The Envious
The faint scent of grass reminded Niu Dingtian that something had been grazing on the grass. He crouched down and looked at a clump of grass nearby, where he saw some broken blades of grass. After parting the grass, he could see a trail of grass that had been crushed, and upon closer inspection, he could see that the trail led into the distance.
The animals on Green Plains Mountain are exceptionally alert. If someone who doesn't know how to look for tracks comes to Green Plains Mountain, it's difficult to see any animals, because they will leave before you arrive. If they don't leave, then you may need to run for your life, because that usually means they are powerful enough.
Following the trail, Niu Dingtian quickly found a rabbit grazing. He quietly took out his bow and arrow, the bowstring vibrated, and a sharp arrow flew past, hitting the rabbit directly.
With Niu Dingtian's talent, he could have advanced simply by taking the rabbit back, but that would have been too easy. So, Niu Dingtian took the rabbit and prepared to do something else.
He slit the rabbit's neck, splattering the blood around it, and finally placed the dead rabbit in the center. Rabbits are so cute, so naturally they would taste delicious. However, given the cunning of the wild beasts of Green Plains Mountain, they generally wouldn't fall for it. Therefore, if any creature was attracted, it must be a powerful and confident beast.
Of course, it could also be ordinary wild animals that were starving and had no other choice. After all, there was only a possibility of a trap. After Niu Dingtian finished smearing the blood, he smeared some powder he carried with him on his body, then hid in the grass and collapsed to the ground.
Niu Dingtian had no hunting experience, but others did, such as instructor Niu He, who was a powerful hunter. In the past, in addition to teaching them how to train their physique and will, awaken their life soul, and learn some knowledge of profound power, he would also teach them some skills for survival and hunting in the wild.
The powder that concealed his presence, along with the bow, arrows, and weapons, were all prepared for him by his family elder. Niu Dingtian hid in the grass, slowing his breathing and gradually calming down his excitement from his first hunt.
A short while passed, and a sound slowly came from afar. A huge, striped tiger appeared not far away. It was several sizes larger than an ordinary tiger, and its eyes gleamed with a cunning look.
Most of the mystical beasts are not very intelligent, but they are not stupid either. In the distance, the tiger-like mystical beast roared, and instantly a strong wind arose, making the trees rustle and even blowing away the grass.
Upon visiting the rabbit's carcass, the tiger was even swayed twice by the wind to confirm there were no traps before slowly approaching the rabbit. It lowered its head and sniffed the rabbit. Tigers are felines, and while humans have 5 million active olfactory nerves, felines have 19 million, equivalent to four times the number of olfactory nerves in humans.
Moreover, this is an upgraded version of the tiger, a mythical beast. Ordinary poisons, not to mention whether they can even reach the mythical beast, will mostly fail to escape the tiger's nose.
The tiger lowered its head, picked up the rabbit, and prepared to return. It was not safe to eat in the wild, so it still needed to return to its den. Just then, a long arrow flew by. The alert tiger quickly dodged it. Although it was still hit, it was not in a vital area. For the tiger, such a minor injury was negligible.
When the tiger blew a strong wind, Niu Dingtian was startled and quickly shrank into the shadows of the grass. After floating up, he immediately seized the opportunity to shoot an arrow. He then fired several more arrows, but they were all deflected by the strong wind stirred up by the tiger.
Niu Dingtian channeled his profound energy, and a snail phantom appeared on his body. He then infused the arrow with his profound Niu Dingtian and slowly retreated. Suddenly, he felt the strong wind weaken considerably, so he fired an arrow that pierced through the wind and struck the tiger. The shockwave of the profound energy entered the tiger's body, causing it to collapse to the ground.
Standing at a distance, Niu Dingtian did not approach, but instead shot several more arrows at the tiger. Only when the tiger shook its body somewhat unwillingly did he slowly walk over and kick it with his foot.
Pulling the arrows out of the tiger's body, one could see the blood flowing from the wound, some of which had turned black. It was thanks to the poison provided by the elder that Niu Dingtian, a novice, had the courage to hunt the mystical beast.
This poison is no ordinary poison. According to the old man of the Ju family, it was Extraction from the venom sac of a Giant Snake. A small amount of it can kill a person. Every arrow of Niu Dingtian was soaked in this poison overnight.
Although poison was used, hunting a mystical beast is not shameful in any way. In the autumn hunt, it should be enough to make a name for oneself. Looking at the big tiger, Niu Dingtian breathed a sigh of relief.
The strong wind earlier had really frightened him. If he hadn't launched that sneak attack with that arrow, even with poison, he probably wouldn't have been able to hunt down that mythical beast, and he himself would have been in danger.
He grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and used it to plug the tiger's still-bleeding wounds. Then he sprinkled some medicine powder to mask its breath on it. Niu Dingtian circulated his profound energy to increase his strength, and with a shout, he carried the huge tiger on his back.
He wasn't moving fast; in order to remain concealed, he even deliberately slowed down, otherwise he would attract other creatures. Note that he was carrying a heavy load, making it difficult for him to observe his surroundings, and he might be ambushed by other creatures.
Every so often, Niu Dingtian would put down the tiger's carcass to rest and recover his strength. He needed to maintain his physical strength at all times, as exhausting himself in the mountains would be a very foolish thing to do.
After stopping to rest again, Niu Dingtian suddenly heard a noise. He quickly took out his bow and arrows and quietly hid behind a tree. Only when two similar-looking boys came out did Niu Dingtian breathe a sigh of relief. He stepped out from behind the tree and said calmly, "Gentlemen, these are my prey. To avoid any misunderstandings, please leave immediately."
"It's you!" The two boys frowned when they saw Niu Dingtian, and one of them even exclaimed in surprise. Then, after looking at the huge tiger, their brows furrowed even more.
The two boys looked at Niu Dingtian with a hint of Envy in their eyes. Both of them were Xuan-grade life souls and had been tested in the same batch as Niu Dingtian. However, unlike Niu Dingtian, they were both from wealthy families and had been taught by tutors since childhood.
This time, Niu Han and Niu Dingtian both awakened their Earth-grade Life Souls, making them the envy of everyone. They were talked about for a long time. Niu Han was one thing, as he came from a wealthy family, but Niu Dingtian a poor boy.
However, both men had received excellent educations since childhood. Although they were unhappy that Niu Dingtian, a peasant, was making such a big fuss, they didn't want to make enemies for no reason. So, after a moment of silence, one of them spoke up, "Brother Dingtian, right? I wonder if you could sell us this mystical beast?"
Ahem, I need to adjust my sleep schedule, so I'll only be posting three updates tonight. My update schedule is now 2/6. I'll try posting five updates tomorrow and see if I can improve.