Su Mo had been on such a tear lately that some of the village's young people had started thinking they would sell everything they owned if that was what it took to study martial arts at Guande Martial Arts School.
By their estimates, if they took all twelve Green Wolves to town and sold them, they could get at least forty taels of silver. The villagers hardly dared imagine having that much money.
But the thought had set the young people's hearts ablaze with a burning desire to learn martial arts.
They had also heard that Guande Martial Arts School in Qingshan Town didn't impose an age limit like Black Eagle Sect. Even those over eighteen could join the school and study martial arts. And once they did, wouldn't that mean they could become high-and-mighty Martial Artists?
Like Su Mo, they could go hunting and never return empty-handed, slaughtering Green Wolves until the beasts trembled in terror.
At the thought, many of the young people trembled with excitement.
"The Green Wolves on Green Wolf Ridge have gotten clever since I started killing them. The moment they catch my scent, they flee for their lives. They don't charge at me like they used to."
Su Mo hadn't paid much attention to them. Lately, he had focused solely on hunting, earning enough to cover his medicinal soup and lodging fees at the martial arts school.
Although returning to the school would cost a lot, Su Mo could easily afford it now.
Within Qingliang Mountain.
Su Mo walked through the woods. He had had his fill of killing Green Wolves, but he rarely encountered any other wild animals, leaving him unable to gain new beastly or Fierce Beast talents.
So, before leaving Shuanglin Village for Guande Martial Arts School, he wanted to try his luck in the mountains.
The New Year had passed, and the snow had melted. The animals in the mountains had begun to wake from hibernation, yet for some reason, he rarely came across them.
It was as if someone had swept the place clean, or some other cause had left the animals too afraid to come out.
Just as Su Mo reached a secluded mountain hollow, a terrifying gust of force suddenly struck. The air around him split apart in an instant.
It was clear the attacker meant him harm.
Su Mo reacted swiftly, immediately retreating to evade the sudden blow. But his assailant seemed determined to kill him and gave him no chance to back away.
Seeing this, Su Mo nocked an arrow and loosed it in one fluid motion. With a whoosh, the birchwood arrow shot out, slicing through the air with a shrill whistle. It carried tremendous force, enough to pierce stone and giant trees.
But the next moment, the attacker took the arrow head-on. Only then did Su Mo get a clear look at his opponent.
The attacker wasn't a wild animal or Fierce Beast, but a man—a man with disheveled hair, dressed in strange clothes. Engraved on his garments was a blood-red, eerie flame that seemed to draw anyone who looked at it into its depths.
"A wanted Fire Worship Cultist?"
Looking at the man, Su Mo suddenly recalled Li Xian's warning. A short while ago, a wanted Fire Worship Cultist had escaped the government constables pursuing him in Anyuan County Town and fled to Qingliang Mountain.
Su Mo had thought that after so much time, the wanted cultist would either have been caught by the authorities or left Qingliang Mountain.
He hadn't expected the man to still be hiding in the mountains—and to run into him himself.
Su Mo's expression turned grave. The wanted cultist's aura was terrifying: he was a Meridian Opening Realm expert. Li Xian had also said that the man possessed some kind of Mysterious Body Refining Technique and was incredibly powerful. That was how he had managed to escape the constables.
"A Body Tempering Realm Martial Artist?"
The Fire Worship Cultist's hair hung loose and disheveled, obscuring his true appearance. But now, as he looked at Su Mo, his gaze was savage and bloodthirsty, with a hint of surprise.
His name was Chou Jinping, and he was a member of the Fire Worship Cult. Some time ago, one of the cult's branch leaders had ordered him to spread their doctrine in several major towns under Anyuan County Town, convert the people, and lead them to take refuge in the Fire Worship Cult so they might attain eternal life.
But the government in Anyuan County Town had learned of his actions. Before long, men had come to capture and surround him. After fighting his way through several clashes, Chou Jinping had fled to the great mountain of Qingliang.
But he had already been injured during those desperate battles. Even though he possessed a Mysterious Body Refining Technique, he had still been wounded. His attackers hadn't been ordinary Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artists: several top experts of that realm had ganged up on him, and even an expert of the Tendon Changing Realm had appeared. Using powerful True Strength, that expert had broken through his body-refining technique.
Chou Jinping had been gravely wounded and could only flee in a panic, eventually making his way to Qingliang Mountain.
He usually survived by killing the wild animals and Fierce Beasts in the mountains, while recovering from his injuries. This time, he had finally spotted a Martial Artist and had been about to kill him and use his vital essence to heal himself.
He hadn't expected the man to react so quickly—not only had he spotted him, he had also slowed him down slightly with an arrow.
That surprised Chou Jinping, a man who had killed countless people and was utterly unhinged. He was a genuine Meridian Opening Realm expert, and he possessed a Mysterious Body Refining Technique. Even though an expert of the Tendon Changing Realm had broken through that technique, he was still no match for an ordinary Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artist.
A Body Tempering Realm Martial Artist was even less of a threat. He didn't even qualify to fight Chou Jinping.
"A hunter?"
But the man in front of him really was a hunter. Chou Jinping realized that the young hunter who had shot the arrow and slowed him down was only at the middle stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
How could he not be surprised?
Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
Su Mo swiftly fired two more arrows. They tore through the air with a mighty rush of wind, but Chou Jinping merely gave a cold laugh. He raised a hand and caught both arrows, then snapped them and tossed them aside.
The sight made Su Mo's expression turn solemn. The man's physical defenses were terrifying.
"Stay right there."
Seeing Su Mo still daring to shoot at him, Chou Jinping's bloodthirsty, frenzied eyes shifted. He moved, and a gale swirled around him. In an instant, he was right in front of Su Mo, moving as if he had teleported.
Was his speed just as terrifying as his defenses?
With Chou Jinping closing in, Su Mo had no chance to shoot again. He could only swing a fist at the incoming attack, trying to block it. His punch carried a fierce force and struck Chou Jinping's outstretched claw.
Su Mo's body shuddered as the enormous force of the impact sent him flying backward. Seizing that brief opening, he didn't dare linger and bolted into the distance.
"Huh? My old injury..."
Chou Jinping was astonished that his outstretched hand hadn't managed to catch the hunter. The man's punch had even forced him to stop dead in his tracks. Yes, despite Chou Jinping's formidable strength, the hunter's punch seemed to carry some terrifying, overwhelming force.
That force had left Chou Jinping with no choice but to halt. Worse, the terrifying strength behind the blow had shaken his old injuries and caused them to flare up again. Feeling his wounds erupt and something go wrong inside his body, he could only watch Su Mo escape, not daring to pursue him.
But the murderous intent radiating from him was almost tangible. Countless wild animals and Fierce Beasts nearby fell silent in fear, not daring to show themselves.
That was why Su Mo hadn't encountered any other wild animals lately.
Wild animals had keen senses of smell and hearing, and an instinctive awareness of danger.
Su Mo was dangerous, but the disheveled Chou Jinping, who looked like a madman, was even more dangerous...
Before you continue