It will take a couple of days before I will be able to cultivate again since my cultivation will need time to stabilize itself.

In the meantime, I decided to run on the mountain wall searching for my next objective: the temples. I had decided to spend this time mapping the area and making a route passing as many temples as possible.

So I started running north and, half a day later, I started running west when the direction of the mountain range changed.

At some point to my right, the sea left space for a flourishing grassland. At that moment I decided to not return to the forest but to approach the new environment instead. That’s because the temples, which were barely visible because of the trees in the forest, were in plain sight in the grassland.

I decided to go to the highest peak that I could see from there to look for a route in the grassland.

I reached it at the end of the night. The peak was flat with a diameter of 20 m.

I was calculating the most efficient route when the sun started rising and a pleasant heat hit me. I was enjoying the heat when a sudden noise from behind startled me.

*Hiss*

I quickly turned and I saw a 10-meter-long snake slithering on the peak with a threatening look. Noticing the horns on his head I connected the dots.

North, the highest peak, snake, horns.

‘Fuck this is the peak rank 3 horned serpent that the old bear talked me about and this is his sunbathing spot.’

‘OK, Zhao calm down. You have already beaten a peak rank 3 beast before, you can do it again.’

*Roar* “Bring it on, big guy!”

I charged it but I noticed with a sense of deja vu that all my moves were seen through and dodged with minimal effort.

‘Fuck, this snake is playing with me. It’s the python all over again. I need to get out of here

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I jumped back and, while the horned serpent looked at me a little perplexed, I started running. The snake enraged that its new toy didn’t want to play, decided to get a bit serious and attacked with a flying fire qi slash.

I, noticing the attack, responded with a yang Tiger Claw of my own. The collision slowed the snake’s attack down but it then continued flying with less momentum towards my back. The hit created a fiery explosion that sent me down the mountain and onto the grassland.

After exiting the crater I started regenerating my wounds. They were mainly caused by the snake's last attack, even after it was weakened by my strongest attack.

‘Lesson learned: there can be big differences even in the same cultivation rank. Thinking about it, it’s obvious. One is like a young master reaching its rank through pills while the other is a rogue cultivator reaching it through battle and bloodshed. The difference it’s clear to see. I can’t waste any more time inside the enclosure. Once out of here, unless Huan Long has enough merits to go to the opening of the sects’ shared secret realm, I will leave on my own.’

As I decided that I looked around me. I was in a crater just at the bottom of the mountain and in front of me there was only one-meter-high grass. I also noticed that here the qi concentration was much higher than in the forest, and that means even into the sect.

That meant that the enemies encountered here would be of a higher level compared to the ones I had met before.

I accepted the challenge. If before the plan was to find new temples now I wanted to also meet strong enemies to hone myself.

As I was musing I noticed a new beast entering my spirit sense: a rabbit. I would have normally dismissed it if only it wasn’t an early rank 3 beast.

I decided to ignore it nonetheless, a beast with that cultivation wouldn’t even be able to hurt me, let alone challenge me.

I passed by, directed to the nearest temple when the rabbit dashed towards me. I sensed a threat only at the last moment and automatically tilted my body. A long gushing wound appeared on my shoulder.

‘If I hadn’t sensed the threat and tilted my body the attack would have hit my neck. While it wouldn’t have killed me, an attack like that is not to be underestimated either.’

I started healing my wound and decided to take seriously the enemy that seemed to be randomly hopping around.

I looked at the rabbit's behavior, it seemed to be hopping without a pattern, and then suddenly it dashed.

This time I was ready: I met the attack with one of my own: Yin Paw.

*Splat*

The rabbit was reduced to a bloody pulp.

I stood there bewildered, how could an enemy capable of injuring me be unable to resist even one attack?

‘Maybe it was an attack-oriented demonic beast.’

I hope to meet another one to better analyze its attack