The Wolf Society and Outsmarting a Powerful Foe

That flippant yet oppressive voice was like cold mist rising from a swamp, making the hearts of the three who had just won sink sharply.

They turned in unison toward the source of the voice.

From the shadows of the forest, seven or eight figures slowly emerged. The leader was around seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a luxurious black robe embroidered with a silver wolf totem. His features were handsome, but the faintly arrogant smile at the corner of his lips spoiled the overall beauty.

He toyed with a white jade folding fan, strolling calmly as though he were not training in a mountain range fraught with danger, but taking a leisurely walk through his own backyard.

Behind him followed seven uniformly dressed students. Every one of them radiated a fierce, sharp aura, their eyes carrying the same aggression as wolves.

What shocked Shi Lei and Su Yue most was that not one of the Spiritual Energy fluctuations emitted by this group was below the Body Refinement Third Level! Especially the black-robed youth at the front—his aura was deep as the sea, far beyond what Li Mo had possessed.

"Heavenly Wolf Society?" Seeing the silver wolf totem on their clothes, Su Yue's face instantly paled. "It's Xiao Lang! Why is he here?"

"Who is Xiao Lang? Is he famous?" Shi Lei asked in a lowered voice, shielding Su Yue behind him as he watched the newcomers warily.

"More than famous!" Su Yue's voice carried a trace of gravity. "He's a monster who has long occupied the top five on this assessment's points leaderboard! The eldest legitimate son of the Xiao Family of Marquis Wuwei in the royal city, his cultivation is said to have already reached the Body Refinement Fifth Level Peak! The Heavenly Wolf Society he formed is also one of the strongest groups in this assessment, specializing in hunting high-level demonic beasts and... robbing other top teams!"

Body Refinement Fifth Level Peak!

That number pressed down on Shi Lei and Su Yue's hearts like a towering mountain.

That was an existence a whole minor realm above the Swamp Giant Crocodile! The three of them had exhausted every scheme just to barely kill a demonic beast at the Peak Body Refinement Fourth Level. Against a true genius at the Body Refinement Fifth Level, they had almost no chance of winning.

Lin Xiao's pupils also contracted slightly. He said nothing, but the system panel on his retina rapidly refreshed with the other party's information.

[System Prompt: Scanning target: Xiao Lang]

[Realm: Body Refinement Fifth Level Peak]

[Cultivation Art: Heavenly Wolf Howling Moon Art (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Martial Skills: Wind Breaking Claw (Proficient), Phantom Wolf Step (Proficient)]

[Background: Eldest legitimate son of the Xiao Family of Marquis Wuwei in the royal city]

[Overall Assessment: Extremely dangerous!]

[System Prompt: Scanning targets: Heavenly Wolf Society members x 7]

[Realms: Body Refinement Fourth Level x 2, Body Refinement Third Level x 5]

[Overall Assessment: Dangerous!]

The data did not lie. This was a terrifying force capable of instantly crushing the three of them.

"Hehe, it seems Miss Su Yue knows me. That makes things much easier." Xiao Lang waved his folding fan, his gaze brazenly sweeping over Su Yue's lovely face and exquisite figure as a trace of lewdness flashed in his eyes. "I have always known how to cherish beauty. Miss Su Yue, as long as you leave this team and join my Heavenly Wolf Society now, I can guarantee that no one will dare touch a single hair on your head. As for the spoils from this giant crocodile, consider them your gift of introduction to me. How about it?"

His words were filled with an unquestionable air of charity.

"Dream on!" Su Yue's pretty face was filled with baleful intent as she rejected him without the slightest courtesy.

"You don't know what's good for you." The smile on Xiao Lang's face faded, and his gaze turned cold. "Since that's the case, there's nothing left to discuss. I'll give you ten breaths to hand over the beast core and crocodile hide, then crush your tokens and get lost. Otherwise, I won't mind making you lie in bed for a few months."

"Let's fight them!" Shi Lei roared, Spiritual Energy surging throughout his body as he prepared to charge forward.

"Don't be rash!"

Lin Xiao reached out and stopped him.

Shi Lei froze, then turned back to look at Lin Xiao in confusion. "Lin Xiao, are we really going to hand over what we worked so hard for?"

Lin Xiao did not answer him. Instead, he took a step forward and calmly met Xiao Lang's oppressive gaze. "Senior Xiao, you jest. The three of us risked our lives to hunt this Swamp Giant Crocodile. I'm sure you can understand the hardship involved. Since all who see it get a share, how about this? This Second-Order Beast Core goes to you, but the crocodile hide must go to us. We each take a step back and make a friend. What do you say?"

His tone was neither servile nor overbearing, as though he were conducting an equal business negotiation.

Hearing this, not only Shi Lei and Su Yue were stunned, even Xiao Lang and the Heavenly Wolf Society members behind him were taken aback.

Then they burst into uproarious laughter.

"Hahaha! Did I hear that right? This kid actually dares negotiate terms with Brother Lang?" "Was he scared stupid? What right does a piece of trash at the Body Refinement Third Level have to stand on equal footing with Brother Lang?" "He really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

Xiao Lang also seemed to have heard something amusing. He closed his folding fan and pointed its ribs at Lin Xiao as he said mockingly, "Kid, you've got guts. The last person who dared speak to me like that has grass three feet high over his grave by now. Are you sure you want to stake both your legs over a mere crocodile hide?"

Lin Xiao's expression remained unchanged. He slowly shook his head, and there was even a trace of... pity in his eyes?

"No, it's not for the crocodile hide." He looked at Xiao Lang and said each word distinctly, "I'm saving your life."

The entire scene fell silent.

Everyone looked at Lin Xiao as though he were insane.

Even Su Yue and Shi Lei wondered whether Lin Xiao had been so provoked that he had lost his mind.

"What did you say?" The smile vanished completely from Xiao Lang's face, replaced by chilling killing intent. He felt that his authority had been challenged like never before.

Lin Xiao ignored the killing intent that was practically solidifying around him. He merely pointed at the still-bleeding giant crocodile corpse on the ground, then at the thick, inescapable stench of blood hanging in the air.

"Surely I don't need to tell you how delicious the flesh and blood of a Second-order Demonic Beast is to the 'big fellows' in the depths of these mountains?"

"If you and I fight here, no matter who wins or loses, we'll inevitably waste quite a bit of time. By then, the bloody scent may draw truly terrifying existences here—Second-Order High Grade demonic beasts, or even Third-Order Demonic Beasts. Do you think people like us can survive the wrath of such beings?"

"Or is Senior Xiao absolutely confident in his strength, believing that he can take care of even a Third-Order Demonic Beast?"

Lin Xiao's voice was like a devil's whisper, clearly echoing in every person's ears.

The expressions of Xiao Lang and the Heavenly Wolf Society members behind him changed instantly.

They were not fools. What Lin Xiao said was precisely the law of the jungle that veteran hunters understood best!

The blood of a Second-order Demonic Beast held a fatal attraction for higher-order demonic beasts! The reason they had dared to come here was because they wanted to swiftly end the fight and seize the spoils before the bloody scent of the crocodile's death fully spread.

But if, as Lin Xiao said, they erupted into a great battle here and delayed for too long... the consequences would be unthinkable!

"Are you threatening me?" Xiao Lang's expression shifted unpredictably as he stared hard at Lin Xiao. He wanted to see even the slightest hint of panic or bluffing on the other's face.

But he was disappointed.

Lin Xiao's eyes were as calm as an ancient well whose depths could not be seen. That composure, that unhurried poise, was simply not something a sixteen-year-old boy should possess.

"This isn't a threat. It's advice." Lin Xiao spread his hands. "Of course, if Senior Xiao insists on fighting, the three of us will accompany you to the end. Our worthless lives are not worth mourning. But if we can drag the eldest legitimate son of Marquis Wuwei in the royal city, along with so many Heavenly Wolf Society elites, down to the Yellow Springs with us, then the road to the underworld surely won't be lonely."

He spoke lightly, yet every word pierced the heart!

Those who went barefoot feared those who wore shoes!

In the most direct way possible, he told Xiao Lang: they dared to risk their lives—but did they? Did these favored children of heaven dare?

A layer of cold sweat seeped onto Xiao Lang's forehead.

He was afraid.

He was not afraid of Lin Xiao's group, but of the unknown yet highly possible enormous danger Lin Xiao had mentioned!

He gripped the folding fan in his hand tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Since he had first made his name, he had never felt as stifled as he did today. He clearly possessed the strength to crush the other side, yet a few words from them had forced him into a dilemma where neither advancing nor retreating was possible.

If he fought, the risk was too great and the loss outweighed the gain. If he did not fight and simply slunk away like this, where would the Heavenly Wolf Society's face—and his own face—go?

Just then, Lin Xiao spoke again. His tone softened, as though he had offered the other side a step down.

"Senior Xiao, we're all here for assessment points. There's no need to fight until one side dies. Let's follow what I said earlier: the beast core goes to you, and the crocodile hide goes to us. You get the beast core worth fifty points, while we get the materials. Everyone is happy. Your Heavenly Wolf Society loses no face, and we preserve part of our hard-earned gains. How about it?"

Under the circumstances, this proposal seemed incomparably "reasonable."

Several of Xiao Lang's team members instinctively looked toward him, retreat already showing in their eyes.

Xiao Lang took a deep breath. He knew that this battle could not be fought today. This brat named Lin Xiao possessed a mind and methods far beyond his age. He was practically a monster!

"Fine!" He squeezed out the word through clenched teeth. "Today, I'll give you this face! We'll take the beast core!"

As he spoke, he gave a look to someone behind him. That person immediately stepped forward and took the Second-Order Beast Core from Lin Xiao's hand.

After taking the beast core, Xiao Lang did not linger. He gave Lin Xiao a deep look, his gaze like a hungry wolf fixing on its prey.

"Kid, your name is Lin Xiao, right? I'll remember you. Mountains may not turn, but rivers do. After the assessment, we'll get to know each other properly at the academy."

After leaving behind that threat, he waved his hand and led the Heavenly Wolf Society members swiftly into the forest.

Only after they had completely gone far away did Shi Lei's body go limp. He collapsed onto the ground on his backside, gasping for breath, his back already soaked through with cold sweat.

"My mother... that scared me to death... I thought we were done for today..."

Su Yue's pretty face was also pale, her chest rising and falling violently. The way she looked at Lin Xiao could no longer be described as shock—it was as though she were looking at a monster.

Without spilling a drop of blood, he had used his wits to drive back a powerful enemy!

Facing Xiao Lang at the Body Refinement Fifth Level Peak and the entire Heavenly Wolf Society, he had actually resolved this certain-death crisis with just a few words, and even preserved the more valuable crocodile hide!

That courage, that wisdom, that precise grasp of human hearts...

"Lin Xiao, you... who exactly are you?" Su Yue could not help asking.

Lin Xiao did not answer. He merely walked to the giant crocodile's corpse and said calmly, "Stop talking nonsense. We only have a quarter of an hour. Skin it immediately, then leave this place. What I said just now wasn't entirely meant to scare them."

The two of them shuddered inwardly upon hearing this and dared not delay any longer, immediately stepping forward to help.

With the combined efforts of the three, a huge, intact crocodile hide was quickly peeled off.

After finishing all this, the three did not dare linger in the slightest and swiftly left this blood-soaked swamp.

Less than half an hour after they departed, a terrifying beast roar powerful enough to shake the entire mountain range came from the depths of the swamp. Immediately afterward, a horrifying demonic beast several times larger than the Swamp Giant Crocodile, with an aura at the Second-Order High Grade—the Blackwater Profound Snake—appeared beside the muddy lake...