In the midst of a dense forest brimming with wildlife, the animals and insects were uncharacteristically mute. But it was by no means silent.

A deafening sound shook the very forest as a massive bull with sabre-like horns cut through it, dragging a large carriage behind it with reins of metal rope.

No heed was paid to greenery. The bull would simply ram headfirst into any trees and plants in its path, crushing them into paste and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. A makeshift path formed behind it, one of dirt, crushed grass, trampled vegetation and craters left from the sheer might of its hooves.

Countless flocks of birds took off from the trees and into the skies, followed by a few opportunistic hawks that brandished their sharp talons.

Behind the bull, the carriage rattled around and bounced on its wheels, slamming into the ground every so often.

A scene of carnage caused by human disregard, yet-

Inside the carriage, Baiyun laid face-first on a soft red cushion and "slept" soundly. Beside him was the shield Ying Shi had thrown, pristine save for the hole that smashed through its centre.

While the animals outside fled, little of the chaos could be felt within. Only if one listened closely would they hear the occasional thumps of the wheels slamming into the ground, or the crackle of trees being reduced into sappy splinters.

A dampening formation had been placed. If not for the windows, it would be difficult to tell they were travelling at such breakneck speeds.

Were a trained doctor to examine Baiyun's pulse, he would have been deemed to be truly asleep. But his soul was still wide awake, listening as the disciples discussed.

Sanguang was staring outside one of the windows, cheering gleefully at the sight of such destruction. Mohei huddled beside a window with drawn curtains and desperately stared at the carriage floor, looking as if he were about to puke.

The rest of the disciples, mostly guards, chattering to themselves excitedly.

But those details were unimportant. What Baiyun paid attention to was the drivers' seats at the front of the carriage, where Yingtao and Ying Shi's whispered to each other.

"The elder has yet to arrive?" Ying Shi said in a low voice.

"It seems he had urgent business. He left a transmission and told us to go on ahead." Yingtao sighed.

Ying Shi paused for a moment.

"No matter. We will still proceed." he said. "Yingtao, you should be able to handle an elite on your own, I believe?"

"The warriors... one or two shouldn't be an issue. Most of them should be huddled near the queen, and we do have a Qi Compass to detect their presence from a distance. We shouldn't encounter any large crowds."

Yingtao seemed uncertain for a moment, but her voice firmed as she spoke.

Baiyun's face furrowed slightly. The elder was missing? That was not good.

Hearing of the Qi Compass did make him relax a little, however. It was an artefact that read the subtle flow of qi in the air, allowing experienced users to detect threats far further than their qi sense would allow. Even in a mortal world, qi compasses should be able to detect threats from at least a kilometre away.

Baiyun's "pebble" could also technically be considered a primitive Qi Compass were one to squint hard enough.

Still, not having a Nascent Soul elder present made this trip a lot more worrying. Had Ying Shi passed the guards and young masters powerful artefacts as a contingency, or was it just generosity?

...

The carriage continued onwards.

An hour had passed and Yingtao was now half asleep, slumped on the seat. But she suddenly sat upright, her eyes shooting open as she pressed her face to the glass window at the front of the carriage.

"Halt!"

Immediately, the bull stopped its charge, the carriage slamming into its rear with a loud metallic bang. From the sheer momentum, it continued to slide forward with the carriage, leaving upturned mud and a line of skid marks behind it.

"Baiyun. We have arrived." Ying Shi called from his seat.

Baiyun opened his eyes and got up to his feet without so much a yawn.

"Heh. Quick to rouse, I see," Yingtao laughed silently.

The bull looked around and glanced at the grass beneath its feet briefly, looking tempted for a moment. But its nostrils flared and it turned its head with a scoff.

Ying Shi opened the doors of the carriage and one by one, the disciples streamed out, chattering excitedly.

Baiyun stopped to take in the sight before him.

A towering expanse of strange trees tipped with claw-like branches stretched as far as his eyes could see. There was little spacing between each of the trunks, wide enough for people to walk through, but narrow enough to be claustrophobic.

From the sheer density of the trees, even the meagre greenery atop each tree was enough to create a dense canopy that draped the land beneath it in shadows. Standing outside the twisted forest, the bright light of the sun was almost glaring, reflecting brightly off the carriage's windows.

Yet, in the almost unnatural forest before them, it was as dark as dusk, as if the forest's edge was a border between day and night. To call it an alien sight amidst otherwise normal forests and grassy hills was an understatement.

Baiyun had already seen a sketch, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.

"A-Are we really going in there? It looks like some kind of ghost forest..." Mohei glanced around nervously, shuddering.

"Heh. Are you scared? Getting cold feet?" Sanguang laughed.

"What? You're the one getting scared! I just said that because I was worried the other disciples couldn't take it!" Mohei said defensively.

Baiyun sighed and shook his head. Who would that even convince?

"Eh? Not you too!"

Mohei jumped in dismay at Baiyun's reaction.

Oops.

Baiyun decided to resolve the matter by smacking the shield onto Sanguang's head lightly, which was enough to make the young disciples laugh, though Ying Shi shook his head.

"You!" Sanguang shouted.

But he was shushed by a muscular hand before he could continue.

"Enough fooling around." Ying Shi said. "Baiyun, Jingfeng, the two of you have an important task. Have you prepared yourselves?"

"Yes, master Ying Shi!" Jingfeng grinned.

"My brother is one thing, but you'd trust him with it?" Fei An gazed at Baiyun doubtfully.

Prepared... Baiyun sank into his thoughts briefly. That was a really good question.

A vow he made to himself previously came to mind. After recent incidents, did he not swear to be more careful in the future, to not endanger himself?

Baiyun had more time to think about the situation between the previous incidents. Him brazenly wandering into the alchemist workshop was definitely shortsighted. But the hunting party was different in nature.

Previously, the assurance of a Nascent Soul elder was there at least. But he had overheard the elder's absence in the carriage.

But even despite that... How often did opportunities like this come by? Were there truly opportunities devoid of risk, to a servant like him? Perhaps he would die of old age before a truly safe one came by.

The weekly combat trials were safe, but only the top 3 received prizes. Even if he continued to win through flukes, eventually, the other disciples would grow strong enough that a high rank would become unattainable.

And even if he always received a prize by some miracle, it was still far too slow.

Baiyun already had the restriction of not having external meridians. Right now, as a youth, it was an important time to establish the roots of his cultivation.

Youth and cultivation worked in a strange tandem.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

If he were to reach his fifties before reaching Elixir Condensation and increase his lifespan, he would already have exhausted half his youth. His lifespan would still be increased, but he would not regain his youth and would remain middle-aged.

In contrast, if he were to increase his lifespan before reaching 10, he would extend the "youth" of his "talent" vastly, even as his body grew physically older. It was even possible for this youthful talent to be maintained for thousands of years if he were able to keep increasing his lifespan accordingly!

Both cases resulted in the same lifespan, but it was blatantly obvious which had better prospects.

Opportunities now far outweighed future opportunities! If he had to shoulder the talent restriction of age along with everything, his future prospects of cultivation would be reduced to nothing...

Would he not be condemned to die of old age then?

Could it be that not seeking out opportunities was also a risk of sorts? Baiyun felt like this was a very strange way to think about it. Or was he merely looking to justify the risk with shaky logic?

He realised something at that moment.

Like a farmer sitting by a stump, awaiting careless hares, he had been far too complacent. Baiyun's admission into the martial elder's training along with Ying Shi's interest in him were all opportunities that had fallen into his lap by chance.

Such luck was not something to be relied upon. He clenched a fist and vowed that in the future, he would grasp opportunities with his very own hands.

Only a few seconds had passed since Baiyun's introspection, but to him, it felt like he had been standing there for minutes. Still, Ying Shi seemed to have sensed his hesitation.

"I trust my judgement, Fei An. He will succeed."

Hah. Where was that baseless confidence coming from? It wasn't as if they had known each other for years. Baiyun shook his head mentally.

"Ying Shi, are there any protective artefacts I can borrow? I can't help but worry for my life, entering such territory as a mortal." Baiyun said.

If Ying Shi was generous enough to lend him an artefact bow, he figured he'd try his luck.

"A valid concern."

Ying Shi retrieved a ring from his bag and passed it to Baiyun.

"This is a Thousand Wills Guardian Ring, an artefact that summons a protective barrier in times of danger. It currently has enough charges to protect you from at least a hundred attacks of those beneath Qi Gathering. But if a red light flashes, it means the ring has only twenty charges left."

"Many thanks, young master Ying!" Baiyun bowed.

That was surprisingly easy. Ying Shi was quite the generous young master. The surrounding disciples laughed for some reason.

He examined the ring in hand. It had a miniature shield as a decorative piece, its circular body large and bulky, unlike the thin lithe stature of most rings. Evident from the countless engravings on its body, it was to make room for as many formations as possible.

It was too large for someone his age, so Baiyun had to slot it onto his thumb. A white glow shone from the face of the tiny shield as he did so, and he felt a veil of qi engulf him.

He could sense the shroud was merely qi sense and without protective capabilities, odd for a protective artefact.

But having used similar artefacts in his past life, he knew its purpose. To conserve energy, the ring would only guard him after sensing an attack. After all, were it to maintain its barrier at all times, it would run out of charges in mere moments.

The weakness of such an approach was evident. If an attack was too fast for the shield to react to, he would be skewered!

But more concerningly, how would it interact with his divine sense?

Baiyun unleashed a thread of divine sense from his mouth. Having improved his cultivation, his thread was now able to reach 12 metres, a massive jump from the prior 3 back in the underground caverns.

With Divine Touch to actively sense any minute changes to the formations of the ring, he gingerly reached into it with divine thread.

He sensed something within the ring reacting and quickly retracted it before the barrier activated. Good, he could activate it at will!

"Let's go!" Jingfeng said.

Jingfeng pulled out a bottle of sorts and sprayed him and Baiyun down with scent-covering spray. Then, he summoned faint traces of wind beneath their feet to dampen the sound of their footsteps.

Baiyun nodded as Jingfeng grabbed his hand and dragged him into the dark forest. They were immediately plunged into night.

He turned backwards briefly to stare at the rest of the group still standing in daylight, but Jingfeng tugged harder on his hand.

"Baiyun, it's dangerous to get distracted! Focus on our task at hand!"

Technically speaking, it wasn't as if he had diverted his attention. Baiyun had summoned his divine thread to search for threats.

While there was enough light to see, it was close to the bare minimum. Coupled with the claustrophobic mess of trees blocking their sight, it was difficult to even see a few metres ahead. Compared to his thread, sight did little for him.

But Jingfeng had no way of knowing that. Baiyun could only nod helplessly.

The forest grew denser. Baiyun and Jingfeng had to move in awkward zigzag patterns and skirt around the tree trunks to go deeper. The only comfort was the complete absence of fall leaves and twigs, soft mulch covering the barren earth instead.

It was the perfect environment for fungal growth, yet not even mould grew here. Baiyun wondered if the mulch was poisonous somehow.

But as his divine sense swept the surroundings, he noticed a growth in the trunks high above. It was a cluster of odd mushrooms practically bursting with qi!.

Baiyun tapped Jingfeng on the shoulder, then pointed above.

"Eh?"

Jingfeng was confused but he looked up and squinted.

A few seconds passed before he finally spotted the fungi, his eyes widening. He gave Baiyun a thumbs up, before floating into the air and towards the cluster with a knife in hand.

Chop!

Jingfeng descended with the mushrooms in hand, holding them carefully as if they were a precious treasure. He stumbled as he hit the ground, not as adept at flight as his sister.

Baiyun wondered why he couldn't have just stashed the mushroom into his bag midair. That would have made landing easier.

As they delved deeper into the forest, he continued to alert Jingfeng to various fungi growing from the trees. They were not common, but Baiyun would find a cluster every few minutes. Jingfeng seemed to be curious how Baiyun could find the fungi with such ease, but kept silent, not wanting to alert the centipedes.

But all good things had to come to an end eventually.

Before them, in a rather conspicuous clearing, a musty-smelling cave jutted out of the ground, large enough for a person to easily fit through. It was one of the many nest entrances the centipedes had.

Jingfeng motioned to Baiyun and he nodded. There was no need for words. Ying Shi had already detailed the plan.

Baiyun watched as the boy grabbed a rock, tossing it at one of the many trees; it bounced off several trunks and landed on the ground with a clack.

Jingfeng pulled out a vial of black liquid from his bag with his other hand, and Baiyun drew his bow, notching in a silver arrow. He adjusted himself, searching for the perfect angle unobstructed by trees.

The faint sound of scuttling echoed from the cave. It was not loud, but the oppressive silence of the forest made even the slightest sound apparent. The head of a massive centipede with bull-like horns reared out of the entrance, brandishing its mandibles large enough to rip a person in half.

Jingfeng poured the poison over the notched arrow, and in perfect sync, Baiyun let loose.

With a faint whoosh, it struck the creature between a gap in its armoured neck.

The centipede jolted from the impact before freezing. Then it suddenly spasmed violently, unable to make a sound.

Now! Baiyun mouthed quietly.

Jingfeng raised his hands and the winds surrounded him, forming into two massive invisible hands! The trees were dense, but the limbs were immaterial, simply slipping around the trunks. They grasped the Gatekeeper Centipede and pulled with all their might, forcefully dragging its massive 5-metre long body out!

Were it not for the paralysing poison, it would have lodged its legs into the walls of the cave, making it extremely difficult to pull out.

Jingfeng's eyes glinted with a cold light as he drew his sword, beheading the creature. Just as quickly as the deed was done, he turned to Baiyun and smiled.

But the job was not over.

Jingfeng took several spherical bombs out of his bag, each with a rope fuse. Then he passed Baiyun an intricate lantern with a fake dragon's head attached to its base, another one of Ying Shi's artefacts prepared for this mission.

Baiyun flicked a switch and the eyes of the dragon began to glow red, flames spewing out of its mouth. Jingfeng quickly lit the fuses of each bomb before rolling them into the cave.

One, two, three, four, five...

The bombs clattered down the depths, the faint light from their fuses providing glimpses into the root caverns beneath. Jingfeng continued to roll bombs downwards, until 20 had been thrown.

"Haha, time to run for it!" Jingfeng laughed.

"Weren't we supposed to keep quiet?" Baiyun whispered.

"Eh, our cover was busted after all that! It doesn't matter anymore!"

Jingfeng clapped his hands, and a veil of wind surrounded them both. Baiyun could feel his body grow light, every step sending him bounding without effort!

As bangs shook the very ground beneath them, smoke erupting from the nest, the two of them took off. Jingfeng laughed and laughed; Baiyun could see echoes of Fei An in him at this moment.

"Here!"

Jingfeng tossed Baiyun 10 bottles of centipede pheromone. From the speed they were running and his lack of hands, Baiyun was only able to catch 4 of them, the rest tumbling to the ground and breaking.

"Haha!"

The two of them made a pheromone trial as they fled, the intense musk almost choking.

Baiyun could see how experienced the party was at hunting the centipedes now.

It was no wonder they were so confident. Even the smoke bombs were engineered to blanket the nest in danger pheromones, aimed at sending every worker centipede into a frenzy. Otherwise, they would not charge out of the nest in a craze merely over a small commotion!

For a kid, Ying Shi was quite a good planner.

The two of them ducked and weaved through the chaotic cluster of trees as the once silent forest roused. Behind them, a rumbling began to build up. Thousands of furious giant centipedes spilled out of the nest entrances, their feet clattering as they stampeded through the forest!

Jingfeng laughed, clearly enjoying the run, but Baiyun shook his head. If either of them slammed into one of the trees by mistake or slipped, they would be devoured alive by the furious swarm!

Faint rays of sunlight began to permeate the canopies as they grew closer to closer to the edges of the veil between night and day. At last, the two of them rushed out of the forest and back into the sunlight, squinting from the blinding light.

The carriage waited outside with open doors, Ying Shi standing beside it.

Far in the distance, Baiyun could see the guards donning strange insect-like armour and holding long poles, bracing themselves for the arrival of the swarm.

"Get in!" Mohei yelled from inside.

As Jingfeng and Baiyun ran close, Ying Shi grabbed the two of them and lunged straight into the carriage, crashing into a pile of pillows prepared inside.

The doors of the carriage slammed shut and the bull immediately took off.

A furious tsunami of centipedes burst out of the forest, swallowing the landscape! The guards who were left behind readied their strange weapons, prepared to carry out their part of the plan.