220: Decision Moment

Time passed bit by bit.

Another three days went by.

With a Yao Beast emitting a dying whimper, the battle once again concluded.

“Hoo!”

The fatty let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

His strength had improved once more; he was just a step away from being able to Breakthrough to the Major Completion of Houtian Realm.

As for Liu Linsheng, his situation was similar.

Situ Ye, on the other hand, had made no progress.

This caused Shen Xi to frown, as he vaguely sensed the root of Situ Ye’s problem.

State of mind!

For a Martial Artist to Cultivate into a strong individual, talent alone is far from enough.

Talent is like a ticket; those with poor talent are like long-distance buses, while those with high talent are like high-speed trains—the speed is completely different.

And the state of mind is like the fuel for these vehicles; the stronger the state of mind, the better the quality of the fuel, and naturally, the greater the power.

The two are interdependent; neither can exist without the other.

Situ Ye’s talent was naturally not an issue; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stepped into the Late Acquired Realm in his early twenties.

However, his state of mind had developed a problem.

Situ Ye was too eager for quick success, which led to him being unable to experience the various profound mysteries of the Cultivation process the more anxious he became, making his Foundation unstable.

Coupled with seeing his other companions continuously Breakthrough while he remained stagnant, Situ Ye’s state of mind became increasingly anxious, ultimately causing him to halt his progress.

And the problem with his state of mind was very likely related to Situ Ye’s past experiences.

This was something Shen Xi could not interfere with.

“It seems I’ll have to privately ask Situ Ye what exactly is going on, otherwise his path of martial arts might very well end here,” Shen Xi murmured to himself.

No matter what, Situ Ye called him Master with every other word, so he had to take responsibility and help him out.

On the other side, the fatty had already recovered after the battle.

“Xi Zi, the Yao Beasts’ defenses have become increasingly tight these past few days, making it harder for us to strike, and the strength of the Yao Beasts we face has also grown,” Brother Shen said.

Hearing this, Shen Xi nodded: “After all, we’ve been hunting Yao Beasts for six or seven days. Yao Beasts aren’t fools; they naturally take precautions, and strengthening their vigilance is perfectly normal.”

“However, this is also a good thing. The greater the difficulty, the better the tempering effect. In just a few days, you and Liu Linsheng are on the verge of another Breakthrough.”

A sharp sword is forged through tempering.

The group now was like an unsharpened sword, needing a whetstone to make them razor-sharp.

These Yao Beasts were the best whetstones.

In just a few days, Liu Yiyi, Ye Zirou, and Chen Fang were also just a step away from the Initial Stage of Innate Realm, which shows how astonishing the effect of this tempering was.

“But we are also facing more and more dangers. Yesterday, we were almost engulfed by a Beast Tide,” Liu Linsheng said with lingering fear.

Just thinking about yesterday’s encounter made him feel a chill down his spine.

This was the most perilous situation they had encountered since entering the Seal.

These Yao Beasts, after suffering losses for many days, had dug a huge pit for them.

A trap laid by tens of thousands of Yao Beasts, with nearly a hundred Innate Yao Beasts guarding it. If it weren’t for Shen Xi’s keen senses, which detected the ambush in advance, combined with the Po Xu Beast’s hide, they would have already perished in the Beast Tide.

Of course, Liu Yiyi’s forbidden weapon was not used casually. This was everyone’s last resort for survival; unless they were truly at their wits’ end, they would not easily resort to this method.

“If we continue, the risks will be unimaginable. At the same time, risk and Opportunity coexist, and the benefits we can reap will also be beyond imagination,” Chen Fang said with a serious expression.

Now, the group had reached a moment of decision.

To continue, or to end?

If they continued, the Yao Beasts might have more traps waiting for them.

Furthermore, based on what they had learned during this time, they knew that the Innate-level Yao Beasts they were currently encountering were merely small leaders; the true Demon Beast Leaders had not yet appeared and were observing from the shadows.

Once they made a move, the situation would become even more perilous.

But if they ended it, no one was willing to give up.

Firstly, it was naturally because of the Wind Chasing Swordplay, which was Chu He’s Opportunity. Everyone was reluctant to give it up just like that.

Secondly, this was also an excellent Opportunity to enhance their combat power. Aside from here, the chances of encountering so many terrifying Yao Beasts and so many life-or-death battles again were almost negligible.

Everyone subconsciously looked at Shen Xi.

At such important decision-making moments, they would all seek Shen Xi’s opinion.

Unbeknownst to them, Shen Xi’s position in everyone’s hearts was growing heavier.

“Actually, there’s no need to consider so much,” Shen Xi finally spoke.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt confused.

“Brother Shen, what does that mean?”

“This is a critical moment concerning life and death. Isn’t it better to think more?”

“Exactly! We are now walking on a tightrope; a slight mistake could lead to complete failure. If we are not cautious, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Even though everyone trusted Shen Xi implicitly, at this moment, they still found it somewhat incomprehensible.

Of course, they knew that since Shen Xi said this, he must have his reasons, so they waited for Shen Xi’s explanation.

“The reason is very simple: the Demon Beast Leaders haven’t appeared because they are wary.”

“They don’t know our trump cards and are afraid that we have something that threatens their lives, so they send their subordinates to constantly probe and deplete our trump cards.”

“Because of this, in the short term, we don’t need to worry about the Demon Beast Leaders attacking us.”

“Secondly, have you forgotten something?”

Hearing Shen Xi’s answer, everyone nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder the Demon Beast Leaders knew of their existence but never showed their faces.

Originally, everyone thought the Demon Beast Leaders were arrogant, believing their subordinates could deal with the group, which was why they hadn't appeared.

Now it seemed that the Demon Beast Leaders weren’t unwilling to show themselves, but rather wary that they had weapons that could threaten their lives, which was why they hadn’t appeared and were only observing from the shadows.

This also put everyone at ease considerably. If the Demon Beast Leaders didn’t make a move, then as long as they were careful and cautious, there shouldn't be any problems.

Although the Yao Beasts were becoming more cautious and had even set traps for them, as long as they paid attention, there would likely be no issues.

Thinking of this, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It had to be said that Shen Xi was more thorough in his considerations, getting straight to the essence of the problem.