Xu Yi realized something was amiss only when she encountered the fifth tribal youth showcasing his muscular physique to her.
The tribespeople living on the Beast King Continent were different from the reserved and introspective people of the Jiuzhou Continent; they were passionate, unrestrained, direct, and pure.
Initially, Xu Yi believed these young tribespeople were undergoing some sort of special training. Only after similar incidents occurred repeatedly did she belatedly realize that these youths were expressing their affection towards her.
Xu Yi found herself between laughter and tears.
Firstly, her aesthetic sensibilities and those of the tribespeople were poles apart.
The tribespeople revered bravery, and warriors with immense strength were the most sought-after by the tribe and its women.
To demonstrate their valor, the tribal youths typically bared their muscles, showcasing their sturdy and powerful bodies from every angle.
Xu Yi could confidently say that she had seen more arms in this period than she had in centuries of cultivation.
Xu Yi also admired strength, but her pursuit was spiritual power capable of moving mountains and filling seas, and slaying demons with a sword, not the most primal of physical strength.
She was a cultivator, and she should not have had any dealings with these tribespeople. She would eventually leave this place and return to the Jiuzhou Continent.
Furthermore, she had no desire to leave behind any scandalous legends about herself here.
Therefore, when she encountered the sixth youth who blocked her path to express his affection, Xu Yi adopted the simplest and most brutal rejection method of the tribespeople.
Fighting.
No, it should be called a one-sided beating.
Of course, Xu Yi did not intend to kill him. She simply acted when her rejection was ignored.
Tribespeople, unlike mortals from the Jiuzhou Continent, not only possessed stronger physiques but also had faster healing abilities.
Even though the youth limped away, he would be a vigorous and lively man again in a few days.
Xu Yi thought that with this precedent, the tribespeople would abandon this idea that made her laugh and cry.
However, she was wrong. Every day thereafter, she encountered a youth with an expression of willing sacrifice.
Their faces showed no fear; instead, they were filled with ambition and a challenge.
After a few days, Xu Yi realized that she and Ji Buwang should leave.
If they stayed, the Black Tiger Tribe would never give up on keeping her.
And sooner or later, the conflict between the two sides would intensify.
As the first tribe Xu Yi encountered upon arriving on the Beast King Continent, Xu Yi held a favorable impression of the Black Tiger Tribe and did not wish for a day of bloodshed.
"We should leave."
Upon seeing Ji Buwang, Xu Yi's first words were her decision to depart.
Ji Buwang did not inquire about the reason, merely uttering a simple "Alright."
The medicine from the Black Tiger Tribe had been effective, and Ji Buwang could already walk around on his own these past few days.
Xu Yi set their departure for the night of the full moon. With time to spare, she ventured alone into the forest and eliminated the three large beasts that posed a threat to the Black Tiger Tribe's surroundings.
Afterward, she hunted more than a dozen beasts with tender meat, piled them all at the usual hunting path of the Black Tiger Tribe, and then silently returned to the tribe.
As night fell.
Except for the Black Tiger Tribe's patrol personnel, the rest of the tribe had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang's departure went unnoticed by anyone.
Their figures were like phantoms that only appeared in the night, elusive and unpredictable.
Some tribespeople with keen senses detected something unusual, but upon inspecting the area, they found nothing and were even mocked by their companions for being overly suspicious.
This was Ji Buwang's first time in the forests of the Beast King Continent. He rapidly compared the differences between the two continents in his mind.
The Beast King Continent lacked spiritual energy, and its vegetation was not as towering as that of the Jiuzhou Continent.
However, it also harbored many plants he had never seen before, making it impossible for him to discern their properties.
But through his acute sense of smell, he detected several familiar scents – the herbs Xu Yi had used to bandage him previously.
The heightened senses of the tribespeople allowed them to survive quickly on this continent.
Ji Buwang eventually concluded that the place posed little threat to them; the difficulty lay in how they could leave.
Xu Yi was contemplating the same question at this moment.
Cultivators without spiritual energy were like beasts with their fangs and claws removed – their combat power was reduced by more than ninety percent.
If they couldn't find a way to restore their spiritual energy, how could they leave this place?
Xu Yi moved swiftly through the forest. The cold wind, carrying the scent of earth, brushed against her face. The chirping of insects, the calls of birds, and the roars of beasts were so clear at this moment.
"There is no spiritual energy, but another power exists here. Perhaps it will be our opportunity to return to the Jiuzhou Continent."
In a flash of insight, a thought crossed Xu Yi's mind.
Xu Yi grasped it and was exhilarated.
"You mean... shamanic power?"
Ji Buwang had learned enough information from Xu Yi during this time and immediately recalled what other power Xu Yi had mentioned.
"That's right, shamanic power."
According to the tribespeople's accounts, shamanic power granted shamans mystical abilities, such as summoning wind and rain, or praying for blessings and warding off evil.
This sounded quite similar to their spiritual energy.
Perhaps they could find their spiritual energy through shamanic power.
"It's worth a try."
The method Xu Yi proposed was undoubtedly the best they could think of at the moment.
Their immediate priority now became finding a new tribe, locating the tribe's shaman, and then attempting to master shamanic power.
The two figures quickly disappeared into the dark forest.
The next day.
The Black Tiger Tribe people continued to maintain their daily routine of rising with the sun and resting with the moon.
As the first rays of light pierced through the sea of clouds and cascaded upon the land, the Black Tiger Tribe gradually began to stir.
The first to notice something was wrong was the woman who often brought food to Xu Yi. Normally, as soon as she reached the wooden house, Xu Yi would come out to take the food from her.
However, this time, she stood at the door for a considerable while, but there was no movement from inside the wooden house.
Mustering her courage, she called out "Elder" a couple of times, but there was still no response.
She immediately realized something was amiss and stepped forward to open the wooden door.
Indeed, the Elder and the man were nowhere to be found inside.
The Elder had left!
This piece of bad news spread through the tribe like a whirlwind.
The youths of the Black Tiger Tribe hung their heads in dejection, feeling even more disheartened than when they were defeated by Xu Yi.
The shaman and the chief of the Black Tiger Tribe found it even harder to accept. The shaman, in particular, had already planned to pass on his position to the Elder's child, never expecting the Elder to abandon them like this.
Thinking of the herbs he had offered back then, the white-bearded shaman felt even more heartache.
This heartache persisted even on the second day when the tribe's young and strong men went out hunting.
"Shaman! Shaman! Come out and see quickly!"
The shaman, still sulking in the wooden house, was annoyed by the clamor from outside.
However, when he saw the mountain of beast carcasses at the foot of the mountain, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"This, this is..."
"We just went out not long ago and discovered these beast carcasses in the forest."
It was the Elder!
The shaman sobered up, realizing who had killed these beasts, and therefore felt even more regret.
So close, so very close to being able to keep the person.