Chapter 6

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Ye Bai rapidly advanced through the jungle, stopping every so often to survey his surroundings and change direction, carefully avoiding areas that exuded powerful auras.

Low-ranking cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage were unable to fly, so after determining his next foothold, Ye Bai could only use the most basic light body techniques to move forward. This was extremely dangerous; if he encountered a beast known for its speed, being caught would likely mean his demise.

But Ye Bai had no better options. As the saying goes, the only way is the best way. Unless he planned to stay in the cave for the rest of his life, which was clearly impossible.

Ye Bai had little experience in combat, but he was cautious. Although he didn't know how much time had passed since the trial began, he was certain that he was the only living person here. If he encountered danger, he would have to rely on himself.

The cave, though deep, had a gentle upward slope, making it easy to walk. Ye Bai cleared his mind of all distractions, fully opening his spiritual senses. His mind was like a clear mirror, clearly reflecting all the movements within half a mile around him. Finally, after avoiding the last wave of red bees, he emerged from the cave into a dry area on the surface.

The sight before him brightened his spirits. No longer in the dark and damp environment, Ye Bai took a deep breath, feeling much more refreshed. The colorful clouds in the sky cast a kaleidoscope of colors on the ground, creating a world that seemed to exist only in the most beautiful dreams.

Everywhere he looked, towering ancient trees stretched from the edge of the swamp to the distant mountain foot. The small path that had been trampled by his fellow disciples was completely destroyed by the vortex's pulling force, covered with thick layers of dead branches and leaves, making it impossible to distinguish.

Ye Bai chose a particularly tall tree, gathered his yuan qi, and leaped up. After a few leaps, he landed among the branches of the tree canopy, where the view was wide open, and he felt a sense of relief.

He checked the equipment in his storage bag: a black peach wood flying sword, the standard equipment for inner disciples of Lianyun Dao Sect. Although it was only a low-grade magical weapon, it was extremely sharp with the addition of yuan qi, making it quite effective for self-defense.

There were also several dozen low-grade spirit stones, which Ye Bai had accumulated over the years. Spirit stones, which contain spiritual energy, can be directly absorbed by people. They are generally mined from spirit mines and classified into upper, middle, and lower grades based on their spiritual energy content. It is said that above the upper grade, there are extremely rare and valuable spirit stones. Cultivators do not need material possessions, so spirit stones have become the most common currency.

At the bottom of the bag lay about ten talismans, Ye Bai's trump cards. Lianyun Dao Sect was not known for talisman making, but Second Master, who lived on Old Tree Peak, was a prodigy. Relying on the theoretical knowledge from the scripture library, he spent a great deal of time and materials to actually create some. These talismans were gifts from Second Master to Ye Bai.

In combat, one only needed to lightly activate the yuan qi and throw the talisman, which would release the spell sealed within it. This did not consume yuan qi and could be instantly activated, making it an invaluable weapon.

In addition, there were three bottles of Jing Yuan Dan, excellent auxiliary drugs for Qi Condensation cultivators during their practice, and some miscellaneous items like clothes.

Ye Bai couldn't help but sigh and laugh at himself, thinking, "I really am clean. To come to the trial with such simple preparations is indeed a bit rash."

At that moment, Ye Bai suddenly heard a "squeaking" sound from his left. He was startled and quickly hid behind the tree trunk. Looking closely, he saw that the branches on the left seemed to come to life, twisting violently. It turned out that over a hundred black-backed vipers were entwined around the tree trunk, heading straight for him.

The black-backed viper is a common low-level beast in mountain environments, preferring cool and shady places and living in groups. It is particularly adept at hiding and has extremely agile movements. The venom in its teeth can corrode rocks instantly. Even some more powerful large beasts would flee when encountering these creatures in groups.

"Is this a joke? I just left that dark cave and now I run into these guys," Ye Bai thought, a ball of fire suddenly appearing in the air and shooting straight at the snake cluster.

The snakes couldn't avoid it in time, and several were quickly ignited, falling to the ground with hissing sounds of terror.

Ye Bai didn't want to tangle with them. After throwing the fireball, he didn't even look at the result and immediately leaped to a nearby tree.

The black-backed vipers had strong tracking abilities and quickly discovered Ye Bai's position. Their triangular eyes shot out a chilling hatred as they rapidly moved along the branches.

"Really troublesome!" Ye Bai immediately activated a spirit shield, a formless and intangible blue light sphere appearing to protect his body. This spirit shield was a very practical technique that could greatly reduce external attacks, providing excellent defense.

The leading black-backed vipers opened their mouths and spat out green, crystalline venom. As it approached Ye Bai's body, the spirit shield quickly deflected it, splashing onto the surrounding trees and leaves. The originally vibrant leaves were immediately corroded, turning into black water that dripped down. The spirit shield's originally bright and dense blue color dimmed slightly.

Ye Bai was alarmed. The black-backed vipers in the Thunderfall Abyss were even more powerful than those outside. Individually, they were not a concern, but if surrounded by so many, the spirit shield would not hold, and he would surely die.

Thinking this, Ye Bai changed his strategy. Who knew if there were more of these vicious snakes on other trees. He continued to shoot fireballs, using his sword to fend off the closest ones, and "thumped" down to the ground.

After landing, he didn't dare to stay, quickly diving into the jungle and running for several miles until he no longer heard the squeaking sounds, then stopping to rest.

Ye Bai no longer dared to be careless. He originally thought that using his spiritual senses to detect danger would be enough, but now he realized that in nature, there are countless living beings, each with its own way to avoid detection. You might not be able to find them, but they can detect you through their instincts.

After a moment of amazement, Ye Bai entered the forest, finding some strongly scented plant juices and applying them to his body to mask his own scent.

Here, there was no distinction between day and night, forming its own space. Ye Bai could not use conventional thinking to deduce the habits of the beasts and could only proceed cautiously, step by step.