Chapter 1: The Mysterious Cave

Linshan Village was just a small hamlet, home to about five hundred households. The villagers were tough-minded; aside from farming, they made a living by hunting beasts. As such, every household had at least one hunter, and most families hunted together as a unit.

A clear river flowed through Linshan Village all year round, and along its banks stood the houses of the villagers. There was one family surnamed Qu in the village whose story was rather tragic. The couple was killed by wild beasts in the mountains, leaving behind a five-year-old child named Qu Yi.

Since losing his parents, Qu Yi never enjoyed a happy childhood again. From a young age, he helped the villagers with farming, and spent most of his time assisting them in dealing with the beasts they hunted, thereby earning some relief from the villagers and barely making ends meet.

The hardships he faced from a young age made Qu Yi mature early. Besides household chores, he diligently learned from the village’s hunting team. Whenever he heard that the hunters had returned, he would immediately go to them and, taking advantage of their good mood, ask them questions about hunting skills.

Of course, to become a competent hunter, physical strength was of utmost importance. After finishing his daily tasks, Qu Yi spent his free time in his simple home, constantly training himself—improving his endurance, strength, attack techniques, and agility.

He adhered to the training methods taught by the hunting team, gradually becoming stronger than his peers. Starting at the age of ten, he joined the village’s hunting team, progressing rapidly from a mere follower to a frontline hunter. By now, at fifteen, five years of hard work had made him an independent hunter.

An independent hunter meant he could venture into the deep forests alone to hunt beasts.

At the northernmost part of Linshan Village stood a single-room house built entirely of wood. It looked quite nice from the outside, but inside it was simple—just a wooden bed and a wooden table. This was Qu Yi’s home.

“A new day—goal: Beast Mountain!” A loud voice came from inside the room.

A moment later, the door creaked open, and a handsome boy stepped out. His face still retained a youthful appearance, but his stature was tall and straight. Even a plain robe couldn’t hide his strong physique, especially those cold, calm eyes that exuded composure and serenity.

This boy was Qu Yi.

Qu Yi wore shoes made of black wolf skin, a heavy iron sword hung at his waist, and he strode swiftly southward, aiming to cross the village and head to the distant Beast Mountain to the south.
“Who’s the most handsome in Linshan Village? Without a doubt, it’s me, Qu Yi. Who has the greatest strength in Linshan Village? Of course, it’s still me, Qu Yi. Who are the beasts in the mountains most afraid of? Qian Shan Wan Huo would answer—Qu Yi…”
The song he had composed himself echoed in his mouth once again. Every time he went hunting in the deep mountains, he would hum this song to affirm himself, encourage himself, and regulate himself, helping his body and mind reach their best state.
“Qu Yi, where are you going hunting this time?” Just as Qu Yi was in high spirits, a tall and strong boy blocked his path.
This boy was named Qu Meng, the son of the village chief. As a child, he often bullied the lonely Qu Yi. After being taught a few lessons by Qu Yi, he never dared to antagonize him again.
“What’s up, Qu Meng? Do you want to go hunting in the mountains with me? If you really want to, that’s fine. I’m heading to Beast Mountain today,” Qu Yi said with a smile.
Although Qu Yi had had some conflicts with Qu Meng in his childhood, he knew well that he was alone and couldn’t afford to make enemies among the villagers, as that would lead to complete exclusion. So after beating Qu Meng a few times, he would personally go to the village chief’s house to apologize. He also often helped the villagers, and over time, he became quite friendly and had good relations with them.
“Beast Mountain!” Qu Meng exclaimed in surprise, then narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Okay, Qu Yi. I’ll go with you. I heard from the villagers that Beast Mountain is very dangerous, but it’s definitely an exciting place. I really want to try it out too.”
Without waiting for Qu Yi’s reply, Qu Meng ran off back to his house.
A short while later, he returned, carrying a three-foot-long heavy sword, and looked at Qu Yi with a grin.
“Well, Qu Yi, doesn’t my iron sword look great?” Qu Meng asked proudly.
Qu Yi nodded, but didn’t think much of it. While weapons were important for hunting, one also needed to understand combat skills, beast habits, terrain, and more—only then could one quickly and efficiently deal with the beasts.
The two set off together for Beast Mountain.
In the evening, Qu Yi and Qu Meng finally reached the edge of Beast Mountain. Under the bright night light, they stayed in the wooden houses built by the village’s hunting team in the forest.
Normally, when the hunting team went on expeditions, they stayed for several days, so they built many temporary shelters along the way. This way, once they arrived at a hunting site, they could rest right there.

Qu Yi finished eating the rations he carried with him and didn’t go to talk to Qu Meng. In his wooden house, he sat cross-legged on a plank, calm and focused, and began to practice.
This world was rich in spiritual energy, and most people could sense its refreshing presence, which is why many practiced martial arts.
Qu Yi was practicing a technique called “Great Strength,” which not only helped cultivate internal energy but also strengthened the body’s tendons, bones, and skin—perfect for the demands of a lone hunter.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Three rapid knocks came from outside the house as Qu Meng was pounding on it.
Hearing the noise, Qu Yi immediately woke up, grabbed his iron knife, and rushed out of the house. He stared at Qu Meng and asked, “Qu Meng, what’s so urgent?”
“Qu Yi, look up at the sky. There’s a huge eagle there. I’ve never heard of an eagle this big,” Qu Meng said nervously, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Qu Yi quickly looked up and indeed saw an eagle in the sky—a black shadow nearly a meter in size. If it landed on the ground, it would be over ten meters long. It was truly terrifying.
Qu Yi had never even heard of an eagle that long!
He realized something was unusual about this Beast Mountain—there was something strange about it.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before Qu Yi could calmly analyze the situation, trees began to fall one after another beside the house, as if a giant snake was pushing them aside as it moved.
Qu Yi grew uneasy too. Such a terrifying presence was beyond his strength to counter. Yet, years of hunting experience kept him calm. He signaled Qu Meng to be quiet, hold his breath, and avoid making any noise that might attract the “giant snake.”
Soon, the noises caused by the “giant snake” faded away, and Qu Yi and Qu Meng were finally relieved, taking deep breaths.
“Qu Meng, stay here. I’m going to track that giant snake,” Qu Yi said suddenly after taking a few deep breaths.
“I… damn!” Qu Meng was shocked. He never expected Qu Yi to make such a decision.
The giant snake was just passing by, yet its terrifying power and aura already gave people a sense of death. If it were right in front of them, people would probably not even have the strength to stand. How could Qu Yi dare to chase after it?
“Wealth and fortune come from taking risks. There’s something wrong with this Beast Mountain. I want to find out what it is,” Qu Yi said calmly.
Qu Meng studied Qu Yi for a while. Seeing that he was determined to track the giant snake that had just passed, he made up his mind as well.

“Alright, Qu Yi. Since you’re going, I’ll accompany you. The men of Linshan Village—who are we afraid of?” Qu Meng said fiercely.
So, the two immediately grabbed their backpacks, one carrying a knife and the other a sword, and ran back to look for the tracks left by the ‘giant snake,’ then followed them.
One meter wide—truly one meter wide—the traces left by the ‘giant snake’ showed its enormous size, while the sunken pits in the ground indicated its weight, and the trees uprooted on both sides demonstrated its strength.
Powerful! Terrifying!
Qu Yi calmed himself down and quickly followed the tracks left by the ‘giant snake.’
Qu Meng gritted his teeth and followed as well.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting bright light. The two ran fast along the tracks, covering ten miles before sensing the presence of the ‘giant snake’ again, at which point they stopped.
In the center of Mengshan Mountain, there was a canyon, with flat areas on top of the mountains on each side—these were the Viewing Cliffs, meant for overlooking the opposite cliffs.
At that moment, on each Viewing Cliff, there was a giant snake, each thirty meters long and one meter wide. The snake on the right was entirely red, with a square head and a conical horn, while the snake on the left was pitch green, with a square head and a spiral horn.
These two snakes, like natural enemies, coiled on the Viewing Cliffs, roaring incessantly, causing echoes to reverberate through the canyon below.
After roaring for a while, they suddenly looked at each other tenderly, as if filled with deep affection and longing. They stared quietly for a while before coiling at the edge of the cliffs, as if ready to leap across the deep canyon to the other side.
The canyon was about fifty meters long. With the strength of these giant snakes, they could cross it with a single powerful leap.
Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the sky at lightning speed—it was a giant eagle circling above.
The eagle swooped down at the red snake on the right. Its ten-meter-long wings generated gusts of wind, and its extremely sharp claws aimed at the snake’s eyes.
The wind gusts were like hurricanes. The red snake curled up completely on the Viewing Cliff, motionless, its dark eyes coldly staring at the eagle as it tried to avoid its claws.
Seeing this, the snake on the left became panicked. It tightly coiled itself into a ball and then launched itself forward like an arrow, crossing the canyon to bite the eagle’s tail.
The red snake on the right also quickly turned its head away when the eagle attacked, then wrapped its long tail around the eagle’s neck.
The eagle, enraged, flapped its wings wildly, trying to break free.

At that moment, the giant snake on the left also happened to leap over the canyon, opening its mouth wide and fiercely biting the eagle’s tail. However, as the snake bit the eagle’s tail, most of its body fell below the cliff, and its massive weight caused it to plummet along with the eagle and the snake on the right toward the bottom of the canyon. Qu Yi and Qu Meng, who were on the top of the hill on the right, lay on the ground and witnessed the entire struggle between the eagle and the snake. Deeply shocked, they saw the three beasts falling at the same time and immediately rushed to the cliff edge. On the cliff, there were black feathers scattered everywhere, along with several bloodstains the size of a palm; the ground had been worn flat by the snakes. Qu Yi picked up a feather, sniffed the blood scent, lost in thought, then stepped to the edge of the cliff and looked down. At that moment, Qu Meng’s eyes gleamed coldly as he slowly walked behind Qu Yi, pretending to want to see what was below. Suddenly, Qu Meng pushed Qu Yi from behind. Hit by the force, Qu Yi was thrown upward and then fell toward the bottom of the canyon. “Qu Meng, I won’t let you get away with this!” Qu Yi’s angry voice echoed through the canyon. Standing on the cliff, Qu Meng laughed maniacally and shouted, “Qu Yi, an orphan like you dared to beat me several times in front of the whole village, making me unable to hold my head high. Now I’ve finally gotten my revenge.” It turned out that after being beaten by Qu Yi as a child, Qu Meng seemed fine on the surface but had been holding back. When he heard that Qu Yi was coming to the Mountain of Beasts, he saw his chance and followed him, finally striking now. As Qu Yi fell, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he finally understood Qu Meng’s malicious intentions. Filled with rage, it was already too late. “Am I really going to die like this?” With that last thought, Qu Yi lost consciousness, still falling toward the bottom of the canyon. After what seemed like a long time, a painful sensation flashed through his mind, and he woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw bright sunlight—daytime had arrived. Soon, he realized he was lying on the body of a red giant snake, the same one he had seen at night. Next to the red snake were the eagle and the dark green snake. “Haha, so I’m not dead!” Qu Yi exclaimed in joy. Before the echo faded, he noticed a strange cave and stared at it intently.

The cave is located on the cliff above the valley bottom. Perhaps when giant snakes and eagles fell, they shattered the boulder that sealed the cave, revealing the entire entrance. The entrance is entirely made of white jade, which emits colorful lights, as if there are some extraordinary treasures inside the cave.