The kill

Crack!!!

A crisp sound rang out.

The rust-covered saber struck precisely at the base of the boar demon's tusk.

The tusk snapped off.

"Roar!"

The boar demon let out a miserable cry.

He stared at the thin figure charging out of the forest.

"Yuan, what are you doing? This is a demonic beast, not a wild animal! Get out of here!"

Watching Lu Yuan charge toward him,

Liu Tieshan bellowed.

He was an old bag of bones. He did not want his grandson throwing his life away here.

"You little runt! Grandpa Boar will tear you to pieces!"

Seeing Lu Yuan charging over,

the boar demon flew into a rage.

The black bristles all over his body stood on end.

Like a war chariot,

he barreled toward Lu Yuan.

The terrifying force of his charge

was even more imposing than the Gray-Skinned Rat Demon's.

"Thump!!!"

When he was less than half a meter from the boar demon,

Lu Yuan slammed his right foot down.

Pivoting on his left foot,

he spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees.

He deflected the force of the boar demon's charge.

Lu Yuan could even smell the boar demon's rank, bloody breath.

"Riiip!"

But the boar demon was charging too fast.

Lu Yuan did not dodge completely.

The sharp tusk sliced a wound about an inch long across his waist.

Blood dripped down.

"Grandpa!"

Lu Yuan skidded across the ground, leaving a thirty-meter trail.

He came to a stop before Liu Tieshan.

At the same time, he grabbed the Rusty Saber he had launched earlier.

"You little brat, what are you doing? Who told you to come?"

"Get out of here! Hurry!"

Liu Tieshan was frantic.

"Grandpa, stop the bleeding. I'll kill him."

Lu Yuan wasted no words.

The boar demon was already charging toward him.

Just what I needed—experience!

At that moment, Lu Yuan poured his remaining experience into Wild Bull Force.

[Host: Lu Yuan]

[Realm: Mortal Realm (yet to achieve grade entry)]

[Techniques: Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique (Perfection 0/1000), Wild Bull Force (Not yet initiated 0/50)]

[Ding!]

[50 experience points consumed.]

[Wild Bull Force advanced to Minor Accomplishment (Minor Accomplishment 0/100).]

[Ding!]

[100 experience points consumed.]

[Wild Bull Force advanced to Major Accomplishment (Major Accomplishment 0/300).]

Lu Yuan poured all 150 of his remaining experience points into Wild Bull Force.

It was a cultivation technique that tempered the body, amplified brute strength, and increased power in close combat.

Lu Yuan had not even begun to master it before.

But now, with the infusion of 150 experience points,

Wild Bull Force crossed the Initiation and Minor Accomplishment stages, advancing straight to Major Accomplishment.

A torrent of knowledge about cultivating Wild Bull Force surged directly into Lu Yuan's body and mind.

Moreover, his already perfected Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique seemed capable of advancing further.

It would simply require 1,000 experience points.

"Come on, then!"

Watching the Bristle-Haired Boar Demon charge at him, Lu Yuan activated Wild Bull Force.

Every muscle in Lu Yuan's body tensed.

His bones crackled and popped.

His chest heaved like a pounding drum.

The strength in his arms surged.

The hand gripping the Rusty Saber

swung down at that very moment.

At the Perfection Realm, the Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique distilled complexity into simplicity.

There were no flashy movements.

Only a flash of silver.

The saber's gleam fell like snow before the boar demon.

"Squelch!!"

The boar demon tried to smash Lu Yuan into pulp with his claws.

But his claws were sliced apart in an instant.

Like a blade through tallow.

The saber's momentum did not diminish.

Combined with the terrifying power unleashed by Wild Bull Force,

it sliced straight through the boar demon's throat and neck.

"Roar!!!"

A wretched roar rang out.

The boar demon's towering, charging body

crashed hard onto the ground under its own momentum.

His head rolled until it struck a large tree and stopped.

Defiance lingered in his pupils, but his gaze slowly dimmed.

"Pfft!!!"

Lu Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood as well.

Fortunately, he supported himself with the Rusty Saber.

His cultivation realm was too low.

Forcing himself to use Wild Bull Force and the Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique

was more than his body could withstand.

Meanwhile, after twitching a few times, the headless boar demon's body

lost every last trace of life.

"Whew!!!"

Lu Yuan let out a long breath.

When the boar demon's body had twitched just now,

Lu Yuan had feared he was not completely dead.

After all, demonic beasts had powerful vitality.

Fortunately, the decapitated Bristle-Haired Boar Demon

finally stopped breathing altogether.

[Ding! Host detected to have slain the First-Order Mid-Grade demon "Bristle-Haired Boar Demon."]

[Experience gained: 150 points.]

Then Lu Yuan dug out a red Demon Core the size of a pigeon's egg, which gave off a delicate fragrance.

Only then did Liu Tieshan recover his senses.

This was a demonic beast, not a wild animal.

And it had been killed just like that?

"Yuan, you..."

Liu Tieshan opened his mouth, wanting to ask.

But Lu Yuan had already prepared an explanation. "Grandpa, the county office received word that the nearby villages have been troubled lately. I came here on an assignment."

Liu Tieshan had originally had a mountain of questions.

But now that Lu Yuan had said this,

he could hardly keep asking.

After all, some information was not meant for ordinary folk like them.

He understood that Lu Yuan was here on an assignment.

"Grandpa, sorry for the trouble, but please preserve this boar demon's head for me. You can deal with the body yourselves."

Lu Yuan gave his grandfather those instructions.

Then he went to find Zhao Dong and Ma Kui, who had been frightened away by the boar demon, and brought them back.

Fortunately, neither had run far.

The two men were stunned by the sight before them.

Lu Yuan said nothing more and left.

"Stop staring and get to work. Someone from the county office came and dealt with this boar demon."

Liu Tieshan waved a hand.

The reason Lu Yun did not go down the mountain with Liu Tieshan and the others

was that he wanted to see whether there were any other demonic beasts nearby.

After all, killing the boar demon had earned him only 150 experience points, nowhere near enough for an upgrade.

Especially since the Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique still needed 1,000 experience points. One First-Order Mid-Grade demonic beast was far from enough.

"System, open the panel."

[Host: Lu Yuan]

[Realm: Mortal Realm (yet to achieve grade entry)]

[Lifespan: 30 days]

[Techniques: Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique (Perfection 0/1000), Wild Bull Force (Major Accomplishment 0/300)]

[Experience points: 150]

Looking at the glaring "30 days," Lu Yuan knitted his brows.

He had just risked life and limb to kill a First-Order Mid-Grade Bristle-Haired Boar Demon, only to earn 150 experience points.

Yet advancing the Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique beyond Perfection required a full 1,000 points!

One Mid-Grade demonic beast was not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

Lu Yuan was itching to find out more about his already perfected Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique.

He wanted to see how the Basic Demon-Slaying Saber Technique could improve beyond Perfection!

"System, can experience points be converted back into lifespan?"

Lu Yuan's voice rang out in his mind.

But the system rejected the idea outright.

[Notice: Experience points cannot be exchanged for lifespan.]

[Notice: The host can extend his lifespan only by advancing his martial cultivation realm and breaking through the limits of his body.]

The cold, mechanical voice shattered Lu Yuan's hopes completely.