Snatching Oddities

After quickly dealing with two Ironclad Boars, Li Ye didn't stop, continuing to tread on air. From high above, he scanned for his targets.

Whether it was a wild boar or an Ironclad Boar, their color made them easy to spot in the mountains and forests. Li Ye found them without much trouble, not sure if they were intentionally made that way.

Soon, he spotted another Ironclad Boar rubbing itself against a tree. As he descended, his body moved fluidly, not fully landing. He reached out a claw mid-air, creating a hole in the Ironclad Boar's head. With a follow-up kick to its still-standing back, he surged upwards again, using his aerial vantage point to lock onto other conspicuous black marks and charge towards them.

Ironclad Boars seemed to be prevalent in this area.

A fellow student from the Second Dragon Gate also encountered an Ironclad Boar, currently locked in combat with a sword in hand. Their martial arts style was more agile, with all their skill focused on the sword, making it easy to counter the Ironclad Boar's charges.

Thrusts, parries, slashes, and stabs – they all slid off the Ironclad Boar effortlessly.

However, each sword strike only left a shallow cut, doing little significant damage to the Ironclad Boar.

The student seemed accustomed to this. They had been training on Dragon Mountain during the summer break, doing the same thing. As long as they found an opening and struck the Ironclad Boar's vital points, they could kill one.

But this still took time. For longer encounters, it could take one to two hours. These creatures, though seemingly clumsy, were quick to react and didn't expose their weaknesses easily.

One could only spend time exhausting the Ironclad Boar's stamina, or for faster individuals, it could take less time.

The Ironclad Boar let out a roar and charged. The student dodged to the side, preparing to raise their sword and stab the Ironclad Boar.

Dong!

But just then, a sound like an air explosion inexplicably echoed from above.

They instinctively looked up, seeing a person emerge from the trees above. Their posture resembled swimming, with ripples of energy emanating from their feet as they rapidly "swam" through the air. They dove onto the Ironclad Boar, their five fingers grasping its head and creating several holes.

"Counting this one too!"

Li Ye didn't linger, moving away again.

He left the student holding their sword, aiming at the Ironclad Boar, unsure whether to strike or not.

Normally, someone like them, who didn't need to team up, could complete the task alone. Interfering at this point would be considered an act of hostility.

But they recognized the person – it was Li Ye, who had violently confronted Xiang Feipeng on the first day of school. Someone they absolutely couldn't afford to offend.

Good news: they didn't have to waste time. Bad news: their reward would be halved.

The student sighed and continued searching the ground for signs of wild boars overturning the soil, looking for their next prey.

Li Ye had completely transformed into a combat machine. The sustained stamina from circulating energy via the Dragon Gate meant he didn't have to worry about his energy levels, at least not at this moment. He traveled using Lightness Skill, and upon spotting prey, he would simply grab it. Once it was dead, he'd look for the next.

He didn't mind if someone else was already fighting. Since the spoils would be shared anyway, it was just a matter of taking action, and the more, the better.

This actually made them easier to spot. Ironclad Boars were conspicuous due to their black color, but people were even more so. Once spotted from above, he'd directly swoop down and kill them.

"Hmm?"

Just as Li Ye pushed off a tree trunk, continuing his Lightness Skill leaps, a green object suddenly appeared before him. Instinctively, Li Ye extended his arm and grabbed the green object.

Ding!

As he reached out, he heard a faint crisp sound in his ears, as if his palm had been scratched by something.

Looking closer, it was a jade-green praying mantis. Its forelimbs were sharp as knives. Once held, it flailed its forelimbs, slashing at Li Ye's hand.

It was a Green Bamboo Dart Mantis, entirely jade-green, but its forelimbs were like glass. In a way, it was quite beautiful. This type of Oddity was relatively rare on Dragon Mountain.

Besides its sharp forelimbs, when this Oddity flew, it would also shed sharp spines from its wings, resembling darts. Once the skin was broken, it could cause paralysis.

Small in size and highly agile, ordinary students truly couldn't handle them.

Yao Leden had told him before that if this thing could be captured alive, it was best not to kill it. Live ones were worth more; some people were fond of these special insects.

Catching one a day and selling it to someone else would be more profitable than taking down two Ironclad Boars.

"Good stuff."

Li Ye held the mantis and continued to move, heading elsewhere.

Soon, on the mountain where the Martial Arts Major students were gathered, Li Ye found all the Oddities that were currently fighting. Like a predatory eagle, he relied on his excellent Lightness Skill, swooping down for a quick grab, and then moving on without delay, leaving a group of students stunned.

"Hey, that's right, charge straight at it and grapple, don't give it a chance to charge."

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

They had also encountered an Ironclad Boar. Deng Hao, being stronger, immediately pinned the Ironclad Boar's head, preventing it from charging. Jia Dong then snuck around to the back, attacking the Ironclad Boar's head.

Because its body was too tough, hitting anywhere else was the same; the head was still considered a weak point.

"No, you shouldn't hit the head. This opportunity is rare. Since it's already restrained, hit its rear. That's the softest part, not as hard as other areas. Stab it in there and it'll explode, and the Ironclad Boar will lose its ability to resist," Yao Leden advised.

"Shut up!"

Jia Dong yelled, "I'm just a student here for training, unarmed, what am I supposed to stab with!"

Yao Leden had mentioned the Ironclad Boar's weaknesses: one was the eye socket, which could be pierced directly, and the other was the rear, which could also be pierced.

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

As for the latter, it was disgusting. They were all empty-handed, and there was no way they could reach in and dig. How revolting.

"Your hands or feet will do. If you don't mind, you can try something else, as long as you can get it in. This is a rare opportunity. Do you know how long it takes to take down an Ironclad Boar? It's not done in an hour or two. After you kill it, your stamina will be almost depleted. You rest, and you might not even find a second one."

"If you kill it and sell it to the school or to me, you'll make a huge profit. Don't let anything get in the way of money, especially not fear. Martial artists have nothing to be afraid of, go!" Yao Leden said.

"Brother Dong, put some effort in! It's really uncomfortable for me holding it," Deng Hao also shouted.

"Damn it, you're not me," Jia Dong cursed, but after a moment's thought, he circled behind the Ironclad Boar. Staring at the seemingly soft opening beneath its metal plating, he gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and stomped down hard.

"ROAR!!"

The Ironclad Boar let out a high-pitched squeal, its head snapping up. It broke free from Deng Hao's grasp and leaped into the air. Its eyes were clearly red as it spun around and charged directly at Jia Dong.

Though the distance was short, its hooves kicked up a cloud of dust.

Seeing this, Yao Leden dove down swiftly, heading straight for the Ironclad Boar.

If it hit him squarely, he'd probably end up in the hospital.

But with her here, that wouldn't happen.

Thump!

Just as she was about to land, a gust of wind suddenly stirred beside her ear. A figure landed in front of the Ironclad Boar, faster than her. One hand reached down, creating several holes in its head, and with a firm grip, hollowed it out.

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

"Brother Ye, Brother Ye..."

Jia Dong's heart relaxed. "Sister Le set me up!"