Overall, reaching the opposite end of the Pengu's lair area took us about three hours of a slow march. While it's not much, we barely skipped through the corner of its home ground to avoid the mountain chain blocking our entrance to the inner parts of the forest. If not for Pengu's help, we could only travel along the inner forest route to reach the southern tip of the mountains and pass to its western side then.

While it doesn't sound as much, when one takes into perspective about two weeks saved from travelling all the way around the mountains, only then the true worth of this shortcut could be showcased!

Even if in the global scale of the sect such a situation wasn't all that bad, this sadly didn't apply to me. With only about three weeks left before the tournament, I couldn't waste my time playing around in the bushes!

As we approached the border of Pengu's home, it suddenly stops right in its track. Waving its healed fin into the distance a few times, it informed us that we reached our destination as if worried that we couldn't notice it and expect him to keep going forward.

"I guess we are going to part our ways here. You can expect us to come back in less than a week! Just try to keep some of your attention on this border!"

Waving my hand back at the Pengu, I smile heartfully as I pick up my lazy bum from the ground and continue marching forward. Even if our timely companion can't accompany us anymore, entering new area actually forces us to put our guard even higher!

While we had to be wary of the potential Pengu's attack, it still felt rather impossible for such a calm and cute animal to attack someone who tried his best to appease to its tastes. On the other hand, even if the monsters of this mind menace location were just a small fry compared to Pengu, the risk of encountering them the instant we emerge from the invisible wall separating the areas was rather high.

After all, we could never know what is waiting for us on the opposite side of the barrier! While the terrain was marked perfectly, it was a static image, devoid of any movement or changes. I guess this kind of teleportations used this quirky visualisation trick to make it easier to recognise the area of travel, the technology of directly contacting specific people without any slightest delay still was heavily underdeveloped!

With everything said and done, there was no reason for my small party to keep waiting. The worse fear humans need to face is the fear of unknown. While it wasn't on the scale of meeting the ghosts and wraiths, entering a brand new place was still a thrilling experience!

As soon as we enter the new place, the sight of the Pengu's lair turns from slightly frozen grassland back to a lush forest that we were in the back before encountering this cute little being. Just as if some kind of masking spell was put in place, not only is its home hidden from the view, the sole aura of that powerfull spell made most of the animals retreat from its closest proximity!

But our appearance changes the delicate equilibrium in this place. In just a moment, I can see a group of nimble friends sneaking upon us, with even more predators waiting in the bushes to observe the outcome.

While the beast has the insane advantage of numbers, this isn't a damn strategy game but a cultivation standoff. If I can show how much stronger are we than the initial aggressors, the entire group will be forced to back off if they don't want to die!

As I observe the first animals close the distance on us, I realise one thing. While the guide book granted some pages of information about this level of areas, the real information included there were greatly limited. After all, by reaching the cultivation required to train there, one would already be qualified to turn into core sect disciple, getting access to a lot better resources and information, along with better guidelines about the respective areas for his level.

After all, what might be the reason for explaining stuff for the high end of the mortal realm for those who struggle at its middle stages?

But that doesn't mean anything for us now. Even without the real information about the monsters rushing at us as I think, all we need to do is just kill them, aren't I a genius to realise it?

Taking the windslord from my storage ring, I forcefully swipe it horizontally through the air, sending a powerful wave right behind the mystical force that carries my cut all the way to those animal bodies!

"Blop!"

"Killed One-eyes panter"

"Earned 270 exp!"

"Blop!"

"Killed sneaky Voskel"

"Earned 320 exp!"

While the group charging at us consisted of over seven difrent animals, I managed to get rid of only the two of them with my initial slash! Even if I'm not completly satisfied by this result, I can't say it is a bad one. After all, we reached the stage where the gap between monsters and cultivators on the same level only starts to grow!

With my windslord continuing to move in just a three more fluid slashes, the whole pack is exterminated!

"Blop!"

"Acquired One-eyed panter's eye!"

"Acquired Voskel's tail!"

…

"Earned 400 exp!"

"Earned 250 exp!"

In just this short encounter, I actually managed to raise my experience by more than half of what is necessary to reach the next level! I guess this damn system really is suited for exping instead of cultivating! I can't wait to see how will my level looks like after an honest bout of hunting!