Chapter 6

The middle-aged man stared for a long while, his mouth twitching. "It's just a promotion to Second-Class Wandering Immortal, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"

He had also been a First-Class Wandering Immortal, and seeing the surging spiritual energy, thick and substantial, he was truly amazed. So much spiritual energy was enough to upgrade from Third-Class to Fourth-Class Wandering Immortal.

The transition from Third-Class to Fourth-Class Wandering Immortal was a significant threshold, marking the move from the初级 stage to the intermediate stage.

Curious, the middle-aged man didn't rush to leave. He stood to the side and watched, wanting to see if the young man would absorb so much spiritual energy and either advance to Second-Class Wandering Immortal or make a legendary leap in rank.

Chen Taizhong didn't leap to Third-Class. After absorbing the spiritual energy and refining it in his body, a lot of impure spiritual energy was expelled. This cycle repeated for about two hours before he stabilized at the Second-Class level.

The middle-aged man observed all of this. Even though some spiritual energy was expelled, the amount absorbed was still enormous, yet he had only advanced one level.

When he saw the young man finish his cultivation, take a deep breath, and slowly open his eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "What lineage do you have?"

Chen Taizhong looked him up and down before vaguely answering, "I cultivate the Way of Qi."

He had already advanced to Second-Class, but the middle-aged man still gave him a sense of pressure. Chen Taizhong guessed that this man's realm was definitely not low. Even if he didn't want to answer, he couldn't easily offend him.

"The cultivation techniques of the Way of Qi are indeed powerful," the middle-aged man nodded, his voice tinged with a hint of sigh. "Unfortunately, it's very rare to find a complete lineage of the Way of Qi nowadays."

"My lineage is also incomplete," Chen Taizhong quickly indicated, "There's nothing here worth your attention." He then frowned and asked, "Weren't you about to leave just now?"

The cultivation technique he practiced was generally unaffected by the outside world during major breakthroughs and wasn't afraid of interruptions. He had clearly seen the middle-aged man's reaction.

"Breaking through in the wilderness, young friend, you have quite a bit of courage," the middle-aged man shook his head. He knew his behavior was a bit taboo, but since he had done it, he had his reasons.

So he smiled slightly, "Meeting is a form of destiny. After eating your roasted rabbit, helping you protect your cultivation was just a small favor. I didn't expect you to be a cultivator of the Way of Qi... I overreacted."

After saying this, he raised his hand in a salute and disappeared into the darkness.

"This guy... I didn't chase you away," Chen Taizhong muttered softly. The place he had chosen was a known, relatively safe area with no particularly fierce wild beasts.

"I need to set traps, I can't afford to waste time," a light laugh came from the darkness, the voice gradually fading away. "A good hunter doesn't just rely on brute strength."

Putting on a show! Chen Taizhong snorted inwardly, then closed his eyes and continued meditating. Only after coming to the Immortal Realm did he realize what it meant to be overwhelmed by spiritual energy. He couldn't afford to waste a single moment.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, he woke up, picked up a large pot, and headed straight for the red valley where the Thunder Deer lived.

The soil in the red valley was red, said to contain a lot of iron. However, in the Immortal Realm, people rarely used ordinary iron for forging, so no one paid much attention to this place. Instead, the frequent lightning attracted many Thunder Deer to live and breed here.

Chen Taizhong found a high spot, used his invisibility and breath-holding techniques, and quietly observed the valley.

The valley was vast, and with his eyesight, he couldn't see the edges. The valley was filled with grass and shrubs taller than a person, making it impossible to see what was hidden inside.

He looked around for a long time but couldn't spot any Thunder Deer. However, he had other things to do—taking out some paint from his Sumeru Ring, he painted the large iron pot to blend in.

Next came the long wait. Chen Taizhong carefully examined the area and finally chose a spot by the river. No matter the level of the wild beast, they all needed to eat and drink. The valley had only one river, so they would surely come to drink.

The terrain by the river varied. Some areas had dense grass, making it easy to hide. Chen Taizhong looked around and chose a spot, then, carrying the pot, carefully walked over.

It took him about two hours to reach the grass. Unexpectedly, a "rustling" sound came, and a large creature, about 1.5 meters tall and 2.5 meters long, slowly emerged, its two large eyes fixed on him.

An Ironclad Tiger! Chen Taizhong recognized it, and the relevant information flashed in his mind—this was a strong Fifth-Class wild beast, with average offensive power but extremely strong defensive capabilities. It could armor its fur, and even a Sixth-Class Wandering Immortal might not be able to kill it.

He couldn't break through its defenses, he thought bitterly, but his face remained calm. After a moment of staring down the tiger, he slowly backed away.

The Ironclad Tiger didn't chase him. The intelligence of a Fifth-Class wild beast was not low, and it sensed a slight threat from this person.

It took a few steps forward, watching him leave. When he retreated about 200 meters, it roared and proudly returned to the grass.

"This prime location is occupied by this guy," Chen Taizhong sighed in frustration. However, the fact that two hunters didn't conflict was a fortunate thing.

Then he thought, if both the Ironclad Tiger and I can recognize this as the best hunting spot, wouldn't the Thunder Deer know as well?

Of course, the Thunder Deer would know. Thinking this, he felt a bit smug. Stupid tiger, you can keep waiting. I'll find a spot with less dense grass—enough to hide.

He looked around and found a small shrub about a kilometer away by the river. Carrying the pot, he headed there, hoping to hide.

Unexpectedly, when he was about 700 meters from the shrub, a person emerged, with a few branches stuck in his clothes. He waved his hand, and an ice arrow landed a meter in front of Chen Taizhong.

The message was clear: I got here first. Go wherever you want, but if you don't leave, don't blame me for not being polite.

Chen Taizhong shook his head, finding it a bit amusing. It seemed this place had designated hunting grounds, each with its own territory.

But if that's the case, he thought, I can designate my own hunting ground, right?

So he walked around the surrounding grass and shrubs, then returned with a large bundle of branches, at least 4-5 meters wide when spread out.

The river in the red valley had many areas with dense foliage, but also many open spaces. Chen Taizhong believed that the Thunder Deer would also consider dense foliage less safe.

So he decided to do the opposite.

He planted the branches in an open area by the river, creating a relatively sparse environment that didn't look too out of place.

At this point, he wasn't concerned about whether he could catch a Thunder Deer. With wild beasts and other hunters around, he wasn't in a hurry to hunt.

So he set up the pot like a turtle shell, blocking the view of others. From his Sumeru Ring, he took out a set of fishing gear, carefully prepared it, and began fishing by the river.

However, the fishing gear from Earth wasn't very effective. The fishing line was repeatedly bitten through. In a fit of anger, Chen Taizhong tied the hook to a steel wire—determined not to let it be bitten through again.

His stubbornness paid off. By the afternoon, he caught two flatfish that could spray water jets, one weighing about three pounds and the other nearly five pounds.

He happily pulled the fish ashore. These were First-Class weak wild beasts, and just the fish meat alone could fetch about two spirit stones in the city.

Chen Taizhong didn't plan to sell the fish. He intended to eat them himself.

He would need some food to sustain himself while waiting here for three to five days. In fact, while this mission was profitable, cultivation was also important.

The spiritual energy in the wild was not as concentrated as in inns and rental rooms, but it was far superior to Earth. Combined with the nourishment from wild beast meat, staying in the city wasn't necessary.

However, later in the afternoon, more aggressive wild beasts appeared in the river. Just as Chen Taizhong was about to pull his third fish to shore, his hand suddenly went slack. A fierce creature over three meters long emerged from the river, snatching the fish from the hook.

Chen Taizhong reeled in the fishing line and found that even the steel wire had been bitten through.

That night, he rested about 200 meters from the riverbank. As usual, he built a large fire, cleaned and skinned the three-pound fish, and roasted it over the fire, using seasonings from Earth.

As the fish roasted, shadowy figures appeared around him. When it was almost done, he could hear the sound of drooling, but no one rushed over to ask for a share.

Naturally, Chen Taizhong enjoyed the fish alone. However, just as he was about to finish the last piece, a voice called out from a distance, "Hey, save some for me... the price is negotiable!"

The voice was familiar. Chen Taizhong thought for a moment—oh, it's that middle-aged man from yesterday.

But you're too late, he thought. It doesn't matter what you say now.

The next moment, the middle-aged man appeared by the fire, saw the fish bones on the ground, and was taken aback. He stomped his feet and lamented, "I told you the price was negotiable, why didn't you save some for me?"

"When you said that, I only had the last piece left," Chen Taizhong replied expressionlessly. He had a good impression of this man, but... this is my food, and I decide whether to sell it.

"Then help me roast some zebra meat," the middle-aged man took out a zebra leg from his storage bag.

Chen Taizhong sat there, unmoving.

(Thank you all for the support. I've reached 1,000 collections. I still need your recommendations, which are free.)

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