One Sword

As the roar rang out, everyone present changed expression. They swiftly rose to their feet, weapons in hand, and retreated away from the forest.

Leian and Derrick were naturally no exception. However, as they retreated, Derrick did not forget to grin at Leian and say:

"You're lucky!"

Before Leian could ponder what Derrick meant, two figures came stumbling out of the forest in a panic.

Their clothes were ragged and their faces filled with terror. Even after leaving the forest, they did not stop running, instead sprinting wildly past the crowd as if the magical beast chasing them had scared them out of their wits.

A few adventurers who considered themselves particularly bold could not help sneering at the two men's miserable appearance.

Magical beasts that dared chase people out of the Youquan Mountain Range generally were not very intelligent. And lacking intelligence meant their strength could not be all that great either.

Besides, there were over thirty of them, and most were level-six warriors. They would not fear even a level-seven magical beast.

The two men's cowardice was truly contemptible.

Quite a few people shared that thought. Yet when the mysterious magical beast finally emerged from the forest, every one of them involuntarily gaped.

It was a tiger-type magical beast three meters tall and seven or eight meters long. Its body was covered in golden fur, a single horn protruded from its forehead, and its lantern-like eyes glowed green in the darkness.

"A level-eight magical beast, a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger!"

Someone knowledgeable immediately recognized the terrifying magical beast. As soon as those words were spoken, everyone sucked in a cold breath.

Then someone could not help cursing loudly.

"Damn it! What did those bastards do to provoke a level-eight magical beast into chasing them all the way here?"

"Those two definitely did it on purpose. They did not say a word earlier because they wanted us to buy them time to escape."

"Once this is over, I definitely won't let them off!"

Curses rose one after another, though the clever ones had already begun backing away to either side. However, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger seemed to have gone mad and regarded everyone present as an enemy. With one fierce pounce, it bit down on two level-six warriors.

"Ah—"

Blood and entrails splattered across the ground in an instant. Screams and cries of alarm mixed together as chaos erupted. Just as the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger was rampaging, Derrick said excitedly to Leian:

"What a perfect chance to get some practice, Leian. If you're not going, I am!"

Leian glanced at Derrick, thinking that this was perhaps the "nighttime atmosphere of the Youquan Mountain Range" Derrick had mentioned. Before they had even entered the mountain range, they had a chance to fight a high-level magical beast. It truly was a rare opportunity.

However, after Leian paused to think for only a moment, Derrick was already charging forward with his great axe in hand. Clearly, his earlier words had merely been politeness.

In truth, that was indeed the case. Magical beasts chasing people out of the mountain range was fairly common, but they were generally no more than level five or six.

Once a magical beast reached level seven, it possessed intelligence no less than that of an adult. They would not easily leave the Youquan Mountain Range.

This was also Derrick's first time encountering a level-eight magical beast that had come out. As a level-eight warrior himself, he naturally could not resist the itch to fight, and he was thrilled beyond measure.

At that moment, Derrick raised his battle axe high. As he charged forward, he kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, his great axe carrying a swath of yellow light as it hacked heavily toward the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's head.

"Roar!"

The Green-Eyed Horned Tiger immediately noticed Derrick's attack. Amid its furious roar, it reared up and swung its massive forepaw fearlessly at the axe blade.

Bang!

With a dull impact, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger let out a pained howl. Unable to withstand the tremendous force, its enormous body staggered backward again and again. The forepaw that had struck the axe hung slightly in the air, its golden fur already stained crimson.

On the other side, Derrick was sent flying backward. By the time he landed, his entire body was swaying unsteadily, his face pale as paper, with even a streak of blood hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Good heavens! As expected of a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger. Its strength is no weaker than that of an ordinary level-nine magical beast!"

Though injured, Derrick showed no fear whatsoever. As he marveled at the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's power, his eyes shone with incomparable excitement.

The Green-Eyed Horned Tiger seemed to have been knocked back to its senses by that blow. It immediately stopped bothering with the others, its cold eyes locking firmly onto Derrick.

Among magical beasts of the same level, lion and tiger types had always stood at the top. Derrick's ability to trade blows with the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger showed that his strength was truly formidable.

Seeing this, the others all revealed expressions of relief at having survived. With a level-eight warrior present, he could at least hold it off for a while, giving them hope of escaping alive.

Still, a battle between a level-eight warrior and a level-eight magical beast was exceedingly rare. Although they were retreating toward Natan City, they did not move very quickly. One after another, they could not help turning around to watch with wide eyes.

The highly intelligent Green-Eyed Horned Tiger quickly saw Derrick's weakness. It lightly pressed one paw against the ground, then lunged forward in one motion, its blood-filled maw tearing toward him like lightning.

Affected by his injuries, Derrick could not block in time and could only dodge to the side.

At that moment, a flash of crafty triumph suddenly appeared in the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's eyes. It brought its raised forepaw down as well, then violently twisted its hindquarters toward the direction Derrick had dodged.

At once, its tiger tail, thicker than a human thigh, whistled through the air like an iron rod as it lashed toward Derrick's waist.

With the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's strength, if that tail struck him, Derrick would undoubtedly be cut in half at the waist.

At the critical moment, Derrick roared and, great axe in hand, charged forward instead of retreating, hacking furiously at the incoming tiger tail.

Bang!

"Roar!"

Amid the tremendous collision, Derrick spat out blood and flew backward, rolling several meters away.

At the same time, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger also released a shrill howl. Its huge tail drooped behind it, tiger blood streaming from its tip.

Pain drove the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger into a frenzy. It kicked off with all four paws, carrying a foul wind as it pounced toward Derrick, determined to kill the human who had injured it beneath its claws.

Derrick could not catch his breath. Feeling the bloody stench drawing near, he widened his eyes and roared, "Leian, have you watched enough? Why aren't you helping?!"

Leian had already arrived behind Derrick with a heavy sword in hand. Hearing his plea for help, he could not help curling his lips.

With the way this guy had just fought head-on without caring whether he lived or died, how had he even survived until now?

With that thought, he leaped over Derrick and swung the black heavy sword at the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger.

Thunderbolt!

As a level-nine warrior who had long comprehended "Heavy as Light," reproducing Linley's "Thunderbolt" was effortless for Leian.

Across from him, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger looked at the human who had suddenly appeared before it, and a trace of disdain flashed through its cold eyes.

This sword strike has even less force than that man's earlier attack. No threat!

As that thought crossed its mind, it raised its other uninjured forepaw and slapped it toward the incoming heavy sword.

Pfft!

Crack!

At the soft sound of something snapping, disbelief abruptly filled the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's eyes.

The instant the black greatsword struck its paw, the thick limb bent at a right angle. Yet the greatsword did not lose any momentum and continued onward until it landed on the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's forehead.

The next moment, the bone-chilling sound of shattering bones rang out. The Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's body trembled as blood mixed with white brain matter poured from its mouth, nose, and eyes.

Then, as though its bones had been pulled out, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's enormous body crashed heavily to the ground.

One sword strike—the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger was dead!

Behind him, Derrick stared wide-eyed at the scene, unable to believe what he was seeing.

As for the adventurers who had retreated farther away, every one of them stood frozen on the spot.

The surroundings were eerily silent!

At that moment, Leian was still excited from his first magical beast hunt and did not notice the changes around him. Looking at the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's massive body, he eagerly pulled out a dagger and walked over.

He first cut off the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's horn, then dug a fist-sized green crystal from its head.

The most valuable parts of a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger were its magical crystal core and the horn on its forehead. Its body could also be sold for some gold coins, but compared to the value of those first two items, it was not worth mentioning.

Just as Leian was collecting his spoils, Derrick finally came back to his senses. Seeing Leian's clumsy movements, his eye twitched, and he could not help asking:

"You... you're a level-nine warrior?"

Hearing this, Leian turned to Derrick and smiled, neither denying nor confirming it.

Derrick had a bellyful of questions, yet he did not know where to begin. Seeing that Leian had no intention of speaking either, he could only suppress them, close his mouth, and begin circulating his battle qi to treat his injuries.

Not far away, the adventurers looked at one another. They wanted to come over and strike up a conversation, yet feared causing Leian to misunderstand. For a moment, they did not know what to do.

After this delay, the sky had begun to brighten. Seeing that Derrick's complexion had recovered somewhat, Leian smiled in farewell and entered the forest alone.

Watching Leian's gradually vanishing back, Derrick suddenly shook his head and smiled. He stood, picked up his great axe, and headed toward Natan City.

His injuries would still take some time to fully recover. For now, he could only go to Natan City to rest and recuperate.

Once the two people involved had left, the adventurers finally could not resist rushing toward the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's corpse.

When had they ever seen the fresh body of a level-eight magical beast? They were thrilled beyond measure. As they stroked the tiger's body, they began talking among themselves.

"That lord just now was a level-nine warrior, wasn't he?"

"Definitely. By the way, what was that lord's name again?"

"I think it was 'Leian.' Earlier, I heard that lord with the axe call him by that name!"

"Leian? I've never heard of any level-nine powerhouse in the Empire by that name."

"Hmph, of course you haven't. He killed a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger with one sword strike. With that strength, I'd say Lord Leian must be a Saint Realm expert!"

"A Saint Realm expert? That can't be possible, can it?"

Leian, who had already entered the Youquan Mountain Range, had no idea that his feat of killing a level-eight Green-Eyed Horned Tiger with a single sword strike would soon cause a sensation in Natan City.

Moreover, as time passed, the rumor spread all the way to the imperial capital.

In Maple Leaf City, the imperial capital, on the third floor of the Youquan Trading Firm, manager Gregg stood quietly inside a hidden room. A scroll had long been spread open on the table before him.

At the beginning of the scroll was a portrait. If Leian had been there, he would certainly have recognized that the person in it was himself.

At that moment, several new lines had been added beneath the portrait:

Leian, born in 9852 of the Byron Calendar, from Qingshi Town, Hashan County, Southwest Province of the Empire. Level-nine warrior, cultivator of Destruction Battle Qi.

Settled in Maple Leaf City, the imperial capital, on April 27, 9882 of the Byron Calendar.

On June 12, 9882 of the Byron Calendar, killed a level-eight Green-Eyed Horned Tiger with one sword strike outside Natan City.