"No, it's just that it is too sudden," I guess to her, my decision might seem sudden, but I want to be sure Feng Lin doesn't lose his life because of something I said on a whim.

"If there's no problem, then let's go," I gestured for Hu Ninger to lead the way. She nodded and started for the forest, and I calmly followed. It didn't take long until we arrived at a huge bronze gate guarded by spear-wielding warriors with light red armours.

"We have to record our names before going in," Hu Ninger explained as we approached the guards. The guards didn't waste our time with nonsense. They asked to see our identification talismans and then recorded our names. They then proceeded to open the huge double door. This thing must weigh about eight hundred catties. To easily open it, the guards should be really strong.

Once the gate was opened, we were led to a small corridor and in front of us was a huge gate similar to the one before. After closing the first gate, the guards then proceeded to open the other one.

A blast of fresh forest air greeted us. I didn't expect this place to be this beautiful. Towering mountains and cliffs filled with a plethora of green and yellow plants appeared before our very eyes. The scene is like something I would expect to come out of a creative and active mind. A sense of abandoning civilization and embracing nature welled up in my heart, but I quickly and thoroughly suppressed it. The forest looks inviting and beautiful to the inexperienced eye, but a careful look would reveal otherwise. Inside the calmness, danger awaits. Inside the beauty, an ugly and unforgiving experience awaits.

"Are you done admiring the forest?" Hu Ninger jolted me out of the stupor. "Everyone always thinks the forest is beautiful in the first encounter but don't be fooled. This is just the forest's way to make you lower your guard," I nodded at her advice.

Now, where do I start? The forest is vast and endless. Looking for Feng Lin is like searching for a needle in a haystack. "I heard the forest is divided into layers. Is it true?" I asked Hu Ninger, and she nodded.

"I know of three zones. Currently, I can venture comfortably to the second, but I'd have to be extremely careful going to the third. As for you, it is best that you stick to the first."

That should narrow the search. From Hu Ninger's explanation, I inferred that the furthest Feng Lin should venture is the first zone. Even if he's desperate, he shouldn't dare go to the second zone. "Then let's go to the first zone." Stepping into the forest, slight darkness engulfed us. The only source of light is from the rays of sunlight earnestly struggling to penetrate the thick canopy. After years of walking on the cobblestone sect paths stepping on the soft earthy ground is a new experience.

*Swoosh*

As I was busy studying the moss covered trees, I heard something rushing through the thick undergrowth. Maybe it's because I'm always alert or I'm enthusiastic about some action, but I reacted faster than Hu Ninger. By the time she turned to the commotion, my Yin and Yang palms were already flying towards the source of the disturbance.

*Boom!*

I felt my palm connect with something meaty; I could tell since the palms are like an extension of my body. After my palm hit whatever the thing was, silence ensued, the bad type of silence in a forested area, like the calm before a storm.

"Jiang Ming, be careful," Hu Ninger vigilantly looked around. Shouldn't you be looking in the direction of the noise? Seeing her look around surprised me. According to reason, she should look where I attacked, but since she has more experience than me. I didn't point that out.

*Hiss*

"A snake?" Hearing the hissing sound from an unknown direction, I thought of a snake.

"It must be a silver-bellied snake," Hu Ninger said with a sigh of relief. "The only type of snake found in the first zone is the silver-bellied snake. Their type is the weakest due to having no specific attack."

*Swoosh*

As if Hu Ninger's word is the trigger it needed, the silver-bellied snake made an appearance. Heavens, this thing is weak? I had followed Hu Ninger's words and mistakenly believed the snake to be weak, but the monstrosity before me should be anything but weak. Its revealed body is several times my size; it can comfortably swallow ten people the same size as me.

"I thought you said it was weak?" The snake had its front raised, revealing its silvery belly, its ominous red eyes hatefully glanced at Hu Ninger. Is this guy sapient? I guessed the snake heard Hu Ninger's words.

"I said it is the weakest, not weak but don't worry, it is a mere tier-one beast," Hu Ninger ignored the snake's hate. "That said, you should be able to handle it as it is already injured," following her words, I noticed a deep gash on the top of its angular head. "The blood is fresh. It must have just escaped now. Maybe from a territorial dispute," Hu Ninger's deduction is amazing but what is even more amazing is the snake's patience; it let us talk all this nonsense in front of it.

"I'll let you handle it as it is too weak for me to make a move," Hu Ninger's words must have been the final nail to break the snake's patience. A fiery glow burned in its red eyes as it attacked her.

"How dare you ignore me?" I didn't give it a chance to complete the attack. My palm flew towards it and mercilessly hit it.

*Boom!*

A loud bang resounded as the palm connected with its giant head, but what I wasn't expecting was for the snake to remain unfazed. It changed its target from Hu Ninger to me. Its gaze is that of a human after an ant bites them, it's like when you are busy with your work, but a fly keeps disturbing you. That is the kind of look the snake is giving me. Honestly, I've never felt this offended.

"Careful, this guy should have the same power as that of a peak qi gathering expert," after Hu Ninger said that, I felt somewhat relieved; it's not that my attacks are weak, but the opponent is way stronger. "Let me help you."

"No! Wait, I must make this guy bleed for looking down on me," I interjected Hu Ninger. There's no way I'd let the snake go after despising me.

Sharpen it, and it will be sharper than the sharpest blade. I remember when I first got the Yin and Yang technique. In my mind, I thought of the sharpest blade. A blade that needs only to slash once and the opponent will be done for. With that, the palms morphed and changed into palms with sharp edges.

"Try ignoring this," I deliberately targeted the snake's gaping wound. The slithering beast seemed to have realized my intention, but it was too late. Like a hot sword slashing fat, the snake's wound was enlarged.

*Hiiissss!*

If the snake could talk, it would probably be cursing my ancestors. It hissed and spat much to my amusement.

"Jiang Ming, watch out," Hu Ninger warned, but I was a step ahead. I had heard rustling behind me and instinctively summoned my palms to protect me.

*Bang!*

I had forgotten the snake's tail, but I can't blame myself; I know the snake is long, but how long is it to be able to form a huge circle around us? It finally dawned on me; the snake wasn't patient enough to allow us to have a conversation in its presence. No, it was encircling us. Did it have the confidence to defeat us? I thought.

*Cough**Cough*

Being hit by the snake isn't admirable. A sense of dizziness assaulted my head, causing me to grimace as I coughed blood.

"Are you ok?" Hu Ninger asked.

"I won't die," luckily, the palm endured most of the snake's tail energy; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stand.

"This is my fault. I underestimated it," Hu Ninger turned fiercely and looked at the snake. The latter didn't seem that bothered.

"Hu Ninger, careful, this guy isn't normal," I warned her. The snake is way too calm. Either it can't sense her cultivation, or her cultivation doesn't matter to it.

"That's because it thinks I'm weak," saying that, she unleashed her full cultivation base. For a moment, I felt a sense of suffocation. The snake, too, seemed to realize she wasn't to be messed with. Not giving her a chance to attack, it made the first move. Its whip-like tail rushed towards Hu Ninger, but she lazily and easily caught it. Is she in the foundation establishment realm? To easily handle a peak tier-one beast like that must mean she's stronger than it.

*Hisssss!*

Hu Ninger was merciless. Her hand that grasped the tail turned into a claw-like shape, and she clawed out a huge chunk of the snake's flesh. I felt bad for the snake, ok not really, but I still grimaced as I imagined my body to be in the snake's place.

"You want to escape? Don't you think it's too late?" The poor snake struggled to escape, but Hu Ninger didn't let it. She expertly lunged her beautiful body towards the snake's head, confusing it in the process. Before it could make a move, she raised her hand to mimic a sword and stabbed the snake's cranium. I was amazed at the ease at which her hand managed to pierce the snake's skull.

What followed was something one would imagine to come from a psychopath's nightmare; she pulled out her brain and blood-covered hand before returning it once more.

"Hu Ninger, it is already dead," after some time, I noticed she was mindlessly stabbing the dead thing, so I stopped her while wondering if I made the right decision to associate myself with her.

"I'm sorry for that. I was just really angry," she used her qi to wipe the blood off her hand as I dismissed her little episode.

"So what do we do with this?" I looked at the mangled corpse of the once arrogant snake and sighed.

"The tendons and fangs can be sold. Also, its poison bag should be useful," I wondered if the snake still had fangs and a poison bag after that pummeling. Just as I was about to check...

*Woosh*

I felt something rush through the air and instinctively used my palm to slap it off. I then looked and saw a small metallic needle stabbed deeply in a tree.

"Who!"

"Your reaction speed is commendable," an arrogant male voice answered Hu Ninger's question. I saw a pair emerge from the bushes; a girl and a boy. Their robes told me they belonged to the outer sect. The boy isn't handsome but also not ugly as for the girl. Her black hair flowed like a waterfall behind her back. Underneath her dress, pale, slender legs were revealed. Her gaze seems detached from the world. What I'm trying to say is that; she's admirable.

"Hu Ninger and..." The boy recognized Hu Ninger, then turned to me and frowned. "Boy, identify yourself," I felt a sense of de javu.

"Why did you attack?" Hu Ninger's eyes started to lose life again. Is she unstable? 

"Calm down, I was just testing him out," the boy seemed to have sensed something and hid behind the girl. "Anyway, that silver-bellied snake is ours. My sister injured it, but it managed to escape," he pointed at the snake and said.

"It was us that killed it," Hu Ninger said.

"Sister, say something," the boy hid behind his sister after Hu Ninger's gaze.

"Even if it is yours, forget about it," I joined the argument and said. There is no way I'd let the snake go after I was almost killed by it, that plus the fact that the boy dared to attack me.

"Boy, why don't you stop hiding behind women and let's fight like men," surprisingly, the boy failed to notice his hypocrisy. Even his sister showed astonishment on her beautiful face.

"Then let's fight," I said.

"Jiang Ming, wait.." Hu Ninger wanted to stop me, but I raised a hand to her. The boy has fourth layer cultivation. And from his act of hiding behind his sister, I can tell he has cultivation without fighting talent.

"The winner will take the spoils," I said and moved towards an open area.

"Kuhahaha, unexpectedly, you are so easy. You, a second layer, think you can handle me? If you defeat me. I,Mu Bai will eat shit and call you grandfather," the boy also stepped forward.

"My name is Mu Bai. What is..." One thing I learned from the fight with the snake is not to talk nonsense in front of enemies. So before he finished talking, I made my move.