The pale cyan Inner Strength swirled in his abdomen like smoke.
This was Liang Hui's greatest achievement over the past half a month, the emergence of Inner Strength.
When he was halfway through the Skin Refining Level, Inner Qi naturally appeared in his abdomen.
Liang Hui was not unfamiliar with the emergence and application of Inner Qi, but rather very familiar with it, after all, in the state of "entering dreams," he had experienced it dozens of times in Tian Qing's body.
"It's time to leave."
The young man looked up at the halted snowflakes and murmured softly.
The meat of the Exotic Beast had been exhausted yesterday, and now his cultivation speed had once again slowed down.
And because it was the snowy season, animals were also somewhat difficult to hunt.
So, he planned to live in the surrounding cities for a while and buy some herbs that would assist him in cultivation.
These herbs and the like were all explained in the manuals of the martial arts sect.
Of course, another reason was that he had been eating roasted meat for over a month and really wanted a change of taste.
Once he had a plan, Liang Hui began packing his luggage.
He pulled out all the beast skins that were draped over his dwelling, which could all be exchanged for money.
After pulling out the skins from the top, he then went into his dwelling to pack up the green wolf skin spread on the ground, putting it in another bag.
Finally, he gathered the remaining dry branches inside the dwelling and set them on fire.
The roaring flames began to burn, clearing all traces the young man had left behind.
Watching the crimson flames, Liang Hui slowly took out a wooden mask that he had already carved, placing it upon his face.
Then there came a crisp sound of bones colliding, a technique he had learned from "entering dreams" of Green Wolf, which was a bone shrinking method that worked well for disguising himself.
Of course, shrinking bones for a long time could cause damage to the body, and the disguise could only last two to three hours before he needed to return to his original appearance.
Speaking of which, his face had too high a recognition rate in this world, even if his appearance had changed after cultivation, because his face in every stage of life was known in this world.
After one last look at the dwelling where he had lived for half a month,
he turned around.
He strode towards the outside of the valley, walking away from Qingji City.
He wasn't foolish, through the dreams of that disciple from Bear Peak Martial Pavilion, he knew that disciple's status in the pavilion was probably not simple.
All conflicts and hidden dangers should be avoided if possible; he just wanted to grow in peace now.
Liang Hui's figure gradually turned into a speck and disappeared into the snow.
An hour later, the flames in the valley began to die down.
Three hours later, several figures, led by a man dressed as a hunter holding a bow and arrows, arrived at the valley.
Upon arriving, they saw the dwelling transformed into charcoal.
The hunter gestured respectfully and pointed ahead.
"Pavilion Master, this should be the place. After burning Shi Jian and the others in the bear's cave, the murderer fled to this valley,"
The words carried a trace of sorrow; Shi Jian had been the only one from Stone Village to learn something from the martial pavilion and had met his end here.
Then, a rather burly figure had already passed the hunter and arrived in front of the charcoal, touching the cooled ashes.
He turned his head and asked, "Master, the murderer must have left not long ago, should we continue the pursuit?"
The words were already edged with reluctance; having pursued this far, they had done right by their fellow disciple.
To continue would truly be seeking vengeance for the eighth junior brother at the cost of their lives.
The Bear Peak Pavilion Master looked at the charcoal before him, his eyes dark.
In such an environment, to pursue a killer whose strength was unknown was a very dangerous thing.
A careless mistake could end the legacy of the martial pavilion.
"Big Brother, Third Brother, let's pursue a bit farther. Xiao Wu, Xiao Qi, you go back to the pavilion and wait for our news."
"Yes, Master,"x4
Then the Bear Peak Pavilion Master looked back to the hunter and spoke softly, "Stone Hunter, please lead us a bit farther; after all, you are most familiar with this terrain."
The hunter nodded, then began to examine the traces on the ground.
Soon, he pointed in one direction.
"The murderer should have left in this direction."
"Let's go."
As the words were spoken, Bear Peak Pavilion Master carried the Stone Hunter and dashed off.
The two disciples closely followed behind.
Only two figures remained in the valley, looking at each other before heading towards Qingji City.
Meanwhile.
The Bear Peak Pavilion Master, following the traces left in the snow, sped along.
Suddenly, with a somewhat deep tone, he said.
"Number Three, explain clearly the real reason why Xiao Ba went deep into the mountains."
"Master, I..."
A flicker of panic passed through Jiang Li's eyes.
"Think carefully before you speak," scolded the Pavilion Master.
His entire body exuded an explosive aura, clearly leaving no room for Jiang Li to relax.
"Number Three, what exactly have you and Xiao Ba been hiding from us? At this point, is there anything left to cover up?"
The displeasure was evident in the voice of the eldest disciple who was walking beside Jiang Li.
After all, traversing a long distance in such snowy weather to hunt down a formidable enemy was clearly not a pleasant task.
At this point, Jiang Li dared not hesitate any further and spilled all the information he had.
As his words concluded, the pursuing party fell into silence.
After a moment, a hoarse voice emerged from the Bear Peak Pavilion Master.
"A gravely injured exotic beast, you mean it could have been taken by the culprit, its flesh and blood carried away?"
"Master, I'm not certain. Xiao Ba just went to hunt Green Wolf, and with the people he led, it's totally impossible for them to lose track of Green Wolf."
"But now he's dead, and it's very possible that the culprit killed him to take the exotic beast's blood."
Jiang Li said uncertainly.
"Enough, this intelligence is sufficient," said the Pavilion Master, his voice low but bearing a trace of excitement. The flesh and blood of an exotic beast, ah, such a rare and substantial supplement, might just enable him to take another step forward on the Martial Path.
This information was enough for him to stake his life on.
Fire blazed in the eyes of the eldest disciple at his side.
"Master, we need to speed up. Beware the culprit escapes."
"Good."
Their speeds increased once more.
...
In the snowy field, Liang Hui walked at an unhurried pace.
In fact, given the several large bundles he was carrying on his back, he couldn't move fast even if he wanted to.
Suddenly, Liang Hui stopped, sensing the faint tremors in the snow and the snowflakes falling from the branches around him.
His expression gradually turned solemn as he quickly retrieved the bows and arrows from the larger bundle, slung them across his body, and donned Fine Iron gauntlets.
Four figures appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching, and when they saw Liang Hui, their speed climbed once more.
Recognizing the figures, Liang Hui felt a sense of familiarity—not with their faces, but with their posture, movements, and running style.
"Bear Peak Martial Pavilion!"
He muttered to himself.
As one who mastered Bear Rock Fist, Liang Hui made his judgment, his gaze profound as he watched the rapidly approaching figures.
Without hesitation, he slung the bundle with Green Wolf's hide over his shoulder and quickly headed for the nearby woods.
Before Liang Hui had gone far, the leading Pavilion Master charged straight into the remaining bundles.
Boom!
The bundles, along with the beast hides inside, were torn apart.
Liang Hui, who glanced back to check the situation, had his pupils shrink. Those were smoked and roasted hides with no small defensive strength; to be torn apart in a single collision, the leader of this enemy group must be at least at the Skin Refining Level.