46: Chapter 46 Successfully Slayed, the Mighty Bull

Sensing the change in the Silver Wolf's aura, Lin Ye gripped the refined iron staff in his hand.

innate qi surged through his Meridians, pouring entirely into his arms.

Whoosh!

The Silver Wolf moved.

Its speed was so fast that the air shrieked, and for the first time, Lin Ye's powerful perception lost its effectiveness.

But it didn't matter.

Since he couldn't dodge, he would face it head-on!

His arms suddenly exerted force, and the refined iron staff danced into a flurry of shadows.

No matter which direction the Silver Wolf attacked from, he could defend against it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

The Silver Wolf flickered frantically around Lin Ye, its claws striking the refined iron staff and sending out a series of sparks.

"Got you!"

Lin Ye seized the opportunity and struck upward with a fierce swing, sending the Silver Wolf flying.

Before it could even land, Lin Ye's next strike had already arrived.

Bang!

What does it feel like to be hit head-on by a refined iron staff weighing over five hundred catties?

The Silver Wolf would give you the answer.

"Crack"

The crisp sound of bone fracturing rang out, and the Silver Wolf's body bent ninety degrees in mid-air before crashing down heavily, smashing a pit over two meters deep into the ground!

The Silver Wolf lay at the bottom of the pit, its four legs dangling limply.

Lin Ye leaped up, holding the refined iron staff high above his head.

The Silver Wolf struggled to lift its head; the bloodlust in its eyes had completely vanished, replaced only by terror!

"Bang!!"

The Silver Wolf's head was smashed inward. Its limbs twitched a few times before it went completely still.

Thud!

Lin Ye leaned on his staff, panting heavily.

That final burst from the Silver Wolf had indeed cost him a lot of energy.

If the opponent had held out for another fifteen minutes, he would have been forced to use his trump card.

It wasn't that he was determined to hide it, but rather that while the ruyi jingu bang was powerful, the feeling of his body being forcibly filled with energy was truly unpleasant.

Unless necessary, it was best not to use it.

Looking down at the Silver Wolf's corpse, the corner of Lin Ye's mouth curled into a smile.

What a good guy!

Knowing he was out of essence blood for his baths, it had delivered itself right to his door.

Sheathing the refined iron staff on his back, Lin Ye bent down, grabbed one of the Silver Wolf's legs, and dragged it all the way back.

Wang Tiezhu and the others hadn't gone far, and in less than an hour, he caught up with the convoy.

From a distance, Wang Tiezhu saw Lin Ye dragging a massive object toward them. When he saw clearly what it was, his eyes widened, and the other Militia members stood with their mouths agape, speechless.

Wang Tiezhu swallowed hard. "Brother Lin, you... killed another Mutated Beast?"

"Eh, it was prey that delivered itself to me. It would be a waste not to kill it." Lin Ye casually tossed the Silver Wolf onto the donkey cart; the floorboards creaked and immediately sank.

Seeing Lin Ye speak so casually, Wang Tiezhu glanced at the Silver Wolf's size and swallowed the words he was about to say.

Good heavens, just how strong is Brother Lin now?

A Mutated Beast comparable in size to the Wild Boar King, and he killed it just like that, seemingly without even getting injured.

Even their own captain probably couldn't do that, right?

"I'll rest for a bit. You guys keep going."

After leaving those instructions, Lin Ye sat cross-legged on another donkey cart and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The convoy continued forward.

As the sun was about to set, the terrain ahead suddenly opened up.

"Brother Lin, we've reached Black Stone Town."

Hearing this, Lin Ye opened his eyes and looked ahead.

At the edge of his vision, he could faintly see a grayish-black wall.

The wall wasn't very high, only about three zhang.

But its length was staggering, stretching as far as the eye could see, as if it loomed over the entire wilderness.

The donkey cart slowly crossed a stone bridge, and the road changed from gravel to bluestone slabs.

Soon, the convoy reached the entrance of Black Stone Town.

There was no interrogation as he had imagined, nor was there any entry fee.

The two soldiers guarding the city merely had everyone register their information before waving them through.

Seemingly sensing Lin Ye's confusion, Wang Tiezhu explained with a smile, "I heard from the village elders that Black Stone Town used to require an entry fee.

But later, an Important Figure from the Government arrived and abolished the entry fee, switching instead to collecting a poll tax from the major powers."

"Oh? Such a thing happened?"

Lin Ye raised an eyebrow, feeling a hint of interest in this so-called Important Figure.

Instead of fleecing the common people, they fleeced the major powers—this move was truly admirable!

In Lin Ye's impression, returning the gentry's money in full while splitting the commoners' money seventy-thirty was the norm for officials in a feudal Dynasty.

However, since that Important Figure could keep the Three Major Powers completely submissive, besides a powerful background, their own strength must be extraordinary.

After all, this was a supernatural world where great power resided in the individual.

Without formidable martial strength to suppress others, no matter how deep one's background was, others would at most maintain surface-level respect while doing whatever they wanted in secret.

Thinking about it now, the fact that the Three Major Powers of Black Stone Town could live in peace was not only because of the external threat of Mutated Beasts but also had much to do with that Important Figure.

"Brother Lin? Let's go, it's time to enter the city."

"Oh, right."

Lin Ye snapped out of it and quickly followed the convoy.

After passing through a five-meter-long tunnel, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

Pharmacies, grain stores, cloth shops, pawnshops, restaurants, and inns lined both sides of the street, one after another, bustling with activity.

People came and went on the street, many of whom were purchasing teams from other villages.

Wang Tiezhu drove the donkey cart to a street where both sides were filled with stalls.

There were people selling vegetables, cloth, candied haws, and even Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals.

"We're here."

Wang Tiezhu jumped off the cart.

"This street is the largest Marketplace in Black Stone Town and is also the territory of the Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce. It's safest to sell goods here; you don't have to worry about anyone causing trouble."

Lin Ye nodded and helped unload the goods.

The Silver Wolf's corpse remained on the cart; a massive creature weighing over a thousand catties was quite eye-catching there.

This also attracted many people to come and watch.

More and more people gathered, layer upon layer, surrounding the donkey cart so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

"Good heavens, a wolf this big must weigh seven or eight hundred catties, right?"

"More than that! In my opinion, it's at least a thousand catties!"

"Look at that fur, it's actually silver. This probably isn't an ordinary beast."

"I know, this thing is called a Mutated Beast. I heard only those ranked Martial Artists can deal with them."

"Hiss—this beast is so fierce, who killed it?"

"It looks like it was smashed to death by a staff. It must have been that young man who killed it."

"How old is that young man? Eighteen? Twenty? He's reached a rank at such a young age?"

...

Ignoring the crowd's discussion, after repeatedly rejecting several waves of people wanting to buy the Silver Wolf's corpse, Lin Ye simply asked Wang Tiezhu for a wooden board and wrote "Not For Sale" on it, sticking it next to the corpse.

This indeed made things much quieter.

He was counting on using this Silver Wolf's essence blood for a medicinal bath; he'd be crazy to sell it.

Having nothing to do, Lin Ye walked over to the roadside stall selling various Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals.

The books were very old, the pages slightly yellowed, looking quite authentic.

He flipped through them casually: one recorded various medicinal herbs, one talked about Feng Shui Qi-Observation Art, and another was a fist technique Secret Manual.

They were all handwritten copies with crooked handwriting that made one's head spin.

Among these three books, Lin Ye was most interested in the fist technique.

The technique was named Wild Bull Strength; judging by the name, it shouldn't be an ordinary technique.

As for whether it was real, he would know after taking it back and practicing.

With Heaven Rewards Diligence, even if it was a fake Secret Manual, as long as it gave him a direction to work in, he could make something out of it.

As for the other two books, they were mainly to broaden his knowledge; after all, one can never have too many skills.

The book seller was an old man who was currently reading a book with great interest.

"How much for these?" Lin Ye asked.

Although he had no money on him, it didn't stop him from asking the price; at worst, he would borrow some from Wang Tiezhu and the others later.

Hearing Lin Ye's inquiry, the old man glanced at the three books in his hand and then held up three fingers: "Three taels of silver."

Just as Lin Ye was about to bargain with the old man, a sudden shout came from outside the crowd.