Sudden Assault, Bloody Battle

The smell of blood here was growing heavier and heavier. It would inevitably draw even stronger Ferocious Beasts, so he absolutely could not linger for long.

The first rule that had to be followed when hunting Ferocious Beasts was never to slaughter in the same place for too long.

The thick scent of blood would surely attract stronger predators. When that happened, it might no longer be clear who was the hunter and who was the prey.

Leaving that patch of forest behind, Gu Yang continued onward.

He had no specific destination, merely wandering without purpose.

Whichever direction a sound came from, that was where he went.

Slaughter. Unceasing slaughter.

By dusk, when he turned and headed out of the mountain forest, an inescapable bloody aura already clung to his body.

Within the forest, Gu Yang strode swiftly onward with a steel saber in hand.

The mountain forest was fraught with danger at night, and the paths became even harder to traverse in the darkness. If possible, he did not want to feel his way back in the dark on the very first day of the trial.

"Whoosh~"

As he neared the place where he had killed that black panther in the morning, a faint breeze suddenly blew toward him. Gu Yang immediately halted, his gaze sweeping in every direction.

Aside from the rank, fishy stench mixed into the wind that put him on guard, he abruptly realized that the surroundings seemed to have grown quiet some time ago.

Not only was there no sound of beasts moving, there was not even the faintest chirp from birds, insects, or mosquitoes.

"A large predator! There must be a large hunter prowling this area!"

The thought flashed through his mind, and Gu Yang hurriedly began backing away with the utmost caution.

The next moment, an intense signal far stronger than anything before suddenly erupted in his mind.

"Above!"

A massive black shadow blotted out the sunlight and pounced down from above.

Without even raising his head, Gu Yang gripped his saber and slashed upward.

Clang!

Metal struck metal, sparks flying in all directions. Gu Yang was jolted back again and again by an immense force.

The black shadow flipped backward and sprang onto a tree once more.

Only then did Gu Yang see clearly that the one who had ambushed him was another panther.

This panther measured a full seven or eight feet long. It looked much the same as the one he had killed that morning, with black fur and dark stripes, but it was more than a size larger than the previous one.

"Here for revenge?"

Gu Yang's gaze sharpened. He raised a hand, tore off both bundles on his back, and tossed them to the ground.

This black panther was exceptionally strong. This battle was bound to be grueling, and victory or defeat might be decided by a hair's breadth. Keeping the bundles on him would hinder his movements and surely lower his chances of winning.

The black panther gave Gu Yang no time to react or adjust. In the blink of an eye, a foul wind rushed at him.

Fast! Too fast!

The black panther was so fast that Gu Yang's eyes could not even follow its shadow.

Fortunately, the Killing Intent Perception talent in his mind kept signaling the black panther's location. Following his instincts, Gu Yang slashed out once more.

Power Surge, Mighty Ox Strength!

In that instant, both talents empowered him at once, and the force of two thousand jin erupted within his body.

This slash howled through the air as it instantly closed in on the black panther.

Clang!

The blade collided with the black panther's steel claws. An immense force crashed into him, splitting Gu Yang's tiger's mouth open at once.

Yet he did not so much as glance at it. He planted his feet and steadied himself, closing in as he swung his saber again.

Boom!

The saber collided with the black panther's steel claws once more.

This time, without the momentum of its pounce, the black panther was actually swept from the air by Gu Yang's slash. It crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a ring of dust.

Roar!

Rolling to its feet, the black panther's eyes were blood-red and filled with bloodlust as it pounced at Gu Yang again.

At the same time, Gu Yang stepped forward, swung his saber, and swept it horizontally.

One side bore the irreconcilable hatred of a wife's murder and was fighting with utter desperation; the other had been forced into battle, yet grew braver with every clash. Two thousand jin of force surged within him, and every slash erupted with his full strength, utterly overpowering the black panther.

Clang!

Blade and claws met once again. Blood gushed from Gu Yang's tiger's mouth, soaking the red cord around the hilt. At the same time, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes. He twisted and pulled the saber with the momentum of the strike, snapping all four of the black panther's sharp claws at once.

"Argh~"

Pain wracked the black panther, and it could not help letting out a miserable howl as it explosively retreated.

But Gu Yang was no slower to react. He stomped hard against the earth and shot forward, closing the distance in a single step.

Whoosh!

His saber cleaved out like thunder, striking at the instant when the black panther's old strength had been spent and its new strength had yet to arise, severing its right forelimb in a flash.

Seeing its right forelimb hang limp and its body tilt sideways, Gu Yang stepped forward again and slashed out.

Crack~

The black panther was sent flying by the blow and smashed into a tree two feet thick.

The tremendous force snapped the trunk outright, sending it slanting backward as it toppled.

The black panther hit the ground. Blood slowly seeped from its mouth and nose, yet the ferocity in its eyes did not diminish.

But beneath the crushing suppression of absolute strength, the black panther had no room left to struggle.

A moment later, Gu Yang swung his saber. With the back of the blade facing down, he smashed it heavily onto the black panther's forehead, shattering its hard skull at once.

"Hmph!"

Straightening up, Gu Yang gave a cold snort. His eyes swept the surroundings, filled with Sha Qi.

In an instant, a rustling sounded all around as the hunters hiding in the shadows fled one after another.

Life-Slaying Saber proficiency +34

Azure Dragon Dance proficiency +11

Two lines of text passed before his eyes in succession. Seeing the proficiency of both skills rise again, Gu Yang was in high spirits. He could not be bothered to deal with those fleeing Ferocious Beasts, so he hoisted the black panther's corpse onto his back and turned to leave.

Though the bloody battle had been dangerous, the gains were immense!

This haul was a huge profit!

The sun set, and the surrounding light gradually dimmed.

Gu Yang returned to the military camp alone, carrying the corpse of a Giant Beast several times larger than himself on his back. He immediately drew countless sidelong glances from the soldiers.

"That's a Black-Striped Leopard, right? That Martial Academy disciple must be new. He actually hunted and brought back a Black-Striped Leopard all by himself!"

"Yes, and it's an adult male Black-Striped Leopard. An adult male Black-Striped Leopard is usually seven to eight feet long, incredibly fast, and silent when it moves. Unless a squad of ten forms up in formation, they cannot be confronted. The young truly are to be feared. Sigh..."

"Hehe, what, jealous? Back then, you were a genius chosen by the Martial Academy just like him. Yet after all these years outside, you're not even half as strong as he is. I think you ought to reflect on yourself properly."

"Get lost. It's not like you're much stronger than me!"

"At least I'm stronger than you."

"..."

"Beast ears and heads, forty-three in total. One intact adult male Black-Striped Leopard corpse. Ninety-three points altogether."

A short while later, Gu Yang carried the Black-Striped Leopard's corpse to the Quartermaster Office in the main camp.

The Black-Faced Clerk, whose beard reached his chest, quickly tallied Gu Yang's gains from this trip. Then he took out a stack of banknotes, drew seven from it, and handed the rest to Gu Yang.

"Your Martial Academy points can also be used to purchase goods within the camp, though the prices are a little higher. If you need to replenish medicine or anything else, you can buy it directly from the three-story wooden building behind you."

"Ninety-three points means ninety-three taels of silver. Martial artists really do make money easily." Gu Yang thought this, but replied aloud as well, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"Haha, I'm hardly worthy of being called sir..."