"Brother Shun, I wanted to ask where you usually go to chop firewood. Could you show me? Do me a favor, brother!" Zhao Han asked, humbling himself a little.
A Shun glanced at Zhao Han, then seemed to think of something and burst into laughter.
"Over there, on the mountain to the east. There aren't any beasts at all, and there's plenty of wood that burns well. Chop for a day, and you'll have enough for two or three days."
"Thank you for the advice, Brother Shun. I'm deeply grateful!" Zhao Han clasped his hands in thanks.
There was no time to waste. He immediately went to fetch the Firewood Chopping Knife, the Firewood Chopping Axe, a basket, and some rope.
He also brought the necessities: a few pieces of steamed cornbread and two Water Bags. Zhao Han didn't plan on coming back at noon.
It was only chopping firewood. A piece of cake.
Watching Zhao Han's back disappear from sight, A Shun gave a cold laugh.
He knew the surrounding area like the back of his hand. The eastern side wasn't safe at all; there were plenty of beasts in the forest.
Wild boars, wolves, tigers, leopards, jackals, venomous snakes—there was no shortage of any of them.
Newcomers had to suffer a little, endure some hardship, and learn a few lessons.
That way, they'd become dependent on the old hands, respect their elders, and learn to be cautious.
A Shun had been tricked by Lao Dunzi before, too. He'd nearly lost his life.
This time, he was only passing on the unpleasant experience he'd once suffered to Zhao Han.
As the saying went, do unto others what you wouldn't want done to yourself.
Whether Zhao Han lived or died was up to his fate.
If he was tough enough, he'd survive. If not, he'd leave a corpse behind.
But A Shun had no idea that once Zhao Han entered the woods, he tossed aside his basket and tools.
He found an open patch of ground and started slacking off, practicing the Black Wolf Fist.
Zhao Han wasn't an idiot.
No matter how hard he worked, it wouldn't do as much for him as practicing martial arts and growing stronger.
If he became an elite gang member, would he still have to put up with Wang Dawei and A Shun? Would he still have to chop and split firewood?
He could eat meat and drink wine every day, living the good life.
Besides, becoming an elite gang member was only an insignificant step in Zhao Han's eyes.
This was a world where the Martial Way reigned supreme. Besides martial practitioners, there were also demons, monsters, and specters.
There was a good reason so many people couldn't survive in these chaotic times: demons, monsters, and specters had a lot to do with it.
Having come to this cultivation world with a system at his side, his goal should be immortality and invincibility beneath the heavens!
The proper thing to do was to get his Wild Wolf Fist to the Proficient level as soon as possible.
Zhao Han had checked the Wood Shed's stock. A Shun had chopped plenty before, and there was more than enough firewood for the next day. There was no need to chop so much.
The old hands like Wang Dawei simply liked to bully newcomers to assert their authority and make them work obediently.
Workplace rules of the game. It was perfectly normal. Zhao Han had learned plenty from watching short videos.
"Hiya! Hah! Heh!"
In the woods, Zhao Han practiced a few moves, then ran through several sets of the Black Wolf Fist to reinforce what he'd learned.
[Black Wolf Fist, Beginner 20/50]
"Keep going!"
Zhao Han spent the whole morning diligently practicing the Black Wolf Fist.
He could raise his proficiency by one point every five or six minutes, and by ten points in an hour.
Boom!
Zhao Han suddenly stopped moving and immediately felt the changes throughout his body.
Comfortable. Powerful. His strength had surged by more than two hundred pounds.
His understanding of the Black Wolf Fist had also deepened considerably.
"Ha!" He continued with a set of the Black Wolf Fist, striking while the iron was hot to consolidate his progress.
After finishing the set, Zhao Han opened the panel and took a look.
Martial Artist: Zhao Han Realm: Skin Refining Martial Arts: Black Wolf Fist, Snake-Style Deft Hand [Not Simplified, Unranked] Simplification: Black Wolf Fist [Simplified, Unranked, Proficiency 0/100, Ten Wolf Slash]
"I've finally 'cultivated' to the Skin Refining Realm!"
What did Skin Refining mean? It meant that the skin became as tough as cowhide.
Zhao Han had only just entered the Skin Refining Realm. His skin wasn't all that tough yet; the main change was that he'd become a lot stronger.
Even so, he was a genuine Skin Refining Warrior now. He could apply to become an elite gang member and eat meat and drink wine.
"Isn't this realm improving a little too quickly? It's only been two days..."
Zhao Han thought it over briefly, then decided to stay in the kitchen and keep his breakthrough under wraps for now.
"The latest simplification method is Ten Wolf Slash, which means killing ten wolves."
"That's no easy task."
"But I can give it a try."
Zhao Han looked at the Firewood Chopping Knife and Firewood Chopping Axe lying on the ground.
The knife and axe were both sturdy enough to make suitable weapons.
He picked up the Firewood Chopping Knife and tucked the axe into his belt, ready to use it as a throwing axe if necessary.
He followed a path trampled through the woods by other people, hoping to find some beasts.
Before long, he reached an area where beasts often appeared.
Zhao Han crouched low, moving forward with light steps and scouting cautiously, though he'd already given up hope in his heart.
A Shun had said this place was fairly safe and there weren't any beasts around. He'd probably come all this way for nothing.
But something puzzled Zhao Han: the trees in the eastern woods were intact, and there were hardly any stumps. There were almost no signs of logging.
Clearly, A Shun had lied to him.
"Awooo..."
A low wolf howl suddenly reached his ears. Zhao Han immediately pressed himself against a tree that would take a person to encircle, peeking out to look around.
After one sweep of his gaze, he spotted a gray wolf ahead on the right. It wasn't very big, about the size of an average adult golden retriever.
A steady "crunch, crunch" sounded as the gray wolf devoured a wild rabbit it had just caught.
"A gray wolf is still a wolf. It should count for the Black Wolf Fist."
"It's eating and hasn't noticed me. This is a good chance!"
Zhao Han picked up the throwing axe, aimed it at the gray wolf, then drew his arm back, gathered his strength, and hurled it with all his might.
Whoosh!
Take this!
"Awooo..."
His aim was true. One shot, one kill.
The Firewood Chopping Axe struck the gray wolf in the belly and sent it tumbling to the ground. Blood spilled everywhere as it howled and wailed.
"Strike while you're down and finish you off!"
Zhao Han emerged from behind the tree and strode forward. With a decisive slash, he opened the gray wolf's throat as it looked at him in terror and begged for mercy, ending its life.
It made all the difference to have the strength of a Skin Refining Warrior. One slash was enough to kill the gray wolf.
An ordinary person would have had to work hard to take it down.
Fortunately, Zhao Han's body wasn't just that of a farmer; he was also a half-trained hunter.
His father was good at archery and hunting, while Zhao Han was good at throwing axes.
It was no surprise that he'd hit the gray wolf.
Black Wolf Fist [Proficiency 10/100, Ten Wolf Slash]
"This wolf was pretty easy to kill!" Zhao Han smiled, feeling relaxed. That was a tenth of the task done.
A few more like that, and he'd be finished. Simple and easy!
"Gurgle..."
His stomach suddenly growled. He took a piece of steamed cornbread from the pouch at his waist and ate it, then guzzled a mouthful of water when he got thirsty.
Roar!
As soon as he'd finished eating, a tiger's roar echoed through the woods. Zhao Han's expression changed, and he immediately grabbed the gray wolf's corpse and ran.
A tiger wasn't an ordinary beast. It belonged among the Ferocious Beasts.
A full-force swipe could deliver more than two thousand pounds of force. Even a casual pat could hit with eight hundred or even a thousand pounds.
If Zhao Han ran into a tiger, he wasn't Wu Song. He'd just become the tiger's lunch.
After running several hundred meters without the tiger following, Zhao Han let out a quiet breath.
"Looks like A Shun really did lie to me. Is this how old hands bully newcomers?"
Zhao Han's eyes turned cold as he considered how to teach A Shun a lesson.
If he hadn't run fast, and the tiger had followed him, he'd have been nothing but a corpse.
He told me it was safe? Safe my ass.
He had to get even for this trap.
Before you continue