In another part of the Stone Forest…
Lin Jiang was a mess, covered in wounds, his spear barely held together, already losing his touch.
Facing him were two massive, patterned wolves, hulking shapes that screamed bad news. From their vibe, one was in the early stages of the ninth rank and the other in the middle.
The Scorching Ring Wolves weren’t that tough compared to other beasts of their rank. But boy, were they crafty! They never went solo, always teaming up, which was bad news for anyone caught in their sights.
“If this drags on, I’ll be the one in trouble,” Lin Jiang frowned deeply.
Even if the trial was about to wrap up, he needed to finish this soon. He was already injured, and if more wolves came knocking, it would be lights out for him.
Among their group, Murong Xiao was half-demon, and Ying Bing was a force of nature. Even prodigies would feel hopeless in her presence. Ke Mo… heard he had a ton of friends? And there was Lin Jiang, just the silent background character.
Lin Jiang had pushed himself to break through to the sixth vein of bl**d and energy, honing his spear skills to a good level, just enough to tackle most middle-tier ninth rank beasts. He was hoping to make a grand entrance.
But here he was, stuck and feeling quite sour about it.
“Let’s do this!”
Lin Jiang had an ultimate move he was itching to use against a late ninth rank beast. He channeled his energy and, with a sudden burst, stabbed forward with his spear—so fast it tore the air.
The slightly stronger Scorching Ring Wolf got skewered right then and there.
But…
“Awooo!”
The early ninth rank wolf didn’t even bother avenging its buddy; instead, it howled in a way that sounded like a call for backup.
“Oh no, it’s calling the pack!” Lin Jiang’s expression changed in an instant.
Just as he finished his big attack, he was out of juice and couldn’t stop the impending disaster.
Then something strange happened.
“Awwoo… oohhh…”
The distress calls turned into mournful wails.
A figure dragged the Scorching Ring Wolf out of the Stone Forest.
“Are you one of the real disciples? Hmmm… Lin Jiang?” A voice, half-smiling and half-serious, came through.
“Hmm?”
“Wang Hu?”
Lin Jiang recognized the newcomer.
It was a bit rude to mention, but during the grand ceremony, Wang Hu had tumbled down the celestial staircase like a rolling gourd, rolling from the inner gates all the way to the outer gates.
Everyone inside knew about the rolling gourd, no way to miss him.
Now, it seemed Wang Hu was just as strong as Lin Jiang, if not more.
“Thanks, Brother Wang.”
Lin Jiang sighed in relief.
“Hey, you get your kills, I’ll get my kills—no complaints, right?” Wang Hu casually snapped the wolf’s neck.
“Of course,” Lin Jiang said, feeling a weight lift.
Counting this ninth rank creature as a victory was a decent win for him.
Boom boom—
Just as Lin Jiang shot his signal arrow, a loud gulping noise caught his attention.
Turning around, his brows furrowed even deeper than before.
There was Wang Hu, chomping on the Scorching Ring Wolf’s neck, guzzling down the foul-tasting wolf bl**d, and looking positively ecstatic about it.
Lin Jiang felt queasy.
“Two Scorching Ring Wolves.”
“One counts for me, one counts for Wang Hu.”
The enforcers arrived quickly, took a cursory look at the site, and swaggered off with the two wolf carcasses.
“Excuse me, I’ll take my leave now.” Lin Jiang bowed and was ready to scoot.
Wang Hu gave him the creeps, especially after that bloody scene. He didn’t want any more interaction.
Just when he took a couple of steps away…
“Who said you could leave?”
A rustling sound came from behind.
Lin Jiang froze, turning around just in time to see Wang Hu’s arms swelling up at an alarming rate, sprouting wild hair like something out of a monster movie.
His gaze, now stripped of all humanity, was as bloodthirsty as a beast on a rampage.
Was Wang Hu playing dumb and just leading the enforcers away?
“YOU!”
Whoosh—
Lin Jiang didn’t have the time to get a word out before a wicked wind crashed toward him.
…
Meanwhile, not far away…
“What’s going on ahead?” Ke Mo, bare-chested, darted through the Stone Forest.
Let’s not misunderstand; he didn’t have a weird thing for showing skin. He was simply saving his mom’s hand-stitched clothes, knowing they wouldn’t survive a fight anyway, so they went into the system space instead.
Hearing the intense fighting up front, he picked up his pace.
Then, as soon as he arrived, he spotted two figures in combat.
Lin Jiang was clearly losing, looking like he was about to be hamburger meat, bl**d streaming everywhere.
If this kept up, he wouldn’t make it out, even if he didn’t get killed directly by the enemy.
“What’s Lin Jiang fighting against?”
“No, this isn’t a beast…”
Ke Mo realized something was off.
His Destiny Eye scanned the scene.
[Name: Lin Jiang]
[Age: 16]
[Bones: Mantis legs, green snake spine, magpie-painted shoulders]
[Realm: Sixth vein of bl**d and energy.]
[Destiny: Blue-Black]
[Evaluation: This person’s talent is decent, but he rushes in blindly. If he realizes this in time, he might still climb higher.]
[Recent Encounter: After a fierce battle, he’s yet to catch his breath before running into a Wang Hu either consumed by beastly instincts, who might not lead to d*ath but is heavily injured and rendered incapacitated.]
“Is that Wang Hu?” Ke Mo raised an eyebrow.
So being infected by beastly instincts could turn one into this kind of monster?
And how come Wang Hu seemed to be going for bl**d on Lin Jiang, yet the Destiny Eye insisted that Lin Jiang wouldn’t d*e…?
Elders?
A realization dawned on Ke Mo.
It had to be the elders—they’d been watching Wang Hu’s movements all along.
They just never intervened directly for reasons unknown.
But they couldn’t just let a true disciple meet their end, so they stepped in for Lin Jiang at the last minute.
“Elders stepping in or not…”
“I’d better get another blue investment.”
…
“Wang Hu, we have no grudge against each other!”
“Backstabbing within the sect is a grave sin! Stop now, and I can pretend nothing happened!” Lin Jiang gasped, his strength waning.
He knew he was outmatched, hoping to talk his way into making Wang Hu hesitate.
“The Scorching Ring Wolves have no grudge against you either.”
“Survival of the fittest, you’re weak, so you’ll become my meal. What crime is there in that?”
Wang Hu licked the bl**d off his claws, his eyes glowing with malice.
Lin Jiang grinded his teeth, realizing negotiations were off the table.
Today it was either him or Wang Hu!
The vicious wind hit again.
He had no choice but to muster all his energy for one last attack.
But after losing so much bl**d, he knew this strike wouldn’t be nearly as powerful as the last.
Stabbing halfway through, Wang Hu grinned maniacally and managed to grab the spear.
Then, with claws like daggers, he slammed down upon it.
Forget about the head; even a stone could be pulverized under that force.
Lin Jiang sighed in despair.
Was he really about to meet his end like this?
Boom!
A thunderous crash!
“Huh?”
Lin Jiang was shocked to find that his head wasn’t shattered as he expected.
Instead, Wang Hu staggered back, a few steps, leaving deep imprints in the ground.
A young man with a lean physique, like a cheetah, had suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Li Zhenchuang?”
Lin Jiang was bewildered.
“Li Mo, you’re still as nosy as ever!”
“Good, you’re just in time; I’ve been wanting to find you!”
Wang Hu had completely lost the façade of calm. Upon spotting Li Mo, he began to resemble a wild beast gone mad.
Some people had that knack for turning the tide the moment they showed up.
“Don’t you dare! Stand still.”
“We’ll wait for the inner door enforcer to arrive and see how the sect decides to handle this.”
Li Mo frowned lightly.
Having saved Lin Jiang, his “investment” was already fulfilled.
He had no idea what the elders were thinking, nor did he want to meddle further.
“You’re asking for trouble!”
This calm attitude ignited Wang Hu’s fury, as he thought Li Mo was disregarding him entirely.
He lost it completely.
Not just his arms; his entire body swelled up grotesquely, sprouting thick fur and even a tiger tail, whipping around like a steel whip.
Where was the semblance of a human?
It was like a berserk tiger standing on two legs!
With bl**d-red eyes, it seemed ready to devour Li Mo whole, suddenly lunging forward!
“Brother Li, watch out!”
Lin Jiang felt a chill run down his spine, shouting loudly.
He sensed that the current Wang Hu’s aura was even more terrifying.
Even peak ninth rank beasts would think twice!
Immediately, he drew his signal arrow to fire.
Seeing Li Mo refuse to dodge, he shouted in a panic:
“Li Brother, you need to run, otherwise, we’re all toast…”
Boom—
A muted thud echoed.
The huge tiger claw collided with Li Mo’s fist.
The difference was stunning.
But the outcome left Lin Jiang’s eyes nearly popping out.
The furry tiger arm exploded in a mist of bl**d, as if it had no bones, crumpling into itself.
Li Mo remained unphased.
He grabbed Wang Hu by the head and slammed him down onto the ground.
Boom—
The surface shattered upon impact.
“I thought you were gearing up for a big move after all that buildup.”
“Practicing dark arts might be one thing, but what’s the point of making yourself a twisted monster?” Li Mo quipped.
Wang Hu’s eyes rolled back, collapsing into unconsciousness.
Whether it was from being knocked out or from sheer rage at Li Mo’s words, who could say?
Before long, the beastly state faded, and Wang Hu was back to his human form.
His aura plummeted, like a candle flickering in the wind.
Not far away, Lin Jiang’s mouth hung agape, capable of swallowing two eggs at least.
Wang Hu, who was comparable to a peak ninth rank beast, was taken down in an instant?
Was it really that easy?
He even had the feeling that Li Mo hadn’t used all his strength.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have simply knocked him out; he could have easily killed Wang Hu!
They all entered the Qingyuan Sect together.
Why was Li Mo so strong that it instilled despair in others?
Moreover, Lin Jiang had honed his skills for a long time before entering the sect, while Li Mo hadn’t even opened his veins back then—he was an utterly unremarkable person.
So much time had passed; it felt like Lin Jiang was questioning reality.
A wooden box was suddenly passed in front of him.
“Here, for external use.”
Just then, a bright and clear voice rang out.
“Hundred-flower Essence Ointment, works wonders for treating external wounds.”
“This…”
Lin Jiang snapped out of his daze, looking up at that shining smiling face.
Without hesitation, he quietly rubbed the ointment on his wounds.
At the same time, he received notifications from the system.
[Investment successful, invested half a bottle of Hundred-flower Essence Ointment.]
[Feedback: A volume of Martial Arts Golden Bell Shield; will you accept it?]
“Not accepting.”
Lin Jiang dismissed the notion within, while Li Mo waved at him.
“Alright, you should wait for the enforcer here.”
“I’m in a hurry, so I’ll be off.”
With that, he strode away towards Wangyue Cliff.
“Li Brother, wait up!”
Lin Jiang looked at his retreating back, feeling a surge of respect and admiration.
That ointment was incredibly effective—once applied, it stopped the bleeding immediately.
Not only had he saved his life, but he could also continue in the trial.
“Saving a life without expecting anything in return.”
“Is it true that a true strong person should be humble and modest…?”
Lin Jiang pondered as he stood back up, ready to face whatever came next.
