Scared rabbits

As they approached the source of the commotion, the sounds of battle became deafening. The area ahead was chaotic—dozens of cultivators clashed against waves of monsters, each creature exuding a fierce and oppressive aura. The battlefield was alive with the crackling of spiritual energy and the roars of enraged beasts.

Among the fray, Lin Xuanyu's sharp eyes caught sight of a group of two cultivators locked in a desperate struggle against a pack of wolves.

These weren't ordinary wolves; each one carried the oppressive presence of an 8th Transition Realm cultivator, their glowing eyes and bloodthirsty snarls radiating menace.

Rachael was the first to notice the situation, her expression turning serious. She glanced at Andrew, and they exchanged a knowing look.

"We should help them," Andrew said firmly, already stepping forward. He glanced back at Alissa and added, "Alissa, let us handle this! You save your energy for the Seed Monster."

"Yeah, don't worry about this!" Rachael nodded, her cheerful demeanor returning as she unsheathed her archer-bow. "You're the strongest among us. It's better if you're at full strength when we reach the Seed monster. For now, please look after Lin Xuanyu!"

Turning around, Alissa glanced at Lin Xuanyu, who stood watching the duo rushing towards the pack of wolf. "They sure are strong," he remarked casually.

"They are strong," Alissa agreed, her gaze dropping to the longsword hanging at his waist.

After a moment's pause, she added, "But not as strong as you…"

Lin Xuanyu chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "How can that be. You're overestimating my abilities. I'm merely a 4th Transition Realm cultivator."

Then, with a faint smile, he said, "Since we've reached our destination, I'll be on my way. I've got things to take care of."

Before leaving, he glanced at Alissa. "And I hope you won't mention that you saw me here today."

Alissa's expression remained neutral as she replied, "The Starforge family and the Lin Clan are merely acquaintances. I have no intention of involving myself in the Lin Clan's matters."

Lin Xuanyu nodded with a smile on his face. With a casual wave, he turned and dashed into the dense forest, his figure quickly disappearing among the trees.

Alissa's gaze lingered on the spot where Lin Xuanyu had been before she refocused on the battle ahead of her.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuanyu was moving swiftly through the forest, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. Up ahead, a group of rabbit monsters—eight in total—caught his attention.

Without hesitation, he rushed towards them like a madman. 

"8 mid-stage transition realm monsters!" Lin Xuanyu's eyes gleamed, "That's two bottles of high-grade Energy Gathering Pills!" 

As soon as he arrived near the rabbit monsters, they all pounced on him, aggressively leaping toward him.

As they pounced on him, Lin Xuanyu wore a thoughtful expression.

It seemed Alissa really did know him. He had been testing the waters when he mentioned not revealing that she saw him here, but her reaction confirmed his suspicions.

Thankfully, she had no intention of telling anyone.

At the same time, another thought crossed his mind. "She's incredibly strong."

She had praised him, saying he was stronger than he looked, but Lin Xuanyu knew the truth—she was at least twice as strong as he was right now.

When they first met, he had noticed the dense sword intent surrounding her, concentrated near her mind. There was no mistaking it—she had a Sword Source.

To achieve a Sword Source at such a young age was simply miraculous.

"There's probably no one else in the entire Cosmic Alliance who has a Sword Source at her age," Lin Xuanyu muttered to himself.

"I wonder which one is stronger: my Sword Intent or her Sword Source," he mused while the sword intent surrounding him cutting down all eight 7th Transition Stage rabbit monsters in a single swoop. "My Sword Intent is twice as strong as normal, yet I don't think it can compare to her Sword Source,"

If he were to compare it, it was like a mountain and a hill—her Sword Source was the towering peak, while his Sword Intent, though formidable, was still only a rising slope beneath it.

But he believed that if he reached the third level of the first stage, his Sword Intent should easily be able to match her Sword Source, if not surpass it.

Cosmic Heaven piercer was the technique with zero flaws and limitations, if it can't even help him compete with geniuses like this then might as call it "Loser Can't Pierce the heaven Technique".

Leaving that matter aside, he looked towards the place the rabbits came out from. a large cave entrance loomed in the distance. From within, he could see more rabbit monsters retreating, their forms disappearing into the darkness of the cave.

Almost immediately, a wide grin spread across his face and he started dashing towards the cave at full speed. "Monster cores here I come!!"

**** 

Rachael's bowstring thrummed as she lost arrow after another, each one finding its mark with precision. The wolves howled in pain as her sharp arrows pierced through their body.

Andrew, on the other hand, moved like a whirlwind, his sword flashing as he deflected attacks and struck back, keeping the aggressive wolves from closing in.

Despite their coordination, the wolves were faster, more cunning, and their numbers didn't seem to dwindle, more and more seem to come out from the dense forest.

As Rachael drew back her bowstring again, focusing on the largest wolf lunging toward Andrew, a sudden blur of motion appeared in her peripheral vision.

A wolf, larger and more menacing than the rest, leaped out from the shadows, heading straight for her.

Rachael's eyes widened, and before she could react, a cold, sharp gust of wind passed by.

Swish!

The wolf's head fell cleanly from its body before it even touched the ground.

Alissa stood behind her, her blade glowing faintly with sword force. The strike was so fast that none of the others had even registered her moving.

 She sheathed her sword with a practiced motion, her expression as calm and icy as ever.

"Stay focused," Alissa said, her tone neutral but firm.

Rachel exhaled and gave a small smile. "Thanks, Alissa. That was close!"

The battle ended quickly after that, with Racheal and Andrew cleaning up the remaining wolves. As the dust settled, Rachael glanced around, her brows furrowing. "Wait… where's Lin Xuanyu?"

Andrew shrugged, sheathing his sword. "Probably ran off or something. He's not really part of the team, remember?"

Before Racheal could respond, two cultivators rushed toward them from the other side of the battlefield. Their robes were slightly torn, and they looked like they had just come out of a tough fight.

"Are you three alright?" one of them asked, glancing at the wolf corpses scattered around.

Then one of the men asked, "We heard that the youngest Young Master of the Shen Clan was here a moment ago. Did you see him?"

Rachael and Andrew exchanged glances. "You mean that Shen Clan?"

The man nodded. "That's right, the Shen Clan that manages the Golden Pavilion."

They quickly shook their heads in response.

Rachael, taking the chance while they were on the same subject, asked, "Have you seen someone wearing a black trench coat? He was with us earlier."

The second cultivator shook his head. "Nope, haven't seen anyone like that. We've been fighting further east."

Rachael bit her lip, worry flickering in her eyes.

Before the silence could grow awkward, Alissa spoke up, her tone steady and composed. "He had something to take care of and went back. He'll be fine."

Rachael blinked, "Is that so?"

Alissa nodded. 

Since her childhood friend had said so, then it must be true, Rachel stopped thinking about that after that. 

Alissa glanced at the forest in the distance for a moment, her expression unreadable, before turning back to the group.

"Let's keep moving," she said. "We've already been in this gate for a while now, let's finish what we came here for."