Some people in their youth would be filled with so much energy they wanted to play all day, running around, sometimes causing trouble for others. Some people would be filled with imaginations to become heroes, knights, or whatever they thought was cool.
Some kids might think that they would look cook when they suddenly showed up far stronger even though they usually we're seen lazing around. So they train in secret while giggling, imagining other people's surprised faces.
But most kids have something in common: they prefer playing than studying!
In this world, young cultivators have those same traits too.
Wu Feng also did not get spared by this same fate. He felt moody and restless inside his cave, thinking that cultivation is boring. But he wanted to look cool when he finally succeeds in achieving what his predecessors couldn't.
Unlocking the supreme might over every element, claiming sovereignty over every other type of spiritual roots in existence. Imagine how cool it will be!
In fact, he has already been absorbed in imagining the female disciples of Wu Clan and Mountain Pilgrim Sect fawning over him wherever he goes while he himself is feigning calm and collected attitude in front of their hysteria.
Until he hit his toe on his Silk Dew Jade bed, that is. But the pain did not stop him from jumping around with one leg, his hands caressing his toe, towards a round glass mirror in the wall.
He sighed in praise, turned his head to look at the messy pile of books atop a wooden table, then sighed again.
"Alright, I need a breather. It is called managing stress. I've read in a book stored at grandpa's bookshelf that it was a very important method used by ancient sages to calm their mind whenever they met difficulties."
He walked alone on the mountain path. Using Shadow Step every time to avoid people. Skipping his feet when no one is around.
Wu Feng went to the outskirt of the forest from last time. This time he only intended to change sceneries. But when he saw a small clearing an urge to try out some new techniques came to him.
"Hmm, this place is perfect to practice secretly. Heheh, I wanted to see their faces when I suddenly become a lot stronger."
So he practiced some magic arts he already memorized. When the sun peeked above a patch of cloud to see if it arrived in time, at noon sharp, sweat had drenched Wu Feng's back.
He stripped his shirt off, then casually hung it on a tree branch. After rummaging the qiankun pouch his mother gave him, he found a still warm meat bun. He had just given it a bite when he heard a rustle of leaves not far away.
In his vigilance after the trauma the Black Hedgehog Bears gave him, Wu Feng quickly blended into his surroundings. He jumped high to the trees, then slowly closing over to check.
Soon he spotted a group of people. He stopped in front of foliage, watching the crowd from high above.
"Sister Song, with your high cultivation the spirit beasts here wouldn't be a challenge for you."
"Right, no one in our generation is sister Song's match. How can mere spirit beasts be a hurdle?"
"Careful, sister Song. You would not know what is in the leaves. There can be caterpillars hiding there."
"Eew..." high pitched screams and giggles did not stop from the group. All of them followed and fawn over the genius Song Shui Lian.
Wu Feng chewed his meat bun slowly. "What are they doing here? If you are afraid of caterpillars just stay at your cave." He muttered inwards.
They walked further into the forest. They seemed like a group of tourists going on a picnic, did not have any sense of danger whatsoever.
Wu Feng frowned looking at them. "Did they not hear what happened to Zhang He? How can they just carelessly enter this place?"
He hesitated while looking at the young girls still yelping and jumping around whenever they saw insects.
He wanted to warn them, but he felt that it would be troublesome. "Nah, not my business. There are many of them and it seems they are from big clans. They must have treasures to keep themselves safe."
He did not know that other clans would not squander away Foundation Establishment treasures for their disciples. Also there was an issue of compatibility too. If instead of Black Hedgehog Bears, he faced bird type spirit beasts or underground beasts that were hard to track last time, it is hard to say who would prey on who.
He hesitated for a while before finally decided to just follow them for now. Anyway, he wanted to get out to have a change of sceneries. Now a group of beautiful sceneries was passing by. He did not mind to play bodyguard for them.
Wu Feng noticed that among the seven girls, there were two who always kept calm and rarely talked. They always walked near Song Shui Lian, as if protecting her.
Song Shui Lian herself rarely talked, only smiling from time to time. She was like a goddess followed by her admirers.
Along the way they encountered low level Qi Condensation spirit beasts. The strongest was only at third level. They were easily killed by the group using their various powerful weapons. They barely used the sect's standard sword at all, instead using weapons from their own clans.
Song Shui Lian never took part, instead her followers wanted to impress her by doing all the jobs.
Wu Feng raised his eyebrows observing them. He muttered inwardly, "damn this silk pants princess. Is that how a princess live? Why I never got the same treatment?"
The Wu clan kids never tried to fawn over him. Usually they were busy hunting him instead, looking for opportunities to give him a spanking.
The peaceful journey went on. The sky slowly darkened. Wu Feng had been tired keeping up with them using Shadow Step all this time.
"Everyone, let's take a rest. We will just camp here tonight." Song Shui Lian said with her soothing voice.
"Finally." Wu Feng heaved a sigh. He slipped down from the tree then walked a little further away to put on a new shirt. All the way he didn't have time to wear a shirt because he had to keep his vigilance. He does not want to be discovered by the girls following them half naked.
"Ah, I am very tired." A girl's voice can be heard from the distance. Even after such a long walk they were still very lively, chatting incessantly.
Wu Feng found a bush then took his clothes out. When he wanted to put it on, he heard a tree branch broke by a step behind him. Wu Feng instinctively turned back then jumped forward to punch what he suspected as a low level spirit beast. But he was stunned at the next moment. In his panic he changed the direction of his punch, hitting a tree bark.
A girl's face was revealed, her expression was filled with shock and disbelief. A fist just get past her face! And it was still planted firmly in a tree bark behind her. Her leg gave away, causing her to lean her back on the tree bark.
A dark shadow stood closely in front of her. She could felt it's hot breath touching her face. Slowly the figure became clearer, revealing a young boy with a sharp gaze, long black hair, and naked chest.
"Aah..." a shrill scream echoed in the forest. Song Shui Lian who had just sat quickly stood up. Her guards and followers also alerted.
"Oh no, it was sister Yun's voice." A girl yelped with a worried tone.
"Miss, she said she wanted to go to toilet just now." A guard told Song Shui Lian.
Song Shui Lian frowned. "Quick, let's take a look!"
She ran with her fastest speed towards the sound, followed by others.
When they came to the scene, they were stopped in their track, at a loss of the reality of the situation. But soon they were enraged.
"Waah... I can not marry anymore...!" The girl named Yun sobbed loudly. She was busy wiping her tears with her sleeves.
"I, I... no, it was not what it seems. I did not attack her. See, I thought I was attacked by a spirit beast, so I punched. But I moved my punch away in time. She did not get hurt at all."
The girls looked over. They saw a half naked boy was nailing sister Yun on a tree with his fist. Their faces were very close to each other. Meanwhile sister Yun was sobbing with miserable voice.
"You beast!" Song Shui Lian shouted. She took out an azure sword with watery patterns along its blade that glowed with azure light.
She jumped forward, attacking Wu Feng with a sharp thrust towards the side of his chest.