Exposed?

*Ping*

[User defeated an Ice profound beast]

[User received 150 exp points!]

After defeating a few beasts along the way Yang Ding and Su Yang reached what seemed like a stone cave. Its walls were made of a kind of bluish stone that didn't seem to merge with the surroundings. It was distinctive and was easily visible in the otherwise monotonous woods. Vines covered the entrance as some of them seeped to the sides.

"Here it is. He lives here."

Yang Ding raised his brows.

'What kind of weirdo lives here?'

Yang Ding shrugged.

He walked ahead while being extremely cautious. One always needs to be on his guard when exploring a new place lest one wants to die.

He lifted the vines as he walked inside.

The walls of the cave were damp to touch and it was quite narrow. Yang Ding had to duck to pass through it. Su Yang followed behind Yang Ding. Both of them could follow each other breath, in the tight space of the cave.

They crawled forward.

Little by little as they crept inside the cave grew larger and larger until they reached a point they no longer had to duck to move on. The whizzing of the bugs, the damp and moss-covered walls, the wet and muddy floor and the blue walls all seemed to complement each other.

"How far is it?" Yang Ding asked.

"We are almost there." Su Yang confirmed.

With Yang Ding coming here for the first time of course he would feel troubled and curious as to where this cave leads.

Even during his hunts, he had never come across such a cave even though it stands out so much in the forest. YAng Ding hadn't come to this part of the forest. Since the ice beasts are attracted to blood he just chose to hunt at one place of the forest anyway. Letting the ice bears find him, rather than he found them.

Yang Ding could see the end of the cave. Walking a bit closer he realized it wasn't the end, instead, the cave had connected itself to an even larger one which had the shape of a dome.

Both of them entered. What greeted them was the visage of a man.

He was sitting there closed eyes and crossed-legged on a tree stump as he cultivated. He looked young. But in this cultivation world appearances can be deceptive as one might use their cultivation and accumulated energy in their bodies to nourish their skin making them look far younger! This was especially popular among the ladies.

The man's beard was non-existent. He had thick eyebrows, small lips and pointy eyes. His hair was tied to a ponytail which flowed until his shoulders. He wore a white robe which was similar to Yang Ding but had larger sleeves.

While Yang Ding's clothes were close-fitting more suited to battles, his was loose with large extensions making them much more comfortable and was suited for cultivating.

Su Yang walked closed while Yang Ding scanned his face.

"I don't know him." Yang Ding claimed. From the man's posture and the aura he released, he seemed to be great at cultivation. But from all of Yang Ding's memories never had he ever found a man who looked like this in the Black Pearl Nation. Not amongst the renowned cultivators at least.

"Master, I am back!" Su Yang exclaimed.

The man opened his eyes. His eyelids moved in slow motion and they flicked open. In front of the man, Su Yang greeted his face. He smiled.

"Disciple greets master."

Su Yang cusped his hands as he greeted him. The man nodded.

"It looks like you have brought some friend with you."

"Yes."

Su Yang smiled. He was excited at least.

"This is Brother Ding Yang. He is a travelling doctor. Currently, he is staying in our Lightning Heaven Clan."

"Doctor?"

The man raised his brows. No matter how he sees Yang Ding he didn't seem like a doctor at all.

The man turned to Yang Ding. He scanned Yang Ding from the very top to the bottom as he closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes again.

"I have no idea what happened with you that let you to reduced to such a state, but if we are meeting here like this. Then it must have been fate."

Yang Ding was troubled by his weird actions. To him, it seemed that the man was closing his eyes and moving his head from up to down. He hadn't realized that the man was special and was scanning him. But what troubled him all the more was his words.

Reduced to such a state? Yes, indeed Yang Ding has been reduced to the Ice Profound Realm from the Ling Unification Realm, but was that what the man meant? Or was it just a fluke and a misunderstanding on his part?