The journey continued without further incident.
Gradually, the dense forest began to thin.
The towering ancient trees that had dominated the landscape for most of the day slowly gave way to more open terrain. Sunlight filtered freely through the diminishing canopy, and before long, a new sound reached everyone's ears.
The steady rush of flowing water.
A stream.
No—
a river.
Wide and tranquil.
Its surface reflected the afternoon sunlight like liquid silver, shimmering gently beneath the breeze.
Moored beside a sturdy wooden dock rested a long transport vessel.
The boat was not particularly luxurious in appearance, but intricate spiritual formations had been carved along its sides. Faint traces of spiritual energy flowed through the engraved patterns, allowing the vessel to travel swiftly and efficiently along the river's currents.
The moment the disciples saw it, several visibly relaxed.
"Finally."
"My legs are dead."
"We've been walking all day."
The yellow-haired youth practically leaped onto the deck.
"I'm sitting down and nobody is moving me."
One of the girls immediately rolled her eyes.
"You say that after barely fighting."
"I fought plenty."
"You spent half the battle yelling."
The youth placed a hand over his chest.
"Morale support is important."
Laughter spread throughout the group.
Even the two elders seemed noticeably more relaxed now that they had left the strange forest behind.
Soon—
everyone had boarded.
The ropes were released.
The current caught the vessel.
Slowly at first—
then steadily—
the boat began gliding downstream.
The gentle sound of flowing water filled the air.
Water slid quietly past the hull.
The rhythmic murmur of the river mixed with the occasional creak of wood beneath their feet.
Compared to the tension and unease of the forest, the atmosphere aboard the vessel felt remarkably peaceful.
Most of the disciples quickly settled down.
Some sat cross-legged, quietly recovering spiritual energy.
Others simply enjoyed the opportunity to rest.
The earlier battle had been valuable experience, but it had also left everyone somewhat exhausted.
The blue-haired young man leaned back against the railing.
"I'm still surprised there were so many Iron-Spine Cats."
A nearby disciple nodded.
"So am I."
"I've seen small groups before, but never a pack that size."
"The Rank Five leader especially."
Several others nodded in agreement.
A Rank Five Spirit Beast was not something cultivators encountered often during ordinary training expeditions.
The yellow-haired youth stretched lazily before speaking.
"Honestly, if I hadn't insisted on asking Elder Qin and Elder Zhao to accompany us, things could have become troublesome."
A few disciples nodded.
No one disagreed.
While the younger generation could handle Rank Two and Rank Three Spirit Beasts without much issue, a Rank Five leader commanding an entire pack was an entirely different matter.
The youth continued.
"Still, it wasn't a complete loss."
He glanced toward the river.
"I finally got to use my movement technique in a real battle."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I've practiced it for months, but training and actual combat are completely different."
The others immediately understood.
Techniques that felt smooth and flawless during practice often became awkward and unreliable when facing an opponent genuinely trying to tear your throat out.
Then the yellow-haired youth turned slightly toward a nearby young woman.
A girl with long purple hair tied neatly behind her shoulders.
"Shen Mali."
She looked up from where she had been cleaning her sword.
"What?"
"The technique you used earlier."
The youth frowned thoughtfully.
"I don't think I've seen it before."
Several others glanced over as well.
They had noticed it during the battle.
The purple-haired girl paused briefly before replying.
"Flowing Mist Steps."
Recognition immediately appeared on several faces.
"Oh."
"The movement art from your clan?"
Shen Mali nodded.
"It was originally designed for escape."
She smoothly sheathed her sword.
"It doesn't make you faster than specialized movement techniques."
"But it makes changing direction significantly easier."
The blue-haired young man nodded slowly.
"That explains it."
"I saw one of the beasts nearly catch you."
"It did."
Shen Mali's expression remained calm.
"But the technique allows me to shift momentum quickly."
She rested a hand lightly on her sheath.
"It isn't suited for long-distance pursuit."
"But in close combat, especially when facing multiple opponents, sudden changes in direction create openings."
The blue-haired youth nodded thoughtfully.
"That explains why the cats kept missing."
"They weren't missing."
Shen Mali corrected calmly.
"I was guiding their attacks away."
Several disciples glanced toward her.
The explanation sounded simple.
Yet everyone present understood exactly how difficult such a thing was to accomplish.
One mistake—
and a spirit beast's claws would be buried inside your chest.
The yellow-haired youth leaned against the railing.
"Your clan's techniques have always been troublesome."
A faint smile appeared on Shen Mali's lips.
"I'll take that as praise."
A few chuckled softly.
Not the loud, carefree laughter of children.
Rather, the relaxed amusement of cultivators discussing techniques and sharing battle experience after surviving a dangerous encounter.
Nearby, Elder Qin observed the conversation quietly.
After a moment, he spoke.
"The battle itself was not particularly dangerous."
The younger disciples immediately straightened.
"However."
His gaze swept across the group.
"Your reactions were."
Several expressions stiffened.
The elder continued calmly.
"When the Iron-Spine Cat leader appeared, too many of you focused solely on it."
"Your attention narrowed."
"A battlefield is not a duel."
The disciples lowered their heads slightly.
None argued.
Because they knew he was right.
Elder Zhao nodded in agreement.
"Three Rank Three beasts nearly reached your rear formation."
"The only reason nothing happened was because your companions reacted quickly."
The blue-haired youth frowned.
"I didn't even notice them."
"You weren't supposed to."
Elder Zhao replied.
"The point is that someone else did."
His gaze shifted toward Ling Wei.
"Your warning was timely."
Several disciples turned toward him.
Ling Wei immediately felt his back stiffen.
"...I was simply watching the surroundings."
"That is exactly what you should have been doing."
Elder Zhao nodded.
"A cultivator who survives long enough eventually learns something."
His gaze shifted toward the others.
"Most deaths occur because people become fixated on the threat directly in front of them."
"Meanwhile, the real danger approaches from somewhere else."
Silence followed.
The boat continued drifting steadily downstream.
Water rolled gently against the hull.
The disciples sat scattered across the deck, recovering spiritual energy and tending to minor injuries sustained during the earlier battle.
No one treated the encounter lightly.
Although the Iron-Spine Cat pack had ultimately been defeated, real combat was vastly different from sparring within the safety of one's clan.
Mistakes carried consequences.
Blood had been spilled.
Several disciples still bore claw marks across their robes as proof.
The brown-haired young man leaned against the railing, staring thoughtfully at the river before speaking.
"That pack shouldn't have been there."
His tone was contemplative rather than fearful.
Elder Zhao glanced toward him.
"What makes you say that?"
The young man immediately answered.
"Iron-Spine Cats prefer rocky terrain and elevated regions."
He gestured toward the surrounding riverbanks.
"This area doesn't suit them."
Several disciples nodded.
They had studied spirit beast behavior before departing from their respective clans.
The brown-haired youth continued.
"Even if a few wandered here..."
His brows furrowed.
"...an entire pack shouldn't."
Silence settled briefly.
Then Shen Mali spoke.
"It wasn't only the location."
Everyone looked toward her.
She continued calmly.
"Their behavior was strange."
"The lower-ranked beasts weren't hunting."
"They were moving."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Almost as though they had been driven from somewhere."
The yellow-haired youth's expression slowly grew serious.
Now that she mentioned it—
he remembered it as well.
The beasts had seemed agitated.
Restless.
Uneasy.
Not aggressive in the normal sense.
More like animals that had been forced from their territory.
Elder Qin stood near the front of the vessel, gazing toward the river ahead.
"That possibility exists."
Several disciples exchanged uneasy looks.
One of the girls frowned.
"Driven away by what?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Because everyone already knew the answer.
Only something stronger.
Something dangerous enough to force an entire spirit beast pack to abandon its territory.
Ling Yue unconsciously stiffened.
Beside her—
Ling Wei's grip tightened slightly.
Only slightly.
No one noticed.
But both siblings immediately thought of the same thing.
The hidden valley.
The white-scaled creature.
The overwhelming pressure.
The golden eyes.
A chill ran through them.
Neither dared speak.
Neither dared even glance at the other.
Hidden beneath his concealment ability—
Lizarius remained motionless.
Listening.
His eyes remained closed.
Yet every word entered his ears clearly.
*Driven away...*
The thought drifted through his mind.
Not surprising.
Even while unconscious, traces of his presence had leaked into the surrounding wilderness.
For weaker spirit beasts, that pressure alone was enough to trigger instinctive fear.
Predators avoided stronger predators.
It was simple.
Natural.
The boat continued its journey.
Gradually, the conversation shifted away from the Iron-Spine Cats and toward cultivation.
The battle had given everyone something to think about.
The river widened as time passed.
The dense forests that had surrounded them for most of the day slowly disappeared into the distance.
The banks became broader.
Flatter.
More civilized.
Signs of human activity began appearing everywhere.
Small fishing boats drifted near the shoreline.
Wooden piers stretched into the water.
Cultivated fields spread beyond the riverbanks.
Smoke rose lazily from distant farmhouses.
The atmosphere steadily became livelier.
Then—
the river opened completely.
Ling Yue's eyes widened.
"We're here."
The others immediately stood.
Ahead—
a vast lake-like section of the river stretched across the landscape.
Countless lotus flowers bloomed upon the water's surface.
Pink.
White.
Gold-tinted beneath the afternoon sun.
Thousands upon thousands of lotus blossoms swayed gently beneath the breeze.
The fragrance drifted across the water.
Refreshing.
Pure.
Peaceful.
At the center of the lotus-covered waters—
a city gradually emerged.
Watchtowers rose proudly above towering battlements.
Countless banners fluttered in the wind.
Ships moved constantly around the city's docks.
Merchant vessels.
Fishing boats.
Cultivator transports.
The river before the city bustled with activity.
Dozens of vessels entered and departed every hour.
From a distance, the city seemed almost to float upon the endless sea of lotus flowers.
Alive.
Prosperous.
Magnificent.
As the transport vessel continued its approach, the disciples found themselves staring silently at the sight before them.
For many of them—
this was their first glimpse of a true cultivation city.