Combat, Breakthrough

Clean, swift, and beautiful saber work—one move, one kill. Xu Feng thought to himself. With the physical fitness of a peak Intermediate Warrior, the first level of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, and the support of Mental Power, if he still could not kill an Intermediate Beast Soldier Earthshaker Rhinoceros, then what the hell was he even doing?

With a warrior's strength alone, he could kill an Intermediate Beast Soldier. This was his first battle, so he wanted to play it safe. Next time, he would fight using only a warrior's strength.

"Although the materials from an Intermediate Beast Soldier are only worth a few thousand, I can't waste them." Xu Feng took a dagger from his waist. With just two or three strokes, the dagger easily pried open the skull. With a light twist, he stripped off an entire horn. After wiping it twice on the grass, Xu Feng put it into his backpack.

Then, Xu Feng skillfully used the dagger to cut open the Earthshaker Rhinoceros's hide and took a piece of brisket.

He casually chopped down a few branches, took out flint from his backpack, and with a flick of both hands, produced a flame. After setting up a simple grill, Xu Feng began roasting the brisket.

When the brisket was almost done, Xu Feng took out his seasonings and sprinkled them over it. A while later, it was ready. Xu Feng picked it up and started eating. The taste was decent, nothing special—far worse than what the chef at home made. Still, Xu Feng was not a picky eater.

After eating, Xu Feng roasted the remaining brisket as well. It was best not to start a fire at night in the Wilderness Zone, so he planned to eat the roasted brisket later that evening. He wrapped it in large oil leaves, placed it in an inner compartment of his backpack, and continued onward.

In the Wilderness Zone, skyscrapers towered overhead, while all kinds of plants had grown unchecked for who knew how many years. This made traveling through the Wilderness Zone extremely troublesome. The worst part was often having to climb over high-rises or take long, winding detours.

When moving through the Wilderness Zone, never clear away the thorns blocking the path. It was better to take a longer route. Jiang Nian had told Xu Feng this, and Xu Feng followed his advice.

First, he would find two Intermediate Beast Soldiers to practice on, then look for an Advanced Beast Soldier to play with. Once he became proficient at dealing with Advanced Beast Soldiers, he would find a Beginner Beast General to fight. If he could kill one, he would challenge an intermediate Beast General and see how it went before deciding what to do next. That was Xu Feng's plan.

After going a little deeper, he spotted several beast soldier monsters not far away. Xu Feng walked toward one of the Intermediate Beast Soldiers.

This Land Bird was an Intermediate Beast Soldier, a feather-covered monster that mainly attacked by pecking with its beak and was incredibly fast. Xu Feng moved with blazing speed, swinging the Blood Shadow Saber directly at the Land Bird. The Land Bird was fast as well and dodged the strike, but it immediately let out a cry and stabbed its thick, long beak toward Xu Feng. Xu Feng's saber slid along the beak and cleaved into the bird's head. The Land Bird fell to the ground dead.

Its IQ is below zero, using its beak to clash head-on with the Blood Shadow Saber. Xu Feng thought to himself. He felt that Intermediate Beast Soldiers were nothing much and wanted to find an Advanced Beast Soldier for a challenge. He thought of the Advanced Beast Soldier he had seen earlier.

That monster was an Advanced Beast Soldier Shadow Hound. Though dogs were generally pack-dwelling monsters, Shadow Hounds were an exception. Proud by nature, they always traveled alone.

The Advanced Beast Soldier Shadow Hound. Xu Feng quietly approached it. He saw a pitch-black dog the size of a calf gnawing on a dead rabbit. It seemed that this Shadow Hound had just returned from feeding.

Holding the Blood Shadow Saber, Xu Feng casually swung it at the Shadow Hound, which had just eaten its fill and was preparing to rest.

Boom! The completely unguarded Shadow Hound was struck squarely by Xu Feng's attack. The dog was sent flying hard, yet it got back to its feet. "It's fine? How is that possible? Looks like I didn't hit the right spot. Copper head, iron bones, tofu waist. Let's see if you die this time." Xu Feng muttered, but the saber in his hand was already slashing toward its waist.

Having just eaten its fill, the Shadow Hound immediately glared at Xu Feng with scarlet eyes after being suddenly attacked by a human.

The Shadow Hound suddenly pounced at Xu Feng. Its speed startled even him. A streak of black light shot straight toward Xu Feng. His saber strike missed.

However, the black claws raked Xu Feng's leg. "So fast!" As he continuously swung the Blood Shadow Saber at the Shadow Hound, Xu Feng could not help marveling at the monster's speed.

Boom! In another collision, Xu Feng was knocked back several steps by the Shadow Hound before stopping. The Shadow Hound still stared fixedly at him with crimson eyes. I can't be careless anymore. Xu Feng activated his Mental Power, sending one Seven-element Flying Dagger after another toward the Shadow Hound.

The Shadow Hound was struck. Before it could react, Xu Feng's Blood Shadow Saber slashed toward its waist. The Shadow Hound collapsed to the ground, yet it still stared tightly at Xu Feng with crimson eyes. Xu Feng's Blood Shadow Saber struck its waist again, cutting the hound cleanly in two. Xu Feng took out his dagger and extracted the black material before immediately leaving the battlefield for another place.

Only after traveling far away did Xu Feng stop. After the battle, he had noticed a Beginner Beast General approaching. An Advanced Beast Soldier had already injured him, so facing a Beginner Beast General, he might very well die there.

"My combat experience is still too weak. Even when I had the advantage and launched a sneak attack, I still got myself injured. In the end, I even had to use Mental Power to kill it."

Inside an abandoned high-rise in the Wilderness Zone, Xu Feng treated his wound and cultivated Gene Energy. Life-and-death battles had always been the fastest way for martial artists to improve their strength. Only frenzied combat could squeeze out more of the body's potential.

Summer brought especially frequent rains, and by evening, heavy rain had begun to fall.

Sitting on the ground and listening to the rain outside the window, Xu Feng slowly closed his eyes, his heart peaceful. At the same time, he began sensing the flow of Cosmic Force between heaven and earth. It was as tranquil as music, a feeling like returning to his parents' embrace.

A serene smile appeared on Xu Feng's face as he entered a meditative state. With his heart at peace, Xu Feng slowly closed his eyes and began sensing the transformation within his body.

A vast amount of Cosmic Force flowed into his body, spreading through him like a surging river and transforming into Gene Energy.

A smile curled at Xu Feng's lips. Then he focused his mind and controlled his cells to absorb the energy, strengthening his body.

"Phew."

His tightly shut eyes slowly opened. Waves of warmth rose from his lower abdomen, filling his entire body with power.

He felt that his strength had now reached around 8,000 kilograms. With Mental Power, he should be able to reach the level of an Intermediate General.

Clenching his right fist, the Gene Energy within him naturally surged forth. Xu Feng fiercely punched the stone surface beside him.

Boom! Like steel striking steel, a crater instantly appeared in the ground, with cracks spreading outward in every direction.

"My physical fitness has reached Advanced Warrior level."

Feeling the changes within his body, Xu Feng became somewhat excited. An increase in physical fitness also represented a breakthrough in Mental Power.

"My Mental Power has also reached Intermediate General level."