I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

Xue Jing noticed that there seemed to be a tinge of hostility in A Pawar's tone, so the captain hurriedly blurted out at a rapid pace:

"We are the 'Dragon Hunting Group' from That Country, here to capture the lord of this forest, the 'Long-tailed Dragon'. We really didn't mean to spy on you, and we have no ill intentions!"

Xue Jing stroked his chin, "Dragon Hunting Group?"

A Pawar quickly nodded and said, "Yes, Dragon Hunting Group. We make our living by capturing dragons and selling them to the Nobles of That Country."

Xue Jing's eyes lit up, "So you're saying you're very professional, huh?"

"Professional?" A Pawar was taken aback for a moment, "Yes... we are professional."

Xue Jing immediately showed a friendly smile, lifted him off the ground like picking up a chicken, and had him stand straight.

Then he helped pat the dust off his body and draped an arm around his shoulder, laughing:

"Look at this fuss, it's all a misunderstanding... By the way, since you're professionals, do you have a way to find dragons?"

A Pawar first marveled at Xue Jing's impressive strength and then, a bit unnerved by Xue Jing's sudden change in demeanor, hesitantly said:

"I have a map of the dragon territories on me... It's something we've compiled over the years. If you need it..."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing patted his shoulder hard and said with sincerity, "Good brother!"

"You locals are too polite; truly a land of manners! I won't refuse such generous hospitality... In return, how about I treat you to some dragon meat?"

A Pawar immediately shook his head violently, almost shaking out sparks, "No need, no need, I'm just glad to be of help... you see?"

He indicated the black steel barrier strapped to his body with a nod of his chin.

Xue Jing smiled and snapped his fingers.

At once, every Shadowflame Steel Barrier on the people dissipated.

Seeing this, A Pawar breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled an old scroll map out of his pocket, spread it out, and handed it to Xue Jing.

Xue Jing looked up to see a map that was quite clear and straightforward, marked with red dots of various sizes, each accompanied by native script.

"Look, this is where we currently are, the territory of the Long-tailed Dragon."

A Pawar pointed to a red dot on the map.

"The center here is the Roaring Great Waterfall... The closer the dragon is to the waterfall, the stronger it is, like here, here, and here."

He pointed at several large red dots near the map's center, "The dragons in these areas are terrifying. It's best not to go near them."

"We usually choose to hunt dragons on the outskirts..."

After some time, Xue Jing had mostly grasped how to interpret the information on the map.

"...That's pretty much it."

Xue Jing looked at the map, satisfied, and nodded, "Thanks a lot."

"...Glad I could help," A Pawar said cautiously.

"So, can we... leave now?"

Xue Jing waved them off, "Go on, go on... Sure you won't have a bite of dragon meat? It's quite tasty."

"No thanks, no thanks," A Pawar quickly refused.

"Then we'll be off..." He took off the headset and handed it to Xue Jing.

He then said to the others, "Retreat!"

With that, he took the lead and walked towards the edge of the forest.

The others were silent as the dead, following behind A Pawar.

They started off walking slowly.

Once they were a certain distance from Xue Jing and sure he wasn't going to follow, they immediately spread their legs and scurried frantically toward the edge of the forest.

A Pawar was the fastest among them.

"Captain A Pawar, wait for us!!"

Deep in the forest, Xue Jing paid no mind to the commotion of the locals, merely spreading out the map to look at it.

"Hmm, let's start on the outskirts and gradually work inward, starting with this spot here."

His gaze settled on the red dot closest to him.

...

(My updates have been lagging these past couple of days; I'll try to add more tomorrow...)