"Thud!"
Baru flew backward and slammed into a large tree. The trunk, which would have taken three people joining hands to encircle, snapped cleanly in the middle under the impact. Its upper half fell to the ground and shattered into chunks of wood.
The masked man did not fare well either. He somersaulted several times in midair before landing on the grass fifty feet away. However, he quickly stood up and walked toward Baru, his steps steady. Clearly, he was uninjured.
Baru tried three times, but he could not get up. He knew he had truly lost this time!
"I finally grasped how to use strength and became a high-level warrior, but now I can never return to the Keli Tribe!"
Watching the masked man approach, Baru thought dejectedly.
In that instant just now, he had broken through and become a high-level warrior. However, he had already exhausted too much of his stamina and suffered injuries. Although his strength had changed greatly after his breakthrough, he was still no match for the masked man.
This time, he truly had no options left. He could only listen to the other man's footsteps and wait for death.
Begging for mercy was something Baru would never do.
"Hahaha!" The masked man walked up to Baru and laughed triumphantly. Baru lay on the ground, ignoring him and simply staring at the sky. He thought of his tribe, the grand elder, his family and friends. Finally, Andrew's figure appeared before his eyes.
"I'm sorry, brother. My carelessness nearly got you killed. Unfortunately, I won't have a chance to make up for that mistake..."
Baru could never forget that battle three years ago.
The masked man stopped laughing, pulled the black cloth from his face, and extended a hand to Baru. "Baru, congratulations on becoming a high-level warrior!"
It was none other than Andrew!
Earlier, Andrew had seen that Baru was only a step away from becoming a high-level warrior. The Iron-Armored Boar could not help him break through because his fixation on it ran too deep. So Andrew had covered his face with black cloth and fought him himself, letting Baru experience the power of despair to help him break through.
He had succeeded. During their fight, Baru had grasped how to use strength and successfully become a high-level warrior!
Baru looked up in astonishment, and a familiar face came into view.
"You're Andrew?" Baru sounded somewhat uncertain. He and Andrew had not seen each other for three years. Andrew had changed considerably over those three years, but some things never changed.
"That's right. Get up!" Andrew smiled and pulled him to his feet.
Baru felt as though he were dreaming. The shift from death to life was so enormous that he could hardly believe it. His head buzzed, leaving him dazed.
Andrew did not hurry him. He sat down nearby. He, too, was someone who had died once. He understood the feeling of approaching death and knew what state Baru was in now. Anyone faced with such a reversal would react this way.
After a quarter of an hour, Baru gradually came to his senses. He looked at Andrew with a complicated expression, unsure what to say for a moment.
By rights, he should have thanked Andrew for helping him break through. But when he recalled the despair he had felt before his impending death, he simply could not get the words out.
"Congratulations, Baru!" Andrew repeated. "You've become a high-level warrior before turning twenty. I imagine talent like that is rare even on the Far East Prairie. The grand elder will certainly be delighted when he hears."
Baru's gaze froze. Right, I broke through. I didn't let the grand elder down. I nearly died just now, but I didn't die. Andrew wasn't trying to kill me. He was helping me break through!
At that moment, he finally sorted everything out.
"Thank you, Andrew!" Baru solemnly turned, hugged Andrew tightly, and thanked him sincerely.
Andrew smiled. He knew Baru had now fully recovered. At first, he had worried that this incident might leave a shadow over Baru, but it seemed that three years of experience had tempered his mind and made it strong.
"No need to thank me. We're brothers!" Andrew said with a smile. "All right, I'm planning to head back. What about you?"
Baru rubbed the back of his head. "I'm going back too. It's been three years!"
Andrew said loudly, "Then let's go. I miss my family too."
Baru picked up his iron staff and rested it on his shoulder. Suddenly, he turned his head. "Andrew, you've broken through too, haven't you? Why don't we race and see who gets back first?"
Andrew paused, then asked, "You want to race me?"
"What, are you afraid?" Baru challenged.
Holding back a laugh, Andrew nodded solemnly. "All right, let's race and see who gets back first. I broke through before you did, so I'll give you a head start."
As soon as he finished speaking, Baru had already shot dozens of meters away. As a warrior of the seventh rank, he was now nearly two meters tall. When he ran, he was like a tank on the move, making an enormous commotion. He smashed straight through the rocks, trees, and vines ahead with his body, leaving a two-meter-wide passage through the forest behind him. Even Andrew was a little stunned by the sight.
"How barbaric..."
A short while after Baru left, Andrew grinned smugly. With a beckoning gesture, he summoned a giant tiger three meters tall. It was Golden Tiger, the eighth-level magical beast, the Windwing Tiger King. He leaped lightly onto Golden Tiger's back.
Golden Tiger spread its wings and rose silently into the air. It was a wind-type magical beast whose command of wind magic rivaled that of a Level 9 Great Mage. Silent flight like this was extremely simple for it.
"The army wants to race the air force? Honestly... Ah, Baru, I'm leaving anyway, so before I go, I'll use Golden Tiger to bully you a little."
Golden Tiger flew very fast. A journey that would have taken Andrew about half a day took it only half a quarter of an hour. However, to avoid causing a panic, Andrew landed outside the Keli Tribe. He was in no hurry to return and waited beside the road instead.
Nearly two hours later, Baru finally appeared. He was still moving very fast and had plenty of stamina left, but...
"Andrew, you... how are you here..." Baru looked as though he had seen an undead creature and could barely speak coherently.
Andrew patted Golden Tiger beneath him. Following his gesture, Baru shifted his gaze, and this time he was even more astonished.
"Is that a Windwing Tiger King?"
Andrew jumped down and said with a smile, "That's right. With it here, could you possibly outrun me?"
Baru's heart jolted. "You mean you've subdued it?"
"I see you've gotten much smarter." Stroking Golden Tiger's head, Andrew said, "It's my mount now. Its name is Golden Tiger. Golden Tiger, this is my brother Baru. Say hello to him!"
"Roar!"
Golden Tiger gave a low roar by way of greeting.
The tiger's roar forced Baru back several steps. He felt a powerful gust strike his face, nearly blowing him off his feet. Only then did he finally believe the truth before his eyes.
"I never imagined you'd already have the strength to subdue an eighth-level magical beast." Baru thought of how his brother, who had once been only slightly stronger than him, had now left him far behind. Much of the joy of his breakthrough faded. For the past three years, he had taken Andrew as his goal, hoping to surpass him. But after seeing him today, he had lost all hope.
Andrew patted his shoulder and said, "Baru, you've already done very well. Going from a warrior of the fourth rank to a warrior of the seventh rank in three years is a miracle! We each have our own opportunities. You don't need to envy me. There's still a long road ahead, and if you want to spar, we'll have plenty of chances! I don't want you giving up over a setback like this. Remember, the strong never give in, no matter how many setbacks they face!"
Hearing this, Baru immediately recovered and cast his dejection aside. "You're right. To become strong, I need that kind of determination. Besides, we're brothers, and I'm sincerely proud of what you've achieved! But I'll catch up to you soon!"
After seeing Baru off, Andrew returned home. His return delighted his family, especially Ling'er, who was overjoyed by the surprise.
All told, he had been away for less than half a month this time, far shorter than the six months he had mentioned before.
Ling'er hugged him, both happy and worried, and asked cautiously, "Big brother, are you going to leave again soon?"
Andrew lightly scraped her little nose and promised, "This time, I won't leave again."
Over dinner, Andrew discussed his plans to move with Howard and Janice and asked for their opinions.
Howard had no objections. As long as his family could live well, it did not matter where they were. Janice expressly agreed. She was someone who valued refinement and art, and living among barbarians was indeed rather difficult for her.
"Since you both agree, let's leave in a couple of days. Maple Forest Town is too small, though. We might as well go to a large city nearby. Ling'er isn't so little anymore. She can start cultivating. Large cities have magic academies and warrior academies, so it would be more convenient," Andrew said.
Howard smiled. "Yes, that's a good idea. Before, I wasn't very strong, and I was afraid those nobles would bully us if we went to a large city. Now Andrew is a high-level warrior and has even subdued an eighth-level magical beast. With talent like that at his age, even if he went to the imperial capital of the Yulan Empire, His Majesty the Emperor would grant him a noble title to persuade him to remain in the empire." At this point, he glanced enviously at Golden Tiger beside them. Golden Tiger had shrunk its body and was lying there lazily.
However, no matter how small its body became, it could not conceal its fierce, explosive aura. A magical beast companion like this held enormous appeal for Howard. Moreover, ever since he was very young, he had dreamed of obtaining a tiger-type magical beast as a companion.