Breakthrough

That strike had been Wharton's strongest attack so far. Afterward, he felt that more than half of his battle qi had been consumed. Sitting cross-legged, Wharton circulated the Dragonblood Battle Qi within his body, slowly restoring it. At the same time, he gradually recalled what had just happened. That attack had been something Wharton comprehended on the spot, and it was still far from perfect. Upon careful reflection, he immediately felt there were many areas that needed improvement.

The surrounding spiritual energy slowly surged into Wharton's body. Wharton knew that he had broken through, so he accelerated the circulation of the Dragonblood Manual. He did not slowly awaken until the next morning. After checking his body, he found himself brimming with inexhaustible strength. Fortunately, this was the territory of the Black-Necked Viper, and other magical beasts did not dare enter rashly, so he had not been disturbed all night. He was now a Sixth-Level Warrior and a Fifth-Level Mage.

After breaking through to a Sixth-Level Warrior, he could transform into a Dragonblood Warrior, right? He mobilized the Dragonblood Battle Qi within his body, and it instantly spread throughout him. Patches of dragon scales slowly grew across the surface of his body.

"Ah..."

Wharton roared. Although it was not his first transformation, it was indeed the first time he had transformed voluntarily. Dragon scales grew from within his body one after another, and a heart-rending pain instantly spread through him. Still, it remained within the limits he could endure.

He examined his transformed body. Azure dragon scales covered him from head to toe, and he had grown a dragon tail and dragon horns. Wharton thought that if he encountered the Black-Necked Viper now, he was confident he could kill it in seconds.

After carefully looking over his Dragonblood Transformation, Wharton circulated the Dragonblood Manual and returned to normal. He immediately felt that his body had become considerably stronger even after transforming back.

Wharton took out the Black-Necked Viper's Magic Crystal Core and began searching everywhere for its snake nest. A Sixth-Level Peak magical beast should have quite a decent collection, right? Half an hour later, Wharton found the Black-Necked Viper's cave behind a large boulder. Aside from a small number of gold coins, everything else was Magic Crystal Cores. There were actually two Sixth-Level Magic Crystal Cores and thirty-five Fifth-Level Magic Crystal Cores inside the cave, along with some excrement and damaged weapons.

Wharton searched around the Black-Necked Viper's territory again. Only after finding some materials he needed did he leave its territory. He continued deeper into the Magical Beast Forest for over a hundred kilometers. The weakest magical beasts around were Fifth-Level, with Sixth-Level and even Seventh-Level Magical Beasts present as well, though Seventh-Level Magical Beasts were relatively rare. Wharton killed quite a few Fifth-Level and Sixth-Level magical beasts, yet he had not encountered a single Seventh-Level Magical Beast.

Time slowly passed. Wharton had already been in the Magical Beast Forest for four months. He was now at the mid-stage of Sixth-Level as a warrior, while his magic had also reached the mid-stage of Fifth-Level. In only four months, his strength had improved greatly. Sure enough, battle was the fastest way to increase one's strength.

That day, after Wharton killed a Sixth-Level Dark Demon Leopard, a pair of eyes in an inconspicuous thicket some distance away coldly fixed on him. The owner of those eyes was highly skilled at concealing his aura; even Wharton failed to notice the slightest trace of him.

After eating one of the Dark Demon Leopard's legs, Wharton leaped onto a huge tree that would have taken ten people linking arms to encircle. He entered meditation. Even after an entire day, Wharton still did not notice anything unusual. On a tree some distance away stood someone completely covered in black, with only his eyes exposed. He held a pitch-black dagger in his hand.

The opponent hidden in the darkness had clearly undergone training. He did not make the slightest movement, continuously waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The sky gradually darkened, and the black shadow slowly approached Wharton. His entire body completely blended into the night, without the faintest trace of aura. He silently slipped onto a tree not far from Wharton, yet did not attack rashly. He was waiting for the moment to deliver a fatal blow.

Suddenly, he moved. When he was only two meters away from Wharton, Wharton, who had likewise sensed danger, abruptly opened his eyes. Without time to think, he immediately underwent Dragonblood Transformation. But Wharton was still a step too slow. He could not believe that someone had already gotten so close to him without him noticing at all.

When the dagger pierced Wharton's body, it could not advance another inch. Seeing the Dragonblood Warrior before him, the man in black was equally shocked. How had someone who had just been human suddenly turned into a magical beast?

However, the man in black moved incredibly fast. The moment his attack failed, he immediately turned to flee, but a black streak slashed across his neck. A head flew into the air, leaving behind only an expression of terror and unwillingness.