It was now night.

Within the mansion, Ying Shi had gathered the party around the round table, the guards included. Baiyun noticed Mohei fidgeting nervously, so he gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"We have gathered here today to detail our plans for the upcoming hunt." Ying Shi said.

The disciples straightened up, a few nodding.

Ying Shi reached into his bag and pulled out an enormous map taller than he was. He plopped it onto the table and rolled it flat, draping the entirety of the table as if it were a tablecloth. It was a truly expansive map, showing the local region in great detail. Even the massive WanLing main district was merely the size of a dinner plate on it, centred right in the midst of the map.

Baiyun narrowed his eyes. This was a rare opportunity!

He began to look intently at every detail, his eyes flicking back and forth as he attempted to memorise every minute detail of it. His hands clutched the table as if he wanted to crush it, his eyes practically blazing. Mohei gave Baiyun a weirded out look.

Meanwhile, Ying Shi took out a small figure with a rounded base, depicting a faceless emperor of sorts. He placed it on a section of odd-looking forest on the map.

"It is that time of the year again, so I'm sure most of us know where we'll be hunting. But for the sake of our newcomers. I shall explain regardless." he said.

Ying Shi took out a piece of paper depicting a sketch of sorts.

It was a sketch of a dense forest of woody tree plants, with many trunks that reached high above. Each trunk was perfectly smooth, their tips ending with crooked branches arched like bird claws. Every claw grasped a cluster of greenery, a cocoon of dense leaves that bore a strange resemblance to cabbages.

Further down, the roots of the forest were depicted as well. They were garbled and strange, full of openings that blossomed into narrow underground chambers, stuffed full of tiny centipedes and egg chambers.

A human figure was drawn beside the forest for comparison, but it was hardly bigger than the centipedes.

Mohei stood up and slammed his hands on the table, dismay etched onto his face.

"Ehhh? We are hunting giant centipedes?"

Ying Shi harrumphed and pointed towards the door.

"You are free to leave if it bothers you," he said coldly.

"What?" Mohei sounded offended. "I-I'm not scared of some dumb bugs! I'll fight them!"

"Then don't waste our time."

Ying Shi moved on and explained to them the specifics of the expedition in excruciating detail.

The Thousand Veils Twisted Forest was a strange plant that lived in symbiosis with Horned Centipedes. It would create huge stretches of nesting chambers with its roots, as well as provide them with a certain amount of precious Lifesap. In exchange, the centipedes would protect the tree with their lives.

There were a few types of centipedes present in the nest worth noting.

Worker centipedes were the most numerous and were typically at low level Qi Gathering (2).

Gatekeeper centipedes, extra large insects which served to block off the entrance of the nest, each at low Foundational (3).

Warrior centipedes were in charge of defending the nest and could cultivate. In this nest, most of them were at low Core Shaping (4). There was also a group of about 10-20 Elite Warriors, each at the peak of Core Shaping.

And finally, the queen centipede herself, a mighty spirit beast at the Nascent Soul (5) level.

Baiyun nearly choked. This party of mostly Qi Gathering children was raiding a place that dangerous? He had been expecting a dying spirit forest filled with mostly Qi Gathering beasts, perhaps a few Foundational beasts at worst!

Ying Shi continued to elaborate.

Every year when autumn approached, the strange cabbagey leaf cocoons of the Twisted Forest would blossom. Dandelion-like seeds would burst out with centipede queen larvae clinging to them, flying into the distance in search of new territory.

But before this grand annual event, the queen centipede would be forced into overdrive to produce royal eggs.

The queen was incredibly powerful. But she would be defenceless during this period, forced to recall almost all the centipede warriors of the nest into her brooding chambers to protect her.

"This is the best time to strike." Ying Shi said. "We will attack and lure the workers out. Then once the coast is clear, we rush into the nest and pillage the Lifesap for ourselves."

So the queen and the warriors would be largely out of the equation. That explained why they dared to raid such a dangerous area, but Baiyun was still troubled. This was still the den of a Nascent Soul beast after all.

Mohei seemed uneasy as well.

"Ying Shi!" he stammered. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"I understand your concerns." Ying Shi said. "But we've successfully raided this nest 3 times without issue. We also have a Nascent Soul Elder accompanying us for safety. That said, not once has he found the need to take action personally. Elder sister Yingtao will accompany us as well, and she is a Peak Core Shaper."

"But..." Mohei said.

"You can choose to leave if you please." Ying Shi crossed his arms.

Sanguang sneered from opposite the table and Mohei slammed his hands onto the table angrily.

"I'm not leaving!"

Goaded into that so easily...

"And you, Baiyun. What will be your decision?" Ying Shi asked.

Baiyun frowned as he thought hard about it. It seemed their confidence came from their past successful expeditions, but he worried they had grown complacent, even if a Nascent Soul elder was guarding them.

Still... this was an excuse for him to get out of the sect. He would no longer be constrained by the surveillance of the spirits and could freely use Divine Sense outside! Many more options would open for him.

If it came down to it, perhaps he could find an opportunity to flee and live outside as a rogue cultivator. Heh. That was quite the interesting thought. But for a brief moment, he remembered the light spirit. How would she react if he suddenly disappeared?

...

Baiyun didn't know how he felt about that. He decided he would figure that out another time, when he wasn't being surrounded by disciples waiting for his answer.

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"I'll join," he said, holding back a sigh.

Ying Shi nodded, satisfied. He continued the meeting for several more minutes before concluding it, saying he disliked dragging meetings on needlessly. In that time, he detailed his plan and assigned each disciple their role.

It was late, so the disciples headed off to the guest rooms to sleep, preparing for the long day ahead.

Baiyun was about to leave as well when he saw Mohei slumped on the table listlessly. He walked over and slapped him on the back.

"What's wrong?"

Mohei looked at him with watery eyes.

"Ying Shi gave everyone a role, even you... But I'm the only one he didn't tell to do anything..." he said. "He's only bringing me along because of you, isn't he?"

"Ah."

Baiyun sweated a little. Was it a mistake for him to ask Ying Shi to take Mohei in? He thought for a good moment to himself, before grabbing Mohei's hand.

"Come. I'll show you something!"

"Eh? Where are you taking me?" Mohei said in alarm.

Baiyun rushed to the front door with him in tow and left, the door shutting behind him. The only one left in the main room was Qinghe, who watched as Baiyun dragged Mohei out.

The night air was calm, countless stars dotting the cloudless skies.

On the many metal poles, the paper lanterns were now lit, fireflies and moths swarming around their gentle light. Crickets chirped from the grass around them and moonlight shone upon the massive lake, reflecting the surrounding trees like a giant mirror.

At the training grounds, Mohei looked around curiously.

"What did you take me here for?"

"Mohei. Since Ying Shi doesn't think much of your fire skills, let's think of some ways they can be useful in the hunt!" Baiyun said.

"Eh? It won't be that easy, right? Since we can't damage prey, and we don't want to set the big centipede tree on fire..."

"Maybe. But all you need is to be a little more creative."

As they discussed, Mohei's eyes lit up. Half an hour had passed before they knew it.

"Baiyun, you have such amazing ideas! I'm going to shock everyone tomorrow, hehe!"

Baiyun laughed silently to himself as the boy ran off excitedly, ready to practise his moves. If not for his identity, he would have given Mohei proper coaching to improve his fire control, but for now, a few novel ideas would do.

As for he himself... he still needed more practice.

Baiyun took a bow from the weapon racks and filled a quiver with steel-tipped arrows. He notched an arrow into his bow and pulled the string taut.

Twack!

Arrow after arrow struck the very same tree. He might have missed plenty of shots today, but tomorrow, he had no intention of missing another shot.

Many hours passed, the periodic sound of wood being struck echoing.

The morning sun slowly rose, the light of dawn reflecting off the droplets of sweat on Baiyun's face.

He reached for another arrow, but paused, hearing the faint sound of sturdy footsteps from behind.

"Baiyun. Did you not rest last night?" Ying Shi asked. "Your room was untouched."

He gazed at the tree used as a target. A small section was riddled with holes and practically smashed into a crater, but the rest of its wood remained pristine. Ying Shi ripped an arrow out from the tree, before touching the crevice thoughtfully.

"I was practising all night." Baiyun said.

"It's good to be diligent. But do not sacrifice your performance on the hunt itself. I want you to be at your best later."

Baiyun nodded but did not take his words to heart. It would be a joke if someone with an old monster's soul succumbed to mental fatigue.

It was then that he realised someone had come along with Ying Shi. Fei An's brother Jingfeng approached as well, running up to the tree.

"Incredible. This tree is already on the verge of breaking! Exactly how many arrows did you shoot last night?" he exclaimed. "But like master Ying Shi said, you need to learn to rest well!"

Baiyun sighed. Having to pretend he needed sleep was far more exhausting.

"I don't usually push myself to this extent," he said. "It's an exception this time."

"Ah... I can't blame you after yesterday." Jingfeng gave him a sympathetic look. "Sanguang thought you were bullying him, but I could tell what was really going on. The truth is, you were nervous because so many people were watching you, weren't you? I get it! The pressure of expectation is crushing!"

Oh? The explanation was off, but it made perfect sense.

"Yeah, haha..."

Baiyun decided to take Jingfeng's assumption as his cover story.

Jingfeng seemed excited for whatever reason.

"If you'd like, I can coach you with the bow! I might not look like it, but I have had several years of practice with the bow! Though I admit as of late, I have been training with the sword more." Jingfeng said, thumping a hand to his own chest.

"Thanks. I'll be imposing on you then." Baiyun smiled awkwardly.

"No need to be so formal! Come, I will show you better form." he took the bow from Baiyun. "Your shots might be accurate, but..."

Jingfeng took the bow and an arrow from Baiyun. He entered a strange stance as he drew the bow, before releasing. The arrow shot out with a swirl of wind, piercing into the tree with a long bang!

Slowly, a faint crackle grew louder and louder. Until finally, the tree collapsed, sending a cloud of leaves fluttering into the air.

"Your shots have no power behind them!" Jingfeng said. "Come, I'll show you how to properly hold a bow!"

Ying Shi shook his head. Why was everyone destroying the trees in his property without permission? But it was a problem he was already used to, so he decided there were bigger concerns.

"Jingfeng. Did you not agree he needed rest?" Ying Shi asked.

"Ah! It slipped my mind somehow! Sorry!"

"Baiyun, I'll show you to the carriage shortly. You can sleep there till we arrive at our destination." Ying Shi said. "Also, take this."

Ying Shi reached into his storage ring and pulled out a glimmering bow of dark cyan metal, passing it to Baiyun. It was strangely light despite its metallic composition.

"I'll lend you this artefact bow. You should be able to pull your weight with this.

Baiyun stared at it in a daze. He was handed it so casually?

The spending power of a large clan certainly was quite something. With the ability to hand out artefacts like candy, it was no wonder they had no worries raiding such a dangerous nest.

"Thank you. I'll use it well!" Baiyun nodded in thanks.

"Ah. Before I escort you to the carriage, give me one final demonstration. Shoot down this shield after I toss it into the air."

Ying Shi took a shield out from his bag but Baiyun coughed.

"Ahem! Let me practise a shot or two first!" he said.

It would be a disaster if he missed because he wasn't used to the bow yet. He had no intention of repeating that embarrassing scene from before. Ying Shi nodded. Baiyun wasn't sure if he imagined it, but the slightest bit of a bemused smirk raised the edge of the boy's mouth, fading just as quickly.

The metal of the bow was cold to the touch, harsh and lifeless unlike the wooden bow he had used all night. As he slotted a wooden arrow in and drew the string, he couldn't help but notice how effortless it was. The tendon-like string had the shine of metal and resembled steel; yet when he pulled, it was as if he was pulling a strand of silk.

Baiyun could sense countless formations engraved on the hollow insides of the bow with Divine Touch. It was an intricate piece of art, but unfortunately, not one he could appreciate the complexity of. After all, he knew next to nothing about formations.

He notched an arrow and aimed the bow at a tree. A tremendous power entered the arrow as he released it, its strength no less than a cannon!

BANG!

Baiyun stumbled from the recoil, nearly falling over from the sheer force. His arms trembled painfully, having taken the brunt of the impact.

Several holes had been blasted into the tree, each large enough to fit a head through. It was as if it had been under assault from a barrage of cannon balls.

"Incredible..." Jingfeng gasped. "It can duplicate arrows?"

Ying Shi shook his head.

"That is not the case. Baiyun, describe what happened." he said.

Looking at his emotionless yet expectant eyes, Baiyun sighed.

"The arrow was unable to handle the power of the bow and shattered the moment it left the bow. But each splitter was still strong enough to tear through the tree."

"Excellent. It seemed I was right to entrust it to you." Ying Shi looked satisfied.

He handed over three quivers of arrows to Baiyun. Two of them were filled with ordinary arrows, but the last quiver had 10 silver arrows and 5 black arrows in it.

"The silver and black arrows can handle the strength of the bow, but they are precious. Save them for crucial moments." Ying Shi said.

Baiyun began to feel uneasy. They were mostly up against Qi Gathering centipedes, right? Was there a need for such firepower?