Tuoshan Deer Calves

The moon hung bright overhead, and stars dotted the sky, but Guan Ning could no longer see that beautiful sight.

He was practicing his swordplay in the basement. His figure flickered, and sword shadows crisscrossed around him. The whooshing of the wind mingled with the sonic booms of the Qingming Sword, but something about it looked awkward, as if the technique lacked something.

"Still no good?" Guan Ning stopped and looked at the sword in his hand, murmuring to himself, "I'll have to wait a little longer."

Guan Ning knew where the lack of coordination came from. The second level of the Dugu Sword Art included moves like Entwine, Coil, Thrust, and Pull in addition to the thirteen basic forms. These techniques weren't suited to a fast sword like the Qingming Sword, so Guan Ning had specially prepared a flexible sword.

He set the Qingming Sword aside and took the Coiling Dragon Sword, coiled into a ring, out of his backpack. It looked just like a belt.

"Swish, swish, swish."

He flicked his wrist, and the Coiling Dragon Sword began to quiver. As cold glints flashed along its length, it straightened into a long, slender, razor-sharp sword.

A flexible sword, with a blade as soft as silk, was difficult to control. Practicing with one also required intense concentration of mind, energy, and spirit. It was one of the most difficult types of swordsmanship, and its use was completely different from that of a rigid sword.

Remembering Limit Home's explanation of the flexible sword's pros and cons when he bought the Coiling Dragon Sword, Guan Ning smiled faintly.

Then he thought of the sword's price, and his heart ached. The six-series Qingming Sword had cost only twenty million, or ten million at half price. But the six-series Coiling Dragon Sword, made of special materials, cost twice as much as the Qingming Sword. Even at half price, it had set him back twenty million. If he hadn't made a fortune in the Wilderness Area, he really wouldn't have been able to afford it.

After returning from the Wilderness Area to the Ginkgo Residential District, Guan Ning had begun practicing the Hidden Edge Sword. He soon discovered the Qingming Sword's limitations, and then ordered the Coiling Dragon Sword.

For nearly half a month, Guan Ning had practiced the Hidden Edge Sword with the Coiling Dragon Sword. The results had been excellent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to touch the threshold of swordsmanship mastery.

It was only because he'd seen the results today that Guan Ning had gotten the idea to try practicing with the Qingming Sword. He hadn't expected it to still be unsuitable. He had no idea when he'd be able to use the Qingming Sword to perform the Hidden Edge Sword Technique.

Sword shadows whirled through the basement. Though the Hidden Edge Sword Technique had only thirty-six moves, each one had dozens of variations. Once worked through, the variations became incredibly complex, like a kaleidoscope that dazzled the eyes.

The sword's edge was icy cold. Under the lights, it seemed to vanish, and only the fleeting glimmer of its blade proved it was there.

The Coiling Dragon Sword seemed to swim through the air like a serpent, freely flicking its tongue and baring its sharp fangs. Its entire blade swayed and twisted at will, and it even seemed capable of extending and retracting at will.

Though Guan Ning now wielded it with ease, his first attempts with the Coiling Dragon Sword had been fraught with danger. Fortunately, he had followed the manual's instructions and mastered the Swift Sword Technique with the Coiling Dragon Sword before practicing the Hidden Edge Sword Technique. Otherwise, he would have been covered in wounds by now.

Usually, Guan Ning wore the Coiling Dragon Sword as a belt, with the Qingming Sword strapped to his back. Anyone who saw him would surely assume that the Qingming Sword was his weapon. In reality, the Qingming Sword was now far less powerful than the Coiling Dragon Sword.

In terms of speed, the Coiling Dragon Sword was lighter and thinner, so it was naturally faster when wielded with the same amount of force;

in terms of technique, a rigid sword like the Qingming Sword couldn't compare with the Coiling Dragon Sword at all;

in terms of power, the Qingming Sword was naturally stronger, but the Coiling Dragon Sword was sharper, making it even more dangerous.

That way, he had an extra layer of disguise. In this dangerous world, it was better to keep a few trump cards hidden.

Time flew by as Guan Ning practiced. Before long, April 1 arrived.

After finishing his morning exercises, Guan Ning went to the third floor of the Nine-Story Tower. Feng Mu had prepared a replica Gravity Room for him there.

He spent four hours training inside every morning. Whether he practiced swordsmanship, footwork, or absorbed cosmic energy, he did it in the Gravity Room.

He did the same for four hours in the afternoon. Though it had only three times normal gravity and couldn't compare with the Ancient Civilization Gravity Room, those eight hours were still equivalent to thirty-two hours of ordinary training.

The next day, April 2, Guan Ning headed for City 1001, a city in the Wilderness Area about three hundred kilometers from the Training Camp. The city's number had been personally chosen by Hong, the founder of Hongning Base City. All cadets had to hunt monsters there.

A satellite was also assigned specifically to monitor City 1001.

The buildings along both sides of the highway had completely collapsed, leaving a wasteland of gray concrete. Rusty steel bars protruded from between the chunks of rubble,

and the road beneath his feet was riddled with cracks. Weeds over half a meter tall had even grown through them, and strange potholes pocked the surface. They were the footprints left behind by charging monsters.

The Training Camp's cadets had swept this road countless times, so monsters were rarely seen here. They could only be found in large groups inside City 1001.

There were also countless monsters in the city, especially Beast General Level monsters, which appeared in droves. Otherwise, how could they withstand the Training Camp's relentless hunts year after year?

Just after entering the city's outskirts, where ruined villas stood in rows, Guan Ning spotted a group of forty or fifty Shadow Cats. The one in the middle was one and a half meters long, with three tails nearly a meter in length swishing back and forth. It was an Intermediate Beast General.

Three Two-Tailed Cats, each a meter long, surrounded it. They were Elementary Beast General Level Shadow Cats, while the rest were only Beast Soldier Level.

"You'll do."

Guan Ning's eyes narrowed, and his figure flickered as he appeared among the cats.

His speed was close to the speed of sound, which should have created a tremendous sonic boom. But thanks to the footwork from the Basic Sword Technique, he moved without a sound, like a ghost.

"Meow..."

The cats also spotted the uninvited guest. They roared and pounced, and all sorts of attacks came at him: sharp claws, whipping tails, and more.

Guan Ning smiled faintly, his figure growing even more elusive. No matter what attacks came at him, they couldn't disrupt his movements. Among the cats, he strolled as if through a courtyard, stabbing or slashing with the Qingming Sword. Its blade left a series of cuts across the four Beast General Level cats.

The Shadow Cats howled in pain, their ferocity roused. They grew even more frantic, suddenly leaping at him as if willing to trade wounds. Guan Ning easily dodged the incoming claws once more. With a sweep of his sword, he slashed the leader's throat, sending blood gushing out and staining the ground bright red.

His sword swept and flicked upward, and the three tails were sliced from the corpse. They flew into the air and landed right in Guan Ning's hand.

While he'd been occupied, the three Elementary Beast General Level Shadow Cats had reached him. Guan Ning paid no attention to the claws flying at him. "Swish, swish, swish." Three flashes of swordlight flickered, and all three sets of claws were severed. Seeing the cats howl in agony, Guan Ning said to himself, "You look like you're suffering so much. I'll put you out of your misery."

Before his words had even faded, Guan Ning appeared beside the three cats. The Qingming Sword flashed like a streak of light as it cut across them, opening a huge gash in each of their bellies, their intestines nearly spilling out.

A pungent, fishy stench immediately filled the air. Guan Ning had only been to the Wilderness Area once, but he was already used to the stench of blood. Without changing his expression, he cut off the tails from behind the cats, then darted backward and was out of the group in the blink of an eye.

"Thirteen points earned."

Guan Ning weighed the six cat tails in his hand, put them into the backpack on his back, and continued on his way.

"There really are a lot of Beast General Level monsters. I bet City 003, known as the 'Demon Cave,' is no match for this place."

In just one day, Guan Ning had hunted twenty or thirty Beast General Level monsters, all of them Intermediate Beast Generals. Ever since arriving in City 1001, he'd stopped bothering with Elementary Beast General Level monsters, while the High-Level Beast General Level monsters were still beyond his abilities. So he'd set his sights on Intermediate Beast General Level monsters.

He ran into some Training Camp cadets along the way, but everyone was in a hurry to earn points, so they hardly spoke. Even when they came across cadets they knew, they exchanged no more than a few brief, casual pleasantries. Guan Ning liked it that way.

"Six in the evening. I can head back." Guan Ning checked the time and prepared to leave.

With his bulging backpack on his shoulders, Guan Ning set off for home.

"Wait a moment."

As he passed the entrance to a department store, he noticed that the Lord-level leader of the Tuoshan Deer herd was gone. Even half the Beast General Level monsters were missing, and his mind immediately began to race.

Not long after entering the city, Guan Ning had noticed the herd of Tuoshan Deer. It wasn't because they were a rare species. Tuoshan Deer calves were simply nutritious and delicious. Even before the Great Nirvana, Tuoshan Deer had been famous.

Monster calves were widely recognized as one of the best materials for improving physical fitness, but almost no one used them for that purpose.

First, monster calves were incredibly rare. If ordinary people managed to catch one, they would sell it to a major power to raise. Who would be willing to eat it?

Second, stealing the young of a high-level monster was no easy task. Monsters that had just given birth usually had their whole herd protecting them, making it very difficult for outsiders to sneak in and steal their young.

Monster calves contained large amounts of nutrients needed for physical growth. For humans, they were truly rare delicacies.

Guan Ning had been tempted by the Tuoshan Deer calves, but he hadn't considered going after them. He couldn't hope to take on a Lord-level Tuoshan Deer, let alone two High-Level Beast General Tuoshan Deer.

But now things were different. The Lord-level Tuoshan Deer was gone, and so were the two High-Level Beast General Tuoshan Deer. Even the Elementary and Intermediate Beast General Tuoshan Deer had been reduced to half their original numbers. From the entrance, he could clearly see three Tuoshan Deer calves running around among the herd.

"This is a gift from heaven! Even one calf could at the very least help me break through to the High-Level Beast General rank! Forget it, I'm doing it."

Guan Ning steeled himself and made up his mind.