With greater strength came greater confidence.
Before setting off, Zhou Ming even rallied his snake swarm.
The once-calm front section of Serpent Valley was thrown into chaos once again by Zhou Ming’s disturbance.
If not for the risk of triggering a full serpent tide, he might not have stopped at all.
With his strength now vastly improved, Zhou Ming’s focus—aside from nurturing the snake swarm and seeking rare medicinal herbs—was on finding stronger and higher-quality Ironthread Snakes.
According to his plan, unless he completely “digested” the resources gained this time, it would be impossible to venture into the wilderness again in the short term.
After all, the purpose of exploration was to obtain resources to strengthen oneself—he would never confuse means with ends.
“Winter is almost here?”
Standing atop a giant boulder at the mouth of Serpent Valley, Zhou Ming stretched out his hand to catch a snowflake, murmuring softly.
He knew it was time to return.
The harsh snow of winter would cause severe food shortages, driving the Ferocious Beasts and mutant animals of the wilderness into frenzy.
The danger level would increase drastically—it was time to leave.
In truth, Zhou Ming, who had a more introverted temperament, preferred to hide away in quiet solitude and enjoy the gradual process of strengthening himself.
But reality did not allow him that luxury.
Beyond environmental challenges, there were many other matters awaiting him—learning Beast Tamer knowledge, training his body through martial arts, improving his marksmanship, and acquiring knowledge for his future advancement.
Armed with a combat blade, a classic twenty-round pistol, a bulging backpack, and his loyal snake swarm, Zhou Ming began his journey back toward Qinshan Base—laden with harvest.
……
“Bang.”
A corpse, its eyes filled with confusion, fell into the grass—completely unaware of how it had died.
Far in the distance, a figure carrying a backpack larger than his own head approached—it was Zhou Ming, returning to Qinshan Base.
“Sigh, another one trying to take without earning.”
Though his tone carried a hint of pity, Zhou Ming’s hands were very honest as they began looting the spoils.
This was already the third time he had encountered hunters attempting to rob others along the way.
Fortunately, Zhou Ming had previously sent out his Ironthread Snake swarm to form a circular sensory field with a radius of one kilometer.
The limited range was due to his current Spiritual Power and the number of snakes under his command.
However, as Zhou Ming’s Spiritual Power and beast count continued to grow, so too would the scope of this sensing field.
He called this field the “Radar Sensory Domain,” for it was woven from Spiritual Threads, forming a detection net akin to a biological radar—capable of sensing creatures within its range and gauging their strength.
Such a simple yet practical ability—if made public—would surely draw the attention and invitations of countless powers.
In the wilderness, this ability was invaluable.