Two Magical Beasts

At the foot of Mount Odin!

Two children of roughly the same age met.

One had a tough, defined physique, while the other had softer features.

"Don't go in! There are magical beasts in the mountains!"

The child carrying a sword on his back was just about to enter the Mount Odin Range.

Then the gentle, good-looking child called out to stop him.

"I know, but I'm not afraid!" the boy carrying the sword replied with a slight smile.

"My name is Yang Tian. Thanks for the warning. You should hurry home too. Wild beasts roam outside the mountains as well!"

The boy carrying the sword offered a warning of his own.

Long Haochen often came here, which was how he had met Cai'er.

Perhaps it had all been fate.

In the end, Long Haochen watched Yang Tian go in, feeling a little worried.

"He's carrying a Wooden Sword used for training at the Child Hall. He must be a squire!"

Long Haochen murmured to himself.

Meanwhile, Yang Tian had entered Mount Odin, moving cautiously from tree to tree and keeping close to their trunks.

By then, he had drawn the Wooden Sword from his back.

He had sneaked out to Mount Odin this time to begin the next stage of his training.

Actual combat. Facing vicious magical beasts was better than facing people.

A year had already passed, and Instructor Balza still occasionally held sparring sessions.

But they weren't very effective.

As he walked on, his surroundings grew quiet.

"Awooo!"

Suddenly, a wolf howled.

Yang Tian jolted and swiftly dodged as a black wolf nearly a meter long lunged at him with astonishing speed.

The sight startled Yang Tian a little. This was a real wolf! He had never really encountered any wild beasts.

Did a husky count?

Could the ones in a zoo really be called wild beasts?

The wild wolf before him had a vicious gleam in its eyes as it fixed its gaze on its prey.

"It's just an ordinary wild beast!"

After assessing it, Yang Tian reached that conclusion.

The next instant, the black wolf lunged at him again.

Yang Tian sidestepped, swung his Wooden Sword, and smashed it hard against the wolf's head.

That blow carried the strength of an adult.

The black wolf staggered several steps after being struck, then glared at Yang Tian. This tasty morsel seemed difficult to sink its teeth into.

If I'd had an iron sword, I might have cut its head off!

After their first exchange, Yang Tian thought this to himself.

Still, a wild beast like this could fetch three silver coins.

Wealthy people were fond of soft, sleek wolf pelts.

They had plenty of uses, from making fur coats to upholstering stools and chairs.

Then the black wolf slowly approached again, bared its fangs, and pounced!

Yang Tian bent backward until his back nearly touched the ground, displaying remarkable flexibility. He angled the tip of his Wooden Sword upward and thrust hard into the wolf's belly.

Squelch!

The black wolf landed and staggered, blood dripping from its wound.

The blood loss and pain made it want to retreat and find somewhere to lick its wounds!

The blow wasn't fatal, but the wolf would need some time to recover.

"I'm still not strong enough!" Yang Tian said as he watched the wounded wolf leave without pursuing it.

Perhaps he could kill the black wolf by using a skill, but then his training would end right there.

Leaving before he had even encountered a magical beast wasn't the result Yang Tian wanted.

Now that he had managed to seriously wound a wild beast, Yang Tian felt a little more confident.

He grew even more eager to face those magical beasts.

Magical beasts were different from wild beasts. Some high-level magical beasts had tough hides as well as skills.

Wild beasts were simply more ferocious animals.

He continued deeper into the mountains. Suddenly, a magical lizard with a scorpion's tail caught his attention.

A Scorpion-Tailed Lizard, a type of low-level magical beast-the same kind Long Haochen had killed after his training.

"I finally found a magical beast!"

Seeing a real magical beast made Yang Tian a little excited.

But then came a rustling sound.

Next, a large snake with a red tail appeared, roughly the same size as the Scorpion-Tailed Lizard.

Yang Tian was stunned. "That's..."

A Red-Tailed Snake, another magical beast commonly found on Mount Odin.

Over the past year, Yang Tian had read plenty of books about magical beasts, so he naturally remembered it clearly.

The Red-Tailed Snake was a low-level magical beast, about as strong as a Scorpion-Tailed Lizard.

However, wherever this magical beast appeared, a rare medicinal ingredient was sure to be found.

The Red Refining Fruit!

The Red Refining Fruit was suitable for those below the rank of knight. It could strengthen their constitution, nourish their vitality, and increase their external spiritual power!

That made Yang Tian incredibly excited.

This was also one of his reasons for entering the mountains.

But two magical beasts were more than Yang Tian could handle.

Yet these two magical beasts actually...