Everyone Went Their Separate Ways to Train! Liu Yunche Finally Stopped Hiding His Strength

He Wu pulled a short blade from the heel of his boot, walked slowly to the demonic beast, crouched down, and began cutting.

The blade scraped across the beast's thick hide, leaving only a faint mark. After gritting his teeth and sawing at it several times, he gave a low shout.

"What a beast. Its hide and flesh are truly tough."

"Let me."

At that moment, Liu Yunche walked over. Raising Concealed Edge in his right hand, he merely gave it a casual swing, and the two tusks fell to the ground.

He Wu's gaze fell upon the long saber in his hand, and he sighed. "Brother Yunche, you truly make one envious."

Shi Qingyue patted the mud from his body and said carelessly, "If you want one, it wouldn't be difficult with your family's wealth."

He Wu had only made an offhand remark, but then changed the subject. "We only need to take the Black-Haired Sharp-Tusk Boar's tusks as proof for the points. The rest of its hide and meat aren't worth much."

Looking at Shi Qingyue's bloodstained gloves, He Wu could not help teasing him.

"Brother Qingyue landed the decisive blow with a single punch and deserves the greatest credit. It's just that this method... truly caught people off guard."

"That demonic beast had its back to me. That punch was a stroke of divine inspiration. So long as it works, it's a good move."

Shi Qingyue did not care in the slightest and spoke with open candor.

As they spoke, they recalled the earlier scene. The demonic beast's shrill, agonized cries still rang in their ears. Such pain was truly something few could endure.

"Brother Shi contributed the most, so these tusks should go to him," Li Xuansheng agreed smoothly.

It was only a small matter. A pair of tusks was not worth much, and the people present already knew one another, so there was naturally no need to haggle over every last detail.

"Fine, then I won't stand on ceremony." Shi Qingyue accepted the tusks generously and placed them in his bundle.

After a brief rest, they simply wiped away the blood and dust on their bodies, packed up, and continued deeper into Azure Radiance Mountain.

The farther they went into the heart of the mountains and forests, the more towering the ancient trees became. The woods grew damper, while the rank, bloody scent of demonic beasts became thicker. From time to time, beastly roars drifted faintly from the depths of the dense forest.

Along the way, they encountered several demonic beasts at the Skin Tempering level in succession: vicious Fang Leopards with savage fangs, swift Iron-Clawed Mountain Cats, and Spiked Armor Hedgehogs covered in poisonous spines. All were common ferocious creatures of the mountain forests.

After several consecutive battles, the five of them worked together in perfect understanding, dividing their roles and surrounding their prey.

After a few such encounters, He Wu gradually noticed that whenever Shi Qingyue fought a demonic beast, he waited specifically until it had its back turned. The moment he found an opening, he would drive a punch straight at its vital point, still favoring that tricky move aimed directly at the rear passage.

Though the method was crude and inelegant, every strike heavily wounded the beast, disrupting its offensive. It worked every time, with remarkably effective results.

Meanwhile, Liu Yunche was always a man of few words and ruthless action. Normally quiet and reserved, once he made a move, he showed no mercy.

The treasured saber Concealed Edge at his waist flashed with cold light, peerlessly sharp.

Throughout their journey, not a single demonic beast's hide or flesh had withstood the slashes, chops, and thrusts of this Low-grade Martial Treasure. One strike often broke through its defenses, clean and decisive.

After facing life and death side by side several times, the group, who had already known one another, completely shed the polite distance between them.

All the deliberate probing and speculation from their time in the city had scattered like smoke. Their words and actions became increasingly casual and frank.

Whenever Shi Qingyue used that tricky punch again, Li Xuansheng and He Wu would tease him in low voices nearby. Though Li Xuantong was cool by nature, she would occasionally let out a helpless, faint laugh as well.

With a tremendous crash, a One-Horned Roar roughly nine feet long and six feet tall slammed to the ground. Its enormous body sent dust and rotting leaves flying into the air, and they took a long time to slowly settle.

Ignoring his appearance, He Wu collapsed onto a pile of rotting leaves. Raising a hand to wipe the sweat and blood from his face, he looked at the One-Horned Roar's corpse and sighed.

"It is said that the One-Horned Roar carries a trace of the bloodline of ancient ferocious beasts. Now that I've seen it, even an immature cub has truly frightening strength."

Li Xuansheng slowly stepped forward, gently touching the lustrous horn atop the demonic beast's head with his fingertips as he quietly agreed.

"It is indeed a cub. Its horn has not yet fully hardened. If it were an adult, the few of us would likely have needed several times the effort."

Shi Qingyue shook the blood from his hands and raised his eyes toward the endless forest around them. He spoke slowly, his tone carrying the clarity gained through experience.

"After traveling all this way, we can be said to have figured out the demonic beasts in this region. Most are in the Skin Tempering Realm, while a few have barely entered the Flesh Tempering Realm. Their cultivation is just right for us to hone our skills."

Li Xuantong's brows lifted slightly, and her cool voice rang out softly. "Brother Shi, do you have another plan in mind?"

Before Shi Qingyue could answer, He Wu had already understood. Smiling, he took up the conversation. "My guess is that Brother Qingyue wants us to split up and train separately?"

Shi Qingyue laughed heartily and nodded openly. "He who knows me is Brother He."

"I have no objections." He Wu was the first to agree, his tone casual. "It is much freer to venture alone. If I run into troublesome problems, I'll come find you all for help."

Li Xuansheng nodded warmly, his usually mild expression full of agreement.

"Training alone will also let us quietly sort through what we gained from these battles. I agree."

Li Xuantong had always been cool and independent by nature, disliking the entanglements of traveling with others. She immediately gave a slight nod in agreement.

Everyone's gazes then turned toward the silent Liu Yunche.

He had leaned against a tree from beginning to end. Hearing their discussion, he raised his eyes and met their gazes before nodding lightly.

"That works. We can train separately. If anything happens, use signal flares as a sign, and we can look out for one another."

Seeing that no one objected, they simply agreed on their search areas and reminded one another not to venture too deeply into the forest's heart, where demonic beasts gathered densely. Then they said no more.

He Wu, Li Xuansheng, and Li Xuantong each clasped their fists to the others, rose first, chose different directions, and quickly vanished into the dense forest.

Only Shi Qingyue and Liu Yunche remained where they were. Shi Qingyue looked at Liu Yunche, his tone earnest.

"Yunche, why not travel together? The two of us can look out for each other. There's no need to insist on acting alone."

Liu Yunche gently shook his head. His gaze was firm as he politely declined the goodwill.

"Qingyue, in a martial artist's path of cultivation, one must sooner or later face the perils of life and death alone. This is a good chance to gain some experience. I know my limits, so you needn't worry."

Shi Qingyue knew that Liu Yunche was steady by nature and by no means reckless, so he did not try to persuade him further. He said cheerfully.

"Then be careful in all things. Don't force yourself when trouble comes!"

With that, he chose a mountain path to one side and strode away.

Only after Shi Qingyue's figure had completely disappeared among the trees did Liu Yunche slowly let out a breath. The aura he had deliberately restrained all this time relaxed slightly.

When he had traveled with the others before, he had held back with every move, deliberately controlling the force behind every strike.

He had slain demonic beasts only at the ordinary standard of an Iron Skin Realm martial artist, never revealing his full strength.

Now that he was alone, with no one else watching, he could finally let loose and test the true depth of his cultivation with all his strength.

He raised his eyes at the sun gradually sinking westward. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows across the ground. With a turn of thought, he made up his mind not to rush into hunting demonic beasts first.

During wilderness training, nighttime was the most dangerous, when demonic beasts appeared more frequently.

His most urgent task was to find a concealed and safe place, easy to defend and hard to attack, settle his lodging for the night, and only then make further plans.

With his mind made up, Liu Yunche delayed no longer. His figure unfolded as he headed at an unhurried pace toward a slightly elevated area deep in the forest, where rocky cliffs stood in clusters.