Xuanlan Wolf Demon

For three days straight, Wei Xuanfeng was like a jungle assassin, hunting Soft-Boned Rabbit Demons to his heart's content.

By now, there were no fewer than eighty rabbit ears in his pouch.

Moreover, he was no longer pursuing efficiency in his methods of hunting rabbit demons. He was doing it more to temper himself.

He discovered that the original owner's Grand Ancestor Saber Technique had some real substance to it.

The saber technique was broad and sweeping—simple, practical.

At first, using the Grand Ancestor Saber Technique to kill a Soft-Boned Rabbit Demon took him roughly three or four minutes.

As his saber technique grew increasingly refined, that time shrank to under a minute.

What delighted Wei Xuanfeng most was that, according to the system panel, his Grand Ancestor Saber Technique had advanced from Beginner to Minor Mastery.

According to the system prompt, the realms of a martial art, from low to high, were: First Glimpse—Beginner—Minor Mastery—Entering the Hall—Entering the Chamber—Great Mastery—Perfection—Returning to Origin—Ultimate Perfection.

Having reached Minor Mastery, the Embroidered Spring Saber in Wei Xuanfeng's hand had become as nimble as an arm or finger.

On top of that, he had spent all the gold coins he had accumulated over the past three days drawing traits.

His stat panel was now...

Actually, it had not risen much at all, because his luck was truly abysmal. He had drawn nothing but white traits...

[Host: Wei Xuanfeng.]

[Cultivation: Martial Warrior Realm, Level 5.]

[Attributes: Constitution 17, Strength 17, Speed 16, Comprehension 14.]

[Martial Arts: Black Dragon Grappling Hand (Minor Mastery), Grand Ancestor Saber Technique (Minor Mastery)]

[Red Trait: Heaven's Movement Is Ever Vigorous.]

Moonlight spilled like silk over the forest clearing. Fish and rabbit meat were roasting on the bonfire beside him.

Bare-chested, Wei Xuanfeng sank his waist and set his stance, repeating the chops, slashes, upward cuts, and thrusts of the Grand Ancestor Saber Technique again and again.

The blade tore through the air, drawing sharp, piercing shrieks through the silent night.

With every completed strike, the earth beneath his feet sank a fraction deeper.

Whoosh!

Wei Xuanfeng bent his knees slightly, then leaped high into the air with a Mount Hua-Cleaving Chop.

When he reached nearly ten feet in height, he brought the Embroidered Spring Saber down viciously into the stream, carrying the weight of gravity and the force of his arm.

Boom!

The blade drew, severing the water. The stream was split in two by saber energy, and only after a full three seconds did it come rushing downward again.

Wei Xuanfeng looked at the result and shook his head slightly.

He was very satisfied with his physical body. He could leap three meters high, and at full sprint, cover a hundred meters in just seven seconds.

When he threw a punch, he could even hear an airburst.

But...

The effect of that saber strike had fallen far short of his expectations.

"This saber technique is improving at a pace like a crawling turtle..."

Wei Xuanfeng lowered his head and looked at his Embroidered Spring Saber. Ever since the Grand Ancestor Saber Technique had entered Minor Mastery, he had noticed that his progress in the technique had slowed.

There was no longer that breakneck pace of improvement.

At his current rate of progress, he would need to hunt rabbit demons in these deep mountains and wild forests for at least close to a year before advancing from Minor Mastery to Entering the Hall.

"Starting today, I'll sleep one shichen less every day."

Wei Xuanfeng was not discouraged. He plopped down beside the bonfire and began wolfing down fish and rabbit meat, one bite after another.

For the past three days, he had hunted rabbit demons during the day and practiced his saber technique beneath the moon at night.

At most, he slept three shichen a day—six hours.

Sleeping one shichen less might not show results in the short term.

But he firmly believed that with this kind of martial art, practice made perfect.

Whether in his previous life or this one, he was willing to sacrifice many things to grow stronger, pleasure included.

After eating and drinking his fill, Wei Xuanfeng looked at the bundle beside him. He believed the rabbit ears he had collected would definitely rank near the top.

So instead of going hunting, he picked up the Embroidered Spring Saber and prepared to continue practicing the Grand Ancestor Saber Technique.

Just as he assumed the opening stance, he suddenly heard a burst of clattering combat from the distance.

Judging by the time, could it be that other examinees had also found their way into the deep mountains?

With that thought, Wei Xuanfeng sheathed the Embroidered Spring Saber and silently moved toward the source of the sound.

By now, night had fallen. Wei Xuanfeng concealed himself in the darkness, moving with immense patience as he observed his surroundings.

His movements were slow, and he made almost no sound as he advanced.

He had paid for all this experience with blood and wounds in his previous life.

Wei Xuanfeng executed every movement for stealth and concealment with meticulous precision, making subtle adjustments at any moment according to the terrain.

As he passed beneath a large tree, he suddenly halted within its shadow and remained perfectly still.

More than ten meters away, several martial artists in different outfits were facing a wolf.

No—more accurately, they were facing a Xuanlan Wolf Demon.

Wei Xuanfeng narrowed his eyes. Sure enough, the wolf demon of White Lotus Mountain had appeared here.

Over the past three days, he had already seen no fewer than a dozen martial artists' corpses. Their deaths had been so miserable that even he could not bear to look directly at them.

Perhaps it was because of the red text upon him, or perhaps his blade technique had improved, but when Wei Xuanfeng saw this Xuanlan Wolf Demon, he felt no fear. Instead, a hint of fighting spirit rose within him.

Still, he did not act rashly. He intended to first see just how capable this wolf demon was in battle...

The Xuanlan Wolf Demon was entirely blue-black in color and enormous in stature.

Even among demon servants, it was considered a troublesome opponent.

To hunt a Xuanlan Wolf Demon, one needed at least five experienced martial artists at the ninth level of the Martial Warrior Realm, working together in perfect coordination.

Yet among the people before him, there was clearly not a single ninth-level Martial Warrior Realm martial artist.

It's her...

Among the crowd, Wei Xuanfeng spotted a familiar figure.

Fox Murong.

Her Demon Suppression Directorate blade constable uniform was particularly eye-catching amid the crowd.

Just as eye-catching was a slender blade constable beside her.

Wei Xuanfeng recognized that person as one of the blade constables who had taken the assessment with him.

"Brothers, we definitely can't outrun this beast. Let's face it together! Even if we die, we must die with backbone!"

Fox Murong suddenly shouted from the battlefield.

Her voice was magnetic, as though it possessed some kind of magic.

Even Wei Xuanfeng, more than ten meters away, felt his blood boil upon hearing her words.

The others had already had their minds filled with fear, and upon hearing this, they instinctively agreed.

What Wei Xuanfeng had not expected was that the one most eager to strike was actually that slender blade constable.

She tossed aside the pouch that was getting in her way, then charged at the wolf demon at tremendous speed.

"Brothers, fight it to the death!"

"Murong is right! Even if we die, we must die with backbone!"

"..."

With someone taking the lead, the rest naturally found their backbone.

The martial artists wielded all manner of weapons as they closed in on the Xuanlan Wolf Demon from every direction.

From the tree, Wei Xuanfeng saw everything clearly.

He saw the disdain in the Xuanlan Wolf Demon's eyes, as well as...

Fox Murong quietly slipping away after placing everyone between herself and the demon.

Before leaving, she had even taken the slender blade constable's pouch with her...

Judging by its weight, there were at least thirty-odd rabbit ears inside that pouch.

Everyone's eyes were fixed firmly on the wolf demon. Not a single one noticed her little maneuver...

They naively believed that they had surrounded the Xuanlan Wolf Demon.

Who would have thought that the wolf demon would let out an enraged howl, a blast of force erupting from its body.

Its massive form moved with startling speed. Facing the slender blade constable's Mount Hua-cleaving strike, it merely flashed aside and easily evaded it.

Its wolf claw rose. With a ripping sound, it left three bloody gashes across her chest.

Then its great fluffy tail swept out. The sharp crack of breaking bones burst from the slender blade constable's body as she was sent flying a full three or four meters away.

Afterward, it charged into the crowd, swaying left and right. With one bite from its wolf fangs, who knew how many weapons were knocked from their owners' hands.

Martial artists fell one after another, unable to rise.

The wolf's tail swept left and right. Its movements were plain and unadorned, yet with only a few simple sweeps, the martial artists who had not even managed to struggle back to their feet were either dead or badly wounded.

In the span of a few breaths, the battle had been decided. Victory and defeat were clear.

The Xuanlan Wolf Demon did not finish them off. It greatly enjoyed the wails of the wounded.

What this race enjoyed most was tearing open the bellies of prey while they were still alive.

It strode over to a martial artist, ignored his feeble resistance, and tore open his chest with a single wolf claw.

Blood flooded the ground, and fresh organs steamed in the air.

Just as it was about to take a bite, it suddenly sensed something and lifted its head to stare in Wei Xuanfeng's direction.

"Awooo!!"

The mockery in that wolf howl was thick.

Fight, or get lost!

Wei Xuanfeng was so angered by the beast that he laughed. He leaped straight down from the branch, and his embroidered spring saber shuddered in the night wind, its blade humming.

Hadn't he worked so hard to grow stronger so that whenever he encountered a powerful enemy, he would have the courage to draw his blade?

This Xuanlan Wolf Demon was perfect for testing his current combat strength.