Ten-Circle Strength

"We're already extremely close to the border. The Running Wolf Nation's officers shouldn't be appearing here."

The owner of one of the Sword-toothed Pigs wore a frighteningly grim expression as he murmured in confusion,

"What could have killed Little Pig and still be here?"

The soldiers of Sword-toothed Country took pride in being able to contract with Sword-toothed Pigs.

Sword-toothed Pigs had enormous appetites, and he had spent a great deal of effort raising his to the two-star level!

Yet he hadn't expected it to perish here during a scouting mission!

"Could another Demonic Beast have done it?"

At his companion's guess, he shook his head.

"Little Pig's hide is thick, and it's extremely aggressive. No Demonic Beast of the same level would be foolhardy enough to pick a fight with it."

Demonic Beasts knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong, too.

Given the choice, who would attack a Demonic Beast that could fight back when they could hunt one that couldn't?

One careless thrust from those tusks could pierce right through you. It was no joke.

"Let's go after them! I'll avenge Little Pig!"

The Sword-toothed Pig's owner was consumed with fury. He charged ahead, racing in the direction Gu Han had gone.

"Zhao Qin, wait!"

His comrade's expression changed drastically, and he hurried forward to stop him.

"Do you have a death wish? This is Running Wolf Nation territory. If you rush in recklessly and run into one of their generals, aren't you just handing them your head?"

Zhao Qin's eyes were bloodshot. He lowered his voice and roared,

"But what about Little Pig's vengeance? Are we just going to let it go?"

He had raised Little Pig from the time it was small. They were practically of one mind.

Besides, Demonic Beasts could scout the terrain in the forest without drawing attention or suspicion, so he had always sent Little Pig to take the lead.

Now that Little Pig had been killed, Zhao Qin had lost all reason. He wanted nothing but revenge.

"It doesn't matter if you die, but if this mission fails, can you take responsibility?"

"And we were ordered to protect you. If you act on your own, you'll drag us down with you!"

His teammate warned him in a low voice.

"Of course we'll get revenge, but a gentleman can wait ten years to avenge himself. If you ruin the court's grand plan, this won't be just a matter of one Sword-toothed Pig."

Zhao Qin was still seething, but he knew his teammate had a point.

The court and the generals had spent a long time planning this attack.

If his momentary fury caused the whole plan to fail,

not only would he suffer the consequences, but his entire Lineage might be implicated!

Even his brother-in-law wouldn't be able to protect him.

After a long hesitation, Zhao Qin could only sigh helplessly.

His eyes grew moist as he watched the path Gu Han had taken. He punched his thigh.

"Little Pig, just wait. One day, I'll avenge you."

Seeing that Zhao Qin had come around, the others crouched low again and continued recording the surrounding terrain.

Gu Han raced through the forest, weaving around in a wide loop. After leaving plenty of traces to mislead any pursuers, he found a cave and slipped inside.

He quickly got a fire going and roasted the pig.

After Little Wolf curled up beside the fire to warm itself, Gu Han looked at his Attribute Panel now that he had broken through to the tenth circle.

Host: Gu Han

Cultivation: Tenth-Rank Martial Disciple

Blood Qi: 14580 (Ninth-Rank Martial Disciple Blood Qi range: 8000–10000)

Strength: 4689 (Ninth-Rank Martial Disciple Strength range: 1500–2000)

Defense: 2680 (Ninth-Rank Martial Disciple Defense range: 1500–2000)

Speed: 3515 (Ninth-Rank Martial Disciple Speed range: 1500–2000)

Spirit: 1599 (Ninth-Rank Martial Disciple Spirit range: 800–1000)

Cultivation Art: Qi Guiding Art

Martial Skills: Fierce Fist (Entry Level), Wind Breaking Stab (Slightly Accomplished)

"Breaking through to the tenth circle actually boosted my attributes by this much?"

Looking at his astonishing attributes, Gu Han's eyes lit up, and joy surged through his heart.

Thanks to his Attribute Absorption talent, his attributes had often far surpassed those of Martial Disciples at the same level.

But he hadn't had much of an advantage in defense or spirit.

He had usually been around the middle, or perhaps slightly above average, among Martial Disciples of the same level.

After all, you couldn't underestimate the strength they accumulated over time.

But now, having only just broken through to the tenth circle, his attributes had already risen far beyond the upper limit for his level.

"Looks like choosing the path of the tenth circle really was the right call."

Gu Han smiled faintly, thoroughly satisfied with his strength.

He looked at Little Wolf's Attribute Panel below.

Battle Pet: Phantom Water Wolf King

Strength: Eighth Rank

Blood Qi: 6854 (One-Star, Eighth-Rank Demonic Beast Blood Qi range: 6000–8000)

Strength: 1310 (One-Star, Eighth-Rank Demonic Beast Strength range: 1200–1500)

Defense: 1218 (One-Star, Eighth-Rank Demonic Beast Defense range: 1200–1500)

Speed: 1354 (One-Star, Eighth-Rank Demonic Beast Speed range: 1200–1500)

Spirit: 666 (One-Star, Eighth-Rank Demonic Beast Spirit range: 600–800)

Racial Skill: Phantom Water Clone (Controls water elements to form Phantom Water Clones with 15% of its own strength to assist in battle. The higher its mastery, the stronger the clones and the more it can create.)

"Little Wolf can't absorb attributes, but with the help of Demonic Beast Blood Qi, Water Element Power, and Demonic Beast cores, it's still developed fairly evenly across the board."

"And the Phantom Water Clones Little Wolf creates are a bit stronger than before, too."

Gu Han rubbed his chin, not particularly surprised by Little Wolf's strength.

"But with its current attributes, Little Wolf seems pretty average among one-star, eighth-rank Demonic Beasts."

Gu Han had been somewhat prepared for this.

The Phantom Water Wolf King sounded imposing, but its upper limit was probably only three-star, equivalent to a human Martial Master.

And that was only its theoretical limit. Little Wolf's father, which had lived in this mountain range, was probably no more than a two-star Demonic Beast.

At low star ranks, its strength gave it an overwhelming advantage over weaker Demonic Beasts of other species.

But as its level increased, that advantage over Demonic Beasts of the same rank would keep shrinking.

By the time it reached three-star, it would become a disadvantage instead.

But that couldn't be helped. Wanting a young Battle Pet that could reach the level of a nine-star Demon Emperor right from the start was pure fantasy.

The fact that the Battle Pet system could help Little Wolf break through its bloodline was already a stroke of luck.

"Even if it's just for Little Wolf's sake, I can't slack off."

Before Gu Han could finish the thought, his nostrils twitched slightly.

"That roast suckling pig smells incredible."

Little Wolf even shifted itself to the size of a Samoyed, ready to feast.

Gu Han smiled and cut off a large pork leg for Little Wolf, letting it dig in.

"Slow down. Don't burn yourself..."

A man and a wolf feasted in the cave.

Meanwhile, after receiving the information Qian Fu had reported, the instructors, including Guan Shan, immediately sprang into action.

They split up and searched near the border.

When Guan Shan reached the boundary marker between the two countries, he nearly came to blows with the Sword-toothed Pig's border guard deputy general.

But the two had been rivals for many years and knew neither could get the better of the other in a short time.

They could only trade insults, tell each other to keep their necks clean and wait to die on the battlefield, then turn and leave.