Azure Wolf Ridge
After he left, the trial hall was quiet for a moment.
Qin Shuang walked to Su Ying's side and asked in a low voice:
"Miss, do you think he's suitable?"
Su Ying gazed in the direction Lu Feng had left, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke:
"I hope he can make it into the top three."
Her tone was no longer as confident as before.
It wasn't that they didn't trust Lu Feng's abilities, but rather that their opponent this time was simply too strong.
The Five Cities Demon-Slaying Bureau Division Grand Competition will bring together the most outstanding geniuses from the entire north.
Based on the strength Lu Feng just displayed, he can indeed rank among the top in the Hua Jin Realm.
However, there are several major obstacles between the top ranks and the top three.
"Starting tomorrow, I will go into seclusion to break through to the Grandmaster level."
Su Ying suppressed all expression, her voice returning to its usual coldness.
He had suppressed his Hua Jin Perfection for half a year, and this time during his seclusion, she was confident that she could directly break through to the Mid-Stage Grandmaster.
"In the Grandmaster -level competition, even if I don't get first place, I'm still confident I can finish in the top three."
"If we win the top three places in the Five Cities Demon-Slaying Bureau Division competition, we can be exempted from the next round of frontline conscription."
Every year, a large number of demon slayers are conscripted to the front lines to fight head-on against the main force of the demon beasts.
Neither of them spoke again. They knew better than anyone the horrors of the front lines.
The next morning, Xiaolian delivered a map showing the distribution of monsters to Lu Feng.
Lu Feng unfolded the map, and all the known second-tier monster lairs and third-tier monster territories within a radius of two thousand miles around Jinguan City were clearly marked.
Next to each label, the type, number, and rank of the monster, as well as the estimated level of danger, were noted in tiny print.
Even the areas suspected of having fourth-tier demonic beasts were personally marked with cinnabar by Qin Shuang, with the words "Do Not Approach" added next to them.
This map was drawn specifically for him.
He folded the map again and tucked it into his bosom.
Then he went to the Merit Hall and exchanged all the merits in his token for pills.
Origin Recovery Pill, Healing Pill, Detoxifying Pill, Fasting Pill, etc.
He bought the most pills that could quickly restore Nei Jin.
After doing all this, Lu Feng opened the map, scanned it, and selected a location.
Azure Wolf Ridge.
The map marks Azure Wolf Ridge as a large, second-tier wolf demon pack, with dozens of third-tier wolf kings roaming its territory. Danger level: High.
Hundreds of second-tier and dozens of third-tier. Perfect for him.
Azure Wolf Ridge is located 1,200 li southwest of Jinguan City.
Even at Lu Feng's current speed, traveling at full speed would take him almost a day.
He put the map away, then pushed off with his feet, his figure blurring as he sped off towards Azure Wolf Ridge.
After a full day and night of running, Azure Wolf Ridge finally came into view.
Lu Feng stopped on a low hill and looked up.
The mountains stretch endlessly, like the arched back of a giant beast.
The mountains are crisscrossed by ravines, and dense primeval forests cover most of the surface, with only a few of the highest peaks exposing their gray-white rock faces.
According to the map markings, Azure Wolf Ridge is divided into three layers.
The outer perimeter is the territory of first-tier wolf demons, which are the most numerous but the weakest, and are the area where disciples from various sects and Rogue Cultivator most frequently operate.
Hundreds of second-tier wolf demons were entrenched in the central area.
The core area is the territory of the Tier 3 Wolf Kings, and the map marks at least dozens of Tier 3 Wolf Kings, but the actual number may be more.
Lu Feng put the map away and stepped into the territory of Azure Wolf Ridge.
He didn't linger on the outskirts, but he encountered quite a few low-level martial artists and Rogue Cultivator along the way, traveling in twos and threes.
Some were hunting down lone first-tier wolf demons, while others were gathering medicinal herbs.
Upon seeing Lu Feng's dark-colored demon-slaying attire, most people nodded in greeting from afar and made way for him.
It's not uncommon for demon slayers to come to Azure Wolf Ridge, but they usually come in groups of three to five. Anyone who dares to go into the mountains alone is either a highly skilled veteran or a reckless fool.
He didn't even spare the first-tier wolf demons he encountered on the road. With a casual slash, he did it swiftly and decisively.
After the wolf demon fell to the ground, he didn't even slow down; he collected the essence blood and continued forward.
After he left, several martial arts practitioners dressed in coarse cloth and Ming Jin peeked out from behind the tree and cautiously approached the wolf demon's corpse.
"This is the seventh one! What great luck today! I actually met such a kind person!"
One of them swiftly chopped off the wolf's head, put it into a storage bag, and grinned from ear to ear.
The head of a first-tier demon beast is indeed not worth many merits to demon slayers, but for Rogue Cultivator like them, one head is worth several days' income.
"Is that person really a demon slayer? He doesn't even look down on a first-tier demon beast?" another person couldn't help but ask.
"Judging from his attire, he's definitely a demon slayer. He's probably after second-tier demon beasts; he killed this one on a whim and was too lazy to collect it, which is a good deal for us." The man who picked up the wolf's head patted his storage bag, satisfied.
Do you think the other party might have done this on purpose?
The third person suddenly slapped his forehead, his expression changing slightly.
"They make us follow behind and collect them first, then force us to hand them all over once we've accumulated a lot. This kind of thing has happened before."
The group of people stopped what they were doing at the same time and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Then they all looked at the man in the lead.
The leading man remained silent for a moment, looked up at the direction where Lu Feng had disappeared, then looked down at the seven heavy wolf heads in his storage bag, and finally shook his head.
"We've already had enough for today. I've heard things haven't been peaceful on the outskirts lately, with quite a few traces of second-tier wolf demons appearing. If we go any deeper, and we run into a second-tier one, we won't be able to escape. Let's sell these wolf heads first."
The group agreed wholeheartedly and, without further hesitation, turned and walked towards the edge of Azure Wolf Ridge.
Lu Feng was unaware of the conversation taking place behind him.
Even if I knew, I wouldn't care.
He killed the first-tier wolf demons just to casually accumulate some Demon Points; he genuinely didn't intend to keep the wolf heads.
When they were still some distance from the central area, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the mountains ahead.
Four figures stumbled out of the dense forest—three men and one woman—all dressed in matching blue outfits with a small sword embroidered on their chests.
The four men's faces were as white as paper. The long sword in the hand of the man running in front was broken in half, with only a bare hilt and a palm-sized piece of broken blade remaining.
Behind them, a large gray wolf was chasing them at a leisurely pace.
Its steps were leisurely, but each step covered a distance of two or three zhang, and the distance between it and the four people was always kept at about ten zhang.
"What's going on? We're still quite a distance from the central region, how did we end up encountering a second-tier wolf demon?"
The man holding the broken sword trembled, stumbled, and almost fell, but was pulled back by his companion.
"Huh? There's someone up ahead!"
Another sharp-eyed man spotted the dark figure ahead, and hope instantly ignited in his eyes.
"It's the Demon Slayer! We're saved!"