Sword Qi Condensed into Tangible Form?

A terrifying furrow over ten meters long had been gouged into the ground, a shocking sight as though some immense force had forcibly plowed it out.

At the end of the furrow lay the massive corpse of a wild boar.

Standing before the Wild Boar King was a young man.

It was precisely that reckless fool they had seen on the hillside earlier, the one who had seemed to be courting death.

Yang Yu's face was unusually pale after activating Bloodthirsty Battle Intent. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his breathing was slightly hurried.

To Leng Yuan and the young man, this appearance perfectly confirmed their suspicions.

This kid had definitely been scared senseless by what had just happened!

"Sister Leng Yuan, th-this is over already?"

Lu Fei stared at the Wild Boar King's corpse as it gradually dissipated, his voice full of stunned disbelief.

From the moment they sensed the Elite BOSS's energy fluctuations to the instant those fluctuations vanished, it had probably taken less than twenty seconds!

Twenty seconds to kill a level 10 Elite BOSS?

What kind of international joke was that?

Even if the two of them joined forces, with excellent equipment and mastery of their skills, they would still need at least ten minutes of fighting at full strength—and that was with considerable risk.

"What incredible speed..."

For once, a hint of gravity appeared on Leng Yuan's usually icy face.

She ignored Lu Fei and walked straight to the Wild Boar King's corpse. Squatting down, she carefully examined the traces of battle left on the ground.

Lu Fei walked over to Yang Yu, putting on what he believed was a kind and approachable expression.

"Hey, newbie, don't be scared. Did you see who killed this Wild Boar King just now?"

His tone made it sound as though he were questioning a passerby still shaken from a fright.

How could he possibly think Yang Yu had done it?

Don't be ridiculous.

Look at how pale the kid was, like he had been drained dry. He had clearly been frightened stupid by that battle.

The fact that he could stand here without wetting himself already showed remarkable mental fortitude.

Yang Yu lifted his eyelids and gave him a quick glance.

He felt nothing at all, and even found it a little funny.

Admit that he had killed it?

These two obviously would not believe him anyway.

And he had no interest in explaining himself.

Besides, the first rule of survival in the wild was: Professionals were the greatest threat.

The two of them did not look like villains who killed for treasure, but he had just used Bloodthirsty Battle Intent and was currently in a weakened state. It was better to keep a low profile.

After all, an Elite BOSS's drops were definitely worth a fair amount of money.

He did not want to test human nature.

So Yang Yu cooperatively shook his head, making only the slightest movement. His eyes were dull as he perfectly imitated a high school student who had been scared stupid.

"Tsk!"

Seeing Yang Yu's vacant expression, Lu Fei immediately wore an expression of just as I thought.

He turned to Leng Yuan, looking regretful. "Sister Leng Yuan, this kid was probably scared senseless. He didn't even see who killed it."

But Leng Yuan paid no attention to him.

Half-kneeling on the ground, her slender fingers clad in black tactical gloves carefully traced several smooth slash marks in the dirt.

"To kill the Wild Boar King so quickly, before we even arrived..."

Leng Yuan's voice was low, carrying a gravity that bordered on disbelief.

"With this kind of strength... silent and elusive, coming and going like the wind... Since when did Linhai City's Novice Zone hide someone like this?"

Seeing that Leng Yuan was ignoring him, Lu Fei felt slightly awkward, but he immediately followed her line of thought.

"Could it be that arrogant guy?"

A figure carrying a great axe, with a face full of flesh, instantly surfaced in his mind.

"Greedy Wolf from the Greedy Wolf Battle Group? He's the highest-level person in these woods."

"Impossible."

Leng Yuan rejected the idea decisively and finally looked up.

She rose to her feet with crisp movements, walked directly to the Wild Boar King's corpse, and pointed at several smooth wounds on its body.

"Look here!"

Lu Fei hurried over. When he saw the wound clearly, his pupils abruptly contracted.

It was not an ordinary tear caused by a sharp weapon, but an extremely thin, deep, smooth cut—as though it had been sliced by a laser!

Deep within the wound lingered a trace of condensed, razor-sharp aura that made his skin tingle faintly with pain.

"Th-this is?!"

Even his voice changed pitch, filled with incredulous horror.

"Sword Qi?! Sword Qi condensed into tangible form?!"

"That's right."

For the first time, Leng Yuan's voice revealed undisguised excitement and near-reverent admiration.

Her fingertips wanted to touch the wound and savor it in detail, yet she feared damaging the artistic slash.

"The source of this aura... is the warrior's beginner skill, Blade Draw!"

Yang Yu's eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly.

Damn! What sharp eyes!

This official lady isn't simple at all. She can even recognize Sword Qi Projection?

"Blade Draw?!"

Lu Fei's face was full of disbelief. He nearly jumped up.

"What kind of joke is this? A common beginner skill can have this kind of power? It can even slash out Sword Qi? Sister Leng Yuan, have you been working so much overtime that your eyes are playing tricks on you?"

"Why is it impossible?"

Leng Yuan suddenly turned to him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and burning light shone in her eyes.

"When a skill has been practiced a hundred thousand times, a million times, it can transcend the limits of the skill and undergo a qualitative transformation!"

Her tone was filled with undisguised worship.

"I can't be mistaken! This is the unique effect one can comprehend only after practicing Blade Draw to level 10—Sword Qi Projection!"

"This is a threshold that only true monsters in the military, those who have crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, are qualified to touch!"

"Greedy Wolf?"

A profoundly contemptuous curve formed at the corner of Leng Yuan's lips, as though she were discussing trash by the roadside.

"If he had the will to hone the basics to such an extreme, why would he be unable to even break through the first class advancement, reduced to throwing his weight around in a novice forest?"

"Even in the military, people like that are exceedingly rare!"

"He isn't even worthy to carry such a person's shoes!"

Yang Yu's mouth twitched slightly.

Ahem... a million times is a bit exaggerated... Though if one practiced normally, it would still take tens of thousands of times.

And my talent is special. I only need a few hundred times.

Her evaluation of him was so high that he felt a little embarrassed.

Lu Fei was dumbfounded by Leng Yuan's string of fervently admiring words. The cold breath he sucked in nearly choked him.

Practicing a Basic Skill to the extreme? A million times?

What kind of joke was that?

Where would people like them find so many monsters to chop?

Could it be during a Beast Tide?

Skills honed by defending against Beast Tides?

That would be utterly terrifying.

The reason the two of them were here investigating abnormalities was, to a certain extent, to prevent Beast Tides from occurring.

Although the monsters here were low-level, sufficient numbers could still cause Lin Hai City considerable trouble.

He swallowed with difficulty as he looked at the unprecedented light in Leng Yuan's eyes.

Then he teased, "Sister Leng Yuan, that look in your eyes... don't tell me you've started admiring this person?"

"Tsk tsk, it's rare to see you praise anyone so highly! This evaluation is even higher than the one you'd give our Captain!"

Leng Yuan was stunned by his teasing, and the flush on her face seemed to deepen.

But she immediately put on a stern face, returning to her usual coldness, and shot the young man a fierce glare.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm merely stating facts! Reverence for true experts is a basic quality!"

Yet her gaze kept unconsciously drifting back to that Sword Qi cut, exposing her true thoughts.

Yang Yu nearly failed to maintain his expression.

Hey, brother, you can see through it, but don't say it out loud!

He watched his nose, then watched his heart, trying hard to maintain the expression of someone scared senseless. Yet he could not help feeling both amused and helpless.

Being mistaken for a hidden expert... was actually quite strange.

Just then.

A burst of noisy footsteps and shouting came from not far away in the woods.

"Move faster, all of you! Damn it, if someone else snatches the boss, I'll skin every last one of you!"

A rough, arrogant voice drew closer.

Then a large group of people appeared in the forest clearing.

At their head was a burly, bald man with a face full of flesh. A thick gold chain hung around his neck, and his gaze was fierce. He was Greedy Wolf, the leader of the Greedy Wolf Battle Group.

Beside him stood a handsome but gloomy youth wearing equipment made of Wild Boar Fur on his arms, along with dozens of vicious-looking battle group members wielding various weapons.

When they saw Leng Yuan's group of three in the clearing, along with the Wild Boar King lying on the ground, their expressions instantly turned extremely ugly.