One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng had been wandering aimlessly in the deep primeval forest for seven whole days.

With his current mastery of the Xuanwu True Scripture and the pinnacle of the Wind God Leg technique, seven days would be enough to cover a thousand miles on a flat official road. But this seemingly ancient and vast forest was like an endless green maze. No matter which direction he explored, he was always greeted by layers upon layers of dark green canopies that blocked out the sky, ancient vines thicker than an adult man's arm and twisted like pythons, strangely shaped and fragrant exotic flowers and herbs, and a layer of humus, a foot thick and accumulated over countless years, beneath his feet.

"Does this place... even have boundaries?" He squatted by a babbling, clear stream, scooped up a handful of cool water with a bamboo tube he'd casually carved, tilted his head back, and drank it down. The icy liquid slid down his throat, slightly easing the anxiety in his heart. "Normally, even in a remote primeval forest, there should be traces of herb gatherers and hunters occasionally venturing out. But in these seven days, I haven't seen a single person, not even the closest human footprints or the embers of a campfire..."

We encountered quite a few wild animals, though.

On his first day, he encountered a large, robust black bear with glossy black fur. When the bear stood upright, its massive body towered nearly two heads above him, and its roar, emanating from its gaping maw, shook the surrounding leaves like rain. Nie Lingfeng was initially eager to test the practical effectiveness of the "Six Techniques of Unyielding Cold" against this beast. However, the moment the Snow Drinking Blade was drawn three inches from its sheath, the chilling intent and aura of the coldest blade in the world naturally spread out. The previously menacing bear suddenly bristled, its fur standing on end, and a flicker of fear crossed its enormous eyes, almost human-like. With a low growl, it turned without hesitation, swaying its plump rump, and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, running faster than a startled rabbit.

On the third day at dusk, he encountered a pack of wolves. Seven or eight gray-yellow wolves with fierce eyes silently surrounded him under the cover of twilight. Pairs of green eyes flickered in the dim forest like will-o'-the-wisps, and low growls escaped from deep within their throats, carrying the cruelty and patience of a predator. Nie Lingfeng looked at these beasts and simply sighed softly. The next moment, he unleashed his "Wind God Leg" technique, his figure flashing like a blue gust of wind through the pack, so fast that he left only a light flick on the forehead of each wolf. When the dazed wolves scrambled to their feet, looking around blankly, Nie Lingfeng was already sitting leisurely on a thick, horizontal branch about three zhang away, munching on a freshly picked, sour yet sweet-smelling, unidentified wild fruit.

The most perplexing moment came on the fifth day. At the edge of a misty swamp, he spotted an elegant, crimson-crowned crane…? This place was in the rugged mountains of southwest China, its climate and terrain vastly different from the crane's natural habitat. The crane was entirely white, with only its wingtips and long beak tinged with black, and a striking bright red dot on its head. Standing on one leg in the shallow water, it glanced at Nie Lingfeng and, in a remarkably human-like manner, tilted its long neck, emitting a clear "ga—" its gaze haughty yet scrutinizing, as if saying, "Where did this reckless two-legged beast come from, disturbing my peace?"

"I finally understand," Nie Lingfeng muttered to himself, frowning as he chewed on another sour, tooth-aching green wild fruit, gazing at the desolate forest. "This place is either some other world completely different from Earth, or some 'lost land' on Earth, completely isolated by natural barriers for thousands of years. But the key question is—" he raised his voice, tinged with frustration, "Are there any 'people' here?! Can't you at least show me a living person?!"

He also tried to use his lightness skill to climb to the canopy of the tallest ancient trees in the forest and look out into the distance. However, all he could see was an endless, undulating sea of ​​dark green forest that stretched all the way to the horizon and met the low-hanging clouds, with no end in sight.

He had also tried following the stream he discovered downstream—according to basic wilderness survival knowledge, streams eventually flow into rivers, and the banks of rivers are often where human settlements originated. But this seemingly clear and gentle forest stream, like a playful sprite, twisted and turned through the dense forest. Just yesterday, it led him to the edge of a precipice, where the water transformed into a white ribbon, cascading down into the bottomless, mist-shrouded cliff below, the thunderous roar echoing through the valley.

"Are you kidding me?" Nie Lingfeng shouted, gathering his inner strength as he stood on the slippery cliff edge and faced the roaring waterfall.

The only response he received was the ever-repeated roar of the waterfall and the fleeting silhouettes of a few startled birds.

On the seventh day, in the afternoon, a turning point finally appeared.

Nie Lingfeng leaned against the roots of a thousand-year-old tree that required three people to encircle, taking a short rest. He held a large, clearly veined leaf, freshly plucked from a branch, in his hand. A barely perceptible trace of "sword intent" lingered at his fingertips as he intently attempted to carve a small character for "wind" onto the fragile leaf's surface. This required controlling his fierce sword intent to an extremely precise degree; too much force and the leaf would shatter, too little and it would leave no mark. It was an excellent way to hone his mind and control.

Just as he was completely absorbed, and the breath at his fingertips was about to be released—

The ear twitched very slightly.

There is an unusual noise.

It wasn't the whistling of the mountain wind blowing through the treetops, nor the babbling of the stream, nor the distant roars of beasts and cries of birds.

Is it... the clash of metal? No, it's much more muffled, the dull thud of fists and feet hitting flesh, and the sounds of objects colliding and trees breaking!

And—more importantly—there was a clearly discernible, intense fluctuation of "qi"!

Nie Lingfeng sprang to his feet, his eyes flashing with a sharp light! Ten years of relentless cultivation of the *Ice Heart Manual*, coupled with the near-perfect mastery of the *Mysterious Martial Scripture*, had honed his perception of the flow of energy in the world and the strength of the auras of living beings to an almost intuitive level. At this moment, about three miles to his southeast, several chaotic and violent energies were colliding, entangled, and exploding fiercely! One of these energies was swift and agile as lightning, possessing a quality that combined playfulness and sharpness; while the others appeared mixed, ferocious, and violent, filled with undisguised malice!

"There are people fighting!" After ten years of silence, his heart suddenly pounded wildly, the blood he pumped seeming to carry a scalding temperature. "Finally... finally, I've encountered living people! And not ordinary people, but extraordinary individuals possessing 'Qi'!"

Without time to think or worry about revealing his whereabouts, Nie Lingfeng unleashed the full power of his "Wind God Leg" technique, "Catching the Wind and Shadows"! He transformed into a pale blue afterimage, barely perceptible to the naked eye, leaping through the forest like a whirlwind! Wherever he passed, fallen leaves and withered branches were swept up by the powerful airflow, forming a clear, forward-extending "wind trail," while the branches and leaves of the trees on both sides rustled loudly in the strong wind!

Three miles was just a matter of a dozen breaths for him at that moment.

As he approached the point where his energy would explode, he abruptly suppressed his aura, his speed decreased dramatically, and he silently swept up a large, leafy tree like a feather, hiding in the dense canopy. He gently parted the leaves in front of him, his gaze sharp as lightning, looking down.

In a relatively open clearing in the woods, a brief but intense conflict seemed to have just come to an end.

No, perhaps "one-sided suppression and manipulation" would be a more accurate description.

In the center of the open space, a figure stood leisurely.

The first thing that catches the eye is a head of long, flowing golden curls, like flowing sunlight or melting honey. Thick and glossy, the hair reaches the waist and sways gently in the breeze under the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, shimmering with a captivating golden glow. The person's skin is a cool-toned white, and their features are so exquisitely crafted, as if sculpted by the most skilled artisan. Their eyebrows are like paintings, their nose high and straight, and their lips perfectly curved. Most striking is the small, dark beauty mark under their left eye, like a drop of ink about to fall, adding an indescribable, almost eerie charm to this already stunning face.

The person was wearing a well-tailored beige trench coat, the hem of which fluttered gently in the forest breeze, and their figure... wait?

Nie Lingfeng's gaze shifted downwards.

The man's feet were firmly planted on the back of a burly man.