First Display of Skill

The autumn wind rustled, causing the plants in the forest to whisper and fallen leaves to flutter down.

Han Housheng gripped the pudao tightly in his hand and slowly walked forward, his eyes filled with determination, leaving only a firm and solid back for everyone to see.

"Up the trees!" His tone was firm, brooking no argument.

The rest of the group dared not be careless, nor would they waste even a sliver of the escape time Han Housheng was desperately buying them.

Like arrows released from a bow, they all sprinted towards several trees about five meters away, each about forty centimeters thick.

The three boars closest to them let out a roar upon seeing this and charged again.

Han Housheng guarded the front, standing with his saber drawn, veins bulging on his body. He stared at the three charging boars and let out a furious roar!

The imposing aura of his shout made the three boars hesitate, unwilling to advance rashly.

In ancient times, warriors often let out a shout during combat.

This wasn't just a random yell; it served multiple purposes. First, it dispelled their own fear, preventing them from becoming too nervous. Second, it allowed their mental energy to become more focused, keeping their muscles taut. Third, it was meant to intimidate the enemy.

By this time, the other seven people had reached the trees.

Lin Yuan, knowing the urgency of the situation, dared not delay and said to Han Fei, "You go up first."

Zhao Youjia immediately cried out anxiously, "What about me? I don't know how to climb."

"Go!" Lin Yuan didn't waste words with him.

Han Fei glanced at Lin Yuan and, without hesitation, rapidly climbed up, standing on one of the tree trunks.

Then, Lin Yuan looked at Zhao Youjia, "Grab that branch later."

Zhao Youjia was bewildered. That branch was several meters off the ground; how was he supposed to grab it?

Before he could figure it out, Lin Yuan grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, like picking up a cat.

"Remember to grab it. I'll only give you one chance. If you don't grab it, you'll be boar feed," Lin Yuan's tone allowed no room for rebuttal.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yuan lifted him up, and Zhao Youjia's body was flung several meters into the air.

Lin Yuan's strength was perfectly controlled. The height he threw Zhao Youjia was just about half a meter above the branch, right at chest level.

As long as one wasn't completely useless, grabbing the branch wouldn't be difficult.

Zhao Youjia reacted quickly and immediately grabbed the branch, but he was only holding on, with half his body still suspended in the air.

"Han Fei, pull him up."

With that, Lin Yuan ran towards the others.

Xun Haotian and Xun Ruobing, the siblings, had already climbed the trees.

Although Xun Ruobing had studied medicine since childhood and hadn't practiced martial arts like her brother, she had grown up in a martial arts family and had good physical conditioning. With her brother's help, she quickly climbed up.

At this moment, the most difficult ascent was undoubtedly for Han Shusheng and Liu Shan's pair.

Han Shusheng could climb the tree with ease, but Liu Shan was too heavy and lacked strength in his hands, still struggling at the base of the tree.

Over by Han Housheng, the three boars circled him.

Neither side made the first move.

Suddenly, a loud boar squeal echoed from the hillside, it was the Boar King.

As if receiving an order, two of the boars suddenly charged at Han Housheng, while the other boar charged towards Liu Shan's position.

Han Housheng knew it was time to fight for his life. His eyes widened like copper bells, his face flushed red as if he had drunk several pounds of potent liquor, a sign of him mobilizing all his strength.

"Hah!"

He strode forward, raised his saber with both hands, and suddenly spun his entire body, his pudao slashing diagonally with the force of his rotation.

The boar charging at him was agile. About two meters away, it suddenly leaped to the right, dodging his powerful slash.

The other boar, taking advantage of his unrecovered stance, charged directly at his left side.

If Han Housheng were to retract his saber now and prepare a new move, he would inevitably take a direct hit during the brief pause.

So, he used his left hand to brace the back of the saber and smoothly flicked it upwards, executing a move called [Scooping the Moon from the Sea].

If his opponent were human at this moment, they would surely be dead or severely injured from this move.

But his opponent was a thick-skinned, tough, and incredibly strong boar.

The boar attacking from the left flank showed no fear, launching itself directly at Han Housheng.

The boar seemed to have calculated that this move wouldn't inflict much damage on it.

In a flash, the saber's edge didn't strike the boar's head but veered slightly to the left, about an inch.

This caused the pudao to hit the boar's right side, about one centimeter to the right of its spine.

The boar's bristles shone with a glossy sheen. Han Housheng's upward slash, although it connected, didn't land solidly because the blade slipped the moment it made contact.

Seeing this, Han Housheng inwardly cursed.

If that boar managed to ram him, he would be finished.

So, he lunged his entire body to the right, rolled twice on the ground, and narrowly dodged the boar's attack.

The battle raged fiercely on one side, while Liu Shan's situation was equally nerve-wracking.

Since Liu Shan couldn't climb up no matter what, Han Shusheng had to think of another way.

So, he climbed up first, then lowered the rope tied to his javelin, allowing Liu Shan to use the rope to climb.

But Liu Shan was truly a useless youth.

His hands were weak, his waist was soft, and even with the rope, he couldn't climb up for the life of him.

This was his third attempt; the first two times he fell after climbing about 2 meters.

He gripped the rope tightly with both hands, his feet braced against the tree trunk, climbing with all his might.

"Oh man, why is this darn rope always swaying so much."

Liu Shan grumbled as he climbed.

Before, when he was being chased by the wild boar, he felt like his legs were about to give out. Now, he felt like his arms were going to give out.

If it weren't for the desire to survive, he would have given up long ago.

"Brother, can't you just pull me up?" Liu Shan pleaded, looking up at Han Shusheng.

Han Shusheng showed a helpless expression. "I can't pull you up, not from up here."

He wasn't strong enough to pull Liu Shan, who weighed over 160 pounds, up a tree.

Just as Liu Shan was complaining, a wild boar charged straight at him.

Coincidentally, it was the same boar that had chased him before.

Familiar foes make for a fiercer fight.

Liu Shan recognized it immediately because the boar had a very distinct feature: a missing corner on its ear.

"It's you again, you little bastard! Why the hell are you still chasing me!"

After a string of curses, Liu Shan scrambled up the tree with all his strength. His life was too precious to risk.

At this point, he was about 1.5 meters off the ground, well within the boar's attack range.

With a slight jump, the boar could send Liu Shan falling on his rear.

The charging boar let out a series of "ji ji" sounds from its mouth, as if expressing its excitement.

Seeing the boar about to reach him, Liu Shan's palms started to sweat.

The sweat on his hands caused him to slip suddenly.

He tumbled heavily to the ground.

Liu Shan's heart pounded, and fear instantly consumed him.

At this moment, everyone watching from the tree held their breath, worried for him.

"It's over, we're really done for this time!"

Just at this critical moment, Lin Yuan's figure suddenly appeared in front of Liu Shan.

Liu Shan looked up at him, as if seeing a towering mountain. He had never felt someone could be so imposing.

"Is he trying to get himself killed???" Xun Ruobing worried from the tree.

"A Yuan, dodge quickly!" Han Fei shouted at Lin Yuan.

In his heart, his childhood friend's life was ten thousand times more precious than Liu Shan's.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

But they didn't know that Lin Yuan's heart was currently like a blazing inferno, filled with excitement.

His eyes held no trace of fear, only an intense fighting spirit.