106: Chapter 106 First Entry, Black Wind Ridge

Upon arriving, a scent mixed with blood and rotting vegetation hit him in the face.

He took a deep breath, and his Eye of Thunder Punishment activated subconsciously.

His gaze swept across the crowd—there were burly men carrying giant axes, lean youths with longbows on their backs, and several cloaked figures with concealed auras.

In the temporary supply point on the outskirts of Black Wind Ridge, the crowd was noisy.

Zhang Wen, carrying the sky-splitting startling thunder spear on his back, had just stepped into the tent when he was targeted by a scrutinizing gaze from the corner.

"New here? Also here to brave Black Wind Ridge?"

The speaker was a burly man with a thick beard, his tight combat outfit stretched taut by his muscles. A thick-backed machete hung at his waist, and his aura was as steady as a rock.

He was the captain of a small squad, Zhao Meng, who was at the Shaping Realm Late-stage.

Five people sat behind him, three men and two women. One of the women, wearing a cyan long dress, looked up. Her brows carried a touch of coldness, but she raised them slightly upon seeing Zhang Wen.

A soft sword hung at her waist, and although her spiritual power fluctuations were not as thick as Zhao Meng's.

They were still firmly pressed against the threshold of the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm; it was Lin Muer.

"Yes, I'm looking for a squad to team up with."

Zhang Wen leaned his thunder spear against the table and scanned the group. "I heard you're still missing one person?"

Zhao Meng sneered and looked him up and down.

"Kid, you don't look very old. Is your cultivation high enough? The Yao Beasts of Black Wind Ridge don't care if you're a student or not."

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and invisible spiritual power fluctuations spread out, clearly testing Zhang Wen's Realm.

Zhang Wen secretly suppressed his spiritual power to the level of the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm. Just as he was about to speak, the woman in green laughed first.

"Captain Zhao, don't be so fierce. Look at the spear he's carrying; it clearly isn't ordinary. Perhaps he can be of help."

Her voice was clear and melodious, carrying an inexplicable persuasiveness.

The impatience on Zhao Meng's face faded slightly, but his eyes remained scrutinizing. "What is your Realm?"

"Initial Stage of the Formation Realm."

Zhang Wen answered crisply.

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding team members all showed expressions of surprise.

To reach the Forming Realm at this age was already considered quite talented.

Zhao Meng curled his lips, clearly disbelieving, but catching the look Lin Muer cast his way out of the corner of his eye, he swallowed the harsh words that had reached his lips.

"Fine,"

he said in a muffled voice. "Since Muer says you can do it, we'll take you for now. Do you know the rules? Spoils are distributed according to contribution. If you hold us back, don't blame me for leaving you in the mountains to feed the Yao Beasts."

Lin Muer smiled at Zhang Wen, which counted as a greeting.

Zhang Wen nodded in acknowledgment, understanding in his heart—this Zhao Meng was clearly interested in Lin Muer, which was why he was so "easy to talk to."

He was happy to save the trouble. In any case, it was just a temporary partnership. As long as he could practice in Black Wind Ridge, the captain's attitude toward him was irrelevant.

"Is your equipment fully prepared?"

Lin Muer asked. "There is miasma in Black Wind Ridge at night; it's best to prepare some Spirit Pills."

Zhang Wen took a small porcelain bottle out of his backpack and shook it. "I've prepared some."

A flash of approval passed through Lin Muer's eyes, but Zhao Meng snorted.

"Don't think you're impressive just because you have a few tricks. Once we're inside, listen to my commands."

After speaking, he stood up and picked up his thick-backed machete.

"Let's go. Today we'll first explore to Black Wind Valley and see if we can encounter a pack of Iron-Spine Wolves; the beast cores of those things are worth quite a bit of money."

The group packed their things and followed Zhao Meng toward the depths of Black Wind Ridge.

Zhang Wen followed at the end of the team, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding dense forest without leaving a trace. The Eye of Thunder Punishment quietly activated, taking in all the movements hidden in the shadows.

Lin Muer seemed to notice his caution, looked back, and whispered.

"The Yao Beasts here like to ambush; watch your step."

Zhang Wen nodded in thanks, but thought to himself: compared to the Yao Beasts, perhaps this captain with unfathomable intentions beside him needed more attention.

On the way deep into the dense forest, Zhao Meng intentionally or unintentionally quickened his pace, seemingly wanting to give Zhang Wen a warning.

But Zhang Wen's footsteps, while seemingly casual, always managed to keep up with the team at a steady pace, and his breathing didn't even falter.

Lin Muer saw this, and the curiosity in her eyes deepened.

Zhao Meng became increasingly sullen. When his machete chopped through the thorns blocking the way, his force was much heavier, causing the surrounding leaves to rustle.

Just as they passed through a patch of low bushes, a rustling sound suddenly came from ahead.

Zhao Meng abruptly raised his hand to signal a stop and said in a deep voice, "Situation, Iron-Spine Wolves!"

Zhang Wen's eyes narrowed, and the Eye of Thunder Punishment instantly locked onto several black shadows thirty meters ahead.

Three half-man-tall Iron-Spine Wolves were crouching in the grass, their eerie green eyes staring at them, saliva still hanging from their fangs.

"Muer on the left flank, Old Wang on the right, I'll take the front!" Zhao Meng shouted in a low voice and rushed out first.

Zhang Wen gripped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, and the thunder patterns on the spear body shone faintly.

He didn't rush forward, but instead used the Eye of Thunder Punishment to capture the flaws in the Iron-Spine Wolves' movements, already calculating in his mind.

Perfect, I'll test if the spear techniques I've been practicing lately are useful in actual combat.

Zhao Meng's thick-backed machete, carrying the force of the Shaping Realm Late-stage, slashed toward the Middle Stage Iron-Spine Wolf.

The moment the blade collided with the wolf's claws, sparks flew, shaking the surrounding grass and leaves.

The Iron-Spine Wolf felt the pain and let out a sharp roar, the ferocity in its green eyes intensifying, and its tail whipped across like a steel whip.

On the other side, Lin Muer's soft sword had turned into a cyan shadow, entangling the Initial Stage Iron-Spine Wolf on the left.

Her posture was agile, and her sword moves were as dense as a net. However, just as the wolf's body was about to collide with the sword circle, the Yao Beast suddenly turned back, its sharp claws lunging directly at her lower body—it was actually a feint.

"Careful!"

As soon as Zhang Wen's voice fell, the sky-splitting startling thunder spear had already struck like a viper leaving its hole, the spear tip wrapped in faint Lightning Radiance, accurately pointing at the Iron-Spine Wolf's front paw joint.

This was the flaw he had captured using the Eye of Thunder Punishment; he had latched onto the 0.1-second gap in movement.

"Awooo!"

The Iron-Spine Wolf felt the pain, and its attack immediately stalled.

Lin Muer seized the opportunity, her soft sword suddenly changing moves, stabbing toward the wolf's neck like a spirit snake flicking its tongue, the sword tip infused with spiritual power gleaming with cold light.

The two attacked and defended, their coordination unexpectedly tacit.

Zhang Wen's spear technique looked fierce, but in reality, every strike landed at the joints of the Yao Beast's movements, jamming the opponent's rhythm of force like a wedge;

Lin Muer's sword technique took advantage of the gaps, always able to deliver a killing blow the moment the Iron-Spine Wolf was restrained.

The Initial Stage Iron-Spine Wolf became more and more irritable as it fought, its several lunges all neutralized by the duo's joint efforts, and it had added several wounds to its body, blood droplets dripping mixed with black fur.

"This spear technique..."

Lin Muer caught a glimpse of the Lightning Radiance at the tip of Zhang Wen's spear out of the corner of her eye, and her heart stirred slightly.

How could an ordinary Initial Stage Cultivator have such precise timing control, let alone be able to operate spiritual power so refinedly in actual combat?

Zhang Wen, however, had no time to think about it; the Eye of Thunder Punishment was constantly locked onto the Iron-Spine Wolf's movements.

He could feel that the Yao Beast's range of motion was increasing, and its breathing was becoming heavier—this was a precursor to exhaustion.

"Now!"

Zhang Wen shouted in a low voice, and the sky-splitting startling thunder spear suddenly changed from a stab to a sweep, the spear body carrying a thunderous hum as it swept across the Iron-Spine Wolf's front legs.

This strike used the clever force of the "Myriad Thunders Coiling Dragon Break"; it looked fierce but actually left room for maneuver.

The Iron-Spine Wolf was indeed caught off guard by this sudden change in moves and subconsciously raised its claws to block.

In that instant, Lin Muer's soft sword had followed like a shadow, and with a "pssh" sound, it pierced into the wolf's abdomen!

"Awooo—!"

The Iron-Spine Wolf let out a shrill, miserable howl, its huge body collapsed to the ground with a bang, and after twitching a few times, it stopped moving.

Lin Muer retracted her sword and stood, her eyes looking at Zhang Wen with a bit more inquiry: "Your spear technique is interesting."

Just as Zhang Wen was about to reply, he suddenly heard a dull thud from the right.

Turning his head to look, he saw Zhao Meng split the Middle Stage Iron-Spine Wolf's head open with one slash of his machete.

He was panting heavily and glaring over here, his eyes filled with undisguised displeasure.

Apparently, seeing the two of them easily solve their opponent, he was holding back a surge of frustration.

As for Old Wang's side, three team members were besieging an Initial Stage Iron-Spine Wolf; although they had the upper hand, they were still struggling, clearly showing slightly inferior strength.

Zhao Meng wiped the blood from his face and said in a rough voice, "What are you dawdling for! Finish it quickly; there are even more powerful characters deep in Black Wind Ridge!"

After speaking, he specifically glared at Zhang Wen. "Don't think you're great just because you were lucky enough to take down one. When we encounter a wolf pack later, you'll be crying."

Zhang Wen didn't answer, just bent down to pick up the beast core on the ground.

This walnut-sized crystal shimmered with a pale cyan halo. The spiritual power contained within it was more complex than the cultivation resources in the academy, but it had an extra touch of wild resilience.

"Pack up!"

Zhao Meng picked up the corpse of his Iron-Spine Wolf and walked toward the depths of the dense forest without looking back, the sound of his machete hacking at the thorns louder than before.

Lin Muer walked to Zhang Wen's side and whispered.

"Captain Zhao is just like that; don't take it to heart."

She looked at the beast core in Zhang Wen's hand and added, "The Yao cores deep in Black Wind Ridge are of better quality, but also more dangerous."

Zhang Wen weighed the Yao core in his hand, feeling the spiritual power fluctuations inside, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "The more dangerous, the more interesting it is."

He could feel that after that battle, the proficiency of his Eye of Thunder Punishment had increased again.

This feeling of honing his skills on the edge of life and death was far more real than the simulated battles in the academy.

Following the team deeper, the light in the dense forest grew darker and darker, and the smell of blood in the air became increasingly thick.

Zhang Wen gripped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear tightly, and the Eye of Thunder Punishment quietly activated—he had a premonition that the real test had just begun.