Arc 1: The System Of Unlimited Cunning
Chapter 13: Honing Skills, Timeline

The next morning, Jett arrived at the forest. He intended to hunt some beasts and gather herbs, whether for personal use or to sell. In any case, he aimed to accumulate herbs that would prove beneficial later. Jett entered the forest without any intention of using medicine on the beasts; he merely wanted to chance upon them, without attracting a large number.

In the first hour, he encountered only Qi realm beasts; he didn't bother with them. He came across more medicinal herbs, which he collected and stored in his ring. They were all low-level herbs, not as potent as the ones Shen Wei had provided him. However, herbs were herbs, and in case he decided to delve into alchemy in the future, he would require low-level ones for practice.

After a productive hour, he finally encountered a herb he desired to pick. Additionally, it was guarded by a Viper Snake at the Core Formation stage. According to the books he had perused over the past month during his leisure, it should be a <Thunder Mushroom>—a rare find. These mushrooms could only grow if a mushroom attained the status of a high-level spirit plant, around 1000 years old, and survived a lightning strike. While books suggested methods to manufacture them using arrays, naturally occurring <Thunder Mushrooms> possessed a more potent effect than their manufactured counterparts.

He could employ it in his techniques, such as <Lightning Temper Art>, which could see a drastic improvement if he managed to transform it into a pill. Alternatively, he could sell it at a high price when he required funds later on. However, he still needed to face this Core Formation Stage Viper Snake. Based on his assessment, it was at the 5th stage, whereas he was still in the 1st stage.

Jett contemplated, “What should I do? I should probably take it from behind, but can I dispatch it swiftly? I also need to be vigilant in avoiding its viper attacks, so I don't get poisoned.” Then he remembered picking up some low-level detoxing herbs that he could chew while in combat. Although they wouldn't be highly effective against a full head-on attack, if it was just a minor poison attack, Jett could emerge unscathed.

After determining his course of action, Jett sprang into motion. Swiftly maneuvering behind the snake, he aimed for its head with a sharp stab. Jett's fingers gripped the sword hilt tightly as it punctured through the scales. The viper snake shrieked and shook, dislodging Jett. In a rapid counterattack, it employed its tail as a whip, striking Jett and sending him flying back. Regaining his footing, Jett focused intently on the snake.

The snake swiftly closed the distance, advancing towards Jett. In response, Jett lunged forward, his blade cutting through the air with precise technique. It effortlessly sliced through the underside of the snake. Jett promptly shifted his position and thrust his blade into the snake's heart. Its body slumped to the ground.

Jett took quick, deep breaths after the fight. He cleaned his sword with a piece of cloth and then discarded the cloth. Not knowing if the snake's blood was poisonous, he didn't want his sword to be tainted by it. Nevertheless, he stowed the snake's body in his storage ring, as it could be used to create poison.

Jett then approached the <Thunder Mushroom>, picked it up, and placed it in his storage ring. He felt content for obtaining the herb and for the opportunity to further refine his skills against a formidable adversary. It was still midday, so he continued to roam.

After a few more hours, Jett didn't come across much else. He discovered some additional herbs that he could either utilize or sell, but nothing exceedingly rare. Moreover, he didn't encounter another Core Formation Stage beast. It was now about time for him to return, but he opted to search for one more hour before heading back, ensuring he wouldn't be out too late.

After walking for another ten minutes, Jett came across a blazing wagon. Upon closer inspection, he noted that even though the emblem was missing. Jett recognized it as the same wagon he had encountered when he first arrived in this world.

He exclaimed aloud, “Crap, this is when Yue Xu meets the fire princess and water princess.” As he uttered this, he surveyed the area and realized that no one was present. Still, he couldn't risk running into Yue Xu here. He swiftly employed his movement technique to its fullest and fled back to the village. Jett understood that he couldn't interfere with world history as it was narrated in its story.

As Jett fled, he spotted the assassins, but he didn't halt; he pressed on. Likewise, they paid him no heed, as he wasn't their intended target. When he returned to the village, Jett endeavored to calm himself as much as possible. Given that the speed clan wasn't part of the original story, he understood the importance of refraining from saying anything that might draw them into the situation.

Jett returned to the house and shared a meal with Jang-mi before retiring to his room. As he mulled over the timeline, he thought, “Soon, Yue Xu will join the sect where he'll encounter the water queen. Then, he'll return to the Fire Kingdom and exact revenge on the Fire Kingdom's king.” He began to calculate, “It should be approximately another 4 months until he returns to the Fire Kingdom for vengeance. That should afford me roughly 3 more months in this village.”

Jett sighed at this information. Three months wasn’t long at all. He might be able to reach the Golden Core Stage in that time, but that's about it. At least with the resources here, if he were in a sect with more powerful arrays, he could accomplish it in less than a month.

"I need to get stronger so I can accomplish my goals. At this pace, I might not be able to. I can't get too attached to the village," Jett thought. He lay down and fell asleep.

The next morning, he found Shen Wei at the house, wanting to ask Jett some questions.

"Did you go into the forest yesterday?" Shen Wei asked.

"That is correct," Jett replied, already realizing what this was about.

"Did you come across a wagon or any corpses, or did you fight against anyone?"

Jett quickly put on his poker face so he could lie. "Nope, I did fight a Core Formation Stage Viper Snake, but I didn't see anyone, and I didn't see a wagon." Then he asked, "Why, did something happen?"

"Yes, our scouting team found some corpses belonging to an assassin organization and a wagon that was burnt to almost nothing this morning."

"Will anything happen now? Will the village go into a lockdown or something?"

"We will go into lockdown for a while. We will send scouts out often to see if anything turns up. If nothing happens in the next 3 days, we will lift the lockdown."

Jett nodded and smiled. He didn’t plan to go into the forest for a while, as he wanted to train in the tower for a few days. Seeing that Jett didn't know anything, Shen Wei left to meet up with the elders and decide what would happen next.

"Jett didn't know anything, so what happened in the forest wasn’t him. How should we proceed?" Shen Wei asked when he arrived at the elder hall.

"I don’t think we need to worry about anything now. Since we already issued a lockdown, we just have to wait for the scouts to report. Also, since it was from that organization, the person who killed them probably won’t try to harm us in any way," Wu Tian said.

"Indeed, I think we should send out some elder scouts as well, just in case they do find an enemy that wants to fight. Since they were able to kill so many, they have to be relatively strong," Shen Wei said, nodding to some elders, who quickly disappeared.

"We should group up multiple elite members so that if we do have to fight, they can lead the retreat. Just in case something bad happens," Jong suggested.

"Okay, let's do that. Get Jett to be a leader of a group, even though he isn't an elite member, he is strong enough to be one. When I went to talk to him, he told me he killed a Core Formation Stage Viper Snake," Shen Wei replied. When they heard this, the others were astonished and praised Jett.

"Alright, I'll set it up," Jong replied.

"Okay, meeting dismissed. If there are any concerns, come to me," Shen Wei said, and then everyone left the elder hall.

Back at Jett's place, he was heading to the tower to train.

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