「The next day.」
Chen Han immediately set off for the Cloud Heaven Forest.
As the largest primeval forest near Qingcheng Mountain, it was home to countless venomous snakes and ferocious beasts. Deep within the center of the Cloud Heaven Forest, a Spirit Beast was even said to be lurking.
Spirit Beasts were different from ordinary beasts.
Nurtured by the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, they mutated, their strength surpassing even that of ordinary Martial Disciples. Some powerful Spirit Beasts could even rival experts at the Martial Disciple Twelfth Layer.
Of course, Chen Han wasn't there to seek out a Spirit Beast.
His goals were simple: train and make money.
His primary objective was to buy back his family's Ruo Shui Golden Saber.
At this thought, Chen Han's body felt as light as a swallow. With a few light steps, he leaped onto a branch and swiftly darted into the Cloud Heaven Forest.
His only weapon was an ordinary Hunting Saber.
So, Chen Han had already formulated a plan. He would start by targeting some of the weaker beasts.
CRACK!
The sound of a snapping branch echoed nearby.
Perched on a high branch, Chen Han suddenly spotted a Striped Fierce Tiger slowly approaching.
'A Striped Fierce Tiger. It has immense Power and a tough hide, with strength comparable to an expert at the Martial Disciple Second Layer. Its only weakness is its slow speed. I might just have a chance.'
An idea sparked in Chen Han's mind.
'Now!'
Taking a deep breath, Chen Han stomped down hard on the branch beneath his feet.
The branch bent to its limit before snapping back into place. Using its elasticity, Chen Han's speed more than doubled as he shot toward the Striped Fierce Tiger.
ROAR!
The Striped Fierce Tiger sensed the danger and immediately let out a roar, its massive jaws gaping with imposing menace.
However, Chen Han was faster.
In a near instant, he was in front of the Striped Fierce Tiger. The sharp saber in his hand plunged directly into the beast's eye socket. More than half of the long blade disappeared inside, and blood instantly sprayed out in a frenzy.
With a pained howl, the Striped Fierce Tiger collapsed.
'That was close!'
Chen Han's right hand, which gripped the Hunting Saber, was drenched in sweat.
He knew that if he had hesitated for even a second while confronting the Striped Fierce Tiger, he would have lost the advantage and been forced into a prolonged fight.
The tiger's Power far surpassed his own; a misstep would have turned him into its next meal.
But Chen Han's reward was also immense.
Because he had killed it in a single strike, the Striped Fierce Tiger's hide was perfectly intact. Not only that, but its bones, gallbladder, and penis... all were rare and valuable materials. This one tiger alone was worth five hundred taels of silver.
Pulling his Hunting Saber free, Chen Han continued his search for the next target.
HISS!
Suddenly, a sharp hissing sound echoed violently.
He hadn't noticed when, but a giant snake had slithered up beside him. It was four to five meters long and pitch-black, save for a single golden pattern around its neck.
Its forked tongue flickered, revealing sharp fangs.
WHOOSH!
The Golden Ring Snake's long body shot forward, its fangs aimed straight for Chen Han's throat.
CLANG!
Chen Han swung his saber to block, but the fangs bit down hard, leaving two deep marks in the ordinary Hunting Saber's blade.
Chen Han's expression turned grave.
'If that strike had landed on my throat,' he thought, 'my life would be over.'
Before he could advance, the Golden Ring Snake's enormous tail lashed out like a whip.
WHIP!
An immense force slammed into him, sending him flying backward. He crashed hard onto the ground, the qi and blood in his chest churning violently.
'So strong!'
Chen Han roughly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. There wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes; on the contrary, he seemed even more eager for a fight.
HISSS!
The Golden Ring Snake hissed furiously and lunged again.
Chen Han narrowed his eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced. In a flash, his Hunting Saber shot into the Golden Ring Snake's wide-open mouth. The blood-stained blade pierced through its mouth and out the back of its head. The Golden Ring Snake struggled for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
'Another four hundred taels.'
Looking at the dead Golden Ring Snake, Chen Han broke into an excited grin.
In just a single day, he'd earned nine hundred taels. At this rate, it wouldn't be long until he could buy back the Ruo Shui Golden Saber.
After these two battles, Chen Han had a much clearer understanding of his own weaknesses. Although he possessed the strength of a Martial Disciple First Layer, he knew far too few Martial Arts. At times, he simply didn't know how to react to his opponents.
'Especially a Stepping Technique. If I could learn one, my speed would increase by a good thirty percent. Dealing with these beasts would become much easier then,' Chen Han thought.
However, Chen Han wasn't interested in ordinary Stepping Techniques.
More High Level ones could only be found in the Scripture Pavilion of the Main Lineage Clan.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Han headed deeper into the Cloud Heaven Forest.
WHOOSH—
In the dense mountain forest, a figure flickered in and out of sight.
THUD!
Landing lightly, Chen Han came to a stop atop an ancient pine tree.
He looked down and gave a bitter smile.
Ahead, a Cyan-eyed Gray Wolf was staring at him menacingly.
Cyan-eyed Gray Wolf: Moderate Power, extremely fast, equivalent in strength to a Martial Disciple Second Layer.
If it were just one Cyan-eyed Gray Wolf, Chen Han might have stood a chance. But these wolves were pack animals. They hunted in groups of at least seven or eight, sometimes even dozens. Even an average Spirit Beast would choose to back down against a pack of Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves.
At that very moment, pairs of cyan eyes lit up in the surrounding shadows.
'One, two, three... eleven... seventeen!'
After counting the wolves, Chen Han couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. The beasts had managed to surround him without him even realizing it.
'This is bad,' Chen Han thought. 'I have to break through the encirclement.'
He glanced around.
To his left, right, and rear.
The greatest number of Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves were gathered in those three directions. The fewest were directly in front of him. That path led deeper into the Cloud Heaven Forest—the territory of Spirit Beasts.
ROAR!
The Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves began to roar.
Clearly, they had no intention of letting their prey escape. They closed in from all sides, their steps slow but exceptionally menacing.
'Damn it, I can't hesitate any longer.'
Chen Han steeled himself. If he delayed any longer, he'd lose his last chance to escape.
'Go!'
The moment the thought formed, Chen Han shot forward.
In a mere instant, he broke past three of the Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves.
AWOOO!
The wolf pack erupted into howls.
They couldn't bear to see their prey escape. With a unified roar, they gave chase with reckless abandon.
Their powerful limbs pumped furiously. Despite their large bodies, they were not at all sluggish in the dense forest; in fact, they were even more agile than he had imagined.
'Not good!'
Seeing the menacing pack hot on his heels, Chen Han's expression changed, and he immediately picked up his pace.
THUMP! THUMP!
Chen Han's steps were like smoke as he flew across the branches.
He finally managed to leave the main bulk of the pack behind him.
However, the Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves had already formed a perimeter. Just as Chen Han thought he had escaped, he was brought up short by two more wolves emerging slowly from the dense woods.
'Damn it!'
Chen Han cursed under his breath.
The two Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves were positioned to his left and right, perfectly blocking his escape route.
Turning back now was no longer an option.
There was no escape. He had to fight!
At this thought, a surge of momentum rose in Chen Han's chest. He charged straight at the Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves.
His imposing aura made the two beasts falter for a split second. They quickly recovered, however, baring their fangs and lunging at him.
The moment was brief, but it was all Chen Han needed.
With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed in front of one of the wolves. His Hunting Saber flashed out, and a fountain of blood erupted from the creature's throat.
The wolf let out a whimper, trembled all over, and collapsed.
The throat was a beast's weak point.
Chen Han had been prepared for a one-hit kill...
Of course, it came at a price.
But the other wolf pounced at that exact moment. Having spent his momentum on the attack, Chen Han was vulnerable. The wolf's right claw swiped viciously at his chest...
At this critical moment.
Chen Han twisted his body in an unnatural way, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. The wolf's paw slammed into his shoulder instead.
"Ugh..."
Chen Han let out a muffled grunt, feeling as if the bones in his left shoulder had just been shattered.
Gritting his teeth and enduring the excruciating pain, Chen Han lunged forward, his Hunting Saber aimed straight at the wolf's face.
SQUELCH!
The blade sank in, instantly splitting the wolf's skull.
With a pained howl, the wolf collapsed to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, both Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves lay dead. But for Chen Han, it had felt like an eternity suspended between life and death. Before he could even savor the relief of his narrow escape, a fresh chorus of howls echoed from the distance.
"They're relentless!"
Chen Han gritted his teeth. With no other choice, he plunged deeper into the forest.
He understood that with his current strength, killing two Cyan-eyed Gray Wolves was already a fluke. If he faced the whole pack head-on, not even his bones would remain.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Not daring to pause for a second, Chen Han ran desperately toward the depths of the Cloud Heaven Forest.
The wolf pack gave no ground.
They were beasts, after all, with far more stamina than he had. The distance between them was shrinking, bit by bit.
Just as it seemed the pack was about to catch him...
ROAR—
At that moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted from ahead. The immense pressure slammed into Chen Han, making the qi and blood in his body roil so violently he nearly spat out a mouthful.
Behind him, the pursuing pack came to an involuntary halt.
WHIMPER...
A moment later, the wolves let out terrified whimpers and fled in a panic.
'This is... Could it be... a Spirit Beast!'
Chen Han was stunned.
He quickly looked up to see a massive figure slowly approaching. With a casual shove of its powerful limbs, it effortlessly snapped the towering ancient trees around it.
The figure gradually came into focus—it was a giant bear, as tall as two men.
'The Brown Bear King!'
Chen Han narrowed his eyes.
He never imagined that after barely escaping the wolf pack by a stroke of luck, he would immediately be targeted by a Spirit Beast.
This Spirit Beast's strength had clearly reached the Martial Disciple Twelfth Layer.
With his current strength, he stood no chance against it.
ROAR!
The Brown Bear King let out a ferocious roar and charged on all fours. A powerful, baleful aura radiated from its body, causing all beasts for miles around to drop to the ground, not daring to withstand its might.
The Brown Bear King's speed was far beyond Chen Han's imagination.
The instant he spotted it, it was already upon him.
A giant paw swiped viciously toward Chen Han's Dantian.
In that instant, a single thought flashed through Chen Han's mind—'I'm finished!'