Baru did not quite register what he had said. "What did you say? You want to go back?" He was a little angry, thinking Andrew had grown afraid and lost his nerve.
Andrew shook his head. "No, Baru. I came to Mogan Forest to temper myself, to seek a breakthrough, and to fight. But with so many people together, when would I ever get a chance to fight? So I've decided to act on my own."
Baru was startled, and his expression changed. "On your own? That's dangerous. You have to remember, you're only a fifth-level warrior. And there are plenty of sixth-level magical beasts here."
Holding his long saber, Andrew said firmly, "I understand, but I have to do this. You understand too, Baru. How could anyone become strong without tempering themselves through danger?"
Every powerful warrior had emerged from adversity, forged through the baptism of battle!
Baru's expression froze too. He looked at Andrew as though seeing him for the first time. "You're right, Andrew. All right, I've decided too. I'm going with you!"
"No!" Andrew objected without hesitation. "You're the Keli Tribe's next grand elder. If something happened to you, what would the Keli Tribe do?"
"The Keli Tribe doesn't need a coward for a grand elder!" Baru's temper flared too.
Unable to settle their argument, the two had no choice but to ask the grand elder. The grand elder seemed deeply gratified and agreed to let them train on their own. However, cautious as ever, he secretly followed after they left. He would not intervene in ordinary battles, only if they encountered genuine danger.
Neither Andrew nor Baru noticed this.
They had troubles of their own now.
Not long after leaving the group, Andrew and Baru headed deeper south, and this time Baru did not dare let his guard down. He had visited Mogan Forest many times before, but always with his tribesmen, led by the grand elder. Even if danger arose, there was no need for him to handle it. This time, however, he was acting independently, and the situation was entirely different.
It was like riding in a vehicle before: he had been a passenger, with nothing to worry about. This time, he was driving. He was the driver and had to hold the wheel himself and steer.
On the vast Far East Prairie, Mogan Forest was like a small, unremarkable grove. Yet now, in Andrew's eyes, it was an enormous monster, its great maw seemingly already open, waiting for prey.
When it came to magical beasts on the Yulan Continent, the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts had the most, followed probably by the Far East Prairie. Sparsely populated, with forests covering its hills, this land was a paradise for magical beasts. Even little Mogan Forest was home to an eighth-level magical beast, which was truly terrifying. And on the Far East Prairie, places like Mogan Forest were beyond counting.
As they walked, Baru still felt uneasy. After all, he was only sixteen. Even as a barbarian, he could feel fear.
"Andrew, how far are you planning to go?"
Andrew did not turn around. "As far as we can. All right, Baru, stay alert."
Baru did not understand what he meant, but asking more questions would make him seem timid, so he said nothing else.
"Watch out!"
Andrew shouted and flicked his long saber upward, sending a black centipede some two feet long flying. Then he slashed back, cutting the centipede into three pieces that fell to the ground.
Baru took one look and jumped in fright. "That's a third-level magical beast, a Black-Blood Centipede. Its venom is extremely potent. If it bit us, we'd be half dead. But what you've done isn't enough..."
As he spoke, Baru raised his iron staff, stepped forward, and smashed the still-writhing centipede's remains into a bloody pulp.
"Black-Blood Centipedes have very tenacious vitality. Even if you cut one apart, it won't die for two hours, and it'll seize any chance to launch a sneak attack," Baru explained.
Andrew nodded. "Very good, Baru. You really do know a lot about magical beasts. From now on, make sure you remind me about things like this."
Baru grinned broadly and nodded with pride. "Don't worry. There's no magical beast in Mogan Forest I don't recognize."
Without resting, the two continued deeper into the forest. In hiding, the grand elder leaped from one tree to another, following them closely.
After traveling thirty or forty li, Andrew suddenly stopped.
Baru hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Since they had begun traveling independently, Baru had come to admire Andrew more and more, to the point of practically following his lead in everything. Whenever something happened, he always asked Andrew's opinion.
Andrew drew a deep breath, as though trying to distinguish something in the air.
"Baru, can you smell it? There's a faint scent of blood in the air here."
Hearing this, Baru copied him and inhaled deeply, but to no avail. "Is there?"
Andrew nodded with certainty. "I can sense it. There must have been a battle nearby. Baru, we need to be careful!"
Andrew walked ahead with his saber in hand, while Baru followed behind, gripping his iron staff. Both wore solemn expressions, but there was also a trace of excitement in their eyes, a warrior's anticipation of battle.
"Just as I thought!" A li away, Andrew found the battlefield.
On an open stretch of grassland, the bodies of dozens of Wind Wolves lay scattered in disarray. Patches of grass were black or red, and pits of all sizes covered the ground between them. Andrew walked over to a Wind Wolf's body and touched it. The bodies had not yet gone cold. Clearly, the battle could not have happened very long ago.
"With this many Wind Wolves, there must have been a wolf king among them. Ordinary Wind Wolves are fourth-level magical beasts, while a wolf king is a fifth-level magical beast. Led by a wolf king, these forty-odd Wind Wolves could tear a sixth-level magical beast to pieces. Could a seventh-level magical beast have appeared here?"
Baru cautiously voiced his guess, frightening himself first.
Andrew said nothing. He walked around the grassland, then looked at the countless sharp earth spikes among the grass and asked Baru, "Baru, what magical beast do you think caused this?"
Each of these earth spikes was only about a foot tall. Scattered through grass nearly two feet deep, they were not conspicuous at all.
"These are Earth Spikes. I get it-it was an Iron-Armored Boar! Iron-Armored Boars are sixth-level magical beasts that excel at defense. They're earth-type magical beasts and can condense a layer of earth elemental essence over their bodies. The earth element is known for defense to begin with, and its essence is even more formidable. An adult Iron-Armored Boar has defenses on par with many seventh-level magical beasts! And these Earth Spikes are the Iron-Armored Boar's sixth-level spell! No wonder so many Wind Wolves died. They ran into an Iron-Armored Boar!"
Baru truly knew magical beasts well. A few glances were enough for him to give the answer.
Andrew understood too. Although pack-dwelling Wind Wolves were frightening, they were helpless against magical beasts skilled in defense. A Wind Wolf's deadliest attack was its innate magic-Wind Blade. If even Wind Blades could not injure an Iron-Armored Boar, there was little doubt that the pack would be defeated and killed.
Andrew also discovered something else.
Along the path the Iron-Armored Boar had taken, a great deal of blood had been left on the grass.
"After killing so many Wind Wolves, the Iron-Armored Boar must be injured too!" Andrew was certain. That day, his family had encountered only twenty Wind Wolves and had nearly lost their lives, and there had not even been a wolf king among them! Here, however, there were more than forty Wind Wolf corpses. Who knew how many others had escaped? And there had been a wolf king among them!
This pack's fighting strength was absolutely beyond imagination!
No matter how formidable the Iron-Armored Boar was, it was only a sixth-level magical beast. Against a pack like this, escaping alive was already an achievement. How could it possibly have remained unscathed?
"Baru, follow me!" Andrew called out and chased after the Iron-Armored Boar's tracks. At this moment, a hint of madness had taken hold of him.
"Wait, Andrew! What are you doing?" Baru, who was digging out the Wind Wolves' magic cores, suddenly heard Andrew moving and hurriedly shouted.
"Hurry, Baru! If we don't make it in time, you'll definitely regret it!"
Andrew did not answer, only urged him on.
In his heart, the thirst for battle had surpassed his fear. At that very moment, Andrew wished he could appear before the Iron-Armored Boar immediately and fight it.
"Fight, break through!"
Helpless, Baru could only follow closely. He felt an inexplicable admiration and trust toward Andrew.
The two ran one behind the other for more than ten li before Andrew, who was in front, finally stopped.
"What's going on, exactly?" Baru came up beside him, carrying his iron staff.
Andrew looked back with a smile. "Baru, are you afraid?"
Afraid? Baru scratched his head in bewilderment and said, "Baru fears nothing!"
Andrew laughed loudly. "Good. Then let's get ready to fight!"
Bang!
As soon as he finished speaking, Andrew swung his right leg and kicked hard at a large rock nearby. He was a fifth-level warrior, with a powerful body and considerable battle-qi. Under his kick, the rock shattered. Its fragments flew like cannonballs toward the cave in front of them.
Thud, thud, thud!
Several dull impacts came from inside the cave, followed closely by a clattering sound.
Baru understood now too. There was a magical beast inside that cave!
Seeing Andrew take a fighting stance, Baru did not lag behind. Holding his iron staff horizontally, he stood ready about two meters from Andrew.
What magical beast is it? Why did Andrew deliberately provoke it?
Baru still had questions, but there was no time left to ask them.
Roar!
An enormous figure charged out of the cave. It was a full three meters long and over two meters tall, looking like a small mountain. To Andrew and Baru, the creature that emerged was unquestionably a colossal beast.
"An Iron-Armored Boar!"
Baru took a closer look and cried out in alarm, his legs going weak with fright!