Testing the Waters

Lu Heng turned off the Wristband screen and turned to walk towards the equipment area.

The Star Lotus petals turned southeast, but he didn't look at them for long; he had more pressing matters to attend to.

The watchtower on the fence wasn't high, but it was enough for him to see the entire edge of the forest. Lu Heng climbed up in a few steps, leaned against the railing at the top of the tower, lowered his body, and breathed softly.

The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated.

Visibility in the woods wasn't great, but the two silhouettes were clear enough—they lingered near the edge of the forest, moving back and forth as if testing something.

Lu Heng squinted and observed carefully.

It was larger, with a broad frame and thick limbs, its footsteps crunching the fallen leaves beneath its feet. Its breath was heavy and its every step carried a sense of oppression.

Bronze Tier.

The other one was noticeably smaller, thinner, and moved more cautiously. It stayed close behind the larger one, occasionally lowering its head to sniff the ground before quickly looking up to catch up, as if afraid of losing it.

Black Iron Tier.

There was a clear pairing between the two. The larger one always walked in front, its body slightly turned to the side, as if protecting the smaller one behind it. The smaller one, though cautious, was not afraid, because it knew that the larger one would shield it from everything.

One male and one female.

It was not a stray beast that wandered in by chance.

Lu Heng's gaze moved downwards, landing on the wounds on their bodies.

The skin and flesh were torn open, the edges of the wounds were irregular, and there were obvious signs of tearing and whipping. Several wounds showed the pattern of intertwined vines - rings of strangulation marks, as if they had been tightly bound by something and then forcibly broken free.

It wasn't bitten by any other wild animal.

It's Blood-Devouring Vine.

These two creatures had been charging headlong into the Shelter, only to be stopped by the Blood-Devouring Vine on the outer perimeter. After being whipped around, they ended up in their current sorry state.

Lu Heng leaned against the railing, his fingers gently tapping on the wooden beams at the top of the tower.

Two unfamiliar Bronze and Black Iron beasts, a male and a female, charged straight toward his Shelter.

How could that be? Those guys in the forest are not to be trifled with. How could they not attack? Or maybe they did it on purpose. Lu Heng hasn't ventured into the forest for quite some time now. Have these guys finally decided to test him? Or has an outsider just arrived?

This was neither getting lost nor by chance.

Those creatures deep in the forest have begun to spy on his territory.

These two are the pieces that were driven away to test the waters.

Lu Heng's eyes turned cold.

Testing?

Then let's give them an answer.

He raised his wrist and took out the Giant-Feather Crossbow from his Wristband Space.

The moment the crossbow body touched his hand, the familiar weight made Lu Heng's fingers tighten slightly. He checked the string and calibrated the sights, his movements fluid and practiced, as if he had done it a thousand times.

Then set up the crossbow and take aim.

The crosshair was firmly pressed against the Black Iron Tier mother beast.

Kill the weak first.

When the female animal falls, the male animal will inevitably become enraged and lose control. Things that are out of control are easier to deal with than things that are calm.

Through the sights, Lu Heng watched the figure of the Black Iron Tier female beast sniffing its way through the forest.

His gaze was calm, without hesitation or pity.

Since you dare to come, be prepared to die.

As his individual level increased, Lu Heng's reaction speed was no longer what it used to be. His breathing slowed down, his heartbeat slowed down, and the whole world seemed to be slowed down—the sound of the wind passing through the leaves, the traces of the morning mist flowing through the forest, the slight tension in the mother beast's hind leg muscles, all fell clearly into his perception.

Draw the bow, nock the arrow, and pull the string.

Completed in one go.

Release your fingers.

The arrow pierced the air with a sharp whistling sound, embedding itself directly into the right hind leg of the Black Iron Tier mother beast.

The power of the Giant-Feather Crossbow should not be underestimated.

An arrow pierced through her thigh, emerging from the other side and drawing a cloud of blood. The mother beast let out a shrill scream as her leg instantly lost its support, and her massive body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

It struggled to stand up, its front paws digging into the ground and its hind legs kicking desperately, but its pierced leg couldn't support its weight. Every attempt ended in failure, and every struggle caused more blood to flow from the wound.

Painful howls echoed through the forest.

The male beast suddenly turned its head.

It saw the mother beast lying on the ground, saw the pierced hind leg, and saw the blood gushing from the wound.

Then it saw Lu Heng on the watchtower.

A deep roar exploded from the male beast's throat, causing the surrounding mist to tremble slightly.

It no longer hesitated, no longer tested the waters.

With its four hooves stomping the ground, the male beast charged towards the watchtower like a cannonball.

The full-force impact of the Bronze Tier attack was incredibly fast. Fallen leaves were kicked up and scattered, and bushes along the way were smashed to pieces.

But the Blood-Devouring Vine is faster.

The surrounding Blood-Devouring Vine activated instantly.

Thick vines surged from the ground, tree trunks, and fences simultaneously, like a sleeping giant python awakened, densely swarming towards the male beast.

The male beast charged headlong into the vine, tearing two vines in half.

Bronze Tier power is no joke—the vines were torn apart before it, dark red sap seeping from the broken ends. The Blood-Devouring Vine ' entanglement was not a cage to it, but rather a restraint it could barely break free from.

But there were just too many Blood-Devouring Vine Vines.

If one breaks, two are used to mend it. If two break, four are used to wrap around it.

The male beast struggled frantically, tearing with its front claws and kicking with its hind legs, managing to break free of some of the vines with each effort. But the Blood-Devouring Vine Vines kept surging up, binding it tighter and tighter.

The vines wrapped around its front legs, its waist and abdomen, and its neck.

The male beast's roars grew increasingly muffled and weak.

The stalemate lasted for more than ten breaths.

The male beast finally slowed down.

It didn't give up.

The vines had already entangled its joints, mouth, nose, and eye sockets, leaving it no room to struggle.

A final, muffled roar escaped from the gaps in the vines, then all was silent.

The Blood-Devouring Vine won.

But the victory was not easy.

Scattered on the ground were broken vine fragments, their dark red sap mixed with the blood of wild beasts, seeping into the soil.

Lu Heng stood on the watchtower, looking at the male beast wrapped in layers of Blood-Devouring Vine, and then looked down at the female beast lying on the ground, still howling in pain.

It all happened in just a few moments.

The battle is over.

He didn't rush down to deal with it.

Lu Heng raised his head, his gaze passing over the edge of the forest and looking into the depths of the forest—the direction from which the two wild beasts had come.

The Bronze Tier guys are just pawns.

The real players are still waiting in the woods to see the outcome.

They will soon learn the cost of testing.