Cloud Sky Forest

In the deep of the night,

Within a lavish and towering courtyard of the Yun family,

"Brother! You must stand up for me! That Yun Che, just a mere branch family member, humiliated me in front of everyone!"

Yun Kun gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with venomous hatred.

In the past few days, he had suffered two consecutive defeats at the hands of a mere branch family disciple, leaving him too ashamed to step outside.

"Useless fool!"

In the center of the room, seated upon a meditation mat, was a slender, short-haired youth whose physique resembled that of a sleek leopard.

The young man, though bearing some resemblance to Yun Kun, exuded an aura of decisiveness and coldness, his manner sharp and resolute.

He was Yun Kun's older brother, Yun Qian.

"Brother, please, I beg of you, I must avenge this insult."

Yun Kun's heart wavered, a mixture of fear and resentment.

He had always been terrified of this older brother, who had tormented him since childhood.

What frustrated him the most was that, no matter what Yun Qian did, he was always one step ahead.

Now, Yun Qian had reached the peak of the third realm in martial arts and had mastered the advanced technique "Twelve Transformations of the Poisonous Serpent" to its sixth transformation. His strength placed him among the top five in the outer circle.

Even if there were three or five Yun Kuns, they would still be no match for their older brother.

...

The following morning.

Yun Che rose early, first practicing his "Angry Dragon Fist" and "Push Qi Technique" for a while.

These two martial arts manuals were his main focus at this stage.

"Reaching the third martial realm still seems like a distant goal."

After practicing for half an hour, Yun Che followed the "plan" he had devised the night before and headed for the family's account office.

As per the family tradition, Yun Che received a monthly allowance of ten taels of silver.

"This month's allowance hasn't been collected yet."

Yun Che arrived at the family's outer account office.

"Yun Che, second realm in martial arts, branch family member, monthly allowance: twenty taels of silver."

The account keeper spoke flatly, his expression unreadable.

Twenty taels of silver?

Yun Che took the silver, nodding in gratitude.

Since his promotion to the second martial realm, his allowance had doubled.

But he knew that, while twenty taels could support a regular family, for martial artists, it was merely a drop in the ocean.

Some precious herbs used to accelerate cultivation or break through boundaries could easily cost thousands of taels.

For the wealthier families, just one or two doses of such herbs could be the equivalent of decades of income for ordinary families.

"Twenty taels of silver..."

Yun Che took a deep breath, pocketing the twenty taels and leaving the family grounds to head towards the market in Yu Yang City.

Had it been in the past, he would have handed over the money to his parents to cover household expenses.

But this time, he kept the silver for himself and left alone.

Not long after, Yun Che entered the largest trading market in Yu Yang City.

At a weapons shop within the city,

"Shopkeeper, how much for this 'Heavy Iron Bow'?"

Yun Che had spent quite some time selecting, finally settling on this particular bow.

"The Heavy Iron Bow has strong penetrative power, with an effective kill range of 150 meters. The price is a flat twenty taels of silver."

The shopkeeper replied politely with a smile.

He had noticed the "Yun family" insignia on Yun Che's attire.

In Yu Yang City, the Yun family, along with the Xin and Qiu families, were known as the three great families, whose influence stretched over a thousand miles, dominating almost everything.

"Twenty taels of silver?"

Yun Che frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Can it be a bit cheaper?"

The shopkeeper smiled faintly, "Alright, I'll give you the lowest price—eighteen taels of silver."

"Fifteen taels! I'm running tight on funds. I'll pay you back with double the amount when I have it."

Yun Che replied decisively, his eyes sincere.

"Fifteen taels? That's quite low, there's hardly any room for profit..."

The shopkeeper hesitated, but perhaps sensing Yun Che's sincerity, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. This shop is also a Yun family asset, so I'll accept it. I hope you'll keep your word."

"Thank you."

Yun Che flashed a grateful smile.

He hadn't expected this store to be one of the Yun family's assets.

Soon, Yun Che bought the Heavy Iron Bow for fifteen taels of silver.

Then, with the remaining five taels, he purchased several dozen arrows, a vial of poison, and some dry rations.

At this point, Yun Che had no more silver left.

"I shouldn't fail..."

Yun Che muttered to himself, then quickly ran off, leaving Yu Yang City.

Leap!

The moment he left the city, Yun Che used the "Floating Ledge" light body technique to speed up, moving faster than an ordinary wild horse.

Taking advantage of the journey, he further pondered and refined his understanding of "Floating Ledge".

Two hours later, Yun Che finally arrived at his planned destination—Heavenly Cloud Forest.

"Heavenly Cloud Forest" was the largest primeval wilderness in the Xiangyun Kingdom, its expanse stretching across several neighboring nations.

As the largest forest in the surrounding area, the Heavenly Cloud Forest was home to many dangerous wild beasts, with higher-level "ferocious beasts" often appearing deeper inside.

Ferocious beasts were no ordinary creatures; they were tainted by the energy of heaven and earth, gradually transforming into monstrous beings with terrifying power.

Some of the stronger ferocious beasts had the ability to destroy entire villages, and only true martial artists could challenge them.

Yun Che was not here to hunt ferocious beasts, however. He was far from the point of seeking death.

His goal was simple: hunting to earn money!

In the vast expanse of the Hengyun Sky Forest, some of the powerful wild beasts had fur, parts, and other materials that were incredibly valuable.

For instance, hunting a full-grown brown bear could bring in two to three hundred taels of silver.

However, the combat prowess of an adult brown bear far surpassed that of an average martial artist at the second level of cultivation. Only those at the third level had a chance of overcoming it.

Of course, Yun Che's target was not the large beasts like brown bears.

"Though large wild beasts are valuable, their size and weight make them difficult to carry in large quantities."

Yun Che had already formulated his plan and swiftly entered the Hengyun Sky Forest.

In a flash, his figure leapt like a light swallow, landing on a tree branch, then using the momentum to soar further.

Moments later, he had leapt atop an ancient tree towering over one hundred meters high.

This ancient tree loomed far above the surrounding forest, offering a commanding view, as if standing at the peak of a mountain, surveying all beneath.

Had he not cultivated the "Flying Cloud Path," Yun Che would have likely felt dizzy and fearful in such a high position.

Standing on the hundred-meter-high tree, Yun Che's left eye began scanning the surrounding wilderness.

Swish!

In the next instant, his left eye was bathed in an extraordinary, superhuman vision, capable of seeing within a radius of five to six miles. Even the smallest ants on a tree could be clearly distinguished.

Yun Che first sought to identify any dangerous wild beasts in the vicinity, or even any ferocious beasts.

Before long, he had mapped the situation within a five to six-mile radius.

There were more than twenty wild beasts in the vicinity that could pose a threat, one of which was nearby, though there were no ferocious beasts present.

"It begins," Yun Che murmured, taking a deep breath and slowly drawing his heavy iron bow.

Twang—

The bowstring vibrated, and a sharp arrow tore through the air, crossing over a hundred meters and striking with perfect precision into a five-meter-long golden-spotted venomous snake.

Hiss!

The golden-spotted snake leapt in the air, its tongue flicking menacingly, exuding a horrific and bloodthirsty aura.

Yet, Yun Che's arrow was incredibly accurate, piercing the vital spot.

The golden-spotted snake struggled briefly before perishing.

"The Golden-Spotted Snake, with venom potent enough to threaten even a martial artist at the third level of cultivation," Yun Che thought, letting out a sigh of relief as sweat began to form in his palm.

In direct combat, the speed of the Golden-Spotted Snake and the lethality of its venom could have easily taken his life.

However, this bounty was substantial.

The skin, fangs, venom sacs, and gall bladder of the Golden-Spotted Snake were all highly valuable.

Simply hunting this one snake could bring Yun Che three to four hundred taels of silver, making it more lucrative than most other wild beasts.

After slaying the "Golden-Spotted Snake," Yun Che continued to use his left eye to observe, searching for new targets.

Screech—

At one moment, Yun Che heard a sharp, shrill cry from the sky.

A male iron-beaked eagle, with wings spanning nearly a meter, glided gracefully through the air, its silver feathers gleaming. It swooped down and easily struck a vicious wolf, comparable to a martial artist at the second level of cultivation.

Yun Che's expression grew grave. The iron-beaked eagle, known as the "Iron Beak Eagle," was notorious within the Hengyun Sky Forest. Its combat strength exceeded that of an average martial artist at the second level of cultivation, and in the skies, it had almost no natural enemies.

"The Iron Beak Eagle has incredible speed and iron-like feathers for defense, nearly reaching the level of a ferocious beast. Slaying one would easily bring in seven to eight hundred taels of silver."

Yun Che thought to himself, his left eye pushing to its maximum capacity as he locked onto the Iron Beak Eagle.

This time, he drew an arrow coated with poison.

Screech...

The heavy iron bow was pulled to its limit...