Chapter 9: Ch 9- Unexpected News
"Speckled Viper!"
Mo Yuan stared at the giant snake about five meters in front of him.
The snake was nearly two meters long.
This type of Feral Beast wasn’t particularly strong. An average Origin Seed cultivator could deal with one as long as they didn’t get wrapped up by its body. Once it managed to coil around someone, even an Origin Seed cultivator with four or five hundred jin of strength would struggle to break free.
Swish!
The Speckled Viper suddenly shot forward and attacked Mo Yuan.
Mo Yuan didn’t try to dodge.
With his Speed Talent, avoiding the snake would have been easy, but there was no need.
Clang!
A flash of saber light cut through the air. The Speckled Viper froze in place before collapsing onto the ground. It struggled for a few moments before finally dying.
A clean cut had sliced through its seven inch weak point. That single strike was enough to kill it.
"Too weak."
Mo Yuan shook his head.
He crouched down and removed the snake’s eyes. They were one of the required materials for the trial. One pair of eyes could be exchanged for one point.
The Speckled Viper was the most common Feral Beast in this small wilderness area. According to one of the academy teachers, there had once been a Giant Snake here that possessed a true Beast bloodline.
These Speckled Vipers were said to be its descendants. Later, several Origin Core cultivators joined forces to kill the Giant Snake before clearing out the stronger Beasts in the area.
That was how this small wilderness became a training ground for academy students. Whether the story was true or not, nobody knew.
Before he realized it, most of the day had already passed.
The sun was beginning to set.
"My harvest today isn’t great."
Mo Yuan opened his bag and counted everything inside. The Feral Beast materials he had collected were worth only twenty three points.
For an average student, that wasn’t bad. But it was nowhere near enough to compete for the top three. It probably wouldn’t even be enough for the top ten.
Night was the most dangerous time inside the wilderness. Darkness made it much harder to notice hidden Beasts. A careless mistake could easily turn the hunter into the hunted.
Most of the Speckled Vipers hid among the trees.
As long as he stayed alert and watched his surroundings, getting ambushed wasn’t very likely. Even if one attacked, Mo Yuan’s reaction speed was more than enough to deal with it.
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning, Mo Yuan roasted a rabbit, filled his stomach, and continued hunting.
This time, he headed deeper into the wilderness. The deeper he went, the stronger the Feral Beasts became.
Of course, their rewards were much better as well.
Killing one stronger Feral Beast was worth five or six points, making it much more efficient than hunting weaker ones near the edge.
"Help!"
"Someone save us!"
A desperate cry echoed through the forest.
At the same time, loud wolf howls could be heard nearby.
"A wolf pack?"
Mo Yuan frowned.
After thinking for a moment, he ran toward the sound. It wasn’t because he wanted to play the hero. Fang Wolves were worth ten points each.
That was far more valuable than ordinary Feral Beasts. Before long, he arrived at a clearing.
Around a dozen Fang Wolves had surrounded seven or eight students. Several bodies already lay motionless on the ground.
"Zang Wei!"
Mo Yuan immediately recognized one of them.
It was his friend from the academy. At this moment, Zang Wei looked miserable. His clothes were soaked with blood. His face was pale.
The arrows in his quiver had already run out, and all he could do was wave his empty bow to keep the wolves away.
Mo Yuan wasn’t surprised by what he saw. Zang Wei’s group simply wasn’t strong enough.
Even if they had over a dozen people together, it didn’t matter. Once they ran into stronger Feral Beasts, numbers alone couldn’t save them.
Mo Yuan had known from the beginning that their chances of winning the Beast Blood reward were almost zero.
He simply hadn’t said it out loud. Everyone had their own dreams. Who he was to criticize someone.
Pulling out his bow, Mo Yuan aimed at one of the Fang Wolves.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew through the air.
Puchi!
It struck the wolf in the side.
Although it missed the vital spot, it still injured the beast.
"Awoo!"
The wolves immediately noticed Mo Yuan and turned toward him. Not far away, Zang Wei and the others also saw him. For a brief moment, hope appeared on their faces. But after recognizing who it was, that hope quickly disappeared.
Zang Wei knew Mo Yuan’s strength.
As far as he knew, Mo Yuan had only recently broken through to the Origin Seed Realm, just like him.
"Mo Yuan!"
"Run!"
"These Fang Wolves aren’t something you can handle!"
Zang Wei shouted anxiously.
Mo Yuan couldn’t help but smile.
’He actually doesn’t want to drag me into this.’
’This fatty isn’t that bad.’
If he fought with his full strength, he could wipe out the wolf pack very quickly. But that would reveal far too much.
’I should hold back a little.’
He quietly made up his mind.
Each Fang Wolf possessed strength comparable to an Origin Seed cultivator with four or five hundred jin of strength. If he fought them head on, he would still be at a slight disadvantage.
Instead, Mo Yuan relied on his saber skills and superior speed. He kept his movement speed at about one and a half times that of an ordinary person. With his Superior Grade Saber Talent, he perfectly judged every opening and struck only when the timing was right.
Slash!
His saber flashed.
A Fang Wolf’s throat was sliced open instantly. It collapsed without even having a chance to howl. The remaining wolves attacked one after another.
Yet every time they lunged forward, Mo Yuan seemed to predict exactly where they would strike. Each attack narrowly missed him. Every swing of his saber took another wolf’s life.
One after another, the Fang Wolves fell. Before long, the dozen or so Fang Wolves were lying dead on the ground. Mo Yuan’s clothes were stained with blood, but it all belonged to the Fang Wolves.
He calmly put his saber back into its sheath and looked at Zang Wei and the others.
"Are you guys alright?"
"We... we’re fine!"
Zang Wei swallowed hard as he stared at Mo Yuan in shock.
The others looked just as stunned.
None of them had expected Mo Yuan to be this strong. A whole pack of Fang Wolves had been wiped out by him alone.
"I killed these Fang Wolves."
"I’ll be taking the wolf fangs."
"You don’t have a problem with that, right?"
Mo Yuan asked.
"No!"
"Of course not!"
Everyone shook their heads without hesitation. How could they possibly object? Mo Yuan had saved all of their lives.
Besides, he had killed every single Fang Wolf by himself. None of them had contributed anything. Even if they wanted a share, they didn’t have the nerve to ask.
The wolf fangs were also the proof needed to claim the points. Mo Yuan didn’t need every tooth. He only removed the two largest fangs from each wolf.
After collecting all of them, he filled an entire bag. Fortunately, with his current strength of three hundred jin, carrying the bag wasn’t difficult.
Before leaving, Mo Yuan looked at everyone and gave them one piece of advice.
"You should leave the wilderness."
"With your current strength, getting the Beast Blood reward isn’t realistic."
"There’s no point risking your lives."
"You only have one life."
"There will be other chances to obtain Beast Blood in the future."
After saying that, Mo Yuan turned to leave.
Just then, Zang Wei suddenly called out.
"Mo Yuan, wait!"
Mo Yuan stopped and turned around.
"What is it?"
Zang Wei hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"With your strength, plus all the wolf fangs you just collected, getting a portion of the Beast Blood reward shouldn’t be a problem."
"But... I don’t think you’re aiming for just that."
"You probably want one of the top rankings."
Mo Yuan looked at him curiously.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I heard some news."
"I’m not sure if it’s true."
"But I think you should know."
"Go on."
Mo Yuan nodded.
Zang Wei took a deep breath.
"A Pseudo Beast Iron Bull has appeared somewhere in this wilderness."
"The students from the First Academy have already gone to hunt it."
"If someone kills it..."
"They’ll get five hundred points."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Mo Yuan’s eyes widened.
"A Pseudo Beast?"
He had heard of them before.
A Pseudo Beast wasn’t a true Beast. It was a beast that had awakened a trace of a true Beast’s bloodline.
Although it was much stronger than ordinary Feral Beasts, it still hadn’t fully transformed.
Even so, its strength was terrifying.
It wasn’t something ordinary Origin Seed cultivators could handle. No wonder the First Academy students had rushed over. For them, this was an opportunity that almost never appeared.
What caught Mo Yuan’s attention even more was the reward.
Five hundred points.
If he could hunt that beast.
First place in the trial would be guaranteed.
For a moment, Mo Yuan fell silent.
His heartbeat gradually sped up.
Five hundred points...
That reward was simply too tempting. Even he couldn’t help feeling tempted. However, he didn’t lose his logical thinking.
A reward this great also meant unimaginable danger.
The First Academy students weren’t weak.
Many of them had Standard Grade Talent.
Some might even possess Superior Grade Talent. There would definitely be fierce competition.
On top of that, they would have to face a Pseudo Beast. One careless mistake could cost them their lives.