On the edge of a forest of dead leaves, Qin Xin lay prone in a patch of grass, the dead leaves covering his body completely concealing him. He suppressed his breathing to a minimum, his aura completely suppressed, and he lay motionless on the ground like a rock, his eyes closed, sensing his surroundings through his spiritual sense.

Not far away, a giant brown bear, as tall as two people, was slowly running towards his direction.

This brown giant bear is a mature level three demonic beast, the Earth Demon Bear, with strength comparable to a human martial artist at the seventh level of the Awakening Realm.

"Bang!"

A fiery blade suddenly shot out from the bushes, and the Earth Demon Bear was completely unaware of the sudden attack.

Immediately, an orange fire blade exploded directly on the brown fur of the Earth Demon Bear. As the flames faded, the explosion cleaved open a gaping hole in the flesh, faintly emitting black smoke.

Before the Earth Demon Bear could roar in pain, a long, ancient staff about three zhang long suddenly stabbed into the Earth Demon Bear's wound, and a powerful surge of true energy immediately swept out.

The immense force spurred the Earth Demon Bear more than ten meters across the ground before it crashed into a tree trunk. Its four legs twitched for a moment before it finally gave way and collapsed in frustration.

With his feet firmly planted on the corpse of the Earth Demon Bear, Qin Xin breathed a long sigh of relief.

Two days had passed since they left Dading City. Danqing seemed to have disappeared without a trace because she went to refine the Soul-Nourishing Spirit Tree, and Qin Xin did not disturb her.

Without Danqing by his side, Qin Xin had to be even more careful than before, constantly dodging monsters and warriors clad in Ding Dynasty armor along the way.

As Qin Xin traveled towards the Great Xia Dynasty, he discovered many armored warriors along the way using his spiritual sense. These people were constantly searching for something. After capturing a lone warrior and interrogating him, Qin Xin learned that these people were all searching for his whereabouts.

He took out a small dagger from his waist and cut open the demon bear's head. Instantly, a small brownish-yellow crystal appeared in his eye.

"If you want to kill me, then be prepared to be killed instead!"

Qin Xin originally wanted to return to the Great Xia Dynasty as soon as possible, but now he was being hunted down, making his journey difficult. Since that was the case, he could only let those people know that he was not someone to be trifled with.

After taking out the beast crystal and putting it into his Qiankun bag, Qin Xin also completely devoured the soul of the Earth Demon Bear with the Spirit Devouring Stone. After identifying the direction, Qin Xin swiftly traversed the dense forest, his figure completely disappearing.

~~~~~~

Qin Xin stealthily moved through the dense forest. With his powerful spiritual sense at the early stage of the Spirit Realm, he could sense the surrounding situation very well. Just to be on the safe side, he still found some herbal juices to apply to his body to prevent his scent from being detected by some demonic beasts.

After traveling a distance, Qin Xin suddenly stopped. Through his spiritual sense, he could sense two figures exploring the area not far in front of him, and he could faintly hear human voices.

"How about we find a place to rest quietly for a while? There are too many monsters in this Dead Leaf Forest. I'm exhausted these past few days."

They slowly walked towards the direction where Qin Xin was hiding, and one of them said with a hint of complaint on his face.

Qin Xin extended his spiritual sense forward and realized that the two people in front of him were both wearing the armor of the Ding Dynasty warriors, and both had the Ding Dynasty's emblem on their chests.

"Silence! The eldest prince has given a death order, and young master Dinghao has even ordered that if Qin Xin is not killed, everyone will be punished by military law!" Hearing his companion's words, another soldier, though dissatisfied, could only continue searching.

"According to the informants from the Zhan clan, Qin Xin was only at the third level of the Awakening Realm. How could he have vanished into thin air as soon as he entered this withered leaf forest?"

"They must have hidden somewhere, or been eaten by a monster..."

The two soldiers spoke in unison.

"Hmph! If I catch him, I'll definitely break his legs!"

The soldier snorted, and just as he turned around, his comrade's chest was pierced by a long stick. Blood gushed from his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief, and then his body collapsed limply.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

Another warrior suddenly circulated his true energy, and the five true acupoints of light flowed rapidly. True energy shrouded his body, and a large sword exuding blood energy stood horizontally in front of his chest. His eyes were fixed on the boy in front of him who had plunged a long stick into his body. In his fear, he even stuttered a little when he spoke.

"Oh? Aren't you looking for me?" The boy looked up, revealing a handsome young face with a smile.

"You are... Qin Xin!"

With his pupils contracting, the soldier turned to flee after calling out the name.

His foot had barely taken a step when he stopped, staring blankly at the ancient staff at his chest, which radiated a golden light. Orange flames roared across the staff, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

Just as he fell, something in the warrior's hand seemed to shatter, and after a flash of blue light, it seemed to leave a mark on the spot.

"A communication talisman?"

Xiao Yan frowned slightly and kicked the soldier's corpse away.

He immediately slipped into a daze, using the medicinal liquid to mask the smell of blood on his body.

~~~~~~

About ten breaths later, dozens of warriors arrived, their eyes filled with anger as they looked at the two charred corpses on the ground.

After two figures arrived, dozens of soldiers knelt slightly on one knee.

"It seems he just died recently. Qin Xin probably didn't go far either. Immediately spread out from here and conduct a carpet search!" The armored man, with the demeanor of a general, shouted to the soldiers around him.

"Anyone who can bring Qin Xin's head will be rewarded with 100,000 gold coins and ten Five Elements Condensing True Pills!"

After the order was issued, some soldiers showed excitement on their faces. Even some mercenaries who were exploring the Dead Leaf Forest and some family members of the Ding Dynasty began to search for Qin Xin. Under the lure of huge profits, these people had completely lost their minds.

"Cousin Dinghao, has Qin Xin truly entered the Enlightenment Realm?"

Qin Kunpeng looked at the two dead warriors with surprise in his eyes. He did not expect that Qin Xin, who had died with his martial bones and martial spirit shattered and had only survived by a hair's breadth, could grow up so quickly.

"Yes, and Qin Xin is also the champion of the Ding Dynasty's Alchemy Competition."

Ding Hao naturally didn't expect Qin Xin to be able to snatch the championship from the eldest prince's hands, and as he spoke, his eyes revealed a hint of jealousy.

"I need to pass this message on to Young Master Haotian. If Qin Xin grows up..." Qin Kunpeng, though he hated Qin Xin, still had some rationality and said in a deep voice.

“There’s no need to inform Young Master Haotian for now. After you kill him, you can inform him and claim credit.” Ding Hao interrupted Qin Kunpeng.

After exchanging a glance, the two burst into laughter, their laughter echoing through the quiet forest, causing some startled monsters to roar in anger.