Spirit Mouse

Qin Yan's nerves were taut. Aiming an arrow at the bloody cavity, he took a small step back.

Leaves crackled beneath his feet.

At that very sound, the writhing in the boar's chest stopped at once, and a bloodstained head popped out.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew from the string, turning into an afterimage as it shot toward the creature's head.

Squeak, squeak!

"So fast!"

Qin Yan's pupils contracted. At such close range, it had actually dodged an arrow from his one-stone bow.

A rat drenched in blood stood a dozen or so meters away, letting out furious shrieks.

There was a visible wound near its hind leg, where the arrow had struck it.

"A foot long, with blood-red eyes. What kind of rat is this?"

Qin Yan watched the mountain-rat-like mutant beast warily. Its speed was probably far beyond his own.

And from the look of it, it wanted nothing more than to tear him apart alive!

The two stood apart, wary of each other!

The mutant rat looked particularly ferocious now, especially its unusually sharp front claws.

Its scarlet eyes watched Qin Yan as its nimble body darted back and forth through the forest.

Like a blood-red afterimage, it moved with uncanny, ghostly speed, making it impossible to track its movements for the moment.

Qin Yan nocked another arrow and drew his bow. At some point, cold sweat had appeared on his forehead. The speed the creature had unleashed in that brief burst had nearly left him unable to react.

If it launched a sudden sneak attack, he might not be able to stop it.

All he could do now was grip his bow and arrow tightly. Only with his mental perception covering a dozen or so meters around him could he barely make out its approximate position.

Rustling came from all around in the quiet, dim forest.

Qin Yan knew the mutant rat was moving rapidly, looking for a blind spot in his vision.

Once it found an opening, it would probably launch a surprise attack on him at once.

Qin Yan knew he could no longer sit and wait for death. He pushed his mental perception to its limit.

The blurry sensation instantly became clear!

Turning his body to the side, he fired an arrow into a nearby thicket. At the same time, a blood-colored afterimage shot out of the bushes.

It narrowly brushed past the arrow.

In that brief instant, a fierce light flashed in the mutant rat's eyes, and it shot toward Qin Yan once more.

Faced with the sudden attack, Qin Yan instinctively dodged to the side.

Their figures crossed, and the distance between them opened up in an instant.

Qin Yan felt a sharp sting in his neck. He reached up to touch it and saw that his palm was already stained with bright red blood.

Luckily, he had dodged quickly, or his neck would have been cut open!

Qin Yan looked at the mutant rat, its sharp claws flashing with a blood-red chill, and instantly drew the straight saber at his waist.

The rat's speed was downright monstrous. One moment of carelessness could leave his skin split and flesh torn.

Vital spots like his neck were especially likely to be its main targets.

Though it looked small, it was extremely cunning.

It knew how to end a fight quickly.

Squeak, squeak!

Both sides watched each other warily. The mutant rat had no intention of letting Qin Yan go.

Since it had become capable of thought, this was the first time it had been hurt so badly.

The two-legged creature before it had to die.

Cunning showed in its blood-red eyes. Although its opponent could sense its presence, he was considerably slower than it.

Having realized that,

the mutant rat vanished into the bushes once again.

Qin Yan reached toward his waist, then watched his surroundings warily.

In Qin Yan's perception, the mutant rat was constantly changing position.

Each time, he could roughly judge the direction.

Squeaking came incessantly from every direction.

I can't stay here any longer.

Qin Yan thought to himself. When the creature changed position again, he immediately shifted his footwork and sprinted in the opposite direction.

Squeak, squeak!

Mockery showed in the mutant rat's eyes as its blood-colored figure flickered eerily through the forest.

It was exceptionally fast, but not as unpredictable as when it launched a surprise attack.

As I thought! This mutant rat is very good at short-range surprise attacks, but once it runs for a while, it isn't even as fast as I am.

Qin Yan had made his assessment.

Let's see if you can catch me, then.

Qin Yan instantly picked up his pace. Seeing this, the mutant rat sped up even more.

The two raced through the dense forest, the blood-colored figure relentlessly pursuing him.

Humans might not match some creatures in short bursts of speed, but when it came to distance running alone, they could leave the vast majority of creatures in the dust.

After a period of high-speed pursuit, Qin Yan could clearly sense the mutant rat slowing down rapidly.

Furious shrieks reached his ears.

He knew his chance had come.

He came to an abrupt stop, as though he had exhausted his strength.

Seeing this, the fierce light in the mutant rat's eyes flared. Chasing this damned two-legged creature had worn it out.

A cold gleam seemed to gather on its claws as it lunged at Qin Yan, intent on slicing his neck open with a swipe.

Now.

Qin Yan concentrated his mental power, and lime powder instantly flew from his left hand.

The mutant rat hadn't expected white powder to be thrown at it so suddenly. Airborne, it had no time to dodge.

A sharp pain immediately shot through its eyes.

Man and beast crossed paths, and Qin Yan charged at the mutant rat, straight saber in hand.

The creature was clutching its eyes and screaming.

A cold light flashed. The strike was swift and vicious, cutting it in half at the waist.

The mutant rat had never dreamed that it, the ruler of the forest, would be assassinated by a corner creature. Its shrill, unwilling cries echoed for a long time.

Until everything fell silent.

Qin Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had nearly met his end at the rat's hands.

[Awakened Spirit Mouse killed. Unlimited Combat proficiency increased by 5%.]

[During combat, Dragon Wandering Step proficiency increased by 10%.]

[Target successfully killed. Slaughter skill proficiency increased by 10%.]

[Target successfully killed. Six Harmonies Saber proficiency increased by 5%.]

[Six Harmonies Saber advanced to Entry Level.]

Effect: saber speed increased by 10%, sharpness increased by 10%.

Sensing the information appearing in his mind, Qin Yan stared in astonishment.

One real fight had saved him a great deal of cultivation.

Sure enough, real combat was the fastest way to improve his strength.

He also noticed the mutant rat's name. "Awakened Spirit Mouse!"

The evolution of all living things?

The return of Spiritual Qi?

Qin Yan found it hard to believe. Could this world be something other than a purely martial arts world?

In all the information about the world he had encountered, there didn't seem to be anything about spirit beasts!

Qin Yan walked a few steps closer, straight saber in hand, and slashed the creature's chest and head several times.

But disappointment soon appeared on his face.

"No inner core!"

Qin Yan smiled helplessly, the disappointment in his heart passing in a flash.

Looking at the Spirit Mouse's corpse, Qin Yan hesitated over whether to take it back with him.

Since his golden finger had identified it as a spirit beast, its flesh and blood had to be extraordinary.

But the thought of eating the thing made him uneasy.

Forget it! I'll take it with me for now!