatic.
Hurrying forward, he crouched by the tree roots and pulled out a small trowel from his storage pouch. Carefully, he began to loosen the soil around the stem.
In his previous life, Lou Xingyao had often handled medicinal herbs, and in this one, he cultivated spiritual plants as well. His hands moved with practiced precision. Within moments, the plant came free, roots intact.
He smiled, satisfied, and reached for his bag but before he could put it away, a sharp whoosh split the air above his head.
At the same time, a nauseatingly fishy stench filled his nose.
A chill crawled down his spine. Every instinct screamed danger.
Without thinking, Lou Xingyao threw himself sideways, rolling several meters away.
The instant he got back to his feet, his pupils shrank.
Where he had just been standing, a massive serpent had coiled itself around the ancient tree. It was nearly five zhang long and thick as a barrel, its scales patterned in menacing, mottled colors.
The creature’s enormous body gleamed with cold light as it fixed its unblinking gaze upon him. Its forked, blood-red tongue flicked rapidly in and out, a clear sign it had already marked him as prey.
The snake’s tail was still wrapped firmly around the tree trunk, it had been lurking there all along.
Cold sweat trickled down Lou Xingyao’s back. Until a moment ago, he hadn’t even sensed its presence.
The giant serpent let out a low hiss, its mouth opening wide. The reek of blood and rot filled the air again, and Lou Xingyao could clearly see the sharp, gleaming fangs within, each one long enough to pierce through bone.
He flexed his fingers, the nerves in his arms tingling from tension. His body felt stiff, almost unresponsive.
Calm down, he told himself. You’ve faced worse!
Forcing his breathing steady, he studied the beast carefully.
Its scales were vibrant and patterned, but beneath its head was a single band of brighter, iridescent scales, a mark that betrayed its weakness. That was its seven-inch point, the vital spot of a serpent.
Lou Xingyao’s eyes sharpened. In a flash of thought, a dagger appeared in his hand.
But almost instantly, the serpent reacted. As if sensing the killing intent, it spat out a stream of foul, corrosive liquid that shot toward him like an arrow.
Lou Xingyao dodged to the side, barely in time. The liquid struck the ground where he had been standing with a sickening hiss.
Zzzzt…
The lush grass dissolved instantly, leaving behind a blackened patch of scorched soil the size of a basin.
“It’s venomous…” he realized, heart pounding harder. The serpent’s danger level had just skyrocketed.
The creature hissed again, angrier this time, and lunged with terrifying speed, maw gaping wide.
Lou Xingyao tightened his grip on the dagger and, at the last second, sidestepped and slashed at its weak point.
But the snake’s scales were far tougher than he had expected. The blade barely cut through the outer layer, leaving only a shallow wound. It wasn’t enough to kill, it wasn’t even enough to hurt.
The serpent recoiled, enraged. With a violent twist, it tore its tail free from the tree and lashed it sideways.
The impact struck Lou Xingyao square in the chest, sending him flying backward more than ten zhang. He crashed into another ancient tree with a sickening thud, the blow knocking the air from his lungs.
The force was monstrous. His insides churned painfully, his bones audibly cracking. He coughed, tasting blood.
But the serpent didn’t pause. It whipped its tail again, the air shrieking as it came for him once more.
Lou Xingyao tried to dodge, but his body was sluggish, his movements slower from injury. The next few strikes left deep gashes along his arms and legs, and blood trailed down from the corner of his lips.
He was running out of time.
If he couldn’t find a way to end this, he would die here.
Desperation sharpened his focus. The world seemed to slow down, every motion of the serpent’s body laid bare before his eyes.
Then, an idea struck him.
If the scales couldn’t be pierced, what about the eyes?
Drawing in a deep breath, he gathered every ounce of strength left in his body. With a powerful kick, he launched himself upward, straight toward the serpent’s massive yellow eye.
“Chi!!”
The dagger plunged in.
The resistance vanished in an instant. The blade sank deep into soft flesh. Lou Xingyao’s heart leapt, he had struck true!
The serpent let out a deafening screech, its mouth slamming shut. In agony, it thrashed wildly, smashing its head against the nearest tree to try to dislodge him.
But Lou Xingyao clung to the top of its head with both hands, lowering his body close against its scales, refusing to let go no matter how violently it writhed.
Taking advantage of its blind panic, he yanked the dagger free from its left eye, and drove it mercilessly into the right.
The serpent convulsed. Its roars turned hoarse, its movements erratic and weak.
Blinded and frenzied, it crashed through the forest again and again until, finally, after what felt like three exhausting hours, the massive creature gave one last violent shudder and collapsed.
“Thud”
The earth trembled from the impact.
Lou Xingyao, panting hard, finally released his grip. His strength drained away all at once, and he slid limply down the side of the serpent’s body, landing beside its corpse with a heavy exhale.
For a moment, he simply lay there, staring up at the canopy above, relieved, exhausted, and painfully aware of just how close he had come to death.
For three whole hours, it wasn’t just the giant python that was exhausted, Lou Xingyao too had reached his limit. At this point, he didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.
But as he looked at the unmoving corpse of the giant python beside him, he couldn’t help but break into a brilliant smile.
He’d actually done it, killed such a terrifying creature! Though the process was somewhat embarrassing, the outcome was not bad at all.
Just as Lou Xingyao was feeling a little smug, a familiar figure appeared before his eyes, Wen Hanshan.
The moment he appeared, Wen Hanshan’s cold voice ordered, “Clean up the battlefield first. In a place like the Endless Forest, the scent of blood will attract more beasts.”
Even though Lou Xingyao had no strength left to move a finger, when his gaze met that cold, detached look, the refusal that had risen to his lips died before it could come out.
He could only grit his teeth, push himself up from the ground, and raise his hand to collect the python’s body into his storage pouch.
That storage pouch was a gift Wen Hanshan had given him after he’d first drawn spiritual energy into his body. Its capacity was barely enough to fit the massive python.
Then, Lou Xingyao circulated what little spiritual energy remained and formed two dust-removal hand seals, wiping away the traces of blood on the ground.
Only after he’d finished cleaning everything did Wen Hanshan speak again, “How do you think your performance was just now?”
Was this… a review?
If Wen Hanshan had asked this right after the python’s last breath, Lou Xingyao would have surely said, “Very satisfactory.”
But now, facing those cold eyes, the words that left his mouth came out feebly, “I guess… okay?”
“Heh… so you do know your performance was terrible, huh?”
Wen Hanshan let out a cold laugh. Of course, he could tell that Lou Xingyao’s words didn’t match his true feelings, and so decided to make him truly convinced.
“That Flower Scaled Rock Python was merely a first rank early stage beast. Even a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining could have slain it and yet it pushed you into such a pitiful state. That’s quite the rare sight.”
By the end, there was a faint trace of mockery in his tone. But Lou Xingyao could hear that beneath the mockery was more of a “hate that iron cannot become steel” kind of frustration.
That Flower-Scaled Rock Python was five zhang long, far larger than any python Lou Xingyao had seen in his previous life.
The first time he saw it, its size alone had intimidated him, causing fear to sprout in his heart. Later, when he was struck by the creature’s venom, his morale dropped even further.
The python, sensing this weakness, naturally pursued him relentlessly.
At the time, Lou Xingyao had been too focused on survival to think clearly but now, reflecting on it, he understood Wen Hanshan hadn’t exaggerated.
The python might have looked intimidating, but its cultivation wasn’t high. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to pierce its eyes so easily.
As he was lost in reflection, Wen Hanshan’s cold voice came again, “You fought with that python for so long, why didn’t you use spiritual power, and relied only on brute force?”
“Uh…” Lou Xingyao froze for a moment. He couldn’t exactly say… he’d forgotten, could he?
After all, he’d lived over thirty years as an ordinary man. When the giant python attacked him, all he could think about was that he was about to die, how could he spare the thought for ‘spiritual power’?
Had he remembered to channel energy into his dagger, even a single strike at the right moment would have been enough to end it. Instead, his attacks had barely scratched the scales, only enraging the beast further.
Thinking about it now, his entire performance had been terrible, nothing short of abysmal.
Lou Xingyao finally understood why, even when he’d been in mortal danger, Wen Hanshan hadn’t stepped in to save him and why the moment he appeared, the air had felt so cold.
It wasn’t cruelty. It was disappointment, deep, utter disappointment.
The satisfaction he’d felt moments earlier completely evaporated. If he’d used his spiritual energy properly, his first strike to the python’s seven inch point could have killed it instantly, there’d have been no need for that drawn out three hour battle.
Even just now, though he’d felt utterly drained after the fight, when he forced himself to clean the battlefield under Wen Hanshan’s gaze, most of his exhaustion had faded, and even his wounds no longer throbbed as much.
That was the benefit of properly circulating one’s spiritual energy.
It was clear that while his cultivation had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, his combat strength was nowhere near that level.
Realizing this, Lou Xingyao finally understood why Wen Hanshan’s face had darkened so much. His expression grew serious, and he said earnestly, “I understand now. Thank you for the lesson, Brother Wen.”
Wen Hanshan wasn’t one to lecture much. Seeing that Lou Xingyao truly understood, his expression softened a little.
“You were able to spot the Flower-Scaled Rock Python’s weak point. That was good. Keep it up.”
Then, as before, he quietly vanished from sight again.
Was he afraid of discouraging him too much?
Lou Xingyao couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, but quickly regained focus and stayed alert.
He hadn’t forgotten Wen Hanshan’s earlier warning, that the scent of blood might attract other beasts.
Even though he’d already cleaned up the battlefield, his fight with the python had gone on for hours, perhaps some creatures had already taken notice.
He scanned his surroundings, but everything seemed quiet. Thinking for a moment, he realized the reason, when Wen Hanshan had appeared earlier, his aura had leaked out for a moment.
Here, on the outskirts of the Endless Forest, Wen Hanshan’s cultivation level was absolute. Even if the beasts had been drawn by the scent of blood, they likely didn’t dare to approach now.
Still, it wasn’t a place to linger.
After running his spiritual energy through a few cycles, his fatigue completely vanished, and Lou Xingyao swiftly took off in the direction he’d planned, leaving the battlefield behind.
Deep in the forest, a figure dressed in green darted gracefully through the air, dodging and weaving with agility. Facing him was a massive grey black wolf.
The wolf’s fur was thick and dark, its limbs powerful, its claws gleaming with a deadly light.
Every sweep of its tail sent a gust of wind that could crush stone. A single hit could easily cost a life.
Just one glance was enough to make anyone’s heart race.
But the figure in green showed no fear. On the contrary, he actively lunged toward the wolf’s throat, striking precisely at its weak point.
The wolf attacked again and again, tail lashes, lunges, snapping Jaws but it still fell short. One small mistake, and the man’s blade struck true, piercing straight through its throat.
“Phew”
As the wolf collapsed, the young man visibly relaxed, then stored the body in his pouch and quickly erased the traces of blood around. Every movement was clean and practiced, fluid like running water.
When he wiped the blood off his face, revealing that handsome face and bright deer like eyes, who else could it be but Lou Xingyao?
As soon as he finished tidying the battlefield, Wen Hanshan silently appeared again.
“Very good.”
The wolf Lou Xingyao had just slain was a second-rank early-stage beast, equivalent to a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, two levels above Lou Xingyao himself.
Yet he had defeated it cleanly, without panic, even pressing the attack until victory.
Who could have imagined that in less than a year, he’d have improved this much?
Even Wen Hanshan couldn’t help but show a trace of approval in his gaze.
“This is all thanks to your hard training, Brother Wen,” Lou Xingyao said with a smile, pleased with his own performance.
After that first encounter with the python, he had clearly realized how weak he was in real combat.
But that wasn’t really his fault, he’d grown up in a peaceful era, after all. Who among ordinary people ever learned to kill?
Fortunately, Wen Hanshan was an expert in real combat. Once Lou Xingyao realized that, he began asking him for guidance regularly.
Wen Hanshan never held anything back, always explaining everything with patience.
After each battle, he would even review Lou Xingyao’s performance, pointing out his mistakes.
Because of that, Lou Xingyao had grown from the man who barely survived a first-rank python to one who could now slay a second-rank wolf with ease.
“All of this is from your own effort,” Wen Hanshan said calmly, not taking any credit. Then, his tone shifted slightly. “I can sense that your aura is about to break through?”
Since they entered the Endless Forest, Wen Hanshan had told him to remove his concealing talisman, so he could both stay vigilant and allow Wen to observe his spiritual fluctuations.
“Yes,” Lou Xingyao nodded. They said practice was the best teacher, the same was true for cultivation.
When he’d last advanced to the fifth level of Qi Refining, he’d been stuck at the final meridian for two full months.
Now, after less than a year of training, he had already cleared most of the sixth meridian, only the last aperture remained, trembling faintly, as if one gentle push would break through. There was none of the stagnation he’d felt before.
“In that case,” Wen Hanshan said, “There’s a camp thirty kilometers ahead. Let’s rest there tonight.”
Lou Xingyao naturally understood what he meant.
The Endless Forest was a famous training ground on the Tianming Continent, with countless cultivators entering daily.
Some stayed for months or years, and the things they harvested, beast corpses, herbs, and so on. It couldn’t be stored indefinitely in their pouches, since the spiritual energy would eventually dissipate.
So, merchants from nearby Xilin County had set up trading posts in the forest’s safer outskirts. Over time, these posts became camps where cultivators could rest and trade.
Lou Xingyao had visited two or three of these before but he’d never stayed overnight, only sold his goods and left again.
Now, being on the verge of a breakthrough, a place to rest and meditate was exactly what he needed.
Before long, they reached the outskirts of the camp.
But as soon as they entered, Lou Xingyao felt that the atmosphere was different. Compared to other camps in the Endless Forest, this one seemed too lively. Groups of people were gathered, talking animatedly.
As he wondered what was going on, he overheard a conversation nearby
“Did you hear? The Zhou family of Canglan City has produced another single spirit root genius!”
“Zhou Hanshan? Everyone already knows about him! But that’s old news, he’s been crippled for years now…”
“No, not him! Another one!”
“What? That’s impossible! Did the Zhou ancestors burn incense in heaven or something? Two single spirit roots in one family?”
“Why would I lie? This new one’s supposedly a lost pearl returned from the sea… what was the name again…”
“Oh, right! It was Ye Hantian!”
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Crossing OverChapter 2 · Lu XioaWuChapter 3 · UncleChapter 4 · Substitute MarriageChapter 5 · Travelling Through BookChapter 6 · SpaceChapter 7 · InheritanceChapter 8 · ExplanationChapter 9 · He familyChapter 10 · CompensateChapter 11 · WeddingChapter 12 · LeavingChapter 13 · SuspicionChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 15 · SummaryChapter 16 · Family BusinessChapter 17 · ResettlementChapter 18 · DeterminationChapter 19 · TreatChapter 20 · Enter the TaoChapter 21 · Private TrainingChapter 22 · BreakthroughChapter 23 · ExperienceChapter 24 Part 1 · Questions and AnswersChapter 24 Part 2 · Questions and answersChapter 25 · GiftChapter 25 Part 1 · GiftChapter 26 Part 1 · Sword IntentChapter 26 Part 2 · Sword IntentChapter 27 Part 1 · SelectChapter 27 Part 2 · SelectChapter 28 Part 1 · PastChapter 28 Part 2 · PastChapter 29 Part 1 · ConfessionChapter 29 Part 2 · ConfessionChapter 30 Part 1 · TradeChapter 30 Part 2 · TradeChapter 31 Part 1 · Male LeadChapter 31 Part 2 · Male LeadChapter 32 Part 1 · LuckChapter 32 Part 2 · LuckChapter 33 Part 1 · GuessingChapter 33 Part 2 · GuessingChapter 34 Part 1 · SystemChapter 34 Part 2 · SystemChapter 35 · OpportunityChapter 36 Part 1 · LingquanChapter 36 Part 2 · LingquanChapter 37 Part 1 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 37 Part 2 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 38 · Worth itChapter 39 · SaintessChapter 40 · ExperimentChapter 41 · Vampire SystemChapter 42 · NotesChapter 43 · WarningChapter 44 · PlanChapter 45 · Fellow VillagersChapter 46 · AssimilationChapter 47 · IlliterateChapter 48 · Pak WahChapter 49 · Sudden EnlightenmentChapter 50 · Wen ZhiChapter 51 · CarrierChapter 52 · LeavingChapter 53 · Follow UpChapter 54 · OutrageousChapter 55 · OnceChapter 56 · TeasingChapter 57 · Playing aroundChapter 58 · Beast fireChapter 59 · Watching a PlayChapter 60 · Extermination of the entire clanChapter 61 · ChoiceChapter 62 · PossessionChapter 63 · CalculationChapter 64 · GuaranteedChapter 65 · Grand OpeningChapter 66 · Grand OpeningChapter 67 · Protecting one’s ownChapter 68 · Secret RealmChapter 69 · BetrayalChapter 70 · DetailsChapter 71 · FramedChapter 72 · MeetingChapter 73 · KillChapter 74 · MapChapter 75 · FoundationChapter 76 · Strange Phenomenon!Chapter 77 · ExchangeChapter 78 · LetterChapter 79 · ShortcutChapter 80 · God of Slaughter!Chapter 81 · Poison PillChapter 82 · Lou ShuChapter 83 · ProgressChapter 84 · An attemptChapter 85 · Movement and StillnessChapter 86 · Good intentionsChapter 87 · ChangeChapter 88 · Childhood friendChapter 89 · ThoughtsChapter 90 · Old storiesChapter 91 · HeritageChapter 92 · TestChapter 93 · LoverChapter 94 · Heartfelt wishesChapter 95 · MasterChapter 96 · TeachingChapter 97 · IllusionChapter 98 · Mutual RestraintChapter 99 · ObstructionChapter 100 · PalaceChapter 101 · Core TechniqueChapter 102 · OathChapter 103 · Dual cultivationChapter 104 · AccessChapter 105 · VulnerabilityChapter 106 · DensityChapter 107 · WantedChapter 108 · EntrustChapter 109 · RevisitChapter 110 · MonitoringChapter 111 · Secret RealmChapter 112 · NourishChapter 113 · InventoryChapter 114 · Get Rich QuicklyChapter 115 · ElderChapter 116 · Grand FormationChapter 117 · Heaven’s WillChapter 118 · BountyChapter 119 · GainChapter 120 · BlameChapter 121 · ChattingChapter 122 · GuessChapter 123 · Zheng TianChapter 124 · SparringChapter 125 · Sword intentChapter 126 · KenshinChapter 127 · Auditing a classChapter 128 · CoincidenceChapter 129 · ContradictionChapter 130 · RouteChapter 131 · CostChapter 132 · ConfiscatedChapter 133 · Holding a grudgeChapter 134 · SupportChapter 135 · DeteriorationChapter 136 · Unable toChapter 137 · PriceChapter 138 · VariantChapter 139 · Start AnewChapter 140 · ShamelessChapter 141 · Black PotChapter 142 · Benefiting fromChapter 143 · PieChapter 144 · DifferencesChapter 145 · DetoxificationChapter 146 · Current situationChapter 147 · TeasingChapter 148 · IntelligenceChapter 149 · Returned GiftChapter 150 · Old debtChapter 151 · FleshChapter 152 · OpeningChapter 153 · GrudgesChapter 154 · RegretChapter 155 · Gang fightChapter 156 · GentleChapter 157 · ComplaintChapter 158 · ScreamsChapter 159 · GeniusChapter 160 · ConcernChapter 161 · Hidden StoryChapter 162 · StingyChapter 163 · Guilty conscienceChapter 164 Part 1 · StruggleChapter 164 Part 2 · StruggleChapter 165 · Win or LoseChapter 166 · TasteChapter 167 · Shifting The BlameChapter 168 · MoonlightChapter 169 · Past EventChapter 170 · RegretChapter 171 · RetributionChapter 172 · Cause and EffectChapter 173 · BackgroundChapter 174 · FlatteryChapter 175 · HonestChapter 176 · BookkeepingChapter 177 · FarewellChapter 178 · GuidelineChapter 179 · BottleneckChapter 180 · HabitChapter 181 · Casual ChatChapter 182 · Flowing WaterChapter 183 · RumoursChapter 184 · Seeking AdviceChapter 185 · PityChapter 186 · FormationChapter 187 · BasicChapter 188 · Fake TombChapter 189 · BewareChapter 190 · TraceChapter 191 · DiscussChapter 192 · Ancestral preceptsChapter 193 · Loose CultivatorChapter 194 · AllocationChapter 195 · Thank you for your kindnessChapter 196 · ExplanationChapter 197 · ErrorChapter 198 · Culinary skillsChapter 199 · Starry SeaChapter 200 · ComparisonChapter 201 · FrustratedChapter 202 · Don’t watchChapter 203 · LonelinessChapter 204 · NoChapter 205 · Exposing ShortcutsChapter 206 · CraftsmanshipChapter 207 · Bottom LineChapter 208 · StrikeChapter 209 · Ten GoldChapter 210 · Pretentious