A short metal spear?
The others had thought they were certain to die, but the sight of the black spear embedded in the earth made their hearts leap.
Someone was here!
They were saved!
"Wretched beast, cease your rampage!"
Sure enough, a thunderous shout followed the short metal spear, booming as though it could shake the nine heavens.
But why did that voice sound so... young?
They looked up and saw someone approaching with a Blue Ice Battle Sword in hand. His steps were swift, his bearing easy and his figure upright. He carried the sharp, overwhelming presence of a sword immortal descended from beyond the heavens.
But his age...
Why was he so young?
He looked only a few years older than Xiao Guang, who was on their team—barely an adult.
His face was strikingly handsome, with swordlike brows sweeping toward his temples, bright eyes that glimmered like stars, and sharp, well-defined features. Spirit shone in his expression, and his cool gaze flashed like lightning. He looked every inch an unparalleled young hero.
Even Captain Thunderclap, a veteran Hunter who had seen plenty of the world, had to admit it when he saw such a dazzlingly handsome young man.
The boy was far better-looking than his own brat. He looked like a sword immortal come down to the mortal world...
Whoosh!
The newcomer was fast. In almost the blink of an eye, he arrived before them.
He calmly pulled the short metal spear from the ground and returned it to the pack on his back.
Only then did he glance at the badly shaken Hunter team and speak softly.
"Are you all right?"
The newcomer was Lin Yuan.
He had spent this time hunting Fierce Beasts and building his strength across the Boundless Grassland.
He had not expected to run into such a big one today—or to save a Hunter team along the way.
"Ahem. We'll live."
Only when the young man spoke did they finally come to their senses.
Captain Thunderclap struggled to his feet. His face was still pale as he addressed Lin Yuan.
"Thank you for helping us, brother... But when will your companions arrive?"
"This beast is ferocious and probably at its peak. One team can't handle it. If our two Hunter teams join forces to surround it, we might be able to drive it back..."
Yes, drive it back.
Not kill it.
Their life-and-death struggle had given Captain Thunderclap a clear measure of the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger. It was a fully grown beast at the very height of its power!
Its terrifying strength and agility had nearly reached the limits a Fierce Beast could attain.
This was no prey that one or two Hunter teams could simply bring down.
Naturally, he assumed Lin Yuan was only the first to arrive, with another Hunter team behind him.
After all, venturing alone into the perilous Boundless Grassland would hardly be wise.
What he did not know was that Lin Yuan really had charged in alone like a reckless fool. What Hunter team companions?
At Captain Thunderclap's question, Lin Yuan smiled and turned toward what might be the strongest Fierce Beast he had ever encountered.
"Sorry, I don't have any companions."
"And besides..."
"I'm enough to deal with it on my own!"
His quiet words carried the wild audacity and absolute confidence of youth in every syllable.
That was right. Lin Yuan was getting carried away.
He had decided to show off a little. After all...
If he could not be reckless while he was young, was he supposed to wait until he was old and regret it?
Besides, returning home rich without showing anyone was like walking in fine clothes through the night.
He had transformed completely, and he had been waiting for a chance to hold his head high...
"The Tyrant Ferocious Tiger?"
"The king of Fierce Beasts that strikes terror into everyone in this Wilderness Zone?"
"I'll use your blood to test how strong I've become!"
Lin Yuan's body trembled.
Not with fear, but with excitement.
With longing!
He longed for a real fight!
Not the one-sided hunts and slaughter that had come before.
He needed a battle against an evenly matched opponent to fully meld the many Talent Traits within him and become accustomed to the "superpowers" he had gained out of nowhere.
"No companions?"
Lin Yuan had said it lightly, but to the members of the Thunder Hunter Team, it felt as though the sky had fallen.
They had thought they were saved. Had their deaths merely been delayed?
One man against the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger?
Did he think he was a Starry-Sky Warrior?
Even a top apprentice who had reached Body Tempering Grandmastery, with ten thousand jin of strength, probably could not defeat a Tyrant Ferocious Tiger at its peak.
It was not that they did not believe Lin Yuan. The very idea was simply too incredible.
"Young brother..."
Captain Thunderclap opened his mouth, but he did not know what to say.
Lin Yuan no longer had time to pay them any attention.
The Tyrant Ferocious Tiger had run out of patience.
As one of the mightiest Fierce Beasts, it retained more of its mind than most, along with a measure of reason.
When Lin Yuan appeared, it had sensed a faint, elusive threat. That puzzled the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger, which had always stood at the top of the food chain.
So it had hesitated rather than pouncing at once.
But no matter how closely it looked, it could find nothing.
That faint sense of danger seemed to fade. Proud by nature, the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger let a savage gleam return to its cold eyes.
Kill!
It crouched, then sprang at the human before it like a whirlwind.
Its claws shot out like steel blades.
They were sharp enough to slice through stone and earth.
Whoosh!
Lin Yuan had been watching it all along. Seeing the great cat attack, he drew his sword without hesitation.
A streak of piercing cold light lit up the air.
Clang!
The instant sword met claw, a ring of force erupted and swept in every direction.
"Hm?"
"He blocked it!"
"How..."
The Hunter team, whose hopes had plunged to rock bottom, stared in astonishment. The young man had stopped the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger's deadly pounce with a single stroke—and had not retreated a step!
Ten thousand jin of strength?
Body Tempering Grandmastery!
Captain Thunderclap drew a sharp breath. His gaze toward Lin Yuan grew complicated.
The young man looked about the same age as his son, yet he had already reached Body Tempering Grandmastery?
A genius!
This was a true genius!
"He's incredible..."
Lei Guang, the saber-wielding boy huddled in the middle of the team, looked at Lin Yuan with open admiration.
They were the same age. Lei Guang had only just entered Marrow Cleansing, while Lin Yuan had apparently completed it, achieved Body Tempering Grandmastery, and begun his push toward becoming a true Starry-Sky Warrior.
Lei Guang knew exactly how vast the gap between them was.
The last trace of pride in his heart vanished like smoke.
There's always someone better...
"This beast really does have some strength."
While the others marveled, Lin Yuan did not dare let down his guard.
Only he knew that he himself had entered Marrow Cleansing not long ago.
His strength had grown over the past two weeks, but it had reached only around six thousand jin.
Compared with the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger's true ten thousand jin of strength, that was nothing.
The reason he could meet it head-on without losing ground was, of course, the technique of exerting twice his strength that came with Fine Perception Level swordsmanship!
With that doubled exertion, his six thousand jin surged to twelve thousand!
That even gave him a slight edge over the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger.
Naturally, he could block it with ease.
Swordsmanship Mastery is still doing the heavy lifting...
Lin Yuan gave his first Talent Trait an emphatic thumbs-up in his heart.
But the Tyrant Ferocious Tiger opposite him was furious.
Roar!
It could not accept that a mere human could rival the strength in which it took such pride.
With an enraged roar, it moved again.
Swish, swish, swish!
Its claws tore through the air like flashing blades. Using its extraordinary agility, it circled Lin Yuan and launched a brutal assault.
Its attacks came like a violent storm, each swipe backed by ten thousand jin of force, its long claws every bit as sharp as a human weapon.
Any top apprentice at Body Tempering Grandmastery would have had to retreat before such ferocity.
But Lin Yuan refused!
His expression was cold, his gaze keen as lightning.
The Blue Ice Battle Sword suddenly danced in his hand, now like a meteor from beyond the heavens, now like moonlight pouring down.
Enhanced by Swordsmanship Mastery, his swordwork approached perfection. Every stroke held both power and beauty, a delight to behold.
Clang, clang, clang!
Man and tiger traded blows at blinding speed.
The Tyrant Ferocious Tiger attacked swiftly, its presence immense and its savage menace suffocating.
Lin Yuan showed no fear. His flawless Microcosmic Swordsmanship unfolded into a Cosmic Cycle Sword Domain, meeting every claw strike with precision and grace. He never lost his composure.
Each collision unleashed a fierce shockwave. They were perfectly matched.
The astonishing fight left the Thunder Hunter Team, which had long since withdrawn to one side, staring in a daze.
"This is the first time I've seen anyone fight a Tyrant Ferocious Tiger head-on..." one team member murmured.
The others nodded numbly, utterly captivated by the battle.
What a terrifying young genius...
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