Across the entire clearing, countless transparent threads, nearly invisible to the naked eye, crisscrossed in a complex web like laser beams.

Zhang Deming looked at these threads, and a vine emerged from his hand.

Before he made a move, Zhang Deming paused. He reached out, plucked a few leaves from the trees, and tossed them toward the clearing.

At the same time, his body was shrouded in mist, and his entire aura quickly disappeared.

He hid behind a tree trunk. If not for his shimmering silhouette, it was as if he had vanished completely.

The leaves flew into the clearing, and after just a short distance, they were sliced into several pieces by the threads.

Propelled by Zhang Deming’s technique and a faint amount of Spiritual Power, the leaves continued to drift forward.

As they drifted on, the leaf fragments were sliced again and again, until they were more than ten tiny specks. Having completely lost their forward momentum, they disintegrated into dust and vanished into the air.

Zhang Deming watched all of this, his brow slightly furrowed. ’Is there poison, too? Looks like a spider-type Demon Beast.’

’This is troublesome!’

’Judging by the surroundings, this thing has clearly been guarding the Spirit-Storage Tree for quite some time.’

’In a situation like this, its power is secondary. The main concern is its Spiritual Wisdom.’

’The Spirit-Storage Tree’s effect on developing Wisdom is significant, especially for creatures like Demon Beasts that don’t start with high intelligence. The results can be remarkable.’

Zhang Deming waited for a moment, but there was no sign of movement. ’It seems my little test either didn’t attract its attention, or the beast isn’t here.’

Zhang Deming glanced at the massive hole at the base of the Spirit-Storage Tree, his gaze finally settling on the several ripe Spirit-Storage Fruits hanging from its branches.

The Demon Beast’s setup alone told him this creature wasn’t simple. Judging by the strength of its threads, it had to be a Demon Beast of at least the Tai Chi Stage. But to see so many treasures and leave without even trying? He wasn’t willing to do that.

So, after a moment of consideration, Zhang Deming decided to give it a try. If things went south, he would figure out another plan.

Zhang Deming quietly retreated a few hundred yards until he found a massive tree.

After checking his surroundings, Zhang Deming nodded in satisfaction. A vine the color of cyan jade emerged from the ground.

With a flip of his hand, Zhang Deming produced a Sword. Spiritual Power surged, and he slashed into the massive tree trunk before him.

He carefully carved a hollow in the tree. All around him, emerald Jade Vines began to extend rapidly.

The tips of the vines shimmered with a cold light.

Under Zhang Deming’s precise control, they began to move with incredible speed.

In a few moments, Zhang Deming had finished excavating the hollow. Since the trunk was so large, the space inside was quite roomy.

Once he had cleaned everything out, Zhang Deming slipped inside.

After crawling inside, Zhang Deming produced several low-grade Array Cards with a flip of his hand. Then, raising a hand, he activated the Spirit Nurturing Technique.

’Rune Technique: Spirit Nurturing Summoning Technique - Qu Qingxian!’

’Technique: Enhancement!’

A white ball of light appeared in Zhang Deming’s hand.

Zhang Deming tossed the white ball of light out of the hollow.

Outside the hollow, the ball of light slowly solidified, taking the form of another Zhang Deming.

The Tier Three Spirit Nurturing Summoning Technique, combined with a Tier Three Enhancement Skill, boosted the summoned Qu Qingxian—who was already at Tai Chi Peak and on the verge of a breakthrough—to an aura equivalent to the Half-Step Yin Yang stage.

In fact, his aura faintly suggested he had already taken that half-step.

Zhang Deming felt the powerful aura of the Mirror Image, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

With a mere thought, tiny vines wrapped around the piece of bark he had carefully removed and fitted it seamlessly back into place.

From behind the bark, tiny Jade Vines acted like thread, stitching it shut.

At a glance, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Then, from inside the hollow, Zhang Deming activated several more Array Cards.

He also pushed his Hidden Breath Skill to its absolute limit.

Assessing the results, Zhang Deming nodded in satisfaction.

He then closed the eyes of his Main Body. His consciousness shifted, and when Zhang Deming opened his eyes again, he was outside the hollow, in control of the Mirror Image Incarnation.

Zhang Deming glanced back at the hollow and nodded in satisfaction.

’If a person or Demon Beast still manages to find me after all this,’ he thought, ’then my luck is just plain rotten.’

’It’s not that I’m a coward,’ he mused. ’But for a Summoner, regardless of their specialization, ensuring one’s own safety before a fight is the most fundamental aspect of combat readiness.’

’If you lack the means to prepare, that’s one thing. But to have the opportunity and not take full advantage of it... well, that would make for an unqualified Summoner.’

Zhang Deming surveyed his surroundings. After confirming that nothing was out of place, a Spirit Wind surged at his feet, and he sped toward the Spirit-Storage Tree.

’Qu Qingxian is about to break through the Tai Chi stage and advance to Duality, yet his basic Agility Technique isn’t even at the Mastery level, just proficiently controlled.’

’Out of all his techniques, the only one that surpassed the Mastery level was his Water Dragon Technique from his Foundation Establishment days, and that was only because he had condensed its Rune Core. Not a single other technique was at the Mastery level.’

’This Qu Qingxian is a real slacker. Thumbs down,’ Zhang Deming thought to himself. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Of course, it was easy for him to talk. He seemed to think everyone could be like him, achieving Mastery right after reaching the Entry Level.

Struggling to even grasp the basics of a technique was the norm in the Hongmeng Cultivation Realm.

Thanks to the power of the Half-Step Yin Yang stage, Zhang Deming’s speed was immense.

In just a few leaps, he arrived at the spot from which he had run his earlier test.

’I was cautious before because I didn’t know what I was up against, and I was in my Main Body. Now, this is just a Mirror Image Incarnation, so why hold back? Time to just charge in.’

’Worst case, I’ll just count it as another probe.’

’Rune Technique: Water Dragon Technique!’

With a flicker of his thoughts, a serpentine, Hornless Chi Dragon about ten meters long slowly condensed into being beside Zhang Deming. The Chi Dragon coiled, its vacant eyes staring at the clearing ahead.

As a Mage specializing in shaping techniques, Qu Qingxian’s foundation was actually quite impressive.

After all, most Mages at the Tai Chi Stage who used Dragon Attribute Techniques—be it for shaping, Bloodline transformations, or Demon Summoning—were still stuck at the Dragon and Snake level.

A Chi Dragon, in essence, was a whole stage stronger than a Dragon and Snake. This meant that Qu Qingxian’s Lifebound Technique had actually already advanced to the stage of a Tier Three Technique.

Under Zhang Deming’s precise control, the Chi Dragon also emanated the aura of the Half-Step Yin Yang stage.

It spat Water Arrows toward the web of invisible threads that filled the clearing.

’Technique: Water Dragon Breath!’

A stream of water shot out from the Water Dragon’s mouth, like a giant Water Arrow, and charged directly into the clearing.

The torrent faltered for an instant as it hit the clearing, then split into several streams that continued forward.

The Water Dragon kept its mouth open, unfazed, and unleashed a relentless stream of Water Arrows.

Across the entire clearing, countless interconnected, transparent threads slowly revealed themselves under the onslaught of the water.

As the threads vibrated, the very space around them seemed to tremble.

As the torrent of water intensified, the threads began to snap in rapid succession.

Zhang Deming felt a flicker of joy at the sight. ’Good, just as I predicted. It’s a Tai Chi Stage Demon Beast. As long as it’s not some Duality-stage monster, I have a chance.’

As more threads snapped, the entire web across the clearing began to shake violently.