"Rumble..."
Several hundred miles north of Jiangnan Base City, a train slowly rolled along the tracks into a military district garrison, finally coming to a steady stop at the station.
Fully armed, Chen Yuan followed the crowd off the train. A glance around showed that everyone nearby was similarly equipped; there were easily more than a hundred of them.
The passengers on this train were all Martial Artists heading into the Wilderness Zone. Unlike Chen Yuan, however, most had formed teams beforehand. Not long after disembarking, they gathered in twos and threes, quickly forming squads and discussing their plans.
Chen Yuan naturally had no team, nor did he intend to join one. Since he did not currently need supplies or rest, he did not even linger at the garrison. Once he identified the direction of the Wilderness Zone, he left the crowd and headed beyond the garrison.
Chen Yuan's actions drew the attention of most of the people present. Before long, a young man in military uniform called out to him.
"Sir—"
Chen Yuan had only taken a few steps when a clear voice stopped him. He turned around and saw a young man in a crisp military uniform jogging toward him.
"Are you planning to enter the Wilderness Zone alone?" The uniformed young man wore a professionally enthusiastic smile. "Martial Artists who dare venture out alone are rare these days. Do you need help contacting a temporary squad? You only need to pay a five-percent brokerage fee, and your safety factor will triple."
So he was a broker. Chen Yuan shook his head and politely replied, "Thank you, but there's no need."
The young man in uniform wanted to say more, but when his gaze swept over Chen Yuan's combat suit, his pupils contracted slightly. He immediately changed his tone. "I understand. I'm a service agent with the HR Alliance. If you gain anything in the Wilderness Zone, you're welcome to sell it to me. I'll definitely offer you a satisfactory price."
As he spoke, he took out a business card and handed it to Chen Yuan. Chen Yuan accepted it and glanced down. It read: Zhou Jie, Manager of the HR Alliance's Northern Military Region branch in Jiangnan Base City. Specializing in purchasing Monster materials, introducing squad members, and more. His phone number was listed beneath.
Chen Yuan put away the card and nodded to the young man. "Understood. If I find anything, I'll contact you."
With that, he turned and left. This time, the young man in uniform did not stop him. Watching Chen Yuan's receding back, he muttered thoughtfully, "He's wearing a Series 7 Combat Suit. Could he be a War God, or an Advanced War General? He's far too young."
But regardless of Chen Yuan's strength, Zhou Jie chose to trust his instincts. Even if he could not befriend this man, he absolutely could not offend him.
Chen Yuan paid no attention to the uniformed young man's thoughts. After leaving the military garrison, he picked a direction at random and began moving forward.
It was already dusk. As time passed, Chen Yuan ventured deeper and deeper into the Wilderness Zone. The surroundings gradually became more desolate, and Monsters had begun to appear within his field of vision.
Before long, he encountered a Monster. Coincidentally, it was an Iron-Haired Wild Boar.
"What a coincidence. The first Monster I run into is you." Interest appeared in Chen Yuan's eyes. He had not forgotten how badly he had suffered at the hands of an Iron-Haired Wild Boar when he had first transmigrated here.
"Perfect. Pork for dinner tonight."
Chen Yuan drew his Streamer Battle Sword with one hand and crooked a finger at the Iron-Haired Wild Boar before him with the other.
As the lowest-ranked H-Class Monster, the Iron-Haired Wild Boar possessed little intelligence. Seeing Chen Yuan provoke it, it immediately charged at him in rage.
Charging was the Iron-Haired Wild Boar's only method of attack, but its power was naturally formidable. Moreover, the farther it ran, the faster it became.
In the blink of an eye, the Iron-Haired Wild Boar crossed dozens of meters and arrived before Chen Yuan.
Yet in Chen Yuan's eyes, its movements were clumsy and slow.
Just as the boar was about to slam into him, Chen Yuan shifted his feet and flashed aside, easily evading the frontal charge. At the same time, the long sword in his hand shot forth like lightning, precisely piercing through the Iron-Haired Wild Boar's brain.
Kill Points +1
The Iron-Haired Wild Boar's body retained its forward momentum. Chen Yuan smoothly withdrew his long sword, bringing a spray of blood with it.
He stood where he was and watched as the body continued charging forward for more than ten meters before crashing to the ground.
Chen Yuan walked over to where the Iron-Haired Wild Boar had fallen and lowered his head slightly. "This is the Iron-Haired Wild Boar that I couldn't stop thinking about? It feels much weaker than the one in my memories."
Of course, Chen Yuan knew that individual differences among Monsters like Iron-Haired Wild Boars were not particularly great.
It was only that his memories of first transmigrating into this world had been too vivid. That boar's ferocity and oppressive presence had been infinitely magnified in his mind, almost becoming an obsession.
Now that Chen Yuan had witnessed the Iron-Haired Wild Boar's true strength, that small obsession in his heart vanished completely.
"As expected, I'm still too strong." Chen Yuan sighed. "Enemies like this can't temper my swordsmanship. I should go deeper."
Putting away his battle sword, Chen Yuan no longer paid attention to the Iron-Haired Wild Boar's corpse and continued deeper into the Wilderness Zone.
As time passed, night fell completely. Only the high-hanging moon cast down its cold radiance, tirelessly guiding his path. Chen Yuan pressed onward, encountering more and more Monsters, but none could withstand even a single exchange with him.
A chilling flash of sword light suddenly tore through the darkness, cutting a Shadow Cat that had pounced from the shadows into two. Chen Yuan flicked the blood from his blade and continued onward.
This was not the first Monster to attempt an ambush. With the arrival of night, the Wilderness Zone's predators had begun to emerge. More and more Monsters set their sights on Chen Yuan, but before his keen senses, none of those hidden dangers could remain concealed. They could only become nourishment for honing his swordsmanship.
Around midnight, Chen Yuan finally arrived at a county town. Standing outside it, he looked at the broken walls and ruined buildings within, all of it steeped in decay.
"As expected of a county town. The Monsters here are clearly a tier stronger than those outside." Chen Yuan watched figures emerge from the ruined city. There were roughly seventeen or eighteen of them. The spots in their fur, their streamlined bodies, and their powerful limbs all revealed their identities—Tiger Mastiff Dogs.
The Tiger Mastiff Dogs surrounded Chen Yuan but did not attack immediately, seemingly wary of the aura surrounding him.
Along the way, Chen Yuan had slain dozens of Monsters, and his body carried a strong stench of Monster blood. These Tiger Mastiff Dogs, with their sensitive noses, had detected it.
"Primary Beast Soldier Tiger Mastiff Dogs. Eighteen in total. The three leading them are clearly stronger and should have reached the intermediate level." Chen Yuan reflected inwardly as he brought up his panel and checked the proficiency of the Spirit Wind Sword Art. Both his sword art and Guiding Technique had reached 99.99%, while his footwork had only reached 91.37%.
Perhaps because these three secret arts were originally one whole, the lack of a breakthrough in his footwork was also keeping the other two stuck at their bottleneck.
"If I didn't vaguely feel that I'm about to uncover the secret of the Spirit Wind Sword Art, I would've used Kill Points to optimize you long ago." Chen Yuan looked at his remaining 87 Kill Points and thought to himself.
Ever since his Guiding Technique had reached 99.99%, Chen Yuan had felt a premonition. Once the Spirit Wind Sword Art entered the "proficient" level, it would truly reveal its power. That feeling had only grown stronger after his sword art progress had also filled up.
Now, he only needed a breakthrough in footwork to unveil the Spirit Wind Sword Art's secrets. The Tiger Mastiff Dogs before him were the sparring partners Chen Yuan had found to improve his footwork.
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