20 minutes passed, and Long Tian arrived at a village named Fuxi. It was the closest place to Tianzhou Forest.
Stepping out of his car, he looked northward, where there were green mountains with a vast forest.
"Tianzhou Lake, I'm coming," he said with a grin.
With that, he began making his way into the forest.
************
Throughout his walk to the forest, only tranquility accompanied Long Tian. The atmosphere in Fuxi Village was rather quiet, with not many people bustling about.
At this moment, he stood in front of a large stone with 'Tianzhou Forest' carved into it, indicating that he was at the entrance.
"Here I go, once I enter, I will be truly competing against a protagonist," he muttered earnestly.
However, as he took a step forward, he abruptly stopped when he noticed an old man who had suddenly appeared beside the large stone, blocking his path.
"You cannot enter this forest, young man," said the old man indifferently.
"What? Who are you?" Long Tian inquired with a furrowed brow.
"Leave this place; this is not somewhere you can enter as you please," the old man spoke more sternly.
Long Tian became displeased, "Why can't I enter?" He questioned.
"There are many things that aren't as they..." The old man suddenly stopped talking as he realized something.
He stepped forward and closely examined Long Tian's face, "I feel like I know you, what is your name?" He inquired.
"Long Tian," Long Tian responded nonchalantly as he crossed his arms.
"Long Tian?" The old man furrowed his brow while stroking his chin; he felt like he had heard that name somewhere before.
A few seconds later, a memory flashed across his mind, and his expression drastically changed, "Are you that Long Tian? Long Zhan's son?" He asked in shock.
"That's me," Long Tian nodded lightly.
Hearing Long Tian's confirmation, the old man stood there, stunned. Of course, he knew who Long Tian was - a genius from the Long family, and definitely not someone to be trifled with.
On the contrary... there would be numerous benefits in establishing a good relationship with him.
A wide smile appeared on his face, "Haha, if Young Master Long wishes to enter this forest, of course, you can. Please disregard my previous words," he said.
"Good, and you will accompany me into this forest," Long Tian nodded and said casually.
"Me?" The old man was slightly taken aback. His thoughts raced; he had been tasked with guarding the forest entrance because his sect was conducting a survival test. However, on the other hand, he had the opportunity to build ties with Long Tian.
At this point, he certainly knew which option to prioritize.
"Alright, I will accompany you, Young Master Long," he agreed with a smile.
"Good," Long Tian nodded.
Without any further ado, he began walking into the forest, followed by the old man.
***********
Throughout the forest, there was no visible path. The forest seemed untouched, as if it had never been explored by humans.
Its strangeness lied in its rapidly-growing grass that quickly obscured any paths made by travelers. However, pieces of cloth tied to the trees indicated passable routes
"So, who are you?" Long Tian asked casually.
"My name is Wu Gang, an elder of the Wudang Sect," Wu Gang responded with a smile.
"Wudang Sect?" Long Tian suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at Wu Gang.
"Yes, is there a problem?" Wu Gang asked, raising one eyebrow.
Long Tian did not reply. Instead, he furrowed his brow, stroking his chin.
He was well aware of the Wudang Sect - it was one of the top sects in mainland China. And also one of Qin Chen's allies.
He was a bit skeptical about this. Qin Chen got acquainted with one of the elders of the Wudang Sect after he exited Tianzhou Forest and gained his connections, which gave him many benefits.
Right now, he looked at the elder in front of him. He shook his head. He was sure that it wasn't Wu Gang, who looked like an old dog and a bootlicker, approaching him for personal gain.
"Forget it, let's move on," Long Tian said.
"Alright," Wu Gang nodded, even though he was still puzzled.
**************
The atmosphere darkened, and the path in the forest was not visible at all. Thankfully, Wu Gang used his fire skills to light up the path.
However, they stopped in front of a massive cliff that resembled the Great Wall of China.
"Dead end? I remember the lake being here," Long Tian commented, furrowing his brow.
In the novel, Qin Chen didn't have any difficulty finding the lake. Unfortunately, it wasn't described how he found it.
"Young Master Long, it seems like this is a dead end? Perhaps the treasure you mentioned is located somewhere else. Do you have a map of it?" Wu Gang asked lightly.
"No, I don't, but I'm certain it's here," Long Tian replied, still furrowing his brow.
"Think again, Young Master Long, not all treasures are obtained by instinct. Tianzhou Forest indeed holds many secrets, but it doesn't mean they can be claimed," Wu Gang said.
Long Tian did not respond to Wu Gang's words and instead turned to touch the cliff, stroking it.
He felt a bit strange; the cliff's surface did not feel like the rough surface of a stone; it seemed hollow.
He suddenly had an idea.
"Old Wu, can you hit the surface of this cliff?" Long Tian asked, pointing to a spot on the cliff.
"Hit it? Are you sure?" Wu Gang asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Absolutely, just give it your strongest hit," Long Tian said.
"Alright," Wu Gang nodded.
He then concentrated his power on his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and pounded it into the cliff.
Bang!
His punch was incredibly powerful, causing the cliff to crack, creating a pattern like a giant spider web. Unfortunately, it did not break apart.
"It didn't shatter? How is that possible?" Wu Gang said in disbelief.
He was certain that with his Nascent Soul realm strength, he could shatter a mountain, yet this cliff withstood his punch. It was a severe blow to his pride as an Elder.
Long Tian, on the other hand, remained calm. His eyes darted left and right, searching for the anomaly that should appear.
And at one point, his gaze fixated on a hole in the cliff.
"I found you," he said with a grin.