One month later.
Qin Zhaoming, who had perfectly adapted to Qi Refinement level 2, left his home.
Perhaps because he had rested well and recovered his best condition, he felt particularly good today.
With a machete at his waist, he headed toward Mount Zeyang along the familiar path. Just before the wasteland ended and the mountain path properly began...
'Oh?'
From the foot of the mountain, he discovered large dewdrops formed on leaves.
He was lucky. It was rare to find dew at the entrance of Mount Zeyang, where many people passed by.
Just before harvesting the dew...
He, who was habitually surveying the surroundings, flinched.
'...!'
His heart sank due to an unexpected situation. His fingertips trembled slightly, but he desperately tried not to show it.
In an instant.
A moment so brief it was hard to perceive passed, and...
Qin Zhaoming acted naturally like nothing was wrong. He even harvested the dew with a bright smile as if he was happy.
'Damn it.'
Contrary to his outward appearance of happiness, he was burning inside. All sorts of thoughts whirled in his mind.
This was because he had just discovered something suspicious while habitually surveying the surroundings.
A translucent form shimmering like a heat haze had caught his eye by chance, and it was clearly human-shaped.
Drip...
A drop of cold sweat flowing down the nape of his neck showed how tense he was.
'Who is it? Since when have they been following me?'
In Mount Zeyang, which was no different from a lawless zone, if there was one thing more dangerous than demon beasts, it was humans.
'...Still, fortunate.'
Thanks to his habit of always checking his surroundings, he discovered the other party first. This was a big stroke of luck.
He hadn't expected an action he did without much thought to come back to him like this. Without this habit, he wouldn't have noticed he was being tailed and would have been caught.
'What should I do? Should I return to the city?'
Facing a situation for the first time, he didn't know how to respond.
All sorts of methods arose haphazardly. After conflicting thoughts, Qin Zhaoming pressed his lips firmly.
Outwardly maintaining a calm expression, he massaged his shoulders. While naturally looking around as if finding a path, he concentrated his senses.
'Two? No, there's one more. Three in total.'
First, he needed to identify the number of enemies...
Enemies?
The moment that word flashed in his mind, his thoughts, which had been stiff with panic, began to turn cold and calculating.
'Is it possible...? No, it must be done!'
A plan to deal with the stalkers was instantly formed.
Like shedding a skin, his dormant instincts awakened.
He was surprised by his own coldly settled rationality, but his actions were natural. He didn't stop for even a moment.
Swish!
He slung the gourd bottle containing dew on his back and moved his steps toward the depths of Mount Zeyang.
Despite noticing the stalkers, he didn't turn back!
'Even if I shake them off now, it's meaningless. If they come looking again, it'll be more dangerous.'
Qin Zhaoming climbed the mountain path with a calm expression.
Though he knew he was being chased, he didn't show it. He slipped between the dense undergrowth like someone who knew nothing.
Just before formally entering the initial section of Mount Zeyang...
Whoosh!
He pulled out a paper that looked like a talisman from his chest.
The gray talisman had strange patterns drawn on it; this was a Concealment Talisman he had created out of curiosity.
In truth, it was barely a Concealment Talisman. Since he had been concerned about material costs, he had just drawn on ordinary paper.
Naturally, the creation had failed, and this talisman had no effect. It was just a paper that looked impressive on the outside.
'To think I'd use it like this.'
Though it was an ineffective talisman, it wasn't useless. It was sufficient as a distraction in the dark dawn.
Woong!
He gathered spirit qi at his fingertips to create a faint light. Simultaneously, as if activating the talisman, he shook the paper and...
Whoosh!
Using the Supreme Great Power, he deployed the Concealment Technique.
A mysterious wave spread out and enveloped him. Like a barrier, it blocked both inside and outside his body to prevent energy from leaking.
However, the effect of the concealment technique was much weaker than usual. This was natural as he deliberately hadn't put his full effort into it.
'They should be able to detect this level of Concealment Technique.'
Indeed, it was as expected.
The stalkers continued to follow. This meant they had a means to track him even when he used the Concealment Technique.
'I don't know why they're chasing me, but... it's certainly not with good intentions.'
A chill passed across a corner of his otherwise calm expression.
Thud thud.
As he headed resolutely toward the depths of Mount Zeyang, he occasionally stopped.
Like someone who knew nothing, he harvested small spirit herbs or collected dew formed on leaves.
How much time had passed?
Qin Zhaoming's steps finally stopped completely upon reaching his destination, the Dew Tree.
Looking up at the giant tree that easily exceeded 20 meters in height, he narrowed his eyes.
Crack!
The moment he exerted his will, a golden sphere containing the Supreme Great Power silently disappeared.
Under his enhanced senses from the mysterious energy, the three trackers behind him were clearly felt.
'Two early-stage Qi Refinement like me and one mid-stage practitioner.'
Two had energy similar to Qin Zhaoming, but one was much stronger. This meant at least Qi Refinement level 4.
The possibility of winning in a direct confrontation was extremely slim!
His senses, enhanced by the Supreme Great Power, were extraordinary. Everything was clearly visible.
Was it because he had found the Dew Tree? He could even feel the stalkers' breathing becoming slightly rougher.
In an instant.
Qin Zhaoming, who had been hesitating about something, firmly pressed his lips. This was because he clearly knew what consequences his actions would bring.
'...Fine. If I don't kill them, I'll be the one killed.'
Soon someone would kill or be killed. Steeling his wavering heart, he drew upon the spirit qi in his dantian.
Splash!
The moment he raised his gourd bottle and activated the Cloud and Rain Gathering Technique, dozens, hundreds of water streams spiraled and were sucked into the bottle!
And then.
Buzz!
With the spine-chilling wing sound that sent shivers down his spine no matter how many times he heard it, he kicked the ground with all his might.
He ran toward where the trackers were while deploying the Concealment Technique. Unlike before, he put all his effort into hiding his presence!
"Huh?"
At that moment, the fierce aura of the poisonous insects swept in all directions.
The stalkers' concealment techniques were broken at once. Unable to withstand even for a moment, they clearly revealed their forms.
"W-what the!"
The shocked men shouted. They seemed confused by the unexpected situation, frozen like statues and not knowing what to do.
But Qin Zhaoming was different.
Without delaying for even a moment, he distanced himself from the Dew Tree. This was because he properly knew the terror of the swarm of insects that had begun to rampage behind him.