A cold glint flashed in Lin Tian's eyes. Although Zhao Tian was young, his cultivation was not to be underestimated. Among the group of young cultivators, he was by far the most exceptional, on par with the middle-aged man leading them. If all went well, Zhao Tian would likely reach the innate realm before the age of forty, possibly even surpassing the middle-aged man and becoming the absolute powerhouse of his family.
Lin Tian sneered, catching the two golden beads. However, as his hand made contact with them, he suddenly grunted and took a half-step back. The force behind the golden beads was not small—Zhao Tian had clearly infused them with true qi, adding at least fifty percent of his strength. For an ordinary peak Bone Forging cultivator, catching the beads would result in bloodied hands, but Lin Tian caught them steadily, his expression flickering slightly. Zhao Tian's intent was clearly malicious.
Lin Tian's eyes flashed with anger, but he quickly suppressed it, snorting coldly as he glanced at the middle-aged man at the peak of Qi Cultivation before turning and walking away.
The people claiming to be from the Zhao family did not stop him. In fact, it seemed they didn't regard him as a cultivator at all, but more like a mundane martial artist. They even tossed him two common gold beads as charity, which made Lin Tian sneer. He knew that in the cultivation world, the common currency was Tian Crystals and Earth Souls, and these gold beads held no value to a cultivator.
Lin Tian didn't leave immediately. Instead, he circled around the valley, stealthily making his way along a small path back to the outskirts. Concealing his tracks had always been one of his strengths, and even a mid-tier Qi Cultivator like Zhao Tian wouldn't be able to detect him as he quietly returned to the edge of the valley. Especially now that he had reached the peak of Bone Forging, even Zhao Tian would be unable to sense his presence.
Focusing on his hearing, Lin Tian quickly picked up the sound of voices from the valley. The middle-aged man at the peak of Qi Cultivation was sternly reprimanding Zhao Tian: "Zhao Tian, your recklessness—don't you know that any carelessness could lead to trouble? This person does not appear hostile. Are you not afraid of rumors spreading?"
A young girl, visibly angry, grumbled, "Uncle, how can you let him go? What if that wild man gets hurt? I still want to capture him and let Xiao Bai play with him!"
Zhao Tian sneered, "Junior sister, you think this wild man is just some Bone Forging guy? Compared to Xiao Bai, a low-tier beast, he's nothing. In less than half a stick of incense, he'll be crushed into pieces."
The middle-aged man scoffed and continued, "You don't understand. The Zhao family holds some influence in the Southern Wilderness, but we're cultivating here, and without understanding this man's background, we can't act recklessly."
Zhao Tian's eyes flickered with a sharp gleam: "Seems like this person is cultivating an unusual method. He was able to catch my golden bead with fifty percent of my power—how could he be just an ordinary rogue cultivator?"
"Indeed," the middle-aged man said calmly. "There are many bizarre martial arts in the world. Some techniques can make the body's muscles and bones stronger than those of ordinary Qi Cultivators. The Zhao family, though not insignificant, is still not the greatest power in the world. We must be cautious."
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian's heart trembled. He immediately suppressed his presence, making sure not to be detected. Zhao Tian's gaze had a hint of coldness, clearly displeased by his "loss of face." The incident with the golden bead had embarrassed him in front of his senior brothers and sisters, especially since his junior sister seemed particularly dissatisfied with him.
The junior sister was the only daughter of Zhao Qian, the family head, and despite Zhao Tian's exceptional talent, his position within the family remained delicate. If he could win her favor, he could enter the Zhao family's inner circle and even replace the family head one day.
"Our Zhao family holds some influence in the Southern Wilderness, but the edge of this ancient forest is not our family's territory. If we don't figure out who this person is, it's unwise to act hastily," the middle-aged man said with a stern tone.
Lin Tian immediately understood. These people were not simply here to camp—they were searching for something. And this thing was clearly very valuable, enough to make a small family like the Zhao's take such action. He had been in the valley for months, investigating every corner, yet he hadn't found anything unusual. This realization made him feel a sense of disappointment.
He chuckled bitterly to himself. If he were truly the protagonist of a novel, wouldn't he have found priceless treasures or secret manuals just by stumbling into the valley? Yet, after spending months here, the only thing he had found was a nearly indestructible beast egg, and not even a single hair from a valuable creature.
Although these people were strong, Lin Tian still had confidence in his ability to deal with them—so long as they lacked an innate-level expert. The surrounding beasts weren't very active, but they would definitely pose a threat to these cultivators. Lin Tian had accumulated a lot of experience from his past encounters with the beasts and knew how to use the terrain to provoke the beasts and deal with the group, especially the younger cultivators.
Lin Tian narrowed his eyes, already formulating a plan. If he could use these beasts to his advantage, he had a 60% chance of monitoring and gradually uncovering the true purpose of this group. What interested him most, however, was still the mysterious serpent—a beast so formidable that even he dared not approach it easily. Its presence seemed to always linger in the back of his mind.