The outer region of the Cloud Mist Forest stretched endlessly beneath a sea of drifting gray mist.
Compared to the inner region, the fog here was far thinner.
Visibility remained possible for several dozen meters, though the deeper one traveled, the more distorted the environment became.
Ancient trees towered overhead.
Twisted roots spread across the forest floor.
The sounds of distant beast roars occasionally echoed through the misty wilderness.
This area was primarily inhabited by Rank-1 Low Grade to Mid Grade yao beasts.
Most cultivators and martial artists hunting here ranged between Qi Refinement Second Layer to Fifth Layer.
Anyone stronger usually entered the inner region instead.
After all—
Higher risk meant higher rewards.
Currently, five figures moved carefully through the forest.
Lin Sheng.
Lin Shou.
Lou Han.
Lin Xiaolu.
And Zhao Feng.
Among them, Lin Sheng and Lou Han handled scouting duties.
Lou Han's sharp instincts and combat experience made him naturally suited for tracking movement within the forest.
As for Lin Sheng—
His eyesight alone already surpassed ordinary martial artists.
Combined with his twenty-five li mental field, almost nothing nearby could escape his perception.
While moving silently through the forest, Lin Sheng suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly.
Several hundred meters ahead—
Movement.
His gaze pierced through the drifting mist.
Then he calmly spoke.
"Low Grade yao beast."
The group immediately slowed down.
Lin Sheng continued observing carefully.
"Earth attribute."
"Boar type."
"Highly aggressive."
"It relies primarily on charging attacks."
The others nodded.
Among yao beasts, boar-type creatures were considered troublesome because of their explosive momentum and natural defensive hides.
Lin Xiaolu quietly placed her hand on the sword at her waist.
"I'll handle it."
No one objected.
Her combat style emphasized speed, precision, and lethality.
A slow charging beast suited her perfectly.
The group immediately spread out slightly.
Moments later—
A massive boar roughly the size of two adult men emerged from the mist.
Its hide was dark brown and covered with hardened rocky protrusions resembling armor.
Sharp tusks extended outward from its mouth while crimson eyes scanned the surroundings aggressively.
The moment it spotted movement—
The boar roared.
Then charged forward violently.
Boom!
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
Yet before it could accelerate fully—
Lin Xiaolu moved.
Her figure blurred instantly.
Movement technique activated.
She appeared beside the beast almost like flowing wind.
Shing!
A flash of sword light erupted.
True qi coated the blade thinly, increasing its sharpness tremendously.
Rather than attacking the heavily armored body directly—
She targeted the eyes.
The sword pierced deeply into the boar's left eye instantly.
The beast screamed painfully.
Blood exploded outward.
Before the boar could retaliate, Lin Xiaolu had already appeared on its opposite side.
Her movements flowed like feathers drifting through the wind.
Fast.
Light.
Deadly.
Another slash descended.
This time—
The sword severed directly through the neck.
A massive head flew upward.
Then crashed heavily onto the ground.
Boom.
The body collapsed shortly afterward.
The entire battle lasted only several breaths.
Lin Sheng silently observed.
Her control had clearly improved.
Especially her true qi circulation.
Judging from the aura fluctuations during combat, Lin Xiaolu was already close to Innate Inner Energy Late Stage.
Equivalent to Qi Refinement Third Layer Peak.
Zhao Feng immediately clapped dramatically.
"Beautiful!"
"Clean."
"Precise."
"As expected of our sword fairy."
Lin Xiaolu merely glanced at him calmly before wiping the blood from her blade.
Then she sheathed the sword quietly.
Meanwhile, Zhao Feng walked toward the corpse enthusiastically.
Instead of immediately storing the body, he first took out several containers.
Then—
He began collecting the blood carefully.
Lin Shou blinked.
"You're collecting blood too?"
Zhao Feng rolled his eyes.
"Of course."
"Yao beast blood is valuable."
"It's used in both alchemy and talisman crafting."
He lifted one of the containers slightly.
"For alchemy, blood can serve as a medicinal primer for certain body refinement pills."
"For talismans, it's often mixed into spiritual ink."
"The fresher the blood, the better the effect."
Hearing this, the others nodded thoughtfully.
Even Lin Sheng silently memorized the information.
Although he already possessed some knowledge from the chip's analysis, practical cultivation world details like this remained valuable.
After processing the corpse completely, Zhao Feng finally stored it away.
Then the group continued deeper into the forest.
…
Over the next several hours, they encountered multiple Low Grade yao beasts.
A venom fang wolf.
A mist ape.
Two shadow rats.
A poisonous vine serpent.
Each battle allowed the group to gradually familiarize themselves with fighting yao beasts directly.
Unlike human opponents, yao beasts fought almost entirely through instinct.
Savage.
Ferocious.
Unpredictable.
Some relied on physical power.
Others used venom or elemental abilities.
Several times, Lin Shou nearly suffered injuries due to underestimating their speed.
Lou Han's combat style, however, adapted frighteningly quickly.
His claw techniques specialized in close-range aggression and tearing attacks.
Against yao beasts, his ruthless fighting style became increasingly effective.
As for Lin Sheng—
He rarely attacked directly.
Most of the time, he silently observed while maintaining mental field awareness over the surroundings.
Only when necessary would he intervene.
Yet every time he attacked—
The result was decisive.
Whether fist qi or movement techniques, his combat precision far exceeded the others.
Even Zhao Feng occasionally glanced toward him strangely.
Clearly, Lin Sheng's combat awareness was abnormal.
Finally—
Near sunset—
The group arrived before their mission target.
A Rank-1 Mid Grade Metal Attribute Tiger.
The forest here had become unusually quiet.
No birds.
No insects.
Only the faint sound of breathing echoed from within a nearby cave entrance.
The tiger slowly emerged from the shadows.
Its body was enormous.
Nearly four meters long.
Silver metallic stripes covered its body while its claws gleamed sharply like blades.
Every movement carried heavy pressure.
The surrounding spiritual qi itself seemed sharper due to the beast's metal attribute affinity.
Lin Shou subconsciously tightened his grip on his weapon.
"This thing…"
"Feels dangerous."
Zhao Feng's expression also became more serious.
Then he quickly explained the plan.
"Lou Han and Lin Sheng will handle frontal pressure."
"Lin Shou and Lin Xiaolu provide support and attack weak points."
"As for me—"
He pointed toward the cave behind the tiger.
"I'll enter the cave."
The others immediately understood.
Yao beasts rarely occupied caves without reason.
Especially stronger ones.
Usually, valuable spirit herbs or materials existed nearby.
Otherwise, the beast would not defend the location so fiercely.
"Be careful," Lin Sheng said calmly.
Zhao Feng grinned.
"I always am."
Then—
The battle began.
The tiger roared violently.
A terrifying soundwave spread outward.
Before the beast could fully charge, Lin Sheng activated Eight Step Cicada instantly.
His figure blurred.
At the same time—
Fist qi erupted.
Boom!
Compressed true qi exploded toward the tiger's side.
The tiger immediately twisted its body to evade.
But Lou Han had already appeared behind it.
Sharp claw strikes tore toward the beast's back.
Sparks erupted upon contact.
The metal attribute hide possessed terrifying defensive strength.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shou attacked directly from the front.
Scorching Flame True Qi erupted explosively from his blade.
Boom!
The collision created a fiery explosion against the tiger's shoulder.
Although the hide blocked most of the damage, the explosive force still staggered the beast slightly.
Lin Xiaolu instantly seized the opportunity.
Her sword flashed toward the tiger's abdomen.
A shallow wound appeared immediately.
Roar!!
The tiger became enraged.
Metal attribute spiritual qi surged around its claws.
Its speed exploded suddenly.
Slash!
Lou Han narrowly avoided having his chest ripped apart.
The surrounding trees collapsed from the claw pressure alone.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
This beast's combat strength already approached Innate Inner Strength Middle Stage.
Equivalent to Qi Refinement Fifth Layer.
Meanwhile—
Inside the cave—
Zhao Feng moved quickly through the darkness.
Then suddenly—
He stopped.
The surrounding spiritual qi here was unnaturally dense.
At the cave's center grew a pale blue spiritual plant.
The grass emitted faint streams of mist-like spiritual qi continuously.
Several crystal droplets floated above its leaves.
Seeing it—
Zhao Feng's expression immediately changed.
"Damn…"
"Things got troublesome."
The spirit plant before him was—
Clear Spring Grass.
And worse—
It was almost mature.
Spirit herbs nearing maturity naturally released increasing amounts of spiritual qi.
This attracted nearby yao beasts instinctively.
The tiger outside was clearly guarding this plant, waiting for complete maturation before consuming it.
But once the herb fully matured—
It would release a medicinal fragrance.
A fragrance capable of attracting not only nearby yao beasts—
But also cultivators and hunters throughout the surrounding region.
Zhao Feng's face darkened slightly.
If they didn't leave quickly—
This mission might spiral completely out of control.