The following morning, Yi Feng woke before sunrise.
A faint light had just begun appearing beyond the mountains.
He sat on the edge of his bed and looked at the wooden token beside him.
Outer Disciple.
He smiled.
"Time to see what this sect can really offer."
After washing up, Yi Feng took his sword and left his residence.
Unlike yesterday, he wasn't heading toward the selection arena.
Today, he had a mission.
The Mission Hall was already crowded when Yi Feng arrived.
Disciples moved around the hall, some carrying weapons while others were discussing their missions.
Yi Feng walked toward the mission board.
He looked at the mission he had accepted yesterday.
Mission: Gather Moonlight Grass
Location: Blackwind Forest
Requirement: Outer Disciple
Objective: Gather 20 stalks of Moonlight Grass
Reward: 80 Contribution Points
Yi Feng nodded.
It wasn't a dangerous mission on paper.
But the elder had warned them that the Blackwind Forest contained magical beasts.
It should be a good opportunity to test my current strength.
He turned around and left the hall.
Just as he reached the entrance, someone called out.
"Yi Feng!"
He turned.
Chen Hao was running toward him.
The same young man he had met yesterday.
"You're going to the Blackwind Forest, right?"
Yi Feng nodded.
"Yes."
Chen Hao grinned.
"Perfect. I'm going there too."
Yi Feng looked at him suspiciously.
"Why?"
"I have a mission there."
Chen Hao pulled a mission token from his pocket.
"Mine is to collect three Blackthorn Fruits."
Yi Feng thought for a moment.
"Then let's go together."
Chen Hao smiled.
"That's what I was hoping you'd say."
The two left the sect together.
After several hours of traveling, the two finally arrived at the edge of the Blackwind Forest.
The forest was enormous.
Ancient trees covered the sky, their branches blocking most of the sunlight.
A cold wind passed between the trees.
Whoosh...
Chen Hao looked toward the forest.
"Are you sure this place is safe?"
Yi Feng laughed.
"You were the one who wanted to come."
"That doesn't mean I want to die."
Yi Feng shook his head.
The two entered the forest.
At first, everything was peaceful.
They occasionally found ordinary herbs, but nothing particularly valuable.
After walking for nearly half an hour, Chen Hao suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Yi Feng stopped as well.
"What?"
Chen Hao pointed toward the ground.
There were several deep footprints in the dirt.
Yi Feng crouched down and examined them.
"Magical beast."
"Can you tell what kind?"
Yi Feng shook his head.
"No."
Chen Hao swallowed.
"Then maybe we should take another—"
ROAR!
A terrifying roar suddenly came from the trees.
The birds scattered into the sky.
Chen Hao immediately drew his sword.
"Too late."
A large black wolf emerged from the forest.
Its body was almost twice the size of an ordinary wolf.
Its eyes were blood-red.
Black fur covered its body, and sharp claws dug into the ground.
Chen Hao's expression became serious.
"Blackwind Wolf."
Yi Feng slowly stood.
"What cultivation?"
"Probably Second Stage Qi Gathering."
Chen Hao tightened his grip.
"Be careful."
The wolf suddenly charged.
BOOM!
Yi Feng stepped forward.
His hand moved toward his sword.
But he stopped.
No.
He released his grip.
He wanted to test something.
His cultivation had improved since entering the sect, but he had relied heavily on his sword techniques during his previous battles.
Today, he wanted to know how strong his physical body was.
The Blackwind Wolf opened its jaws and lunged toward him.
Yi Feng clenched his fist.
Bang!
His fist collided directly with the wolf's head.
The impact sent dust flying.
Yi Feng was pushed several steps backward.
His fist hurt.
But he was fine.
The wolf shook its head and roared again.
Chen Hao stared at him.
"You just punched a Blackwind Wolf?"
Yi Feng looked at his fist.
"It hurt."
Chen Hao's mouth twitched.
"That's the part you noticed?"
The wolf charged again.
This time, Yi Feng didn't wait.
He stepped sideways, grabbed the wolf by its neck and used its momentum against it.
BOOM!
The wolf crashed into the ground.
Yi Feng followed with another punch.
Bang!
The wolf stopped moving.
Silence returned to the forest.
Chen Hao stared at the corpse.
Then he looked at Yi Feng.
"You're strange."
Yi Feng smiled.
"Why?"
"Most sword cultivators would have drawn their sword."
Yi Feng glanced at the sword hanging from his waist.
"I need to know what I can do without it."
Chen Hao nodded slowly.
"I understand."
The two continued deeper into the forest.
Several hours passed.
They found the Moonlight Grass growing near a small stream.
Yi Feng carefully picked the plants and placed them into his storage pouch.
"That's eighteen."
Chen Hao looked around.
"We only need two more."
Yi Feng nodded.
Just as they were about to leave—
Swish!
Something flew past Yi Feng's face.
He immediately stepped backward.
A small dagger struck the tree behind him.
THUD!
Chen Hao drew his sword.
"Who's there?"
Three figures slowly emerged from the trees.
They were wearing dark clothes.
The man in the middle looked at the two of them and smiled.
"Hand over your storage bags."
Chen Hao frowned.
"Robbers?"
The man laughed.
"Don't make things difficult."
Yi Feng remained silent.
He looked at the three men.
Their cultivation wasn't particularly high.
The strongest among them was only at the fourth stage of Qi Gathering.
They're stronger than me in cultivation.
Yi Feng's eyes narrowed.
But that didn't mean they could defeat him.
The man pointed at Yi Feng.
"You first."
Yi Feng stepped forward.
"Why me?"
"Because you look weaker."
Chen Hao whispered behind him.
"Don't take that personally."
Yi Feng smiled.
"I won't."
The robber rushed forward.
His palm carried a powerful force.
Yi Feng waited until the last moment.
Then he moved.
He stepped to the side and grabbed the man's wrist.
The robber's expression changed.
Yi Feng twisted.
Crack!
The man screamed.
Yi Feng kicked him in the stomach.
BOOM!
The man flew backward and crashed into a tree.
The other two immediately attacked.
Chen Hao blocked one of them.
CLANG!
Their swords collided.
Yi Feng faced the remaining robber.
The man swung his fist toward his face.
Yi Feng raised his arm.
Bang!
The fist landed.
Yi Feng felt pain spread through his arm.
He didn't retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward and struck the man's chest with his shoulder.
The robber staggered.
Yi Feng followed with three consecutive punches.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The man fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, Chen Hao's battle was coming to an end.
His sword flashed.
The robber's weapon was knocked from his hand.
Chen Hao placed his sword against the man's neck.
"Leave."
The man immediately ran.
Chen Hao turned toward Yi Feng.
"You could have killed him."
Yi Feng looked at the fleeing figure.
"I know."
"Then why didn't you?"
Yi Feng was silent for a moment.
"I don't need to kill everyone who stands against me."
Chen Hao smiled.
"That's good."
Yi Feng looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because if you became the type who killed everyone you disagreed with, I would probably stay far away from you."
Yi Feng laughed.
"Don't worry."
He picked up his storage pouch.
"I only kill when I have to."
Neither of them noticed the figure watching them from the trees.
A young man dressed in blue robes stood silently among the branches.
He had witnessed the entire battle.
His eyes rested on Yi Feng.
"So that's the guy who made that strange mark on the Sword Intent Tablet."
He looked thoughtful.
"Interesting."
Then he disappeared into the forest.
By sunset, Yi Feng and Chen Hao returned to the sect.
Yi Feng handed the twenty Moonlight Grass to the mission elder.
The elder counted them carefully before handing him a small token.
"Eighty contribution points."
Yi Feng accepted it.
He looked at the number engraved on the token.
80.
It wasn't much.
But it was his first reward earned through his own effort.
He smiled.
With enough contribution points, I can exchange for better cultivation resources.
As he walked away, Chen Hao suddenly asked:
"What are you planning to exchange them for?"
Yi Feng thought for a moment.
"A cultivation technique."
Chen Hao looked surprised.
"You don't have one?"
Yi Feng shook his head.
"I do."
He remembered the Life and Death Art.
"But I need something else."
Something that could help him understand the fundamentals of cultivation.
Something that would allow him to build a proper foundation instead of relying on random opportunities.
Yi Feng looked toward the towering inner mountain of the Firmament Sword Sect.
His eyes became determined.
"I want to become stronger."
Not tomorrow.
Not someday.
Now.
Far above them, someone watched Yi Feng disappear into the distance.
The young man from the forest stood on a distant cliff.
He looked down at his own sword.
Then at the direction Yi Feng had gone.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Yi Feng..."
"I wonder how far you can go."
He turned around.
His name was Zhao Ming.
And although Yi Feng didn't know it yet...
their paths would cross many more times.
To be continued...