Beast Talent Trait: [Swift Sprint], [Sharp Claws]! Strength Greatly Increased!

Su Mo's Shuanglin Village is located at the foot of Qingliang Mountain. Generally, the Hunters in the village would enter Qingliang Mountain to hunt. Qingliang Mountain is vast, and some Hunters never reached its depths in their entire lives.

Qingliang Mountain has numerous mountain ranges and hidden valleys. It is also home to many Beasts and Fierce Beasts.

Su Mo's father met his end in Qingliang Mountain. He encountered a terrifying Fierce Beast, far stronger than ordinary Beasts, possessing immense explosive power and biting force capable of crushing a Hunter's body in a single bite.

As he entered the mountain, snow and wind filled the air. Relying on his memory, Su Mo proceeded with extreme caution, setting up Animal Traps in hidden locations and marking them for easy retrieval of game. He was also wary of accidentally triggering Animal Traps set by other Hunters. Su Mo's focus was heightened, and he paid close attention to his surroundings.

"Roar!"

Shortly after entering Qingliang Mountain, Su Mo heard a massive wolf howl. His brow furrowed. Had he accidentally stumbled into Green Wolf Ridge?

Green Wolf Ridge is a peculiar area within Qingliang Mountain, inhabited by a type of Beast known as the Green Wolf. They are incredibly fast and numerous, and many local Hunters have suffered greatly here.

Due to the snowstorm, the mountain was covered in snow, creating a picturesque yet disorienting landscape where getting lost was common.

Su Mo decided to leave immediately. However, just as he turned, a Green Wolf, about a meter and a half tall, suddenly appeared before him. Its fur was entirely green, its pupils a dark, blood-red hue, and its sharp fangs were bared. Its claws scraped against the ground, clearly indicating the Green Wolf had no intention of letting Su Mo go.

Its bloodthirsty eyes stared coldly at Su Mo.

"Swish!"

Seeing this, Su Mo's right hand swept across his waist. He nocked an arrow and fired it in a flash. The Green Wolf was ten meters away. At this distance, if struck by his arrow, it would be severely wounded or killed instantly.

The moment the arrow was loosed, the Green Wolf moved, lunging forward like a green blur. Yet, despite its incredible speed, blood splattered from its body. The Green Wolf was fast, but the arrow was faster.

To Su Mo's surprise, the arrow did not pierce the Green Wolf's body but merely grazed its fur, drawing blood. This made Su Mo tense.

He had underestimated the Green Wolf's speed.

The Green Wolf lunged at him, carrying a strong, foul odor from its gaping maw. It intended to bite the human before it to death. Suddenly, a flash of icy, dazzling blade light cut through the air. A Hunting Knife appeared, as if from nowhere, right at the Green Wolf's open mouth.

With a single strike, the Green Wolf let out a piercing howl. The knife had nearly severed its jaw and fangs. It fell to the ground, its mouth a bloody mess, one of its fangs shattered.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Mo swung his ancestral Hunting Knife again, striking the Green Wolf's neck. Blood sprayed instantly, and the Green Wolf was slain.

Wiping the blood from his Hunting Knife, Su Mo gasped for breath. Facing a Green Wolf head-on had clearly unsettled him, and he feared being killed by it.

But fortunately, with his increased physical strength, even a Green Wolf couldn't withstand his two strikes.

Two deep claw marks scarred the tree stump behind Su Mo, left by the Green Wolf's pounce.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Su Mo prepared to take the Green Wolf with him. It weighed about a hundred pounds. After skinning it, dozens of pounds of pure meat would be available, enough to last him through the winter.

Just then, Su Mo's gaze froze, a look of disbelief on his face.

The Ancient Profound Pearl within his body was emitting a faint golden light again. Though weak, it was much brighter than before. However, this was not what surprised Su Mo, as he had just experienced something similar.

What truly astonished him was the appearance of a phantom image of a Beast within the Ancient Profound Pearl. Upon closer inspection, it was the exact likeness of the Green Wolf he had just hunted.

Before Su Mo could react, the phantom image of the Green Wolf let out a mournful cry and was extinguished by the runes on the Ancient Profound Pearl. Immediately, Su Mo felt a familiar warm current flow through him, and four words appeared in his mind.

"[Swift Sprint], [Sharp Claws]?"

"Are these innate abilities of the Green Wolf?"

The warm current enveloped his entire body and, after a moment, slowly dissipated. But Su Mo's eyes now gleamed with sharp light. He threw a punch, and the air exploded. His physique seemed to have been slightly enhanced, his hand strength greatly increased. At the same time, he moved, vanishing from his original spot. He found his speed had increased.

"The Green Wolf's innate abilities, [Swift Sprint] and [Sharp Claws], one has increased my speed, the other has strengthened my hand strength and slightly enhanced my physique."

"Could this be the true use of the Ancient Profound Pearl?"

Su Mo picked up the Beast Hide Great Bow and pulled it back with force. The bow was drawn three-fifths of the way. This meant his strength was now comparable to Uncle Chen Shan's.

And Uncle Chen Shan was a Hunter who had roamed Qingliang Mountain for decades!

If he added the [Sharp Claws] ability, his hands would possess even greater explosive power.

To test his hypothesis about the Ancient Profound Pearl, Su Mo went to a secluded mountain hollow. He took out his Hunting Knife and dug a large hole, burying the Green Wolf's flesh and blood to prevent it from being discovered by other Hunters or Beasts.

After hiding the Green Wolf's corpse and marking the spot, Su Mo stood up and moved towards a patch of bushes. Rabbits frequently frequented these areas. For larger Beasts, he decided against hunting them for safety.

Instead, he wanted to hunt rabbits to confirm his suspicions.

A gray rabbit appeared, moving with incredible speed and agility. It was attracted by the bait Su Mo had thrown. The moment the gray rabbit appeared, the Beast Hide Great Bow in Su Mo's hand unleashed its power. The arrow shot forward with a whistling sound.

With a single shot, the gray rabbit was killed instantly.

At the moment of its death, a phantom image of a gray rabbit appeared on the Ancient Profound Pearl within him. This phantom image seemed to struggle against the Pearl's confinement, leaping and rolling, but it was still trapped within.

As long as Su Mo willed it, this phantom image would be devoured and extinguished by the Ancient Profound Pearl. Clearly, its control rested solely with him.

With a thought, the gray rabbit's phantom image instantly dissipated into light and shadow. A faint golden glow appeared on the Ancient Profound Pearl, much weaker than the Green Wolf's phantom image. Then, the familiar warm current reappeared, flowing through his body.

Simultaneously, an innate ability appeared in his mind.

[Swiftness]!

Clearly, this was the ability granted by the gray rabbit. As the warm current surged, Su Mo's physique was further strengthened. When the warm current disappeared, Su Mo moved, leaving an afterimage in the air.

The speed was astonishing, perhaps not as fast as the Green Wolf, but not far behind.

After all, Su Mo now possessed three innate abilities from Beasts. [Swift Sprint] and [Swiftness] were both related to speed, significantly boosting his velocity in a short period. This would make his movements within the forest safer and more assured.

In the following time, Su Mo continued to roam and hunt in Qingliang Mountain. He acquired the carcasses of two more rabbits. However, to his slight disappointment, these two rabbits did not grant him any innate abilities.

"It seems innate abilities cannot be acquired repeatedly!"

Having confirmed this, Su Mo did not hesitate. He went to the mountain hollow where he had buried the Green Wolf's corpse, retrieved it, and, carrying the Green Wolf's meat and the three rabbits, returned to Shuanglin Village.

He wanted to eat meat