15: The sword's edge first appeared

The mountain range outside Tianfeng Academy was known as a branch of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range. Although not as dangerous as the main range, it was still full of hidden perils for a Quenching Body Realm Cultivator.

The forest was dense with lush leaves and towering ancient trees, the air filled with the fragrance of vegetation and the faint stench of Yao Beasts. Ye Chen moved through the woods as swiftly as a leopard, his aura suppressed to the extreme, his eyes sharp as an eagle's as he scanned his surroundings.

According to the mission information, Wind Wolves usually moved in packs in the jungle areas on the outskirts of the mountain range.

After traveling for about an hour, a low wolf howl and the sound of rustling branches reached his ears. Ye Chen paused and approached silently.

Peering through the gaps in the bushes, he saw a clearing ahead where five Wind Wolves, the size of calves with grey-green fur and exposed fangs, were tearing at a larger prey. The prey seemed to be an Armored Wild Boar, currently at its last breath.

"Five of them... perfect." Ye Chen's eyes were calm. Wind Wolves were only low-level Yao Beasts, equivalent to Cultivators at the seventh or eighth level of the Quenching Body Realm. Their strength lay in their speed and their ability to spit weak wind blades. However, to the current Ye Chen, they did not pose much of a threat.

He did not hesitate, his body suddenly darting out from behind the bushes, targeting the wolf pack directly!

"Awoo!"

The wolf pack immediately noticed the intruder. The slightly larger Wind Wolf leader's eyes flashed with a fierce light. With a low growl, it pounced first, a pale green wind blade whistling from its mouth!

The other four Wind Wolves also pounced from different directions, their sharp claws glinting with a cold light.

Facing the siege, Ye Chen did not dodge or avoid them. The qingfeng sword on his back suddenly unsheathed!

“Qiang!”

A dark green sword light flashed, and the incoming wind blade was precisely split in two, dissipating into nothingness! Simultaneously, Ye Chen's footwork shifted as if he had merged into the wind, easily avoiding the wolf claws on both sides while the qingfeng sword in his hand drew a strange arc.

“Puchi!”

As the sword light swept past, a fine line of blood appeared on the neck of one Wind Wolf. Its forward momentum stopped abruptly, and it fell to the ground dead with a whimper.

Fast! Ruthless! Accurate!

The sword technique, which fused the essence of the Wind Shadow Sword Art and the Wind Chasing Sword Art, demonstrated astonishing efficiency at this moment.

Ye Chen's figure did not stop, weaving through the wolf pack like a ghost. Every time the sword light flashed, a Wind Wolf would howl and fall to the ground. His sword technique had no fixed routine; it was entirely a reaction based on combat instinct, combined with his understanding of 'wind,' pushing speed and precision to the limit.

Seeing this, a trace of fear flashed in the Wind Wolf leader's eyes, but its ferocity grew even stronger. It roared and pounced through the air, its claws aiming straight for Ye Chen's crown!

Ye Chen's eyes turned cold. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his qingfeng sword delivering an extremely simple upward slash from below!

“Chii!”

The sword edge collided with the wolf claws, producing a tooth-aching grinding sound. But in the next moment, the internal sharpness of the qingfeng sword suddenly exploded!

“Kacha!” The wolf claws snapped! The sword light did not stop, slicing into the Wind Wolf leader's chest and abdomen in one fluid motion!

"Awoo—!" The shrill, tragic howl stopped abruptly. The Wind Wolf leader was disemboweled and crashed heavily to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, all five Wind Wolves were slain.

Ye Chen stood with his sword retracted, his breathing steady. He skillfully began to skin the wolves and collect their fangs; these were his mission credentials.

"This qingfeng sword is indeed extraordinary." He watched the blood droplets slowly slide off the blade, praising it inwardly. When he had severed the wolf claws just now, he could clearly feel the indestructible sharpness transmitted from the blade, far exceeding that of an ordinary spirit weapon.

After packing up his spoils, Ye Chen did not return immediately but continued deeper. Fifty points were far from enough; he needed to hunt more Yao Beasts.

Over the next half-day, Ye Chen encountered several more waves of Yao Beasts, including thick-skinned Iron-Backed Bears and lightning-fast Lightning Martens... all became souls under his sword, and his use of his sword techniques became even more proficient. During this time, he also found and collected several valuable Spiritual Plants.

"Hmm?"

Just as he was about to turn toward another area, his footsteps suddenly paused, and his ears twitched. From deep within the dense forest ahead came the sound of intense fighting, accompanied by a woman's shouts and the roars of a Yao Beast.

Ye Chen didn't want to meddle in others' business, but his Divine Sense slightly perceived that among the spiritual energy fluctuations from the center of the battle, there was a familiar cold aura, originating from the same source as the man in black who had tried to assassinate him that day!

His eyes instantly sharpened, and his figure blurred as he silently crept toward the scene.

Deep in the forest, it was a mess. Three young Disciples wearing Tianfeng Academy uniforms were fighting a massive Yao Beast covered in earthy yellow scales with a single horn on its head.

That Yao Beast was a second-rank Yao Beast, an Earth Scale Rhinoceros, equivalent to a human Cultivator at the first or second level of the Kaiyuan Realm. Its defensive power was extremely formidable.

The three Disciples consisted of two males and one female. Their cultivation was at the Peak of the Ninth Level of Body Tempering Realm, and their coordination was decent. Various Martial Skill lights flashed, striking the Earth Scale Rhinoceros, but they could only leave shallow white marks, failing to break its defense. Instead, every charge and horn thrust from the Earth Scale Rhinoceros put them in grave danger; one of the male Disciples was already wounded in the arm, dripping with blood.

The woman was about seventeen or eighteen years old with a beautiful face. Her face was currently pale as she brandished her long sword. Her sword technique was agile, yet she could not cause effective damage to the Earth Scale Rhinoceros, only being able to constantly move around to distract it.

What caught Ye Chen's attention even more was a man in black lurking in the shadow of a large tree outside the battle circle. His aura was cold, the source of that familiar feeling! He didn't make a move, merely watching the battle coldly with a cruel smile on his lips, as if waiting for the right moment.

"One of his people?" Ye Chen sneered inwardly. It seemed Lin Batian's reach had already extended outside the academy, and he might even be related to the sudden appearance of this beast.

Seeing the Earth Scale Rhinoceros roar as yellow light surged around its body, several sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground, forcing the injured male Disciple to stumble back, leaving him wide open! The Earth Scale Rhinoceros's massive head slammed toward him; if this hit connected, death was certain!

"Senior Brother Wang, watch out!" the woman cried out, but it was too late to save him.

The man in black in the shadows had a flash of successful pleasure in his eyes.

At this critical moment!

“Chii—!”

A dark green sword light, like a bolt of lightning tearing through the night, shot out from the side of the dense forest without warning! The sword light was incredibly concentrated and fast. Its target was not the massive body of the Earth Scale Rhinoceros, but its relatively fragile eye!

This sword strike's timing, angle, and speed were all perfect! It was the ultimate strike from Ye Chen, pushing the speed of the Wind Shadow Sword Art and the sharpness of the Wind Chasing Sword Art to their limits!

The Earth Scale Rhinoceros instinctively felt a fatal threat and tried to close its eye and turn its head, but it was already too late!

“Puchi!”

The sword light plunged into its left eye with absolute precision!

“Roar—!!!”

A shrill and agonizing roar shook the forest! In its intense pain, the Earth Scale Rhinoceros shook its head wildly, blood mixed with eyeball fragments splashing everywhere. Its charging movement instantly deformed, and it brushed past the body of the Disciple surnamed Wang, crashing violently into a large tree behind him. The tree, as thick as a man's embrace, snapped upon impact!

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone both inside and outside the battle!

The woman and the other Disciple looked in astonishment toward the source of the sword light.

The man in black in the shadows had an even greater change in expression, his eyes staring darkly at where Ye Chen was hiding.

Ye Chen held his qingfeng sword as he slowly stepped out of the forest, his expression calm. He didn't even look at the man in black; his gaze was fixed on the frenzied Earth Scale Rhinoceros.

Having lost an eye, the pain and anger drove the Earth Scale Rhinoceros completely mad. Its remaining eye instantly locked onto this "ant" that had wounded it. Its hooves dug into the ground, and earthy yellow spiritual light surged around its body. Like an out-of-control tank, it charged toward Ye Chen! The ground trembled slightly under its trampling!

"Be careful!" the woman subconsciously cried out.

Facing this blow filled with fury, Ye Chen's eyes were solemn, but he showed no fear. The spiritual energy within him circulated at an unprecedented speed, pouring into the qingfeng sword. On the blade, the dark gold patterns surfaced once more, slightly clearer than before!

He did not choose to meet it head-on. Instead, he pushed his movement technique to the limit. At the moment the Earth Scale Rhinoceros was about to collide, his body drifted to the side as if weightless. At the same time, using the opponent's forward momentum, he slashed the qingfeng sword fiercely along the gap in the scales of its neck!

“Chila—!”

The sword edge, containing extreme sharpness and spiritual energy, finally broke through that solid defense, pulling out a huge wound deep enough to see the bone! Scalding beast blood gushed out like a fountain!

“Roar...” The Earth Scale Rhinoceros's forward momentum stopped abruptly. It let out an unwilling wail, its massive body crashing to the ground like a collapsing golden mountain. After a few twitches, it went silent.

One sword strike, one kill!

The scene was deathly silent.

The three Disciples stared dumbfoundedly at Ye Chen, who stood with his sword, his clothes not even ruffled, as if they were looking at a monster. A level eight Quenching Body Realm killing a second-rank Yao Beast in one strike? This was simply a fantasy!

The man in black in the shadows had a terrifyingly gloomy face. He took a deep look at Ye Chen, as if to etch him into his mind, then his figure blurred and he disappeared into the depths of the forest like a ghost.

Ye Chen perceived the other's departure but did not pursue. He put away his qingfeng sword, walked to the Earth Scale Rhinoceros's carcass, and skillfully began to process the valuable Materials, especially that single horn, which was worth quite a lot.

The woman was the first to snap out of it. She walked forward and gave Ye Chen a solemn bow: "Thank you, Senior Brother, for saving our lives! If not for Senior Brother's intervention, we would have been in grave danger today." Her voice was clear, carrying both lingering fear and gratitude.

The other two male Disciples also hurried forward to thank him, especially the Disciple surnamed Wang, who was moved to tears.

"It was nothing." Ye Chen's tone was flat, not taking any credit. He looked at the woman, "Who are you?"

"My name is Su Wanqing, and these two are Senior Brother Wang Meng and Senior Brother Li Hao," the woman introduced quickly. "We are all Disciples from the Outer Court's C-rank area. We took a mission to hunt this Earth Scale Rhinoceros that suddenly appeared on the outskirts, but we didn't expect it to be so powerful..."

Ye Chen nodded. The C-rank area was one level higher than his Ding Quadrant, and the Disciples' strength was generally stronger.

"That person lurking in the shadows just now, do you know him?" Ye Chen asked seemingly casually.

Su Wanqing and the other two looked at each other and all shook their heads: "We didn't notice anyone lurking."

Ye Chen understood and asked no more. He collected the Earth Scale Rhinoceros's horn and some scales, leaving the rest to Su Wanqing and the others: "You guys handle the rest."

Su Wanqing quickly waved her hands: "How can we do that? This Earth Scale Rhinoceros was killed by Senior Brother alone..."

"I only need its horn to complete the mission," Ye Chen interrupted. "This place isn't safe to stay for long; you should leave as soon as possible."

After saying that, he gave them a slight nod and turned to leave, his figure soon disappearing into the dense forest.

Su Wanqing watched the direction he left, her beautiful eyes sparkling. This strange Senior Brother was powerful, had superb sword skills, and acted decisively without seeking reward, leaving a very deep impression on her.

"Ye Chen... when did such a figure appear in the Ding Quadrant?" she whispered to herself, committing the name to memory.

As for Ye Chen, there wasn't much emotion in his heart. Killing the Earth Scale Rhinoceros was just a necessary practical combat exercise for him. He was more concerned about the lurking man in black.

"Lin Batian... it seems you've planted pawns within the academy as well." Ye Chen's eyes were icy. "Good, it saves me the trouble of looking for them everywhere."

He weighed the Yao Beast Materials and Spiritual Plants in his hand; they should be worth quite a few points.

It was time to go back and prepare for the next stage of cultivation. Both his cultivation level and sword skills needed to be improved as quickly as possible!