Snail quickly regained his composure and turned to a man standing in between the forest and the city, "Is he your pursuer? A measly mid-level Qi Flourishing buffoon?"

'Measly? I was only at the Body Tempering stage when he chased me.'

The difference in might between one stage and the next is like comparing Heaven and Earth. The weakest Qi Flourishing cultivator would often dominate the strongest Body Tempering cultivator. Even within the same realms, there is a sizable difference between fighting at the low-level or the mid-level of a stage. Right now, Kenja was at the lowest level of the Qi Flourishing stage facing someone who had probably been mid-level Qi Flourishing for several years.

Kenja could sense the buffoon's realm and could tell that there was indeed a difference between their cultivations.

"Perhaps mid-level Qi Flourishing is good enough of a handicap. Go over there and kill him now."

Kenja jolted his head to the right, "Kill him? Why must we kill him?"

"We? What we? Do I look like a bully? Of course, it will be you that kills him."

Kenja was no saint, and he had no reservation with causing injury in self-defense, but intentionally deciding to kill someone out of convenience was beyond him. He didn't even have the capability of challenging him, let alone killing him. A few martial arts techniques and a tempered physique cannot easily surpass years of experience and a stronger cultivation.

"You think you can get by him without killing him? His killing intent is clear to me, so you should see it as well. You've been gone a whole night, and he is still frothing. Go ahead and try to get past him."

Kenja was determined to shut the snail up. He didn't have time to head for the other entrances, and the hole in the gate here wasn't public knowledge, so the enemy would immediately realize something was wrong if he approached the gate normally. Kenja needed the man to leave of his own accord so that he could saunter through the opening uncontested. He confirmed his appearance still resembled a woman and walked out of the forest. The buffoon noticed Kenja exit the forest and slowly approached him. He stopped five meters away from him and clasped his hands.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. From where have you come?"

Kenja already thought of a cover story before marching out of the forest.

"I had been in the forest for several days. I had come for experiential learning and found myself lost in the forest." Kenja spoke with his modified voice. Snail seemed to be very adept at controlling when to modify the voice or not depending on the circumstances.

"I see. Did you find any good fortune?" the buffoon interrogated. He couldn't believe that someone came back from the 'forest of no return.' And the timing was too much of a coincidence. He noticed a few similarities between Kenja and the person standing in front of him, but Kenja was a man with cheap clothes. Moreover, Kenja had been in the Body Tempering stage. Achieving a breakthrough while simultaneously attaining such an amazing disguise and changing his voice in less than a day is the definition of performing impossible miracles.

"A bit." Kenja turned to show the sword in its scabbard. "It's a beautiful scabbard, but as you can see...," Kenja pulled the sword out a bit, "...the sword has rusted to an unimaginable degree." Kenja slid the sword back in which began vibrating slightly at the rude comment.

'I'll apologize to Kimura-san later.'

"I see. And I don't suppose you ran into a Body Tempering boy in there?"

"Why do you ask?" Kenja feigned surprise.

The buffoon paused for a moment while maintaining a calm demeanor and a fake smile.

"He was my subordinate and my responsibility. I came here to stop him from entering the forest but was too late. I only wish to report his fate to my superiors."

Kenja nodded understandingly. 'Subordinate my ass.'

"I see. Well, the boy was the one who found this weapon, but it was under a dreadfully powerful curse when he found it. The boy unknowingly picked it up and suffered a cruel death as a result. Using my teacher's talisman, I was able to dispel the curse from the weapon, but I was too late to save the boy. My condolences for your loss."

"I see," the buffoon put on a frown that was obviously fake.

Kenja was very proud of his lie. He had already begun formulating possible cover stories when he had decided to don the red robe. Of course, his current appearance caused him immense displeasure, but it certainly did have its advantages.

"Well, in that case, thank you for delivering the news, Fellow Daoist. I congratulate you on discovering good fortune. May good fortune continue to find its way unto you." He clasped his hands and bowed before walking away.

"And to you as well," Kenja replied back in his normal, masculine voice.

The buffoon froze and turned his head around reaching for the hilt of his weapon, "I'm sorry, I misheard you. What did you say?"

Kenja stared back innocently. 'This stupid snail wants to get me killed.'

Kenja had no clue what to do at this point. If he spoke, it was probable Snail would not modulate his voice and drive the final nail into the coffin. And if he didn't speak, this character would assault me out of suspicion. Kenja's heart rate started pumping more quickly, and his brain wracked itself for an idea.

'I got it!'

Kenja immediately held his neck with his right hand and dropped to his knees. He looked to the buffoon for help while he pretended to be silently choking.

'Could this be the sword's curse?' the buffon conjectured.

Continuing the act, Kenja hunched forward on his knees as if struggling to catch his breath. The pursuer cautiously approached him. Kenja's body was shaking as it tried to cope with the precarious situation he found himself in. As the buffoon got closer, Kenja sneaked his hand onto the hilt of his sword. He felt a burning sensation on his right ear and hand as he began drawing Qi in as quietly as he could. The Qi circulated in his body rapidly as the enemy dropped down on his knee to check Kenja's vitals. As soon as his hand touched Kenja's shoulder, Kenja looked up at his face and drew his blade upwards diagonally across the enemy cultivator.

The slice was swift and clean, but the cultivator managed to back off in the nick of time. From the air, four fingers fell to the ground. The cultivator's left hand had been compromised. He winced in pain as he glared murderously at Kenja and pulled his blade out.

"I knew something was off about you. You, indeed, found great fortune. Congratulations on making it out of the forest alive. Unfortunately, you will die a few steps outside of it." The cultivator still couldn't believe the drastic changes Kenja had undergone, but he couldn't afford to distract himself with speculations at this time.

Kenja continued to draw Qi in as he adopted a battle stance. He wasn't very familiar with holding a sword, but Sakura seemed to guide him into the correct stance. His right ear and hands burned with every breath he inhaled.

The man charged at Kenja at an astonishing speed sweeping his blade clear across Kenja's neck. Kenja circulated Qi through his body and ducked by a hair's breadth. The man quickly angled his sword and held the hilt with two hands to stab down on Kenja. Kenja was slow to roll and incurred a gash alongside his left shoulder.

Blood dripped down slowly to his elbow and onto the white sand.

"Those robes go well with your blood. Here, let me help you let more out." The cultivator was surprised that Kenja hadn't already been killed by his first two attacks, but he hid it well.

"No need to be so upset. I'm sure if you had all ten of your fingers, that last plunge would have done the trick," retorted Kenja.

The man was furious. He let go of the sword, and it remained floating in the air. He used his right hand and reached into a pouch attached to his waist. He pulled out a handful of white pills and immediately swallowed them all. The blood dripping from his left hand subsequently stopped. The anguish on his face alleviated as well.

Kenja didn't mind giving his enemy a reprieve; he was completely entranced with drawing in and circulating Qi through his body. The burning on his face and hands intensified as he continued to feel power gushing through his body. His brain worked on overdrive as it felt like his body was gathering enough force to push past his limits. He looked at the man who suddenly motioned for two more swords to fly out of his bag.

'A bag of holding. That would be nice to have.' Kenja eyed the bag greedily.

Bags of holding were similar to storage rings, but they were a lot more common and much less expensive. Mortals couldn't use them, but it would make a nice replacement for Kenja since using his storage ring in public with such a low cultivation level would garner attention. People's greed could lead to unsavory situations. Just look at how Kenja eyed the man's ordinary bag of holding with avarice.

The man gripped his first sword and had the pair of floating swords circle around him. He dashed towards Kenja once more and slashed at him. Kenja was ready this time and parried the attack. The cultivator did not relent; he kept his attacks compact as the flying swords weaved in and out alternating between his attacks. Kenja's mind and body were moving incredibly fast as he reacted to the onslaught as efficiently as possible. For every two attacks he parried, one would slice his skin.

The sound of metal clashing and cloth tearing continued for a dozen breaths. Kenja looked like he was put through a blender with cuts strewn all over his body and his robe dyed a darker red than before. He inhaled and exhaled quickly with a sinister smile plastered on his face that gave him a creepy aura. His enemy paused to catch his own breath as his face held a look of astonished anger.

'Why is he smiling like that after being cut to shreds???"

He would cough out blood if he knew the truth: Kenja had never felt so alive. With every cut he took, he could feel Qi bubbling up in his dantian trying to push against something. The worse the situation got, the hotter his face and hands burned, and the better he felt.

'Perhaps pain is the key to achieving Immortality,' Kenja laughed as he thought back to the Introduction to Cultivation lecture he misunderstood yesterday.

Tired of waiting for the man to resume his attacks, Kenja charged forward. The man hid his fear and surprise as he parried Kenja's attacks. Kenja's attack speed continued to escalate as the cultivator began using his floating swords to defend himself. All of a sudden, Kenja's power increased by a factor of two as he sliced the two floating swords into pieces and tossed his sword above the cultivator's head. The cultivator, shocked by the sudden increase in strength, paid close attention to the sword as he prepared to defend against it. The sword did not move, floating in the air, which caused him to turn his face back to Kenja. But before he could lay his eyes on Kenja, he saw a fist barreling towards his face.

Kenja had knelt down to the ground after throwing his sword as Qi had gushed out of him violently. He had focused all the remaining Qi into his legs and leapt forward. He circulated whatever Qi was left to his arm as his fist connected with the cultivator's face. Kenja could feel the man's nose breaking as his face collapsed inwards. The man was launched backwards a dozen meters and laid motionless on the ground.

Sakura fell into Kenja's hands, and he apologized to her before sliding her back into the scabbard. He could hear the pleasant humming she usually makes. Afterwards, he clenched his fists lightly as he tried jumping and dashing a bit.

"I'm stronger."

"Yes, you are. You broke through to the mid-level Qi Flourishing stage. Congratulations."

"But how?" Kenja was confused and for a good reason. Advancing through the Qi Flourishing stage should take years and years of cultivating and resources. Each stage within the realm would take an average of two to three years to clear; the fastest geniuses would take, at the minimum, a year without external support. But he went from low-level to mid-level in just four or five hours.

"I've already taught you the reason why. You had an adrenaline rush!"

Kenja widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Well, it wasn't just adrenaline. The frying pan and I can help you make up for some of your flaws, and the adrenaline can supplement our assistance. By yourself, you probably can't control one percent of your body's full capabilities. With us, you should be around five or ten percent, but if we tap into your body's potential during a life-or-death crisis, we might be able to boost your qi efficiency to twenty-five percent. Maybe fifty percent if you get really into it."

Although Snail spoke in such a happy and celebratory manner, Kenja's mood grew worse as he realized that with all that assistance and risking his life, he would still be worse-off than the average cultivator. "So, even with all that, I still cannot compete with others at the same level. Then, how did I beat him?"

"Are you stupid, disciple? Others under the same conditions cannot draw out more than 300% of their potential, but I already told you how amazing your constitutions are. Your 50% and their 300% cannot be evaluated on the same level. Besides, even if you were a little ant, I could help you squash these slightly bigger ants without batting an eyelash."

Sakura hummed aloud with annoyance.

"I didn't forget you. I intentionally chose not to mention you."

"Does that mean I can cultivate normally now?"

"If we could maintain these circumstances, theoretically, you could break through stages like drinking water as long as you had enough Qi to absorb. Still, you should take time in between to consolidate your realm. The journey to Immortality is a marathon, not a sprint."

Kenja seemed to understand. "But I don't need to use my adrenaline every time, do I?"

Snail had a conflicted look on his face. "Normally, you wouldn't, but you're such a special case, I am not sure we have alternatives. We can raise your cultivation normally if we have enough support, but your bottlenecks are incredibly irritating to pass through. How do you think normal people who only had one of your constitutions advanced their cultivation? Half the time, they had to endure experiential learning or mortal combat to seek enlightenment and encourage a breakthrough. You're much, much worse off than them."

Kenja gulped when he heard this.

"Yes, you must have realized it by now. Although your cultivation may be swift, I fear that the only reliable way for you to advance is to constantly court death."

Kenja slumped onto the ground feeling a heavy weight being placed on his shoulders.

"Is that why you made me fight him?"

Snail nodded his head, "One reason, yes. But more importantly, I can't let anyone know that a person walked out of the forest alive." Snail turned to face the collapsed cultivator lying unconscious a distance away. Kenja looked in the same direction and saw the unconscious man disintegrate into dust. His clothes weren't exempt either. The only thing left behind was the bag of holding Kenja desired.

Snail turned back to him. "I left the bag of holding for you. Hold still, so I can clean you up."

He hadn't finished speaking before the robe started mending itself, and the blood and cuts disappeared, returning the robe back to its original shade of red and Kenja back to his unblemished form. Snail jumped back onto Kenja's right ear lobe and spoke with authority.

"Now, let's go find some more death to court!"

Kenja just shook his head as he finally began to understand how to deal with Snail's mannerisms.