“Sure, I don’t mind, but if it’s pressure to hone yourself is what you need, wouldn’t it be more effective for you to go alone? “ Li Lang replied.

“B-boss, it’s—”

Before Wei Ping could explain, Long Yi held up a hand to silence Wei Ping.

“I’ll explain. Rumors are spreading that some people have been targeting others outside. Those who are frustrated with their bottlenecks are lashing out. They may not be able to kill under the pocket realm’s watch, but injuring others could cause them to lose trial points as they spend time on recovery.”

“Targeting others, but what benefits does that give them?”

“That, I don’t know. Probably just venting their jealousy? Happens a lot back in my village even for minor things. That’s why I’ve gotten into my fair share of fights,” Long Yi grinned.

“I see. Anyway, what does it feel like to almost be at the next stage? I assume the jump from the sixth stage to the seventh stage isn’t the same as the one from third to fourth?”

“To be honest, I don’t feel anything different. It’s just that I have noticed myself retaining control of my Qi even when it loses contact with me. It may be for a split second, but I can feel it every time.”

The trio only talked a little while longer before they separated. They had set a time to meet up tomorrow and returned to their training.

It had been months since Li Lang had set foot outside of the mountain. He had been busy training his new spear art. This made him change up his plans and focus on preparing for the outing. It would be his first time testing out the Gliding Coil Spear Art in a real fight. He needed to make ample preparation.

That involved preparing the poisons. He felt it had a high affinity with his spear art, as it compensated for its lack of damage potential. It reinforced the notion that the artifact spirit operating the realm was watching. If he wanted to receive a technique relating to poisons, he would have to make liberal use of it.

The next morning, the trio set off without any issues. The verdant green forest greeted them along with the purple sky and yellow clouds.

The nearby cultivators wore guarded looks as they went about their business. Everyone was careful not to be followed, so Li Lang’s group lost sight of anyone else the moment they left the vicinity of the mountain.

“Did you have a destination in mind?” Li Lang asked.

“Yes, I found a strange forest a distance away in that direction,” Long Yi pointed toward the opposite direction of the desert Li Lang once visited. “There are quite a few powerful Qi beasts there around my level.”

“Strange? How strange?”

“Just weird-looking trees.”

With a guide at the lead, the trio silently made their way across the forest. They didn’t use the warding talisman as they were together. Even if Long Yi was alone, he rarely used it anyway. As the more martial of the three, he preferred to hone his skills on any opponent he could find.

There was a gap in mentality between the combat-oriented Long Yi and his companions.

Li Lang attributed it to the continual success of fights Long Yi had experienced. The dopamine from victories was addictive. Since he had the skills to acquire said victories, it became an addictive loop. In Li Lang’s opinion, fighting wasn’t something fun or enjoyable, but a last resort. He preferred peacefully researching to the adrenaline-filled excitement.

However, this world wasn’t a peaceful one. Those who were too weak were prone to get things taken from them. Li Lang only knew that too well. That was why he had dedicated so much of his time to his combat techniques.

The foes closest to the mountain were weak, growing stronger as they headed further out. With Long Yi making short work of any nearby Qi beasts, the three managed to cut through the forest with no problems.

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The first thing they saw upon exiting the forest was the rocky landscape before them. The sedimentary rock formations were just flat enough for one to cross.

It also provided an ample view of their surroundings, preventing ambushes.

That was why they were caught off-guard when the ground trembled, followed by an ear-piercing explosion a short distance away. It was followed by a wail from some large beast.

The sound didn’t die down after that, with short clashes being heard. It soon became clear that there was a fight going on near the trio.

“It’s c-coming from over there.”

“Pick up our pace?” Long Yi suggested.

“No. W-we should c-check it out first s-since it’s so close.”

“He’s right,” Li Lang added. “If it’s something dangerous, it would easily spot us if we continue on. We need to see what is causing that first before deciding to proceed or retreat into the forest.”

While they conversed, the sound of fighting continued. The three cautiously approached the scene. The sound indicated they were close, but they couldn’t catch sight of anything yet. They soon discovered the reason for that.

The fight was located in a quarry; a pit of sorts. The vantage point they had from looking down on the fight below gave them a lot of information.

First, there was a fight going on between an elemental golem and a cultivator.

The stone golem was easily three times the height of the boy and moved with surprising agility. One could easily surmise that it had comparable strength to someone at the peak of Energy Gathering.

Its opponent was also someone the trio was familiar with. Even at a distance, it was hard not to notice the signature white hair of the talented cultivator they had once met. Not once had they seen anyone inside the pocket realm with hair of a similar color. Once they focused their Qi into their eyes, they confirmed it was indeed the genius from the Myriad Bones Pavilion, Liang Po!

He was currently engaged in combat, darting around the quarry, dodging the blows from the golem. He occasionally sent out Qi art attacks, but the golem received his blows with no issue.

Still, Liang Po showed a relaxed expression. In fact, he was even smiling slightly, as if he was having a good time.

“This is the first time we’ve seen that guy actually fighting,” Long Yi commented.

“Does that mean his martial intent doesn’t work on that thing?” Li Lang wondered.

“Either way. I d-don’t think he w-would lose to that golem. He’s a-already in the eighth stage!”

The trio took a few moments to marvel at the genius’ strength. He had grown a lot since their last meeting. Not only that, he was also fighting against an opponent with a higher cultivation on relatively equal ground. While the fight wasn’t decisive, it was hard for anyone to doubt his victory from how relaxed he was.

This caused the group to quickly decide to proceed. Owing to the loud clash that scared away any nearby creatures, the three of them crossed the stony area peacefully, albeit with some background noise.

They soon rested their eyes upon a forest full of dried, leafless trees that were as wide as a house. However, the sight wasn’t dreary at all. The trees varied in color, with some red, blue, yellow, green, and various others. It almost looked like a children’s playground to Li Lang.

Another strange thing about them was how they were all rooted in the stone beneath them. The terrain of the area was still stony, with no soil in sight. The density of trees made it hard to peer into it as well.

Li Lang didn’t have to wonder what type of Qi beast resided here for long. The second they stepped passed the treeline, a chameleon the size of a large bike leaped down from a tree. It had camouflaged itself while holding onto the trunk.

Thankfully, Long Yi expected it. He easily intercepted the Qi beast and began fighting it.

Li Lang and Wei Ping quickly took cover, as their role was simply to observe unless it was an emergency.

Li Lang was excited to observe the new Qi beast at first, but the fight quickly became a stalemate. The chameleon was too flexible, leaping from tree to tree, preventing Long Yi from pinning it down.

“B-boss, pay attention to t-the surrounding trees. We c-can’t have another of t-those things ambush us.”

“Sure.”

Li Lang immediately agreed, as his curiosity had shifted over to the new mutant trees. He planned to take the chance to have Ruby absorb a few branches.

Just as he began to distance himself from Wei Ping, the chameleon Long Yi was fighting let out a screech. When Li Lang turned to the sound, his eyes widened upon seeing the scene. It appeared their friend successfully landed a blow with his Qi art. However, the thing that drew Li Lang’s attention was neither the Qi beast nor Long Yi himself.

Instead, his attention lay on the tree behind the beast. Long Yi’s attack had broken the bark, and the tree was leaking out sap. The sap had a high viscosity and was slowly dripping out. The thing that piqued Li Lang’s interest was its color. It was the same color as the blue tree behind it, except it was a shade lighter.

I need to get a sample of each of these trees!