Rapid Rate of Improvement

Gu Yang's heart pounded. What had just happened had truly been perilous.

If his swing had been any slower and the Black Panther had landed on him, he would have been in grave danger.

But it had been so thrilling!

The resistance as the blade sliced through the Black Panther's fur, the silky smoothness of cleaving through flesh and bone.

That life-or-death struggle in the flash of lightning and spark of flint sent his adrenaline surging wildly.

This felt far better than chopping wood, cutting meat, striking the air, or even sparring.

More importantly, that single fully focused strike had raised the proficiency of the Life-Slaying Saber by five points, equal to half a day of arduous training.

Between life and death lay great terror, but also great opportunity.

This rate of growth far surpassed every method of cultivation he had used before!

Gu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath.

The thick stench of blood rushed into his nostrils, yet he did not feel the slightest nausea. Instead, his heart became exceptionally calm.

The Black Panther's breathing gradually stopped, and the light in its eyes dimmed.

Calmly sensing the movements around him and confirming there was no danger, Gu Yang strode forward and casually swung his blade, severing the Black Panther's left ear.

Although bringing the Black Panther's corpse back would earn him more points, he had only just set out. Naturally, he would not turn back for the sake of a single Black Panther corpse.

He tossed the beast ear into the leather pouch at his waist and continued onward.

The mountain forest was dim, sunlight filtering through the trees in scattered patches.

Even with the Killing Intent Perception talent guarding against hidden dangers, Gu Yang did not lower his guard.

The world was vast and full of wonders. For true experts, concealing killing intent was as easy as eating and drinking.

Human Race martial artists could do it, and some Ferocious Beasts that had grown through slaughter could naturally do the same.

Therefore, he could never entrust his safety entirely to this talent.

"Crack~"

A dead branch broke beneath his foot, and Gu Yang immediately focused his gaze into the distance.

At that very instant, a faint sound had also come from the darkness ahead.

Had he not remained vigilant at all times, he would never have noticed it.

Stopping in place, Gu Yang gripped his saber with both hands and silently waited.

He did not dare place complete trust in his perception talent, so he remained wholly focused on every direction around him.

Fortunately, Killing Intent Perception worked once more.

In an instant, a powerful signal erupted in Gu Yang's mind. A dense killing intent had appeared five zhang to his left front.

But before he could react, the killing intent rushed straight at him.

A jade-green long snake suddenly shot out from the nearby undergrowth. In midair, it opened its jaws, and a black streak flew toward him in an instant.

Their eyes met, and the jade-green snake's cold, venomous, killing-intent-filled gaze immediately imprinted itself in Gu Yang's mind.

Yet to Gu Yang, who had undergone Hong Tao's special training, this level of killing intent was no more than a breeze brushing his face.

In a flash, he stepped aside to evade the incoming venom. At the same time, Gu Yang raised his saber and swept it horizontally at the long snake.

"Pa!"

In midair, the long snake suddenly arched its body. Its front and rear halves overlapped with a crisp crack, then it borrowed the force to leap upward, vaulting over the blade and continuing its charge at Gu Yang.

"Hmph!"

Gu Yang suddenly withdrew his saber, lowered his body, and swayed aside, evading the snake's pounce and arriving behind it. At the same time, he thrust the saber in his hand backward.

The blade gleamed like a silver ribbon as it sliced through the air.

The snake's tail flew away, blood scattering in every direction. When it landed on the ground, it gave off sizzling corrosive sounds.

Even this venomous snake's blood was corrosive. It could be said that every inch of its body was poisonous.

Unfortunately, if it could not touch Gu Yang, even venom that sealed the throat at the sight of blood was useless.

Taking several more strides, Gu Yang closed in just before the long snake could dart onto a branch and flee. He suddenly raised his saber and hacked down in fury.

"Crack~"

The long snake and the arm-thick branch it had coiled around snapped at the same time and fell downward.

"Swish!"

Another flash of blade light, and the snake's head flew up, separating from its body. Its corpse was left in two places.

Life-Slaying Saber proficiency +9

Azure Dragon Dance proficiency +3

"Whew..."

Two lines of small text flashed before his eyes. Gu Yang let out a long breath, calming his racing heart. At the same time, he gripped his saber in both hands and planted it on the ground, his gaze warily sweeping the surroundings.

Now was not the time to care about the progress of his two Martial Techniques. The dangers in these mountains would not refresh in waves like monsters in games from his previous life, giving him time to recover and rest.

While fighting that long snake just now, signals of killing intent had repeatedly appeared in his mind. It was merely that the hunters lurking nearby had later retreated.

However, who knew whether something might still be hiding in the darkness?

A long time passed, then longer still, yet not the slightest sound came from the surroundings.

After confirming the area was safe, Gu Yang suddenly kicked out.

A grain of sand shot up from the ground and flew straight toward the jade-green snake's head.

"Hiss!"

The snake's eyes suddenly turned. Its head shot skyward, its jaws opened wide, fangs appearing as it bit the grain of sand into pieces.

Only after flying more than a zhang did it fall back to the ground, roll several times, and remain motionless.

"Tap, tap, tap~"

Gu Yang kicked several more grains of sand over, striking the snake's head.

The snake's head rolled continuously from the impacts, yet it showed no reaction at all.

Only then did he slowly walk over.

With a flick of his saber, the snake's head flew up and dropped into the black leather pouch.

Gu Yang tightened the pouch and turned to leave.

"Chirp!"

Very soon, the sounds of avian Ferocious Beasts fighting over food rose behind him.

That was the nature of Ferocious Beasts. They fought humans, fought other races, and endlessly slaughtered one another as well.

Other than briefly obeying the Beast King of their territory during wartime, they lived entirely by their hunting instincts the rest of the time.

"Boom!"

With one stomp, Gu Yang turned back again.

As he charged forward at high speed, the three birds fighting over the long snake's corpse immediately shot into the sky.

But though they reacted quickly, Gu Yang moved even faster.

He suddenly leapt, then swung his saber. Two black-feathered, white-beaked birds over a foot long were instantly swept from the air by Gu Yang.

Only the gray-feathered large bird with a wingspan of over five chi reacted in time, escaping disaster and flying far away.

Quickly stepping forward, Gu Yang slashed off the two birds' heads with two swishes and tossed them into his leather pouch. Having gained another two points, he was highly satisfied.

Not only that, amid the unceasing slaughter, the proficiency of his two Martial Techniques was also increasing at a rapid pace.

Skill: Blood Nourishing Stance · Major Accomplishment (107/400); Azure Dragon Dance · Minor Accomplishment (196/1000), Life-Slaying Saber · Minor Accomplishment (24/200)

Talents: Vitality Surge, Power Surge, Mighty Ox Strength, Killing Intent Perception.

Azure Dragon Dance had only improved slightly, but the Life-Slaying Saber's proficiency had risen by a full seventeen points.

At the current rate, this skill might break through once more in only a few days.

Even Gu Yang himself was astonished by this speed of progress!

"Rustle~"

Suddenly, another unidentified sound rang out in the distance. This time, however, Gu Yang merely glanced in that direction before turning and leaving the other way.