Confession

The Mountain Forest beneath the night was far too quiet. The once clamorous chirping of cicadas and roars of beasts... all seemed to have vanished without a trace. Only the birds in the forest, startled into flight from time to time, told of how this vast mountain range was not quite so peaceful.

Between the crisscrossing trees, the moon's faint, scattered glow spilled down through the gaps.

Beside the campfire, Zhao Li idly held a wooden stick, poking at the fire now and then. The soft rustling never stopped.

It had already been half a month since they entered the Myriad Beast Mountain Range. Zhao Li had gone from anticipation and curiosity at the beginning to a completely different person now—cold, focused, vigilant...

Over this half month, Zhao Li had gone through countless battles, big and small. Though they were only against first- and second-rank Magical Beasts, they still kept Zhao Li's nerves taut and left him utterly exhausted.

"Teacher, these days we've been heading deeper into the Myriad Beast Mountain Range the whole way. When there are Medicinal Ingredients, we gather them; when there are Magical Beasts, we fight. I've made some progress, but it's not as obvious as I imagined. Why don't you just casually give me a few Heaven-tier Dou Techniques to add a bit to my combat strength? Of course, I wouldn't mind Earth-tier Dou Techniques either."

Zhao Li looked at Lin Lan, who had his eyes closed in rest, and said with a grin.

Perhaps because he had kept a trick hidden, his progress truly had not been as astonishingly fast as he had imagined. Only his combat instincts had indeed improved greatly.

"You brat, do you think Heaven-tier and Earth-tier Dou Techniques are cabbages by the roadside? Casually give you a few? In this mountain range filled with Magical Beasts everywhere, you must not be careless. Where we are now still only counts as the outer reaches of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, and even second-rank Magical Beasts are rarely seen. I'll let you adapt here for a while first, then we'll go deeper into the Myriad Beast Mountain Range."

Lin Lan scolded him with a laugh, then grew serious and reminded Zhao Li. Yet his heart was nowhere near as calm as he appeared.

From his observations during this period, Lin Lan had discovered that this disciple of his seemed to possess extremely unusual combat strength. If not for his experience being far too shallow, this stretch of time would have been practically no different from playing around.

Lin Lan pondered it for a long time in his heart, but in the end, he still asked Zhao Li about his true strength.

"Little Li, you have your own opportunities, so I won't pry. But your current Cultivation Level seems to far surpass that of an ordinary Dou Shi. When I watch you fight, you even seem to have strength to spare. Your ability to conceal your aura is so good that even I can't be sure of your true strength. Tell me honestly, what realm are you in now? That way I can arrange a cultivation plan accordingly. Otherwise, this training trip of ours may very well end up being a complete waste of time."

Seeing his teacher's serious expression, Zhao Li was somewhat unsure of how to put it. Naturally, it was not that Zhao Li did not trust this old man who had treated him like a grandson since he was young; it was just that his own situation was indeed rather special.

Zhao Li pondered for a long while, but still said, "Teacher, I had some opportunities, along with a solid foundation. After Condensing Qi Cyclone, I broke through to Dou Shi very quickly, and now I'm already at the Da Dou Shi level. As for my combat strength, I don't know myself. I've never fought with all my strength. But as for those Magical Beasts on the outskirts of this mountain range, once I'm familiar with their habits and traits, I can deal with them without any difficulty."

Zhao Li wanted to become stronger as soon as possible, so naturally, he did not want this training to yield little effect. Besides, he also knew that this continent was vast. True geniuses could even be Dou Wangs or Dou Emperors in their teens. As for some uniquely blessed Magical Beasts, they were born above the fourth rank. His master, at the very least, had seen a corner of the tip of the iceberg of this continent.

Sure enough, when Lin Lan heard Zhao Li's words, although he was greatly shocked, he secretly speculated, This kid's blood and qi are vigorous. He doesn't look like he's cultivated some Evil Technique that overdrafts his potential. Could it be that he awakened some kind of bloodline? Counting everything, it's only been a little over half a year since he advanced to Dou Zhe, and now he's already a Da Dou Shi?

But Lin Lan quickly calmed himself and spoke sternly to Zhao Li.

"Little Li, it's right for you to hide your talent appropriately. Before you possess truly powerful strength, don't expose yourself so sharply or display talent that makes others feel despair. Otherwise, it will very easily bring fatal disaster upon you. The cultivation plan from now on does indeed need to be changed. This is a mask I obtained while wandering the Central Plains in my younger days. To be safe, put it on."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Lan took out a Human Skin Mask and had Zhao Li put it on.

Since he could not hide his Cultivation Level this time, he would disguise his age instead. Although Zhao Li had developed very quickly because of his Cultivation Level, the youthful air on his face was still very obvious.

Zhao Li did not refuse. He reached out and took the mask. He did not know what material it was made of; it was as thin as a cicada's wing and felt somewhat cool in his hand.

Zhao Li pressed the mask to his face, and it fit perfectly. In an instant, he had turned into a young man of about twenty or so.

Seeing Zhao Li's drastic change, Lin Lan nodded in satisfaction. If Zhao Li had once stood out like a crane among chickens, then now, at most, he was only one of the most eye-catching among a flock of cranes.

"You've been mature since you were little, brat, which easily makes people overlook your age. With this appearance, it can more or less provide some cover. Over this half month, you've more or less adapted to the way of surviving in the Myriad Beast Mountain Range. Tomorrow, we'll continue deeper in. If it's not a matter of life and death, I still won't take action. Only under constant pressure between life and death is it easier to unearth potential."

Zhao Li naturally understood these principles. In his previous life, there had been many reports of people doing things beyond ordinary understanding under the pressure of survival.

"Don't worry, Teacher. I won't go courting death by provoking high-level Magical Beasts myself."

"Mm. Rest first." Lin Lan waved his hand indifferently.

The Beast Kings in this mountain range all had their own territories. As long as Zhao Li did not court death, there was no need for him to worry too much.

Early the next morning, the sun rose, and the Mountain Forest seemed to come alive as well.

Zhao Li found an open area, raised his head to look at the sun, roughly determined the direction, then advanced toward the place his teacher had indicated.

In the dense forest, several Magical Beasts galloped, stirring up a cloud of yellow dust and startling countless birds into flight.

They were chasing a black-robed youth. The youth was calm and unhurried, his figure nimble; with a few leaps, he dodged the attacks from the Magical Beasts behind him.

While hurrying along, Zhao Li also did not forget the task his teacher had assigned along the way—finding enough Medicinal Ingredients.

The reason the group of Magical Beasts behind him was chasing him was naturally because Zhao Li had stolen the treasures they had been guarding.

Not to mention, because of the aura of those Magical Beasts behind him, there were far fewer Magical Beasts along the way, and even his speed of progress seemed to have increased quite a bit. Zhao Li did not kill them either. He simply led the Magical Beasts crashing wildly through the forest, provoking a few more from time to time and making the group behind him grow a little larger.

"Good thing these low-level Magical Beasts barely have any intelligence and only act on instinct. If a Beast King appeared to command them and formed a Beast Tide, then I could only run for my life."

Zhao Li felt slightly fortunate in his heart.

Suddenly, Zhao Li saw a blaze of fire shooting into the sky, and his heart stirred. "That's a signal. There are people!"

Zhao Li stopped messing around and sped up, soon leaving the Magical Beasts behind him behind. Only then did he rush toward the signal.

Bursts of beastly roars and snarls rang out in the forest once more.

Mountains looked close enough to run toward, yet could run a horse to death. Zhao Li ran toward that firelight for quite a while before he finally faintly heard sounds of fighting.

Zhao Li slowed down, restrained his aura, and slowly approached.