Super Strength

The uninjured black bear rose onto its hind legs, standing a full zhang tall. Its roar tore through the mountains and forest, making even the leaves tremble and rustle.

Qin Sheng's situation was somewhat difficult at the moment, for he had to face the siege of two black bears.

Without another word, Lin Xuan pulled a triangular arrow from his quiver and shot it toward the black bear's eye.

With a whoosh, the zhang-tall black bear standing upright was struck in the eye. Blood instantly flooded its vision, blurring it, but that single arrow was not enough to kill it.

Rather than fleeing, it roared even more furiously and lunged straight at Qin Sheng, its thick, powerful paw seeming to carry the force of a thousand jun.

"Good!" Qin Sheng did not turn around to see who had come to support him. Doing so would undoubtedly expose his weakness to the black bear.

Qin Sheng was no easy prey either. Knowing he could not take the black bear head-on, he flashed backward and retreated behind a sapling as thick as a bowl rim.

The black bear struck the small tree with a paw, snapping it cleanly in the middle. It slowly toppled to the ground, its leaves scraping against the earth with a soft rustle.

Qin Sheng was startled. He had known the black bear would be strong, but he had not expected it to be this strong. If that strike had landed on him, even his armor might not have held.

Seizing the chance, he swung the long spear in his hand and thrust it toward the black bear, instantly punching a hole through its body.

The black bear's huge paw slapped straight at the spear, intending to snap it in two. Yet it had not expected the shaft to be so resilient. After the spear was pulled from its body, it bent to an absurd degree, nearly ninety degrees, before springing back straight in an instant. The spearhead trembled a few times, as though nothing had happened.

During that time, Lin Xuan fired another two arrows into the black bear, but they still failed to inflict fatal wounds. The beast never stopped moving. He could hit it, but the arrows meant for its vital points were thrown off by its movements. In this state, landing a precise shot on its weak spot would depend on luck.

The black bear suddenly changed direction and charged toward Lin Xuan. It knew it could not kill the man with the spear anytime soon, so it decided to deal with the one behind him first.

It moved with astonishing speed, arriving before Lin Xuan in the blink of an eye. Its massive raised paw came crashing down at him.

Though Lin Xuan's cultivation was insufficient and his reflexes were not as swift as Qin Sheng's, Sharp Eyes empowered him. In his eyes, the black bear's movements were not actually that fast.

Lin Xuan ducked, avoiding the bear's strike. At the same time, he drew the saber at his waist and exerted force, power rising from his legs and waist. He carved a long, bloody gash across the black bear's body, then swiftly retreated to maintain a safe distance.

Qin Sheng took the opportunity to pursue. Once he realized the black bear had few weak points before him, he made his judgment in an instant. His gaze turned sharp, his wrist suddenly dipped, and his spear shot forward along the inside of the bear's hind leg, stabbing straight at the thinnest, most vulnerable, most defenseless vital point on its body.

Splurt—

The spear plunged in viciously.

This thrust was crucial. The black bear felt a tearing agony erupt from behind, pain ten times fiercer than the wounds in its eye or from the saber. It surged through its entire body and shot straight to the crown of its head.

Its enormous body suddenly stiffened. Its upright posture instantly collapsed, its four legs went weak, and it nearly dropped to its knees.

The unbearable pain drove it into a mad howl. Its roar was no longer ferocious, but shrill and miserable, so tragic that the birds and beasts in the forest scattered in panic.

It twisted its body wildly, trying to fling the spear away, but the weapon was wedged firmly inside it. The spearhead was sharp, and every movement brought another bout of piercing agony.

Qin Sheng gripped the spear shaft tightly and refused to let go, pitting brute strength against the black bear without falling behind.

Blood gushed wildly down the spear shaft, staining the ground red.

The black bear went completely mad, flailing its paws at the ground and tree trunks. It snapped another bowl-thick tree, sending dirt and stones flying, yet it could not touch Qin Sheng or Lin Xuan at all.

Not long afterward, Li He and Qin Huai arrived. They drew their bows, nocked arrows, and fired at the black bear's vital spots.

Seeing the two come to assist, Lin Xuan turned his gaze into the distance. The other cub that had been struck by an arrow had long since been scared out of its wits, its young beastly eyes filled with terror.

It watched the great bear howl madly in agony, drenched in blood. It only dared to whimper in broken, miserable sounds from afar, baring its teeth and snarling as noises continued to rumble from its throat, yet it did not dare step forward even half a pace.

Every painful convulsion of the great bear made it shrink tighter and tremble all over.

A naturally perfect target. Lin Xuan aimed an arrow straight at its eye, shooting through its head. It staggered unsteadily, its body instinctively urging it to flee, but it was already useless. It had lost too much blood to begin with, and now it could not run at all.

When the great black bear saw the little black bear hunted down, it grew even more enraged and struggled in its death throes, but it was already too late. It had lost too much blood and was beginning to lose its strength.

Soon, it no longer had the strength to support itself. It lay on the ground, low growls issuing from its mouth. None of them dared approach, fearing the beast might make one final counterattack before death—suddenly biting someone or delivering a crushing blow.

The great black bear's body continued to rise and fall with its breathing, but the movements grew smaller and smaller until it finally lay completely still.

Lin Xuan stared fixedly at the great black bear until two small golden words slowly rose above its head: [Super Strength].

With practiced ease, he claimed [Super Strength].

[Super Strength]: Strength increased by 30%.

"Only thirty percent?" Lin Xuan frowned. This talent seemed somewhat meager, but if it was a percentage-based boost, it was not bad.

In this hunt for the black bear, Qin Sheng had contributed the most.

"Haha, it was truly thanks to Brother Lin. Without you, I might not have been able to kill this beast without suffering any injuries."

"Not at all, not at all. Brother Qin was the main force in killing this black bear. Without you, how could our strength possibly stand against it? We would likely all have ended up in the bear's jaws!"

Qin Sheng stepped forward and squeezed the black bear's hide and flesh before speaking to the others.

"Since the black bear is dead, it is time to divide the bear meat."

Lin Xuan and the remaining two quietly listened, wanting to know exactly how Qin Sheng intended to divide it.

Qin Sheng pondered, assessing everyone's contribution to the hunt. After a long while, he finally made his decision and spoke to the people around him again.

"I will take forty-five percent, Brother Lin Xuan will take twenty-five percent, and Brother Qin Huai and Brother Li He will each take fifteen percent. What do you think?"

After thinking it over carefully, everyone was fairly satisfied with the arrangement. Some nodded, while others silently accepted it.

They had also assessed their own contributions. Qin Sheng had been the main force in killing the black bear; without him, this hunt would not have succeeded.

Lin Xuan had also contributed greatly. He had shot the great black bear in the eye, drawn its hatred, and hunted the cub.

Qin Huai and Li He had fallen behind due to exhaustion and arrived late. Their role in killing the black bear had only been the final finishing blows, but they had accompanied Qin Sheng in searching for the black bear many times before, so naturally they could not be given too little.