Passing through the dense woods, a wave of moisture washed over them.
The mud beneath their feet was so soft and wet that water seeped out with every step, and the shrubbery was heavy with beads of water that scattered into a fine mist at the slightest brush.
Clearing the way up front, Zhou Ping parted a cluster of waist-high ferns and suddenly froze. “Found it!”
Ahead lay an open hollow embraced on three sides by weathered rock walls, leaving only a narrow opening to the west.
In the very center of the hollow rested a spring pool, its limpid waters shimmering with a faint blue fluorescence. Ripples stirred across the surface as wisps of spiritual energy rose with the moisture, coalescing into a sheer layer of spiritual mist in the air.
The surrounding vegetation was several times lusher than anywhere else; vines scaled dozens of feet up the rock faces, their leaves a deep, heavy green.
Several demon beasts were scattered around the spring drinking, the foremost one crouched right at the water’s edge.
It was a colossal bear encased in a hard, black carapace, its limbs thick and powerful. Even lying flat, its back reached nearly to a person’s chest.
Hearing the disturbance, it slowly turned its head, glaring intently at the newcomers with dark red eyes through the slits in its armor.
Late Foundation Establishment. And it was not alone.
Crouched in the underbrush were four or five wind wolves with grayish-white pelts. Though slightly smaller than jade-eyed wolves, they had numbers on their side.
Perched on the rock face were two stone-feathered eagles, their grayish-brown plumage blending almost seamlessly into the stone, their keen eyes already locked onto the humans below.
Jiang Yinglan drew her sword, the spirit crystals along the blade gleaming piercingly bright amidst the spiritual mist.
“Leave the black-armored bear to me. You hold off the rest.”
Before the words had completely faded, she had already blurred into a crimson streak darting toward the spring.
Gu Yanqing’s warning of “Be careful” had barely left his mouth when a biting surge of sword qi slashed across the black-armored bear’s shoulder plate.
The metallic clang resonated through the hollow with a deafening reverberation. Howling in pain, the black-armored bear brought a massive paw down with a gust of wind, but she dodged it with a swift, narrow sidestep.
The paw slammed into the ground, blasting open a shallow crater and spraying gravel and muddy water everywhere.
Her two junior martial brothers reacted with lightning speed.
Zhou Ping produced three formation flags, channeled his spiritual energy, and planted them into the earth. A pale golden light screen expanded instantly, blocking the wind wolves’ opening pounce.
Forming a hand seal, Sun Yi flicked his fingers to shoot out several fine spirit threads that coiled around a wind wolf’s hind leg.
The spirit threads snapped taut in an instant, slicing through fur and flesh as the wind wolf tumbled to the ground with a shrill yelp.
The remaining wind wolves skirted around the barrier, flanking them from both sides.
Gu Yanqing drew his sword and met the two on the left. As the first wind wolf pounced within striking distance, he did not dodge.
All the body tempering he had undergone over these days had been for this very moment.
He raised his left arm across his chest to take the bite head-on. Fangs clamped fiercely onto his forearm, a dull ache radiating along the bone, yet his skin remained entirely unbroken—leaving behind nothing more than a few faint white bite marks.
It worked.
Settling his nerves, he swept his sword upward with a reverse grip. The blade sliced clean from the wolf’s jaw all the way down to its belly, splashing warm beast blood across the back of his hand.
As the beast shrieked and rolled away, the second wolf was already upon him. Gu Yanqing slipped to the side, sank his waist, and drove a fist straight into the most vulnerable part of the wolf’s flank.
The crack of bone was as crisp as snapping a dry branch, and the wolf slumped limp to the ground.
On the right, Lin Zhixue held her sword as steady as a rock.
She paid no heed to the dazzling sword light on Jiang Yinglan’s side, nor did she notice Gu Yanqing withstanding the fangs with his bare arm; her entire focus was locked onto the wind wolf before her.
The wind wolf lowered its forelegs, a low growl rumbling in its throat, its green eyes reflecting her silhouette.
The basic sword forms she had drilled thousands of times over the past days were already etched into her very bones.
Her body moved before her mind did.
A side step, dropping her shoulders, gripping the hilt with both hands and slashing upward on a diagonal—the entire sequence flowed like running water.
The edge slid past the inside of the wolf’s front paw, carving a deep, long gash across its underbelly.
The wind wolf stumbled as it hit the ground. Before it could find its footing, the second strike was already there, the sword tip piercing cleanly into its throat.
Not far away, Sun Yi glanced back and caught sight of this, freezing in astonishment.
Sixth level of Qi Refining. No flashy techniques, no artifacts to aid her—relying purely on the most basic swordplay, she had slain a late Qi Refining wind wolf outright.
Her execution was so crisp and efficient that she looked nothing like a novice experiencing her first battle.
Tangled in combat with the black-armored bear, Jiang Yinglan also spared a glance just in time to witness Lin Zhixue delivering that follow-up thrust.
There was no sword qi on the blade, not even a trace of released spiritual energy—just the most unadorned thrust.
Yet the timing and angle were impeccable, striking right in that split-second lull after the wolf’s leap missed—when its old momentum had died and its new strength had yet to gather.
This kind of grasp over combat rhythm could not be taught; it was innate.
A few breaths later, the wind wolves were strewn across the ground.
Sensing the tides turning against them, the stone-feathered eagles had long since taken flight and vanished, while the remaining demon beasts tucked their tails and bolted back into the dense forest.
Only the black-armored bear remained stubbornly resisting in the hollow, but Jiang Yinglan held total supremacy, forcing it back step by step with every strike.
Finally, she cleaved her blade into the rock wall above the bear’s head. Crushed stones came crashing down, and the beast finally lost its nerve, fleeing headlong into the depths of the forest with rubble clinging to its back.
Jiang Yinglan sheathed her sword and turned to survey the scene.
Her eyes landed first on Gu Yanqing.
He was squatting beside a wind wolf carcass, his left arm smeared with wolf drool. His sleeve had been shredded into several tears, yet the exposed skin showed only a few faint red indentations as he pulled at the cloth to inspect the damage.
Mid Foundation Establishment, withstanding a wind wolf’s mauling with his bare body?
She made a mental note of it without asking, turning her gaze toward Lin Zhixue.
The young girl was crouched next to a wolf carcass, meticulously wiping the bloodstains from her blade, an almost serene focus dwelling in her amber eyes.
Noticing the gaze on her, she stood up and offered a slight nod, remaining silent.
“Is everyone all right?” Jiang Yinglan asked.
Holding his arm, Zhou Ping stood up and muttered that he had only taken a bump, nothing serious.
Sun Yi retrieved his broken formation flag, remarking offhandedly that it could still be repaired.
Gu Yanqing pulled his sleeve back down, stood up, and shook his head.
Lin Zhixue had already returned her sword to its scabbard and gave only a gentle nod.
Jiang Yinglan walked up to Lin Zhixue and cut straight to the point.
“Is this truly your first real battle?”
Lin Zhixue thought about it for a moment.
Counting the time she faced the jade-eyed wolf in the mountains, it should be her second. But that time, the wolf had fled before she even had a chance to draw her sword.
So by that standard, this was indeed her first real fight.
She nodded.
Jiang Yinglan looked at her and asked no further.
“Not bad.”
She then turned, crouched beside the spring, and drew a spirit-testing formation stone from her storage bag, submerging it in the water.
The moment the stone entered the water, it lit up with a clear blue glow, steady and pure.
It was indeed a spirit spring. Its spiritual energy density was even higher than the sect had anticipated, and its eruption cycle was stable, posing no threat to the surrounding area.
She jotted down a few notes on a jade slip, put away the formation stone, and patted the water from her hands as she stood up. Surveying the rock walls and wolf carcasses, her expression eased considerably.
Rate on N.U.
