Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 655: Entering The Middle Ring

A few times, the ground rose sharply, forcing Han Yu to brace his weight behind the animal, pushing it forward as its hooves dug into the earth. By midday, he was breathing a bit heavier than normal.

"Qing Luan’s gift might not last long at this rate," he muttered while giving the horse a reassuring pat on its neck. The animal snorted in response.

He considered abandoning it. The Harrow Mountains were not friendly to mortals, even strong ones like this horse. But the thought of discarding her gift so casually did not sit well with him. She had given it with genuine gratitude. Leaving the horse behind would feel disrespectful.

"So be it," Han Yu decided. "We will walk together until it can no longer keep up."

Not long after, another pack of Frost Hill Wolves ambushed him from a ridge. Their growls carried on the wind before their bodies appeared, leaping between rocks.

Han Yu killed them quickly, barely needing to use more than a few casual strikes. The wolves fell, one after another, their bodies rolling down the slope. The horse panicked, but Han Yu calmed it again.

The rest of the first day in the Outer Ring passed uneventfully. He encountered only a few lone beasts and a distant group of travelers who gave him wary looks but did not approach. Night came again, and he rested lightly before moving on at dawn.

The second day was similar.

Han Yu’s senses remained alert while he traveled through winding trails, ravines, and narrow passages. The wind here carried a colder bite, but his spirit robe kept it at bay without draining his Qi.

He saw more traces of beast presence than of humans. Claw marks on rocks, scattered bones, and occasional tufts of fur left behind by fighting spirit beasts.

He climbed higher that day, following paths carved by years of travelers. The road was stable enough that he could ride most of the time, though he never let his guard down.

It was on the third day that everything changed.

Han Yu passed the last of the outer hills and truly entered the arms of the mountains.

The shift was instant.

The air felt colder, drier. The wind blew more fiercely and echoed strangely due to the criss crossing valleys. The trees were sparser, mostly tall coniferous pines that swayed with the wind. Their needles rustled like whispers.

The ground had almost no grass left. The soil turned rocky and harsh. Only hardy shrubs survived here.

Han Yu spotted several packs of Frost Hill Wolves during the day, but unlike before, they did not approach. They watched from distant ridges, their eyes glowing faintly, but none dared to attack. Han Yu narrowed his eyes, wondering.

"Either they are wary," he muttered, "or there is something stronger nearby. Nature always bends before greater predators."

He kept moving.

Three more days passed.

During these days, Han Yu continued steadily deeper into the Outer Ring. He encountered a few minor spirit beasts but nothing threatening. His movement remained smooth, his vigilance consistent. The environment grew wilder, thicker with the presence of beasts and untamed Qi.

He encountered White Tailed Spirit Foxes perched gracefully on cliffs, watching him before slipping into hiding. Rocky Hoofed Rams leapt fearlessly across stone ledges, their hooves clacking like hammers.

One particularly aggressive ram charged him, lowering its jagged horns with violent intent.

Han Yu had grilled mutton that night.

By the end of the week, Han Yu felt his journey had been almost too peaceful.

The robes kept him perfectly warm. The horse, while tired, was still healthy and capable of continuing. Han Yu had hunted enough for food each day and replenished his stores. Most importantly, he had not encountered any truly dangerous foes.

He looked ahead at the towering peaks.

"If the Outer Ring is this tame," he murmured with a faint smile, "then the Middle and Inner Ring will surely compensate for it."

He tightened his grip on the reins.

The Harrow Mountains had only just begun to reveal themselves.

Han Yu finally arrived at what the locals called the Middle Ring.

If not for the crude carvings on a massive boulder lying beside the trail, he would not have realized anything had changed. Someone had slashed the characters Middle Ring Border into the stone. The strokes were jagged and uneven, probably carved with a dull blade. Without this marker, the terrain looked nearly identical to the outer region.

The sky remained gray. The wind still carried a chill. The trees stood equally sparse and rigid. Even the soil underfoot was the same mixture of stone and grit.

But after walking a few meters past the boulder, Han Yu felt the true shift.

The winds became more erratic. They swirled from several directions, sometimes from the front and back at the same time. The air grew denser and carried a faint but unmistakable pressure. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Spirit beast presence intensified as well. Their scents lingered more strongly in the wind with how the horse behaved, and their tracks appeared more frequently along the path.

It did not take long for Han Yu to encounter proof of this.

His horse suddenly trembled. Its ears shot upward as its muscles stiffened beneath its dark fur. Han Yu immediately swept his spirit sense outward.

Perched on a tall stone ledge twenty meters away was a Yellow Tufted Panther. Its golden tufted ears flicked at the wind while its pale yellow eyes locked onto Han Yu from above.

The beast was at the early stage of the Core Condensation realm. A dangerous creature for any hunter or traveling cultivator. Its lean body looked more like steel wrapped in fur, and the muscles beneath its pelt rippled with strength.

But as soon as the panther saw Han Yu raise his head and look directly at it, it slunk back behind the rocks and retreated into the shadows.

Han Yu clicked his tongue softly.

"Instincts are quite sharp around here," he muttered. "Even the beasts know better than to pick a losing fight."