Kenja travelled across the forest at an unprecedented speed. He was revelling in his newfound abilities.

'I feel such immense strength, and my feet feel so light. If Qi Flourishing feels this great, I wonder how Foundation Establishment will feel like.'

Kenja looked up at the sun and could tell that the morning lectures would be taking place right now. He had just passed Ryu Kaito's grave which marked the halfway point of his journey. Even though he had wandered in the forest for several hours, he will have reached the forest's exit in less than an incense stick's time.

Snail was used to doing nothing for a long time, so he would normally not complain, but after having such an exciting night and morning after so many years, he couldn't continue with the silent trek.

"Why did you enter this forest in the first place? Did no one tell you it was dangerous? Or were you looking for an easy ticket back to the reincarnation cycle?"

Snail's curiosity had reached the breaking point.

"I was chased here by another cultivator. Entering this forest was the only way I could secure my life."

"A cultivator chased you here? ...Was he flying or sailing?"

Kenja was confused by the question.

"He was running. As was I."

Snail chuckled as if he heard a good joke. "Running? Maybe his cultivation was high enough to run across seas, but you definitely can't do that yet. Now, tell me the real answer."

Kenja's confusion continued to increase. "I really did run here. And there is no sea. In the entire Freezing Desert, there are only a few oases and hidden reservoirs."

Snail's laughing got louder.

"What are you, a cultivator or a comedian? This forest covers around 90% of an island that floats in the middle of a vast sea called the Icefrost Sea. I've never heard of such a desert. Now tell me, do you think that cultivator may have burned your boat? Because if he did, I think I might have one in my shell."

Kenja remembered the previous times Snail mentioned an ocean, and he finally understood what was going on.

"Snail. How long have you been in this forest?"

Snail ignored the casual way Kenja addressed him and began pondering. After a few breaths, he looked back at Kenja.

"I didn't keep track. I tried at first, but at some point, you start to wonder if it was '273' or '274,' and after that, you can't help but give up. I know when we first got here, the butt razor, over there, still had 500 years left of servitude. At some point, the contract dissolved indicating that that much time had passed. I am not sure how much time had passed since then though."

"And when you got here, this forest was on an island standing alone in a vast sea?"

"This forest IS on an island standing alone in a vast sea." Snail scoffed.

Kenja almost clutched his head again.

'I haven't spent a full day in this forest, and I have had more headaches today than in my entire life combined.'

The Ryu Empire had existed for more than two thousand years, and the Freezing Desert existed long before that. Kenja was unsure how to break the news to Snail, so he figured he would let the truth speak for itself. He decided to change the topic.

"Earlier, you mentioned barriers. What kind of barriers surround this forest?"

The snail perked up and nodded his head in approval at the question Kenja posed him.

"Good question, my disciple! There are two barriers in place that encompass this forest. They both cause whoever wanders into the forest to remain lost and gradually lose their power until they become a dried up corpse."

"They both do that? Why do you need two barriers? Wouldn't one do the trick?"

"Well, the first one is the Immortal Vanishing Barrier. It makes Immortals lose their way in the forest indefinitely while slowly draining away their soul. The second one is the Mortal Vanishing Barrier which does the same thing but for mortals. Together, you can prevent anyone from infiltrating."

Kenja blinked a couple of times. "Then why did it not work on me?"

Snail sighed. "I am not sure, but if I had to guess, it's because of your unique situation. The Immortal Vanishing Barrier probably didn't sense enough Qi within you to assess you as an Immortal, and the Mortal Vanishing Barrier sensed too much Qi within you which kept you from being evaluated as a mortal. If people were to find out such a loophole exists for the "Impregnable Combination," the cultivation world would be shocked, and the upper echelon would enter an arms race. People would try to shrink or remove the loophole while others, knowing the loophole exists, would find ways to exploit or control it."

Kenja understood the notion. If a combo of barriers thought to be invincible were found out to be imperfect, people would no longer have a peace of mind inside their sanctuaries. Treasure-seekers would also try to take advantage of the loophole for their own greed.

"Why did you erect the barriers and hide in the middle of the forest for so long?" This was the question burning a hole in Kenja's head, and he had finally found an opportune time to ask it.

"Stupid, I didn't erect both barriers. I only erected the Immortal Vanishing Barrier. That guy..." Snail trailed off as his eyes were popping out from the sight in front of him. Kenja had reached the edge of the forest and stopped. Just as Kenja had claimed, all Snail could see was a desert.

Kenja turned his eyes to the right. "Brother Snail, I don't see my boat here. I think we'll have to use yours."

Snail's right eye twitched from the burning sensation of a slap.