Chapter 27: Imminent Danger Right Off the Bat

"This..." Tang Mu felt like multiple explosions, the blissful kind, were going off in his mind. From Little Green's explanation, he had understood that time flowed faster in the painting world. That meant that by relying on the Star Orb, he would always have more time to train when compared to his peers.

A case in point was that only two months were remaining before the commencement of Tang Mu's university education. Naturally, such a short period wasn't sufficient to increase his powers significantly, especially since mastering psionic arts and techniques required ample time.

But if Tang Mu could spend all those two months within the painting dimension, he would multiply the time by a factor of five and secure himself a good ten months. Then, he would utilize all that extended time to improve his powers by a level or two before starting his university education. This cheat could allow him to surpass his peers by miles in both the short and long run.

Of course, there was a question of him aging faster if he spent most of his time in the dimension where time flowed at five times the regular speed. Tang Mu was worried about this, and he turned to Little Green to get some clarification.

Little Green smiled. "You don't need to worry about aging fast since the longevity of metaphysical beings will automatically increase as they break through to higher ranks. Take the case of your human race, for example. An ordinary human can only live up to about 120 Earth years, but you, a pseudo-rank-one psionic, can live up to 150 years."

"If you continue breaking through to higher levels, you can live up to 200 years at the level of a rank-one psionic, 400 years at rank-two, 600 years at rank-three, and 1000 years at rank-four. Of course, these are just estimates I deduced based on the anatomy of you humans. Nevertheless, these estimations should still allow you to feel at ease. You won't age quickly, even in an accelerated temporal space, as long as you continue growing your powers."

"Oh!" Tang Mu nodded in understanding.

He already knew about the longevity of high-level psionics. For instance, Axel Skog, the forefather of psionics from a thousand years ago, was still alive and kicking up to this day. There were even rumors that he still looked like a middle-aged man.

Such knowledge let Tang Mu understand that time would not leave many marks on him if he continuously broke through to higher ranks. He could persist and grow his powers until he could live for tens of thousands or even millions of years. That was the magnificence associated with treading the mighty path of psionics.

Little Green smiled. "Let's return our focus to the painting dimensions. I have just allowed you access to the storage space of the Star Orb. You can now store anything in the space with a touch and a single thought. You can also retrieve it later with a thought. This includes the beasts you hunt in the painting world."

"Lastly, remember that a very high possibility of dying exists when you explore the painting world." Little Green's tone turned solemn. "This is especially true since I'll only help you when you choose to terminate your adventure and exit the dimension. So, at other times, you must stay alert and tread carefully. Don't needlessly throw your life away. Understood?"

"Understood." Tang Mu affirmed.

Little Green nodded. "I guess that's all. Go ahead and enter the painting world. I wish you all the best of luck."

Tang Mu smiled and gave his thanks to the little fairy.

He carried his bow and quiver of arrows on his back and approached the tall arched stone slab in the middle of the diaphanous platform. Taking a deep breath, he slowly raised his hand and placed it in the barely visible palm-shaped groove beside the wall painting.

Everything proceeded smoothly from there on. The runic symbols framing the mural exuded a blinding starry glow that enveloped Tang Mu's thin and tall physique. He experienced the familiar feeling of shuttling through space and instantly arrived in the painting dimension.

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Tang Mu immediately glanced around and ducked into the tall bushes. He raised his alertness to the max and stayed close to the ground. He then peaked out of the tall grass to survey the seemingly peaceful savanna grassland.

His heartbeat accelerated when he saw a herd of around two dozen enormous wildebeests and roughly the same number of gigantic zebras grazing in the distance. Both beast species exuded a wild aura, especially with their massive bodies, twice the size of their counterparts back on Earth.

Tang Mu was, of course, not foolish enough to use the common sense of Earth to judge the beasts in the painting dimension. Yes, the two species before him were almost harmless herbivores back in the savannas of Africa. But in the painting world, they could turn into fiendish monsters that could destroy him in seconds.

Tang Mu decided to play it safe by not taking on such a large number of enemies. With his bow in hand, he kept his body low in the bushes and started moving away from the herd. His military-style cape shielded his face from the blazing sun, and his combat boot protected his feet as he stealthily made his way through the jungle.

Ten meters! Fifteen meters! Twenty meters! Progress was slow. But Tang reminded himself, again and again, to remain patient while retreating. He also maintained a high level of alertness, watching out for potential sneak attacks from other monsters.

A few minutes passed, and just when Tang Mu had begun to relax, a change happened. The largest wildebeest in the herd seemed to sense something. It raised its enormous head and sniffed the air slightly.

Tang Mu saw its body flinch as it let out a couple of explosive snorts and low moos. Before he could understand what was happening, the wildebeest turned tail and shot off into the distance, speeding like the wind. Its other wildebeest and zebra counterparts followed its example and ran without looking back.

"What the hell? They are running even before I choose to attack!"

Tang Mu looked around in confusion, wondering why the beast herd had abruptly run away from him. The gears in his mind turned quickly and settled into place as he recalled knowledge from one particular wildlife documentary he had watched. The next moment, blaring alarm bells went off in his head, and he thought of a possibility.

Predator nearby!!

There should be a terrifying predator around that scared the beast herd!

A chill ran down Tang Mu's spine, causing his back to break out in a cold sweat. He trembled violently, feeling a tremendous urge to take off and escape from the unknown enemy like the beasts.

But after recalling that he might not be faster than a wild beast from the painting dimension, he mustered all his willpower and forced himself to remain calm.

He didn't wish to face a sneak attack while escaping. He would remain in place and wait for the enemy to show themselves. Only when he knew what he was facing would he decide how to resolve the situation.

"Phew..."

Tang Mu subconsciously regulated his breathing to follow the familiar pattern of the Star God Celestial Manual. The chaos in his mind quickly faded as he continued scrutinizing the surroundings.

A few seconds passed, and he finally caught some movement in the corner of his eyes. At the same time, his ears picked up a hissing wail as something flashed forward on his left, bounding in from beyond a small stand of young trees roughly tens of meters away.

Danger!

At the thought, Tang Mu reacted fast and on instinct. He whipped his head around, rotating his entire body with a bow at arm's length, an arrow nocked and drawn back to his cheek.

The thousands of archery training sessions he had undergone during high school worked like a charm, permitting him to zero in on the moving target within less than a second. He let the arrow fly, dispatching it towards the fast-approaching enemy according to his intuition.

Whoosh!

There was a whoosh, and then Tang Mu heard the arrow pierce into flesh with a puchi sound. A painful hissing wail reverberated as he took a few steps back to gain some distance. Choosing to remain on the side of caution, he swiftly nocked another arrow before finally taking a good look at his enemy.

A few meters away from him was an enormous black cobra with familiar traits wriggling around. It was similar in shape and appearance to the one he had encountered during his first adventure in the painting world.

It seemed that the arrow had pierced into its maw at the juncture when it attacked and pinned its dozen-meter-long serpentine body to the ground. But even then, it was still far from death's door. It continued squirming around and trying to break away from the arrow.

"Not a chance!"

Tang Mu had watched a similar cobra breaking free and launching a counterattack at the last moment to take down a fierce eagle with it during his first adventure in the painting world. He had learned from the experience and wouldn't make the same mistake as the bird of prey. He would stay alert and cautious until he was sure it had perished.

With the resolution in mind, Tang Mu took more steps back and continued shooting arrows at the pinned serpent. His target hit home eight times out of his thirteen shots before he finally sent the snake to meet its maker. He was victorious.