Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

In the vast expanse of this magnificent forest, the towering trees dominated the landscape, enveloping the area with their lush foliage. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. The occasional glimpse of lakes, waterfalls, and open fields provided serene oases amidst the wilderness.

From his vantage point, Liam could just make out the distant peaks of Demon Gate, rising above the treetops. However, his attention was quickly diverted, for in this untamed territory, teeming with diverse beasts, he could not afford to let his guard down. The air was alive with the constant symphony of chirping birds, rustling leaves, and the distant roar of unseen creatures.

Navigating through the uncharted lands beyond the sect's control, Liam knew that danger lurked at every turn. The forest surrounding Demon Gate, though only a fraction of the sect's vast territory, stretched for miles, beckoning exploration.

It encompassed hundreds of square kilometers, housing a staggering array of over 100,000 creatures, each occupying their own niche in the intricate web of life.

Within this rich ecosystem, creatures of all sizes thrived, from mammoth-like beasts that roamed the forest floor to tiny hamsters scurrying amidst the undergrowth.

To Liam, this expansive wilderness was a place of both awe and danger, a realm where the senses awakened amidst the majestic trees and secret marvels of the forest.

Above all, what set them apart was their cultivation prowess. Many of them had reached the second and third realms of cultivation, and some even surpassed that level.

But Liam was clever. Before leaving the city, he got a small map of the area.

The map wasn't very detailed. It had colored markings of different areas, signaling the level of danger known to exist in each part of the forest, but with its margins of uncertainty.

If a formidable creature inhabited a particular hill, the danger level of that area would be indicated by the color on the map. However, it was impossible for the map to anticipate when this creature would venture beyond its territory and roam into other areas for various reasons.

Liam was on the lookout for powerful beings in his path, even if he was traveling through a 'safe' area.

Now, he stood within a bush, quenching his thirst with water, his body covered in perspiration. He had his map spread out, determining his location and the distance to his initial destination.

His mission of hunting Arcane Crystals for the sect was, as the name implied, a hunt. As well as having the map of the area, Liam also knew the 20 main types of beasts in this forest, as well as the territories where they were most easily seen.

He knew the rankings of these creatures in terms of potential, which told him a lot about the quality of the Arcane Crystals they would provide him with if he hunted them.

Hence, he was now going in search of his first targets!

Before reaching this point in his journey, Liam had passed several groups of beasts, spotted the lush fauna of the area.

Some creatures he spotted were strong enough to make him use alternative routes to get away from them, while others were too weak to attract his attention.

An hour ago, he had encountered a pack of Flaming Flies. These creatures were about the size of golf balls and had a fiery aura, but their cultivation was relatively weak, at the peak of the first realm.

Shortly after, he came across another group, this time stronger than the Flaming Flies. It was a pack of Solardrake turtles, easily distinguished by their sunlit shells and their incredible mastery over light and fire.

If it hadn't been for the remarkable defensive power of Solardrakes, hunting such a group would have been quite interesting for him. They were known to give hunters a tough challenge, often proving formidable opponents even for those two or three stars stronger than them.

Such a Solardrakes' group had six creatures, the weakest with 6-Star and the strongest with 8-Star of the second realm. It would have been impossible for the current Liam to hunt down at least one of them, even if their Arcane Crystals would be quite interesting to him!

He didn't mind missing the chance to hunt them down, anyway. He had a plan in mind and was now close to reaching the first group of creatures that caught his eye.

'The Shadowclaws' territory is two kilometers to the north. This breed of hyena is known for its collective actions, but one can hardly see groups of over 10 Shadowclaws together.

These creatures have a potential rating of King-grade, Middle-level, just like my current mission for the crystals.'

He put away his water bottle, along with the map.

'Shadowclaws hyenas have a cultivation, in adulthood, of early second realm. The weakest are usually in the 1-Star and the strongest in the 3-Star. There are hardly any of these creatures in 4-Star or even 5-Star. So even if I only have Thal'Korr with me, I should be fine with 10 of these creatures.'

Liam's mission was to collect 30 King-grade Arcane Crystals of the Middle-level. But he was going to hunt 60, to ensure that he could fulfill the next month's mission.

The level of difficulty of obtaining these crystals was not so that big for him. This was the mission for Initiates, members of the sect who had cultivation between 2-Star and 9-Star of the second realm.

For those newly promoted to the rank of Initiate, the mission was usually difficult to accomplish. But for someone already at the end of the second realm, it was less demanding.

This didn't mean that it would be easy for him. Liam knew this and was on his guard.

'Time to move on.'

He left the bush where he was hiding, holding his sword in his right hand, while with his left hand he cleared away leaves and branches in his path.

This part of the forest was quite enclosed, humid and hot. For that, Liam was sweating like an animal about to be slaughtered.

The smell of wet soil was strong, making Liam think it would rain nearby at any moment.

He took a few steps wider, edging away from the area of undergrowth, arriving at a patch of woodland where trees more distant from each other and rocky terrain lay in his path.

'I have to watch out for my enemies attacking after eath battle for crystals… There are also the beasts in the area. A waiting beast can hunt humans, too.'

He kept an eye out, his gaze darting from one corner to another as he advanced cautiously.

Humans, like him, hunted beasts for their Arcane Crystals, sometimes for food. But beasts also hunted humans, mainly for food.

Magical creatures could strengthen themselves by devouring any kind of magical essence. Unlike Spirit Masters, who could meditate, these beings didn't meditate, they just slept after filling their bellies with mana rich food.

Apart from other beasts, the creatures that attracted the most attention of beasts were Spirit Masters, who often hunted them.

A common strategy of stronger and smarter beasts was to wait for a careless Spirit Master to hunt down a group of weaker beings and weaken themselves. Then, those beasts would attack decisively right after the battle was over.

Spirit Masters and beasts had been hunting each other for a long time, so this kind of knowledge about beasts and their behavior was extensively recorded in books that were easy to access in any sect of cultivators.

Liam moved forward with these concerns in mind, soon spotting yet another group of creatures, one he had no interest in interacting with.

By diverting his path a little, he would arrive just five minutes later than planned in the Shadowclaws' hyena-sighting territory.

It wasn't exactly a small territory where one would easily encounter a tribe of hyenas. The area was as large as a neighborhood in a big city, but of course without buildings and with terrain and vegetation that helped creatures to hide or split up into different parts of the area.

But Liam was in luck. Soon after entering the hyena sighting zone, a 'green' zone for him, he spotted a group of six of these creatures.

The six extremely similar creatures had dark blue coats with patterns that resembled moving shadows. Their deep purple eyes allowed them to see perfectly in the dark, making them also rather frightening.

They had long, sharp claws, coated with a type of substance capable of absorbing light, making them almost invisible. Their fangs were equally sharp, capable of cutting with the precision of scalpels.

The moment Liam spotted them, he moved behind one of the sparse trees in the area, observing for a moment the group of six creatures moving as if they were patrolling a territory.

Their cultivations were very similar, with all of them being at the 2-Star of the second realm.

These were perfect targets, but before he acted, Liam observed the surroundings, looking for subsequent enemies.

He immediately spotted what he wanted. 'Three Thunderwings... But they're not that troublesome at their level.' He saw the birds watching the surroundings, probably ready to act as soon as he had defeated the hyenas.

Not intending to show everything he had, he controlled Mana Mask to display only an early 5-Star cultivation, only slightly higher than that of those Thunderwings.

Then Liam moved, running towards the Shadowclaws while holding a silver sword in his hands!