Advance into the Grassland X The Source of the Wind

Gale Grassland.

The border region adjacent to the Giant Beast Kingdom.

Kevin and his friends arrived here.

This time, they will embark on a second exploration of the Gale Grassland.

Kevin brought Men Qi, Rukira, Morel, Koto.

After all, our current understanding of the Danger Level of the Gale Grassland largely stems from their environmental hazards.

"Truly magnificent! You have to see this for yourself to truly appreciate it."

Kevin stood Tree Top, gazing out over the entire verdant grassland.

Below.

Koto had already squatted down at the edge of the grassland, looking at the green grass that reached up to her knees.

"It seems that the animals on the entire grassland Chairman very tall, at least compared to the animals in the Giant Beast Kingdom, they are much smaller."

Observing these grasses, Koto came to a conclusion.

This is a logical problem that is very easy to deduce.

The grass is so short that the creatures living on the grasslands are unlikely to be very tall.

Whether they are hunters or herbivores.

This makes it difficult to either hide or eat grass.

Koto reached out and tried to pluck a few blades of grass.

But her dragging motion, pulling on the base, had almost no power to uproot the other party.

"Um?"

This situation immediately made Koto think of something.

They dug directly into the soil around the tree roots with their bare hands, quickly getting their hands covered in mud as they removed a layer of topsoil.

Upon closer inspection, it was quickly discovered that although it was just ordinary grass, its root system was extremely exaggerated, to the point that the size of the root system was comparable to that of the grass itself.

Moreover, the dense root system is as intricate as a spider web, intertwined with the roots of the surrounding weeds.

"That's an exaggeration; it's something that would never happen in human society."

"Moreover, given this magnitude, we're more likely to be stepping on a mat woven from grass roots than on mud."

Kevin's men were also gathered around, but they didn't disturb her; instead, they just watched Koto work.

That's how they were, digging at the grass roots one moment and kneading the soil the next.

On the edge of the entire grassland.

"Even without specialized equipment, we can still produce a fairly rough report."

Koto patted the dirt off her hands and said.

"First, we can confirm that the nutrients in this soil are not bad, and may even be higher than in other areas we were in before."

"In such fertile soil, such an exaggerated root system is still needed; the nutrients in these fodders are truly extraordinary."

"This is a kind of highly nutritious fodder. No joke, we can extract high-nutritional-value substances from this fodder as soon as we bring it back."

"Of course, the taste isn't great, but that doesn't negate its nutritional value."

This also explains why it applies to horses, sheep, and cows.

The nutritional value of the flesh of these creatures living on the grasslands far exceeds expectations.

They are all extremely nutritious meats; you could even say they're like meat made from a high concentration of Nutrient Potion.

"However, these grasses have not yet grown to their proper size. Although it sounds a bit strange, the reason is that the surrounding soil is not fertile enough to support them."

"Therefore, for these grasses, the surrounding land is barren. If the grassland is extensive enough, then in the central or inner areas, one should be able to see grasses growing very well."

Furthermore, they have determined that the dominant species on this grassland are the highly nutritious Long-haired cattle.

These Long-haired cattle must occupy the core territory of the grassland, and the core territory should have very well-preserved grass.

As she spoke, Koto picked up a blade of grass from the ground, its roots covering the ground.

However, he had already severed the roots in the more distant parts, making this the most intact blade of grass he could dig up in such a short time.

"Do you think this can be used as material?"

After all, it is a plant that is highly nutritious.

Kevin took it and thought about it for a moment.

"If I had to categorize it, it could be considered one, but at most it can only be regarded as an auxiliary material for C-class potion."

To put it simply, it could be considered a material, but it probably doesn't even reach the level of C-Rank.

After spending most of the day gathering the information they needed in the peripheral area, it was time to move on.

The group remained vigilant as they stepped onto the grassland.

Kevin used his Nen Aura to create a large hexagonal barrier in front of him.

The group followed behind Kevin.

This provides effective temporary defense; even if the Wind Blade shatter the barrier, it at least gives them a chance to dodge.

As for why it doesn't fly...

They mainly fly in the sky and are easily disturbed by birds in the sky.

If you can withstand the Wind Blade below, there's no need to fly.

Suddenly a gentle breeze came.

Everyone immediately sensed it and became serious.

Kevin frowned slightly, ready for anything.

Sure enough, the sound of the breeze quickly turned into the sound of a blade cutting through the air.

In the distance, many weeds were cut down out of thin air, and the hay was swirled by the wind and floated on the grassland.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound.

The Wind Blade struck the barrier.

However, the barrier wasn't shattered; it was completely blocked.

This was not unexpected.

Kevin's barrier was already very strong, and Kevin strength has already increased significantly at this stage.

It is quite normal for the barrier's rigidity to be increased to be sufficient to withstand Wind Blade at the Boundary.

"If we ignore the Wind Blade, the grassland environment is much safer than we imagined."

Morel had to admit this.

The harshness of the environment means that the number of organisms on the grasslands is an order of magnitude smaller than in other places.

Whether it was luck or not, they didn't see any living creatures from the moment they entered the grassland.

The last time, I actually saw a herd of horses being chased by Wind Blade in the border area.

"You seem to be a bit of Crow."

Men Qi made a comment.

Because her scouting Nen Beast, which she had spread out, sensed a group of creatures approaching their direction.

Soon, they spotted it in the distance.

It was the kind of sheep with very fluffy fur that I had sensed during the reconnaissance.

But this time, they saw the sheep with their own eyes.

These sheep have a very distinctive and eye-catching appearance because their wool is extremely fluffy and huge.

It almost turned the entire sheep into a sphere.

The sheep's head is located at the lower part of the sphere, where its short limbs can also be seen.

This makes them move very slowly across the grasslands.

Along with them came the Wind Blade.

The crowd watched as Wind Blade, flying from different directions, slashed at the sheep.

Just like a knife blade cutting into highly resilient cotton, it was very obvious that the wool on these sheep was dented and torn.

Even though wool was flying everywhere, it didn't seem to have harmed the sheep at all.

But it wasn't until the flock changed from coming straight at them to walking sideways that they were able to see the structure of the flock from this angle.

Not all sheep are the fluffy type.

The extremely fluffy wool forms a protective barrier on the outside.

Inside the circle, people could see some smaller lambs whose wool hadn't grown long enough to be fluffy.

They followed the moving protective circle.

In addition, everyone noticed that some people within the protective circle had extremely sparse and non-fluffy hair.

Just then, another Wind Blade came, passing right through the outermost ring and slashing inwards.

In an instant, the thickest layer of wool on an old sheep that already had sparse wool was ripped off.

As the wool scattered, a Wind Blade flew in and cleaved it in two on the spot.

Blood splattered, and the body fell.

The other sheep continued on their way as if they hadn't seen anything.

Until they left, leaving behind only that lonely corpse on the grassland.

Then, as more Wind Blade came, the corpse was quickly cut into pieces by these Wind Blade until it became a paste-like substance.

Kevin held the barrier up and watched from a distance until the flock had completely left.

"Do you understand now? Their ecology."

Anyone who isn't blind can see it very clearly; the ecology of these sheep flocks is extremely easy to understand.

It can be roughly divided into three stages.

Childhood, adulthood, and old age.

Young sheep are kept in the center of the flock, relying on the thick wool of the adult sheep to protect them from attacks.

Moreover, the scattered wool, once it falls down, will to some extent repair the sheep's wool.

This is what Kevin observed.

Upon reaching adulthood, their fur forms very fluffy balls, and they automatically move to the outer perimeter to take over the protective role.

While the elderly are also within the protective perimeter, they don't walk on the outermost edge, but rather in a more inner area.

Their fur was thinning, and much of it had fallen out.

Under the cutting of the Wind Blade, the already scarce wool will become even scarcer, until it can no longer effectively shield it from the Wind Blade's attacks. If it's unlucky, it will be cleaved in two and lose its life.

"So that's how it is. Is this the source of the soil's fertility?"

After watching the whole process, Koto seemed to realize something and muttered to herself.

She didn't care much about the ecology of this flock of sheep, but she saw almost the ecology of the entire grassland.

Although there are fewer animals on the grassland, each one is top-notch in nutritional value.

"Judging from this, although the animals living up there all have their own unique skills to avoid danger, they probably can't escape it for their entire lives."

"Even at the end of his life, he will return his body to the grassland."

The height and density of the grass on the ground also point to this.

"Then let's continue—"

Morel hadn't finished speaking.

Men Qi suddenly stood up.

"Wait! Something's coming!"

Men Qi's Nen Beast has an extremely wide detection range, but the problem lies in its insufficient accuracy.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately assumed a fighting stance.

The only reason Men Qi became nervous was that whatever was about to arrive must be dangerous.

"Swish swish swish swish!"

The sound of cutting.

It flew madly towards their direction.

"How come there are so many all of a sudden?"

No one owes Morel an answer to his question.

Kevin immediately spread his hands, and more Nen Aura surged out, causing the Nen Aura barrier to directly overlap and construct five layers of defense.

"Get closer to me."

The group immediately pressed themselves together, reducing the area that needed protection and making the defense even smaller, thus securing the defense more firmly.

Fine Silver Scales also appeared on Kevin's body.

Its defensive capabilities are maxed out.

The sounds of collisions and crashes continued incessantly.

The blades, flying in from afar, slashed at the barrier with incredible density.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the outermost layer, already weakened by the Wind Blade of combustion, shattered and became unsustainable.

Soon.

Along with the fuel-generating Wind Blade came a Long-haired Giant Ox.

Its body was covered by long, fine, snow-white fur that completely concealed its form.

The head, body, and even legs are not visible; only two giant, Spiral bull horns with upward-curving patterns are visible.

It looks like a yak, but its fur is longer, smoother, and more exaggerated.

"I'm not running, I'm flying."

Kevin frowned, sensing something. The cow looked like it was running, but it was actually flying across the grassland; none of its limbs touched the ground.

This resulted in the bull having a speed far exceeding its size, charging towards their location like a sports car.

As the opponent charged, the Wind Blade of fuel became increasingly dense.

The curled weeds almost completely obscured their view, making it difficult for them to see what was ahead.

Just as the group was preparing to take cover...

This Long-haired Giant Ox had no intention of charging at all; instead, it braked halfway through, like a drift master performing a fishtail.

With the tail-swinging motion.

A massive, almost visible Wind Blade slashed through the air in the blink of an eye.

The sound of shattering.

The remaining barrier was cleaved through in an instant.

Kevin reacted immediately, blocking with both arms and swinging them forward.

A harsh, grinding sound.

The wind-shaped blade was absorbed when it struck the silver scales, even sparking.

But it couldn't break through the Silver Scales' defense.

Kevin took a deep breath.

"Roar!"

With a roar.

The exhaled air was like a sonic Air Cannon blasting out, followed by a hurricane of combustion.

The Air Cannon pierced forward instantly, slicing through the green grass in its path and blasting out a straight path.

Interestingly, the hurricanes that were blasted out with the sound waves were very weak, but the mirror greatly neutralized the power of the opponent's Wind Blade.

In an instant, even the number of Wind Blade decreased by half, and those that flew over became extremely weak.

The sonic projectile hit the Long-haired Yak directly, whipping its fur off, but it didn't cause any effective damage.

The gust of wind that blew outwards seemed to trigger a chain reaction. Wind Blade burning surfaces also appeared, but they were heading in the opposite direction.

These Wind Blade struck the yak's body but had no effect whatsoever, merely causing its long, thin white fur to flutter a few times.

The Long-haired Yak, drifting and turning, backed away from the group.

His body spun around in place.

Another massive, fiery Wind Blade flew over.

This time, Kevin exhaled sharply forward.

The hurricane that appeared with his brother swept past.

It easily neutralized the force of the Wind Blade, but it also caused the surrounding weeds to be cut off by the burning area.

The air was filled with the scent of grass.

Along the way, where the view was obscured, the Long-haired Yak ran away.