Lin Feng arrived at an open area, a slight chill creeping over him. This was a world where the strong were revered, where life was as cheap as grass, and a life could be taken at a whim—if you had the strength to back it up. He had only accidentally stumbled into a narrow crack in the sky, glanced for a moment, and then turned away, yet Liu Fei wanted to kill him, even though they were both disciples of the same sect.
"The Arrow Martial Soul user has the ability to track and kill, and their attack power is strong. But if it's a close-quarters fight, I'm confident I can take her down with a single strike." Lin Feng was still quite satisfied with his sword technique, the Blade Draw Technique—lightning-fast, thunderous in force, and capable of cleaving arrows in an instant. All the effort he had put into mastering it, enduring the mental strain, had not been in vain.
He had spent seven days on the cliff, practicing only this technique, while using his Dark Martial Soul to enhance his comprehension. He only withdrew the Martial Soul when his mind could no longer bear the strain, then he would use the break to practice the Light Shadow Movement Technique.
"Liu Fei." Lin Feng quietly committed her face to memory. He then gathered some wood and used his soft sword to scrape against a rock, starting a fire. He piled the wood and dried his clothes by the flames.
Not far from Lin Feng, four figures appeared—likely people from the Yunhai Sect.
"There's someone over there. Let's invite him to join us; the more, the better," said a young man in a green robe.
"I wonder what his cultivation level is?" said a burly youth, grinning without objection.
The four walked toward Lin Feng. The only woman among them noticed that Lin Feng was shirtless, and her face flushed slightly as she said, "Hello, could you please put on some clothes?"
Lin Feng glanced at the young woman. While she wasn't as stunning as Liu Fei, her features were delicate and refined, with smooth skin—a picture of grace. In his previous world, she would have been considered a great beauty. But from Lin Feng's memories, he knew that the women in this world were indeed more beautiful than those from his own. Perhaps it was due to their cultivation.
"Alright." Lin Feng wasn't hard to talk to. In fact, he had grown up working hard and was a simple, easy-going person.
"Is there something you need?" Lin Feng asked, now dressed.
"We want to go to Black Wind Ridge to hunt beast, and we'd like to invite you to join us. The beast cores will be split evenly. Would you be interested?" The young man in the green robe explained. Black Wind Ridge was a vast monster-infested forest located to the north of the Yunhai Mountain Range. Some disciples speculated that it was even larger than the entire Yunhai Mountain Range. The sect likely considered the presence of this beast forest when it established its headquarters here, as hunting beasts not only tested one's strength but also provided valuable beast pelts and cores that could be exchanged for useful items.
"Sure, I agree." Lin Feng didn't hesitate to agree; he was curious to see it for himself.
"Great! With five of us, as long as we avoid level nine beasts, we should be fine." The young woman seemed pleased with Lin Feng's agreement. Among the group, the highest cultivation was the silent young man in white robes, who was at the eighth level of Qi Martial Realm. The rest of them were all at the seventh level, including Lin Feng. As a fellow disciple of Yunhai Sect, they were all about the same age, and Lin Feng probably had a cultivation level similar to theirs, if not a bit lower—likely in the sixth level.
Normal monsters ranged from level one to nine, corresponding to the Qi Martial Realm's levels, so as long as they didn't run into level nine beasts or more powerful spirit beasts, they didn't expect to face much danger.
"Brother, I'm Qingyi. This is Senior Brother Han Man, Junior Sister Jingyun, and the most powerful, Jing Feng." The young man in green introduced the group. The burly youth, Han Man, and the girl, Jingyun, smiled and nodded toward Lin Feng. Only Jing Feng, the young man in white with the highest cultivation, looked aloof, his face impassive.
"I'm Lin Feng," Lin Feng smiled.
"Fool Lin Feng," Jing Feng suddenly spoke, his voice laced with mockery. He glanced at Lin Feng with a half-smile, "Jingyun, it seems like we're wasting our time bringing him along. He'll just be a burden."
The other three had evidently heard of Lin Feng's reputation. Yunhai Sect had many outer disciples, and while they hadn't seen Lin Feng personally, his name was still well-known.
Lin Feng frowned slightly, while the other three looked uncomfortable.
"Lin Feng, Jing Feng is very talented, with an eighth-level cultivation in the Qi Martial Realm. He can be a bit arrogant, but don't take it to heart. Just pretend you didn't hear it. Fate brought us together, so let's stick together," Han Man, the burly youth, said with a hearty laugh.
"That's right. Senior Brother Han's right," Qingyi and Jingyun agreed. But Jing Feng just snorted coldly, not saying another word.
Lin Feng could sense the sincerity in the other three's eyes and felt a bit more favorably toward them, so he didn't reject their company. Together, they crossed a few peaks and arrived at Black Wind Ridge.
"Lin Feng, Black Wind Ridge is vast. Only the core disciples or sect elders know how huge it really is. We can only explore the outskirts; don't go too deep. Your strength is a bit weaker, so stick close to us," Han Man, the burly youth, reminded him.
Lin Feng nodded slightly. He knew Han Man was straightforward and that the advice wasn't meant to be insulting.
Black Wind Ridge was a place with complex terrain, dense vegetation, and thick trees, perfect for hiding. It was a paradise for monsters.
"Five-level monster, the Clear Wind Wolf. Let's get it," Han Man suddenly said. From the bushes not far away, a pair of cold eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
Qingyi moved swiftly, his longsword unsheathing in an instant. The sword shimmered like moonlight, flowing like quicksilver, and struck the Clear Wind Wolf with precision.
"Shh!" A light sound rang out as Qingyi's sword pierced the wolf's skull, ending its life in one strike.
"Clear Wind Sword Technique against the Clear Wind Wolf—perfect match," Han Man laughed boisterously, moving forward to collect the monster's core.
"Just a level five monster," Jing Feng said dismissively, his tone indifferent.
Lin Feng couldn't help but shake his head in private. Jing Feng was only at the eighth level of Qi Martial Realm, which, while better than most, was still far from genius. Yet he acted as if he were untouchable, exuding arrogance and a limited vision of his own potential.
After collecting the cores, they continued their journey, encountering more monsters along the way. None of them exceeded level seven, and they were easily dealt with.
"Haha, the bag's getting heavier! We must have around thirty or forty monster cores by now. Not bad, huh?" Han Man grinned, feeling the weight of the bag.
"But we've already ventured tens of thousands of meters into Black Wind Ridge. The monsters here are likely to get stronger, so be cautious. If it gets too dangerous, we should retreat," Qingyi warned.
"Got it," Han Man replied. But just as he spoke, his gaze froze.
"An eight-level monster, the Violent Ape." He muttered, staring at the massive figure ahead. The Violent Ape was a terrifying monster—huge, with immense strength, capable of tearing through tigers and leopards. It was one of the strongest beasts in the forest.
"Jing Feng, it's up to you," Jingyun glanced at the young man in white, her voice hopeful. The Violent Ape was a level eight beast, surely it wouldn't be a match for him.
"Heh, Jingyun, why are you in such a hurry? It seems there's still someone here waiting to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Do you really think there's such a thing as free lunch?" Jing Feng sneered, glancing at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng coldly smiled. Did he think he was going to let him sit back? The reason he hadn't acted before was because Han Man and Qingyi always took the lead. If they really faced a crisis, Lin Feng wouldn't sit idly by. But here, in front of the Violent Ape, Jing Feng was pushing him to the front, which was clearly a cunning move. After all, in his eyes, Lin Feng was just a waste. A waste against an eight-level monster was certain to die.
"Jing Feng, what do you mean by this? You know no one but you can deal with an eight-level beast. If you want Lin Feng to face it, aren't you trying to kill him?" Qingyi's tone darkened.
"If he won't lift a finger, why should he share in the spoils? If he dies, then there's one less person to divide the cores. Isn't that better?" Jing Feng sneered.
"Jing Feng, since we're in this together, we should stand or fall together. Lin Feng believed in us when he decided to join us," Han Man said, displeased.
"Humph, if you want to protect him, then handle it yourselves. I'm not babysitting this waste." Jing Feng scoffed, stepping back as the Violent Ape approached.
"I'll give it a try." Lin Feng took a step forward. An eight-level beast—it was equivalent to an eighth-level Qi Martial Realm practitioner. He was curious to see how strong it really was.
"No, you can't handle an eight-level beast." Jingyun's voice was urgent. "Jing Feng, you're being too much!"
Hearing this, a cold glint passed through Jing Feng's eyes. He looked at Jingyun, an evil smile tugging at the corner of his lips. If it weren't for her looks, I wouldn't have wasted my time with this group of idiots.
"I'll help you," Han Man said, throwing down the beast core and stepping to Lin Feng's side.
"Count me in," Qingyi also stepped forward.
"And me. The three of us should be able to hold the Violent Ape back," Jingyun thought to herself, praying silently.
"Overestimating yourselves," Jing Feng coldly laughed. The Violent Ape was not something three seventh-level cultivators could handle.
Lin Feng glanced at the others standing beside him and felt a warmth in his chest. A soft smile spread across his face.
He rubbed his nose and said weakly, "Maybe... I can handle this monster, who knows?"