Lin Feng arrived at an open space, a chill running through his heart. This was a world where strength reigned supreme. Life was as insignificant as grass; if you were strong enough, you could kill anyone at will.
He had simply entered the "One Line Sky" by accident, just taking a quick look before turning away, yet Liu Fei wanted to kill him. Even though they were both disciples of the same sect, it didn’t matter.
"Those with Arrow Martial Souls can track and kill their enemies. Their attack power is formidable. But if it comes to close combat, I’m confident I can kill her with a single strike." Lin Feng was quite satisfied with his "Sword Draw Technique." It was fast as lightning, as powerful as thunder, and it could cleave arrows in an instant. All the mental strain and torment of training were worth it.
Lin Feng had trained for seven days straight on the cliff, focusing solely on the Sword Draw Technique, and using his Dark Martial Soul to improve his comprehension. It was only when his mental energy could no longer support him that he would withdraw his Martial Soul and then train in the "Floating Light Shadow" movement technique during his brief moments of respite.
"Liu Fei," Lin Feng silently etched her face into his memory. Then he gathered some wood, using his soft sword to create sparks from the stones to start a fire, drying his clothes.
Not far from him, four figures appeared. They were likely disciples of Yunhai Sect.
"Someone’s over there. Let’s invite him to join us. The more people, the stronger our forces," said a young man in a green robe.
"I wonder how strong he is," said a burly youth with a grin, not objecting.
The four walked towards Lin Feng, and the only woman among them, seeing Lin Feng was bare-chested, blushed slightly and whispered, "Hello, could you put your clothes back on?"
Lin Feng glanced at the young woman. Although not as stunning as Liu Fei, she was still quite beautiful with delicate features and smooth skin. In fact, women in this world, likely due to cultivation, were generally more beautiful than women from Lin Feng’s past world.
"Okay." Lin Feng was not hard to talk to. Having grown up in hardship, he was easygoing and approachable.
"Is there something you need?" Lin Feng asked after putting his clothes back on.
"Actually, we’re planning to go to the Blackwind Mountain Range to hunt some demon beasts, and we’d like to invite you to join us. We’ll split the demon cores we get equally," explained the young man in green. The Blackwind Mountain Range, located to the north of the Yunhai Mountain Range, was an enormous forest filled with demon beasts. Some disciples speculated that it might be even larger than the entire Yunhai Mountain Range. It was likely that Yunhai Sect had considered the demon beast forest when choosing to establish its headquarters here, as demon beast forests offered great opportunities for martial practitioners to hone their skills and obtain valuable materials like demon beast skins and cores.
"Sure, I agree," Lin Feng replied almost without hesitation. He was indeed interested in seeing the Blackwind Mountain Range and its demon beasts.
"Great! Now we have five people. As long as we don’t encounter a level 9 demon beast, we should be fine," the young woman said happily. Among the four of them, the highest cultivation level was held by the silent white-robed youth, who was at the 8th level of Qi Martial Realm. The other three, including Lin Feng, were likely at the 7th level of Qi Martial Realm, at least at the 6th level.
Demon beasts were divided into nine ranks, corresponding to the nine levels of Qi Martial Realm. She believed that as long as they didn’t encounter a level 9 demon beast, or even a "Spirit-level Demon Beast," they would be safe.
"Brother, I’m Qing Yi. This is Senior Brother Han Man, Junior Sister Jing Yun, and the strongest of us, Jing Feng," the young man in green introduced. The burly Han Man and the young woman Jing Yun smiled at Lin Feng, but Jing Feng, the white-robed youth, looked aloof and disdainful.
"I’m Lin Feng," Lin Feng smiled and introduced himself.
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"Lin Feng, the useless one." For the first time, the white-robed Jing Feng spoke. With a mocking smile, he looked Lin Feng up and down, saying, "Jing Yun, it seems we’re wasting our time. Bringing him along will only be a burden."
The other three seemed awkward, clearly having heard of Lin Feng’s reputation. Although they hadn’t seen Lin Feng in person, they had heard of his name since there were so many outer disciples in Yunhai Sect.
Lin Feng frowned slightly, but the other three seemed uncomfortable as well.
"Junior Brother Lin Feng, Jing Feng has high talent, he’s in the 8th level of Qi Martial Realm, so he can be a bit arrogant. Don’t mind him, just pretend you didn’t hear it. We’re all connected by fate, and we’re together now," Han Man, the burly youth, said openly.
"Yes, Senior Brother is right," Qing Yi and Jing Yun agreed. Jing Feng, however, only snorted and didn’t say anything more.
Seeing the sincerity in the other three’s eyes, Lin Feng felt a bit of warmth in his heart and decided not to refuse their invitation. The five of them crossed several mountain peaks and soon arrived at the Blackwind Mountain Range.
"Lin Feng, the Blackwind Mountain Range is vast. Only the top core disciples or sect elders know just how large it is. We can only stay near the outskirts, don’t go too deep. You’re not very strong, so stick close to us," Han Man reminded.
Lin Feng nodded slightly. He knew Han Man was a straightforward person, and his words were meant to help, not to belittle him.
The terrain of the Blackwind Mountain Range was complex, with dense trees and thorns, making it a perfect place for demon beasts to hide.
"Level 5 demon beast, the Qingfeng Wolf. Capture it!" Han Man suddenly shouted. Not far from them, in the bushes, a pair of cold, glowing eyes flashed.
Qing Yi stepped forward, drawing a sword from his back. The blade shone like moonlight, swift and silent, and in a blink of an eye, it pierced through the Qingfeng Wolf’s brain, ending its life.
"The Qingfeng Sword Technique is truly effective against the Qingfeng Wolf," Han Man said with a hearty laugh, walking up to help Qing Yi collect the demon core.
"Level 5 demon beast is nothing," Jing Feng, the white-robed youth, said dismissively.
Lin Feng silently shook his head. Jing Feng may be at the 8th level of Qi Martial Realm, but he was still arrogant and narrow-minded. He was skilled, yes, but his talent was still limited, and his self-importance would only limit his growth.
They continued on, encountering more demon beasts, most of which were below level 7 and easily dealt with.
"Ha ha, the bag is getting heavier. We’ve collected three or four dozen demon cores already. Not bad," Han Man said, noticing the increasing weight of the bag he was carrying.
"But we’ve already entered Blackwind Mountain several thousand meters deep. The demon beasts ahead might get stronger, so we need to be more cautious. If it gets too dangerous, we’ll retreat," Qing Yi warned.
"Understood." Han Man nodded. But as soon as he finished speaking, his gaze froze.
"Level 8 demon beast, the Furious Ape." They saw a massive, violent creature appear before them. The Furious Ape was known for its immense strength and ferocity, capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards. It was one of the strongest demon beasts.
"Jing Feng, it’s your turn," Jing Yun looked at the white-robed Jing Feng, concerned. An 8th-level demon beast was a tough opponent for them, but Jing Feng was much stronger than the rest of them.
"Heh, Jing Yun, why are you in such a hurry? There’s someone here who hasn’t made a move yet. Are you waiting to just enjoy the benefits without participating?" Jing Feng sneered as he glanced at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng smiled coldly. Jing Feng thought he was going to get a free ride. If they faced a real crisis, he would not stand by and watch, but now this person was trying to push him into danger, seeing Lin Feng as nothing but a weakling, someone who would die to an 8th-level demon beast.
"Jing Feng, what’s that supposed to mean? Only you can deal with an 8th-level demon beast? You want to send Lin Feng to die?" Qing Yi said, his tone turning serious.
"You want him to take credit for our efforts? Does he really think he can just get the demon cores without lifting a finger? If he dies, there’s less to split," Jing Feng scoffed.
"Jing Feng, we’re in this together. Lin Feng is with us because he trusts us," Han Man said, also displeased.
"Hmph, if you want to protect him, go ahead. I’m not babysitting a useless person," Jing Feng sneered and stepped back. Meanwhile, the Furious Ape had already charged toward them.
"I’ll give it a try," Lin Feng stepped forward. An 8th-level demon beast, equivalent to a martial practitioner at the 8th level of Qi Martial Realm. He wanted to test his strength.
"No, you’re not strong enough to handle an 8th-level demon beast," Jing Yun said urgently. "Jing Feng, you’re being too much!"
Upon hearing this, a sinister glint flashed in Jing Feng’s eyes, and he smiled wickedly. If it weren’t for her looks, he would never have joined this group.
"I’ll help you." Han Man dropped his demon core bag and moved to stand beside Lin Feng.
"Count me in." Qing Yi did the same.
"I’ll join in. Together, we should be able to stop this 8th-level demon beast," Jing Yun silently prayed.
"Don’t overestimate yourselves," Jing Feng scoffed from behind them. The Furious Ape was terrifyingly strong and violent. It wasn’t something that three 7th-level Qi Martial Realm cultivators could handle.
Lin Feng looked at the three standing beside him, his heart warmed, and he smiled gently.
He rubbed his nose and weakly said, "Perhaps, I can handle this demon beast after all."