"Good or bad? You tell me?" an old man practically pointed at Qian Jin's nose and demanded loudly, "The release of Dou Qi is, after all, a combination of quality, quantity, and speed! The faster the speed, the stronger the instantaneous burst. You say you fight warriors of the same rank, your burst is stronger than his—what's the result?"

Qian Jin nodded repeatedly, a look of sudden realization lighting up his face with immense happiness, "A good thing, this is a very good thing."

"Nonsense! A great thing!" The old man snapped, looking at Qian Jin's smug, pleased grin, "Speed, striking power, destructive force—you prioritize all of them! As long as your fighting technique is sound, it’s hard for you to lose."

"No wonder it’s so hard to cross this threshold," Qian Jin couldn't stop grinning, "It turns out my foundation was just a bit too solid."

"Not bad, not bad! You have finally become a Demon-Slaying Warrior, and you enter the Demon-Slaying Warrior realm directly at the Third Battle level. Excellent! Very good." The old man pointed to the right side of the lake, "I’ve waited a long time! Now, you finally have some ability to survive in the Four Seasons Valley. Go! Bring back some game for me. I have no interest in eating things like Centaurs; they look disgusting. Bring back something decent..."

"Centaurs?" Qian Jin's hand, reaching for his Cleaving Saber, froze slightly. He looked up in shock at the old man, who wore an expression of absolute certainty, "There are Centaurs in the Four Seasons Valley?"

Centaur! This was a type of magical beast that lived similarly to humans but was undeniably monstrous. They used human weapons, especially great spears, battle-axes, and hard bows! Their powerful lower bodies were those of stout warhorses, granting them extreme speed. They were fiercely murderous and territorial, far more ferocious than the three tigers from the Avalanche area.

"Of course," the old man swept his hand across the surroundings of the Four Seasons Valley, speaking with an air of overlooking the world, "The territory of the Four Seasons Valley is slightly larger than two provinces. The quantity and variety of magical beasts that survive here are naturally very rich. Otherwise, how could it be called the Nightmare Land for Warriors?"

Qian Jin flexed his legs, which had regained sensation and mobility. Carrying the Cleaving Saber, he looked towards the hills and mountains shrouded in dense fog in the distance. He wasn't overly worried; from afar, the terrain didn't seem as imposing as the Western Mountains in the Endless World.

"Oh! Right, kid," the old man said faintly, watching Qian Jin's back as it was about to disappear into the thick mist, "While you’re out there, look around. See if you can find a plant where the entire tree is made of copper, bearing fruit that resembles crystal. If you do, dig it up and carry it directly back here."

'While I'm out here?' Qian Jin shook his head repeatedly while carrying the Cleaving Saber, chuckling softly. This was probably the old man’s true objective. But a tree made of copper? Wasn't that metal? Why would it bear fruit? Even the Qian family collection, Exotic Trees and Strange Fruits (Volume I), offered no description of such a bizarre plant.

Filled with immense curiosity, Qian Jin walked for over ten li before finally leaving the shore of the Blazing Fire Lake. The mist blocking his path had completely dissipated.

The rolling hills that had appeared hazy in the fog now revealed their jagged outlines, stark and clear.

Perhaps due to the obstruction of the mist, the appearance of the mountains outside the fog had been distorted. The hills, which hadn't looked particularly tall from a distance, were now about two thousand meters high, spreading out to form a sizable mountain range.

Although they couldn't compare to the vastness of the Western Mountains in the Endless World, just standing at the foot of this massive mountain, Qian Jin could clearly sense the inherent danger.

Gloomy and damp—these were the eternal descriptions of deep woods and forests. They never associated with bright sunlight or warmth; only beaches combined with brightness, sunshine, and beautiful women.

As soon as Qian Jin stepped into the forest, several low growls, laced with deep hostility from wolf-leopards, echoed from the surroundings. Green, sinister glints shone from the dark woods as over a dozen wild wolves and spotted leopards emerged together.

Qian Jin looked at the beasts slowly approaching, casually resting the Cleaving Saber on his shoulder, and snapped dismissively, "Scram!"

Whoosh!

Seeing the killing intent in Qian Jin's eyes, the dozen wolves and spotted leopards lowered their heads in unison and quickly retreated back into the woods, not daring to spare Qian Jin another glance.

The dense killing aura mixed with a pungent smell of blood told the beasts intuitively that the person before them was no easy meal. If they didn't want to become his meal, it was best to retreat early.

Qian Jin shook his head, dissatisfied with his own performance. A Demon-Slaying Warrior's Dou Qi naturally formed a certain level of pressure, which was why ordinary people felt immense weight when encountering them. Legend had it that human Dou Qi was first learned from the mythical, never-before-seen True Dragons, so Dou Qi carried a flavor akin to Dragon’s Might, forming what was called Battle Prestige (Dou Wei).

The natural Battle Prestige of his Dou Qi, combined with the killing intent honed from life-and-death battles, hadn't scared these creatures to death on the spot—it had merely scared them off.

"What should I hunt for food?" Qian Jin walked cautiously between the trees. Magical beasts were never easy creatures to deal with; otherwise, the True Strategy Dynasty, which had contended with the Demon Race for years, wouldn't have refrained from sending troops to flatten this place and expand the dynasty's territory.

A rabbit timidly emerged from the undergrowth. Seeing Qian Jin glare at it, it kicked out its four legs, flopped over on its side, twitched a few times, and scared itself to death right there.

"Only manage to scare rabbits to death..." Qian Jin bent down with a wry smile to pick up the rabbit, but suddenly spun to dodge to the side. The sharp whistle of an arrow slicing through the air followed closely behind. Thwack! The arrow plunged into a tree trunk, the exposed shaft still trembling slightly.

As one arrow finished, another shot out from the woods! The trickiness and concealment of the trajectory were far inferior to the archer outside the Four Seasons Valley that day, but the sheer power and speed of the shot were many times stronger than that archer's! Even an arrowhead polished from bone could embed itself deep into hard wood.

After three consecutive arrows, Qian Jin finally clearly saw the source of the piercing shafts: a Centaur fifty meters away! He had only read about them in books but had never truly seen one!

Its massive horse body, its powerful upper limbs revealing the most toned muscles, stood about three meters tall. The great bow in its hand—Qian Jin estimated that if he tried to draw it to a full moon, he would probably need to use both hands and feet. This thing was simply too large; even spanning its arms to the limit was still not enough for the entire bow.

"Bigger than described in the books?" Qian Jin was startled. The Centaur hidden in the woods stamped its four hooves and quickly vanished from its firing position, its body instantly appearing seven or eight meters laterally. It drew its massive bow again, its eyes showing the same surprise.

Three consecutive arrows failing to kill the prey, and having its position discovered by the prey while moving at high speed—this had never happened before in its experience.

The fourth and fifth arrows were fired almost consecutively, one arrow preceding the other as if to block Qian Jin’s retreat, carrying a decisive tone.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot! Are you ever going to stop?"

Qian Jin, who hadn't even had time to enjoy his breakthrough to the Third Battle Demon-Slaying Warrior rank, was being relentlessly pressured by arrow fire upon entering the woods. Anger began to well up. He slammed his Cleaving Saber down like a shovel, shattering both incoming arrows with one strike, and used explosive force from his feet to propel himself forward.

Bang! Bang! The two arrows were knocked down. The Centaur paused. This small prey hadn't died after five shots, and it dared to charge forward and attack? Its weapon looked quite formidable!

Aoo! The Centaur let out a beastly roar, casually tossing the great bow to the ground. It reached up to touch the necklace made of strung skulls of various creatures hanging around its neck, grabbed the great spear stuck beside it, and charged forward on its four hooves, bringing the full force of the spear in an overwhelming downward thrust!

This thrust contained no so-called established form or technique; it was a purely instinctive, primal attack! Everything pursued only speed, accuracy, and ferocity!

The most simple and unadorned thrust, yet it was incredibly powerful! This great iron spear whistled, woo-woo-woo, as it tore through the air. If it truly struck a person's body, no matter what techniques Qian Jin had practiced, like the Wind, Cloud, Stone Body, the result would undoubtedly be a gaping bloody hole.

An iron spear? Qian Jin’s eyes flickered. Which careless warrior had died here, allowing this creature to steal his weapon? He kicked off a nearby tree with his airborne feet, launching himself high into the air to evade the Centaur's thrust. The Dou Qi in his one hundred and eight Dou Apertures spun rapidly, channeling all the energy into the battle saber.

Instantly! The dim forest suddenly bloomed with a soft radiance as the Cleaving Saber transformed into a long streak of blade light, cleaving down from above!

The Centaur raised both arms high, using the great spear to physically block the downward trajectory of the Cleaving Saber.

"Break for me!"

Clang! The sound of metal collision echoed through the woods. The toughness of the great iron spear, which looked rather grimy, far exceeded Qian Jin's expectations. The spear shaft bent downward into a crescent moon shape but stubbornly refused to be cut by the Dou Weapon Cleaving Saber! Instead, the downward pressure caused it to violently rebound, straightening instantly and sending the airborne Qian Jin, who had no leverage, flying backward.

"This iron spear is actually a Dou Weapon?" Qian Jin tumbled in the air, looking at the spear that had shed mud and revealed its true form after the clash of weapons. He couldn't help but be astonished. This magical beast, larger than the Centaurs described in books, wielded a Dou Weapon?

Crack...

The instant the Dou Weapons clashed, a crisp sound of breaking bone came from the Centaur's left shoulder. It could no longer maintain the posture of holding its arms high. Its eyes were filled with disbelief as it watched the flying Qian Jin. It tried to pursue but realized that not only was its left shoulder bone broken, but both of its arms, thicker than ordinary thighs, were completely paralyzed. Waves of soreness surged from the shoulder into its upper torso. The impact from the clash made its lower four legs tremble, giving it an almost involuntary urge to buckle and kneel.

What kind of prey was this? The Centaur felt a churning sensation in its chest, a burning heat spreading through its body. Moreover, a strange power was surging into its body through the spear shaft—they seemed to twist, intent on tearing everything apart. Before the numbness in its arms could recover, these forces caused further violent disruption.