Xai glanced back at the mountain he and Senior Jie had left less than an hour ago. With the combination of enhanced stamina and Ki to empower their steps, the two cultivators had sped down the mountain in record time—for Xai at least.

  There was a sprawling field and a forest between the cultivators and the mountains bordering the southern region. According to Qin, they still had about a day's travel before they actually reached the mountains. Though Xai could see the mountains in question peaking from beyond the horizon, he found it hard to believe it would take so long, despite his previous statements.

  He'd never noticed how much the increase in stats had changed him. While, of course, his senses were heightened as well as his strength, he hadn't quite thought of what that meant beyond swinging a sword with more force.

  Using just a sliver of Ki within his lower body and his natural strength, Xai had kept up a sprint for well over an hour by now at a much faster pace than he'd thought his body was capable of. Especially before he'd accessed the System.

  Senior Jie ran several paces ahead of him, though made a note as to stay close enough for him to follow.

  In the distance beyond the path they were actually traveling, Xai could see several villages dotted across the horizon, most of them having roads straight toward Dantang.

  His thoughts began to slowly drift towards his home before joining the Silver Mist sect. It was far to the south. The southern coast of Azuma itself in fact: Cangchu. It was a lovely town. He still remembered watching the horizon of the oceans for ships coming into port. He loved wandering the markets for all the exotic goods that came from other continents; the land beyond the oceans. To a place... where...

  Qin's voice kept Xai's thoughts from drifting as they were carried by the wind whirling by his ears. "Traveling across the plains is the easy part. Our journey will slow as we approach the outskirts of the forest. If you thought the beasts on the mountain were bad..." His voice trailed off, letting Xai's mind fill in the blanks.

  Xai turned his attention to the horizon once again as he began to see the edges of a dense forest. Despite them being little more then specs in the distance, Xai could tell the trees making up the area were massive, possibly even double or triple the size of many of the trees on the mountain near Dantang.

  The next few hours passed in relative silence. Xai had finally began feeling the weight of fatigue as he'd began to slow, only hardly keeping pace with Qin by funneling Ki into his legs to keep them active. He could feel the damp spots on his gi near his neck and back. Despite the somewhat chilling air passing by him as he ran, that didn't stop the sun's rays from beating down on him. He was lucky his skin hadn't began to burn. A product of his high vitality, he guessed.

  At last, they slowed to a walk as they approached the perimeter of the forest. Xai took in several lungfuls of air as he tried to tune out the ache on his legs. He paused momentarily when he noticed the size of the trees before them. His assumption of the trees being twice as tall as those on the mountain had been an understatement. Many of them were well over 150 feet tall. Some of the taller ones even crested 200 feet.

  "Catch your breath. If you think that was difficult, try running at that speed whilst fending off half a dozen beasts attempting to tear your throat out." Qin stated. He hardly seemed winded. The only thing hinting at any form of exhaustion was the slight moisture on his forehead from a few beads of sweat, which he wiped away from his face just as Xai had noticed them.

  Xai looked into the forest. Even with his enhanced perception he couldn't see so much as a bunny through the trees.

  "What sort... of beasts are in there?" The Junior asked between gulps of air.

  "Bears, tigers, wolf packs possibly. And those are just the natural predators. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few beasts within these woods who have harnessed Ki. Similar to that jué you'd fought. Just on a greater scale." Qin explained.

  Xai tensed moment, remembering the multitude of ways that giant monkey had nearly killed both him and his friends. He quickly rid himself of the thoughts when he realized something rather obvious. Over a week had passed since his encounter with the beast. He'd grown immensely since then. He was sure he could handle a beast on par with the jué if he needed. The fact that he had a D-rank with him if he really needed it quelled his worries as well. Though he didn't want to call on the senior unless he desperately needed to.

  Not long after they stopped to catch their breath- well Xai did at least- they continued into the forest, once again at a sprint. They didn't travel quite as quickly as they had through the roads across the plains, but it was still much faster then many non-cultivators would find possible.

  Xai spotted several small animals from his periphery as they ran. Many of them either scurried away as they got close or simply stared at them as they sped by.

  After several minutes, Xai decided to speak up; finding this sprint to be much less exhausting. "I have a question, if you don't mind me asking."

  Qin turned his head to Xai while keeping his pace.

  "How long did it take you to get to D-rank?" Xai spoke over the wind trying to pull his words away.

  "For me, around a decade. Though most get it in a few years, or not at all. I took my time gaining levels; relying on cultivating instead. Though not all do. Despite my own experiences there is many uses for gaining levels and reaching a higher rank. For most, it is a steady balance between working on your cultivation, and levels. While I may focus on one, and some on the other, many keep in the middle." He explained.

  "How long do you think it will take me?" The junior asked.

  "Depends," the senior replied. "How ambitious are you about getting stronger? And how do you plan to accomplish it?"

  Xai thought for a moment as they ran. He was about to speak when Qin opened his mouth again.

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  "Better yet, are you willing to kill for it?"

  "I can kill beasts, if that's what you mean."

  "No." Qin stated. "There only so many beasts of a high rank to properly level with. While beasts who harness Ki- or are simply born with it- have a higher rank then F or even E. It is exceptionally rare to find any beyond it unless it's a spirit beast or the like. And normally they stronger then what their rank and level may suggest. People- more accurately cultivators- on the other hand, are rather plentiful."

  "Why would the cultivators go out of their way to kill one another?" Xai asked. Xai was sure he saw Qin chuckle at the question. However the wind carried away any sound it may have made.

  "Do you think that the 8 great sects play nice with each other?" Qin asked.

  Xai raised a brow. That's exactly what he'd thought. While he understood each had different opinions on certain things, the emperor generally kept them all in line. At the very least he didn't imagine they hated each other.

  "The only reason there are 8 of them and not more is that we've already destroyed any others. While there are small sects dotted throughout Azuma, hardly any are going to reach as big as any of the 8." Qin stated. "But yes, cultivators fight. And we fight a lot. I cannot tell you the amount of times I was ordered to kill a member of an opposing sect for one reason or another. Whether it be they attempted to steal our secrets, killed one of our own, or just pissed off the wrong person at the wrong time. The world of cultivators; the world of the sects, is more ruthless than whatever town you may have grown up in."

  Xai was about to respond when Qin suddenly grabbed the back of his gi and skidded to a halt. Xai shook off the whiplash of suddenly stopping before turning to Qin. He held a finger at his lips.

  "Hear that?" Qin asked.

  Xai's brown knit together as he looked around the forest before them. He strained his ears to take in any noise he could, but heard nothing other than normal forest-y ambience. Xai looked back at the senior with a quizzical look. However the senior didn't even have time to speak when Xai mentally slapped himself; he then funneled strands of Ki into his inner ear. Even with the enhanced hearing from both his stats and Ki, it was still faint; hardly a whisper, but he still heard it: voices. Several, he counted possibly six or so. They were half a mile deeper into the forest, and hardly legible, but they were definitely there.

  "I can hear people deeper into the forest," Xai stated, drawing his Ki back into his core. "But I cannot understand what they are saying." He pointed into the woods. "They are half a mile or-so that way."

  Qin nodded. "Good. But I can understand them, and it's nothing good." His face grew serious. "Have you ever killed a man?"

  Xai blinked a few times, taken aback by the question. Though after half a second of thought he nodded.

  "Good, then I don't expect you to hesitate. Come on, and draw your blade." The senior stated as he darted towards the voices.

  ***

  Quin led his group through the forest. Six men traveled through the woods alongside a bull hauling a wagon filled with several crates. Some were filled with traveling supplies- rations, tents and the like- but others held things far more valuable.

  Quin brushed a hand over the axe at his hip. The edge was covered in dried blood from a few beasts they'd had to fight in the forest. Most of the wildlife stayed away from them, but that didn't stop some of the stronger beasts from wanting a bite from the bull hauling their supplies.

  Quin glanced behind him at the rest of his group. With the help of a certain stone fragment he'd consumed a few weeks prior he could see whatever levels the System had assigned to his allies. Though even now they were all lower than his own.

  [Level: 21 (F)]

  [Level: 15 (F)]

  [Level: 23 (F)]

  [Level: 9 (F)]

  [Level: 17 (F)]

  It almost felt insulting for his own level- 32- to even be compared to them so much weaker. Even when he'd only killed a few people and beasts and had only been a measly level 12, he could easily take on a few of them at once. Now? He could likely take them all on and survive without any serious injury. The only minor threat to him was Keln, a large man his gang had brought in from up north. A large maul was slung over his back. If he had to guess he may have been as physically strong as Quin was now, but that was all. Just sheer physical strength. That didn't account for his enhanced senses and agility. Not to mention he could probably take a few blows from the maul before going down. And that was assuming he would hit in the first place.

  "How much fuckin' longer till we reach Xuefeng? We've been in this damn forest for a day. At least say when we'll reach the mountain. I've had enough of the wildlife." One of his group- Shen- asked. He was a thinner man- the level 15 of the group- and had a bow and quiver strung over his back.

  "We still have another day till we reach the mountain. It's not my fault this forest is the only discrete way to that damned village. If we took the roads the guards would just search the wagon. What would we tell Hang if we showed up without the shipment?" Quin stated.

  "I can think of something." Another of the group, a young toned man with a sword at his hip, Zhu, stated. He dragged his finger across his neck and made a morbid gurgling sound.

  Quin just rolled his eyes at Zhu. He was the level 9, and hardly a fighter. The only reason he was kept around half the time was cause he was the one with the best chance of talking a guard out of a search. If Quin guessed, Zhu's Charm stat was probably higher than his own, then again he hadn't bothered putting a single point into it.

  "Can we please just continue this in silence. I can't listen to you all talk much longer." An older man stated as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Hwang- the level 21- was actually somewhat armored. Wearing a breastplate and arm guards. Though his legs were somewhat exposed. A shield and sword was strung across his back. He'd taken the role of the "guard" of the caravan as they traveled south.

  Quin suddenly stopped. "Shhh." He hissed, holding a hand up, causing everyone to stop.

  "Thank-" Hwang began before Quin shushed him.

  A few seconds went by as Quin looked among the trees. He heard something. Faint at first, but it was getting closer. Footsteps. At first he thought it was more beasts. Then he caught something out of the corner of his eyes. In the green and brown foliage of the woods, a blue and white streak- no... two streaks zipped through the trees. One he couldn't even make out, but the other was of a young man in a white gi, a blade drawn in his hand.

  Quin's voice caught in his throat as he saw his level.

  [Level: 40 (F)]

  He didn't even have time to tell everyone to ready their weapons when the white streak- the one he could hardly perceived- dashed towards the side of his vision and twisted his head at an unnatural angle.

  ***

  The highest level bandit was taken care of by Qin in a blink. He didn't even properly see what the senior had done, he just saw him dash by the bandit before his head suddenly snapped to the side.

  Regardless, Xai went for the next biggest target, a large man nearly a foot taller than the junior. He hardly had time to take the maul from his back before Xai pierced his sword into the man's chest and kick off of his shoulders to propel himself into the air, with a little help from his new technique of course.

  He came down next to another man- level 15- who he rather unceremoniously cleaved the head off of with a single ki-infused slash.

  Xai was nearly hit with an arrow as he stepped to the side. He saw the lowest level man beginning to draw another arrow before Xai cleared the distance between them in a few bounds. He cut the wooden bow in half before landing a spin kick to the side of the man's head. It crashed against the side of the wagon with a thud before the man dropped to the floor.

  Xai looked around for the last man, only to see Qin holding him by the head as he flailed in the senior's grasp.

  Xai and Qin exchanged glances.

  "Is that one unconscious or dead?" Qin asked, nodding towards the archer lying at Xai's feet.

  It only took a few moments with his enhanced perception to see the man's chest faintly raising and falling. "Unconscious." Xai replied.

  "Then we don't need this one." Qin stated before swiping his hand, sending the bandit hurtling into a tree, his head was crushed on impact as his body crumpled at its base.