Monster Snatching

After swiftly dealing with two Ironclad Boars, Li Ye did not slow down. He continued treading through the air, looking down from high above as he searched for targets.

Whether they were wild boars or Ironclad Boars, their coloring made them easy to pick out amid the mountain forest. Li Ye did not know whether that was intentional, but it made finding them effortless.

Before long, he spotted another Ironclad Boar rubbing itself wildly against a tree. As he descended, his body flowed through the air. Before he had even fully landed, he reached out with clawed fingers and bored a hole through the Ironclad Boar's head. Then he stepped on its back before it could collapse and shot skyward again, using his aerial vantage point to lock onto other conspicuous black shapes before dashing toward them.

Ironclad Boars seemed to be the dominant monsters in this area.

A student from Second Dragon Gate had also encountered an Ironclad Boar. Sword in hand, he was currently locked in battle with it. His martial arts were geared toward agility, his skill all concentrated in his swordsmanship, making it easy for him to deal with the Ironclad Boar's charges.

Thrusts, lifts, chops, and stabs struck the Ironclad Boar with remarkable smoothness.

Yet every slash could only leave a sword mark, making it difficult to inflict any serious damage on the Ironclad Boar.

That student seemed accustomed to it. When he had come to Dragon Mountain for training before summer vacation, he had done the same thing. As long as he found an opening and stabbed one of the Ironclad Boar's vital points, he could kill it.

But that still took time. At the longest, an hour or two. Though the creature looked clumsy and heavy, its reactions were fast, and it would not easily expose its weak points.

He could only spend time wearing down the Ironclad Boar's stamina. Those with greater speed could take less time.

The Ironclad Boar let out a shrill cry and charged. The student shifted and dodged to the side, just about to raise his sword and slash upward into the Ironclad Boar's body.

Boom!

But at that moment, a burst of exploding air suddenly rang out overhead.

He instinctively looked up and saw someone appear among the treetops. The man's posture resembled swimming, rings of air rippling beneath his feet as he swam through the air at incredible speed. He dived at the Ironclad Boar and, with a single grab of his five fingers, crushed several holes into its skull.

"It counts as a joint kill!"

Li Ye did not linger, swimming through the air again as he departed.

The student was left holding his sword over the Ironclad Boar, unsure whether to stab or not to stab.

Generally speaking, someone like him, who did not need to team up with others, could finish the task alone. Anyone who interfered at a time like this was making an enemy.

But he recognized that person: Li Ye, the guy who had viciously smashed Xiang Feipeng on the first day of school. Someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke.

The good news was that he no longer had to waste time. The bad news was that his reward had been cut in half.

The student sighed and continued searching for signs on the ground, looking for earth overturned by boars so he could find his next prey.

Li Ye had now completely turned into a fighter jet. The enduring stamina brought by the Dragon Gate cultivation method meant he did not need to worry about exhaustion—at least not at this point. He raced along with his Lightness Skill, grabbed any prey he found, killed it, then went searching for the next one.

Li Ye did not care whether someone was already fighting it or not. Once he stepped in, it counted as an even split anyway. It was only a matter of one quick move, so naturally, the more the better.

That actually made them easier to find. Ironclad Boars stood out because of their black coloring, while people stood out even more. Once he spotted one from above, he would simply swoop down and grab the monster to death.

"Hmm?"

Li Ye had just pushed off a tree trunk and continued moving with his Lightness Skill when a green object suddenly appeared before his eyes. Reflexively, he reached out and caught it in his hand.

Ding!

As he reached out, he also heard a faint crisp sound. His palm felt as if something had sliced it.

Looking again, he saw a jade-green mantis. Its forelimbs were sharp as blades, and once it was caught in his grip, it frantically swung them, chopping at Li Ye's hand.

A Green Bamboo Dart Mantis. Its entire body was emerald green, while its forelimbs were like glass. In a way, it was actually quite beautiful. Such monsters were relatively rare on Dragon Mountain.

Aside from its sharp forelimbs, this monster would also shed sharp spikes from its wings when it flew, shaped like darts. Once they broke the skin, they could cause symptoms of paralysis.

Small and highly agile, it was not something ordinary students could really handle.

Yao Leden had told him before that if he could capture one alive, he should try not to kill it. Live ones were worth more, since some people liked such unusual insects.

Catching one in a day and selling it to someone else would be more worthwhile than killing two Ironclad Boars.

"Good stuff."

Li Ye held the mantis and continued shifting through the air, hurrying toward another place.

Before long, anyone on this mountain assigned to the martial arts division who had found a monster and was fighting it was discovered by Li Ye. Like a hunting eagle, relying on his fine Lightness Skill, he would plummet down at high speed and grab it, then leave without pausing, leaving groups of students standing there in a daze.

"Yeah, that's it. Rush in and wrestle with it directly. Don't give it a chance to charge."

Somewhere on the mountain, Yao Leden sat on a tree branch, directing Deng Hao and Jia Dong below.

They had also run into an Ironclad Boar. Deng Hao was stronger, so he went up and held the Ironclad Boar's head in place, preventing it from gathering force for a charge. Jia Dong took the opportunity to circle behind it and attack its forehead.

Its body was so hard that striking anywhere was about the same. Its head was at least somewhat of a weak point.

"No, you shouldn't hit its head. This opportunity is hard to come by. Since it's already restrained, attack it from behind. That's the softest spot, not as hard as everywhere else. Just shove it in and burst it, and the Ironclad Boar will lose its ability to resist," Yao Leden reminded them.

"Shut up!"

Jia Dong roared, "I'm just a student here for training, and I'm empty-handed. What am I supposed to shove in with?"

Yao Leden had mentioned the Ironclad Boar's weaknesses. One was its eye socket—poke straight in. The other was behind it, which could also be poked into.

But the former was rather difficult. Deng Hao could only barely hold the Ironclad Boar's head and keep it from charging.

As for the latter, it was disgusting. They were all bare-handed; there was no way they could bring themselves to reach in there. It was far too revolting.

"Hands and feet both work. If you don't mind, use something else. As long as you can bring yourself to do it. This is a rare chance. Do you know how long it takes to kill an Ironclad Boar? You can't finish without one or two hours. Afterward, your stamina will be nearly gone too. Once you rest up, who knows whether you'll even find a second one?"

"Kill it and sell it to the school or to me, and you'll make a fortune. You can fight with anything, but don't fight with money. What does a martial artist have to fear? Go!" Yao Leden said.

"Brother Dong, put some strength into it! It's really uncomfortable holding it back!" Deng Hao shouted as well.

"Damn it, it's not like you're me—"

Jia Dong cursed fiercely, but after thinking it over, he still circled behind the Ironclad Boar. Staring at that seemingly soft opening beneath its iron hide, he hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, and viciously drove a foot straight in.

Aang!!

The Ironclad Boar erupted with a piercing shriek. It violently whipped its head, forcibly breaking free from Deng Hao's restraint. Its entire body jumped up on the spot, its eyes visibly reddening. As it turned, it charged straight at Jia Dong.

Though the distance was extremely short, its four hooves kicked up dust and smoke.

Seeing this, Yao Leden sprang down at high speed, rushing straight toward the Ironclad Boar.

If that charge landed solidly, Jia Dong would probably be heading to the hospital.

But with her here, that would not happen.

Boom!

Just as she was about to land, a fierce gust suddenly swept past her ear. A figure landed before the Ironclad Boar even faster than she did. One hand shot down, clawing several holes into its head, then clenched hard and smashed out a hollow cavity.

"What are you doing?" Li Ye asked, looking at the disheveled group in confusion.

"Brother Ye."

Jia Dong's heart immediately relaxed. "Sister Le is setting us up."