Looking at the Mandala Beasts in the distance, Lin Mo wore a curious expression.
He had seen Mandala Beasts in classroom slides at school as well.
But seeing them in person was still a vastly different experience.
They were pack-dwelling Mutant Beasts, a little taller than a person yet over five meters long.
Their limbs were thick, and their entire bodies were purple.
But their heads looked especially silly. In particular, atop their heads sat what looked like a huge flowerpot, with a brightly colored flower swaying in the wind.
This flower was called a mandala. It was not the Datura Flower as understood in his previous life.
It could be used as medicine and was an essential ingredient for refining Vitality Potions.
"Watch out for their venom. Move!"
On the way here, Zhang Junjie had gone over the key points of hunting Mandala Beasts once more.
It was mainly for Lin Mo's sake, since this was his first time hunting Mandala Beasts.
Lin Mo was rather grateful for that. Zhang Junjie took good care of a novice like him.
As soon as Zhang Junjie finished speaking, the taciturn Qin Bufan charged forward first with his spear.
Zhang Mo and Wang Ling followed close behind, one to the left and one to the right.
Guo Li and Guo Hong stayed behind them, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"Moo—"
The Mandala Beasts grazing nearby immediately spotted Zhang Junjie and the others, letting out roars like young calves.
In an instant, all five Mandala Beasts in the area gathered around.
"Die!"
Qin Bufan spat out a single word, and the silver spear in his hand shot out like a dragon.
The Silver Grade Spear traced a dazzling arc as it thrust toward the Mandala Beast charging at the front.
Bang!
Although the Mandala Beast's head was pierced through with a hole, it had not been killed in one strike.
"Such strong vitality?"
Lin Mo, standing behind them, was astonished.
Its head had been punched through with such a huge hole, yet it was still alive and still had the strength to fight back.
The Mandala Beast's eyes turned blood-red. Ignoring the hole in its head, it shook its head and flung away Qin Bufan's spear tip, then charged at him again.
The instant it drew close to Qin Bufan, it opened its huge mouth.
"Careful!"
The moment Zhang Junjie spoke, purple smoke sprayed from the Mandala Beast's mouth.
Qin Bufan reacted with incredible speed, instantly retreating and moving far away from the purple toxic mist.
Sizzle, sizzle—
The toxic mist missed its target, but the surrounding flowers and grass instantly withered, giving off scorched sounds.
It was clearly just toxic mist, not flames.
Yet it turned the flowers and grass around it as though they had been seared by blazing fire, instantly drying them into blackened powder.
A foul stench also filled the air.
Even catching the faintest whiff from afar made one feel dizzy and disoriented.
"Looks like the Mandala Beast's attack power, speed, and defense are all fairly average, but its poison is rather formidable."
From that brief exchange, Lin Mo had picked up on a few clues.
The next second, Qin Bufan charged in again. He leaped into the air, spun his spear in a flourish, and thrust it down at the Mandala Beast from above.
He was even faster than before.
Pshk!
A Silver Grade Spear could naturally pierce the hide of a Grade 1 Exotic Beast with ease.
With a sharp sound, the spear pierced through the Mandala Beast's crown and emerged from below.
"Woo—roar!"
The Mandala Beast let out a low cry, and its enormous body crashed to the ground.
On the other side, Zhang Junjie and Wang Ling had each picked a Mandala Beast and begun fighting.
One wielded a blade, the other a sword; both their moves were sharp and fierce.
Those two Mandala Beasts were clearly no match for them and were dealt with before long.
The Guo Siblings fought differently from the others.
The two moved like butterflies among flowers, their Movement Techniques graceful as they darted left and right.
The Mandala Beasts could not catch sight of them at all.
The daggers in the Guo Siblings' hands flashed with silver light.
Every flash left a striking wound on a Mandala Beast's body.
There were six Mandala Beasts, exactly one for each person.
Zhang Junjie and Qin Bufan seemed to have deliberately left the weakest one for Lin Mo.
Lin Mo chuckled and stepped forward to meet it.
Testing the waters, Lin Mo used only forty percent of his strength in his punch!
Bang!
The Mandala Beast charging head-on was struck by the punch, its massive body swaying several times as it nearly toppled over.
"Moo!"
Perhaps puzzled that the human who looked weakest could block its attack barehanded, the Mandala Beast felt that its dignity had been challenged.
With an enraged roar, it steadied itself and attacked again.
"Heh, Lin Mo's strength is impressive. He can actually withstand a Mandala Beast's charge head-on."
Watching Lin Mo fight, Zhang Junjie could not help but marvel.
They might have killed their targets quickly, but that was through skill, not by meeting them head-on.
Mandala Beasts might not be particularly formidable among Mutant Beasts.
But their charging force was not to be underestimated.
Even a Grade 2 Martial Artist could be severely injured if caught off guard by a frontal collision.
Yet Lin Mo could actually gain the upper hand while taking the attack head-on. Zhang Junjie and the others were immensely shocked.
"Little brother Lin Mo, you're incredible! To possess such strength at such a young age, your future achievements will surely know no bounds."
Wang Ling smiled as she praised him enthusiastically.
"Hmph, that Mandala Beast is only a cub that has just entered First-grade. What is there to be proud of in facing its attack head-on?"
Guo Hong sliced off the Datura Flower atop the Mandala Beast in front of him and spat disdainfully.
"Little brother Guo Hong, Lin Mo is only eighteen," Wang Ling said with the same cheerful smile.
Eighteen years old—those words alone were enough to explain everything.
"Hmph! How much time is he going to waste fighting like that?" Guo Hong snorted, shooting Wang Ling a glance.
"He's a newcomer, after all. Waiting a little longer is no big deal. When I was eighteen, I wasn't even as good as him," Zhang Junjie said with a hearty laugh.
Qin Bufan nodded in agreement as well, stuffing the Datura Flower he had cut off into his backpack.
Being able to fight a Mandala Beast head-on alone at eighteen was indeed impressive.
One had to know that even the so-called college entrance practical exams had students fight Grade 1 Exotic Beasts in groups.
And the strength of those so-called Grade 1 Exotic Beasts was roughly on the level of the Mandala Beast cub Lin Mo was currently fighting.
The group harvested Datura Flowers while collecting the Mutant Beasts' blood essence.
As for the hides and meat, no one bothered cutting them up.
Mandala Beasts were poisonous. Aside from their blood essence, which was harmless, their flesh could not be eaten.
Lin Mo continued fighting with full concentration. It was not that he could not kill this Mutant Beast instantly.
He intended to use this Mutant Beast to properly temper his combat ability.
After all, he had reported his Blood Qi Value as 160 calories. If he killed it in one blow, the others would surely become suspicious.
And this cub was just right for helping Lin Mo familiarize himself with his fighting techniques.
Thus, he and the Mutant Beast traded blows, fighting to their hearts' content.
[Ding, Military Boxing proficiency has reached its limit. Evolution attempts have reached their limit.] [Ding, prolonged battle has triggered a critical hit. Received Hundredfold Return.] [Ding, Blood Qi Value +15.] [Current Blood Qi Value: 234.38]
The premium Vitality Potion he had bought earlier had not triggered any return. At that time, his Blood Qi Value had been 219.38 calories.
Now, it had risen directly to 234.38 calories.
It might not look like much, but this rate of growth already left others eating his dust.
[Ding, prolonged battle. Movement Technique +1.]
"Hm?"
The new notification startled Lin Mo. Then he saw another prompt appear on his attribute panel...
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