C49 - The First Hunt

The roar rolled through the forest for a third time.

This time, it was closer.

Leaves trembled high above the ground as something heavy moved through the undergrowth.

Ye Chen lowered his center of gravity.

His hand rested lightly upon the hilt of his sword.

Beside him, Lin Xu drew his weapon halfway from its sheath.

"Should we move?" Lin Xu whispered.

Ye Chen didn't answer immediately.

He listened.

The forest had changed.

Birds had stopped calling.

Small insects had gone silent.

Even the wind seemed to have disappeared beneath the thick canopy.

Something was approaching.

And judging from the sound, it was large.

A branch snapped.

Then another.

A dark shape moved between the trees.

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed.

Two red eyes appeared in the shadows.

A moment later, a massive beast stepped into view.

It was a Black-Fanged Boar.

Its body was nearly twice the size of an ordinary boar, covered in coarse black hair. Two thick tusks curved upward from either side of its mouth, their surfaces stained dark from years of fighting.

Its shoulders were covered with hardened scales.

The beast stopped.

It stared directly at the two disciples.

Lin Xu's expression became serious.

"Third-grade?"

Ye Chen shook his head.

"Second-grade."

Lin Xu exhaled quietly.

That was still dangerous.

A second-grade spirit beast possessed strength comparable to a cultivator in the early stages of Qi Condensation.

Neither of them could afford carelessness.

The boar lowered its head.

Its hoof scraped against the earth.

Ye Chen immediately understood.

"It's charging."

The beast exploded forward.

The ground shook beneath its weight.

Lin Xu jumped sideways.

Ye Chen moved in the opposite direction.

The boar tore through the space where they had stood a moment earlier, smashing into a tree with enough force to crack its trunk.

Wood splintered.

The beast turned surprisingly quickly.

Ye Chen watched its movements.

Powerful.

Fast.

But not agile.

He remembered the description from the library.

Black-Fanged Boars relied heavily on frontal attacks.

Their thick scales protected the shoulders and chest.

The underside of the neck was considerably weaker.

"Don't attack its front!" Ye Chen shouted.

Lin Xu understood immediately.

The boar charged again.

This time, Ye Chen waited.

The beast came closer.

Ten steps.

Eight.

Six.

Five.

At the final moment, Ye Chen stepped aside.

The boar passed him.

His sword flashed.

The blade struck beneath its rear shoulder.

Blood sprayed across the grass.

The beast roared.

But the wound was shallow.

Ye Chen retreated immediately.

"Not enough."

Lin Xu attacked from the opposite side.

His sword struck another exposed section.

The boar spun violently.

Its tusk passed within inches of Lin Xu's waist.

Lin Xu stumbled backward.

Ye Chen stepped forward.

"Move!"

Lin Xu rolled away.

The boar's tusk struck the ground where he had been.

Ye Chen seized the opening.

He rushed forward.

His sword descended toward the beast's neck.

The blade struck between two scales.

This time, the wound was deeper.

The boar screamed.

Its body lurched sideways.

Ye Chen did not chase recklessly.

He retreated.

Waited.

Observed.

The beast was injured.

But it was not finished.

Its breathing became heavier.

Blood dripped onto the earth.

Lin Xu looked toward Ye Chen.

"Again?"

Ye Chen nodded.

They spread apart.

The boar turned between them.

It couldn't decide which target to attack.

For the first time, the creature hesitated.

Ye Chen noticed.

"Now."

Both disciples moved.

Lin Xu attacked from the left.

Ye Chen from the right.

The boar chose Lin Xu.

Its body surged forward.

Ye Chen accelerated.

He wasn't trying to overpower it.

He simply waited for the exact moment its attention shifted.

Then his sword pierced beneath its jaw.

The beast froze.

A few breaths passed.

Its massive body slowly collapsed.

The forest became silent.

Lin Xu stared at the fallen beast.

"We actually killed it."

Ye Chen lowered his sword.

"Carefully."

Lin Xu laughed.

"You always have to add that."

Ye Chen wiped the blood from his blade.

They approached the corpse.

A small jade-like object appeared within the beast's body as its spiritual energy dissipated.

Lin Xu picked it up.

A faint glow appeared on his trial token.

"Spirit Beast Point."

Ye Chen nodded.

Their first points.

But the victory brought little excitement.

Instead, Ye Chen looked around.

The battle had been loud.

Very loud.

The roar alone could have attracted other beasts.

"We should leave."

Lin Xu agreed immediately.

They cleaned their weapons and moved away from the battlefield.

After nearly half an hour, they reached a rocky slope overlooking the forest.

Only then did they stop.

Lin Xu sat against a tree.

"That was closer than I expected."

Ye Chen looked at the cut along Lin Xu's sleeve.

"You were almost hit."

"I know."

"Your footwork was too wide."

Lin Xu looked at him.

"You noticed that during the fight?"

"Yes."

Lin Xu smiled.

"Of course you did."

Ye Chen crouched beside a patch of grass.

There were several tiny red berries growing beneath the leaves.

He recognized them immediately.

"Don't touch these."

Lin Xu immediately withdrew his hand.

"Poison?"

"Yes."

Ye Chen examined the surrounding vegetation.

"Which means..."

He stopped.

A faint smell entered the air.

Something unpleasant.

Rotten.

He slowly stood.

"Someone else has been here."

Lin Xu looked around.

"How can you tell?"

"These berries grow naturally in this region."

Ye Chen pointed toward the ground.

"But someone has disturbed the soil around them."

Several footprints were barely visible beneath the leaves.

Not animal tracks.

Human.

And fresh.

Lin Xu's expression changed.

"Other disciples?"

"Probably."

"Why would they be hiding?"

Ye Chen looked toward the deeper forest.

"Maybe they're hunting."

"Or waiting."

Neither spoke for several moments.

The Outer Court Trial had another side.

The spirit beasts were dangerous.

But human beings could think.

They could plan.

They could deceive.

Ye Chen remembered Elder Mo's warning.

"Your fellow disciples are not automatically your enemies. But neither are they automatically your friends."

He finally stepped away from the disturbed ground.

"We leave."

They continued deeper into the forest, but now they moved more carefully.

The sun began descending.

The canopy turned dark green as evening approached.

Eventually, they found a shallow rocky shelter beneath an overhanging cliff.

It was not comfortable.

But it offered protection from rain and limited their exposure to wandering beasts.

Ye Chen inspected the entrance.

No tracks.

No droppings.

No broken branches.

It appeared unused.

They decided to stay.

Lin Xu gathered dry branches while Ye Chen prepared a small fire.

They ate quietly.

The day's first battle had exhausted them more than expected.

After dinner, Lin Xu looked at the glowing jade token.

"How many points do you think we'll need?"

"Enough."

"That's not an answer."

Ye Chen looked toward the darkness beyond the shelter.

"We don't know how the others are doing."

Lin Xu nodded.

That was true.

Some teams might already have several kills.

Others might have discovered valuable herbs.

A few might have found hidden mission markers.

Their single beast was probably insignificant.

But that didn't matter.

They had survived.

They had learned.

And the trial had only begun.

A sudden sound came from the forest.

A twig snapped.

Both men immediately became alert.

Ye Chen extinguished the fire.

Darkness swallowed the shelter.

Neither moved.

Another sound.

Closer.

Then silence.

Lin Xu whispered,

"Beast?"

Ye Chen shook his head.

He had heard the sound of footsteps before.

Human footsteps.

Someone was approaching.

A faint shadow appeared between the trees.

Then another.

Then another.

Three figures emerged from the darkness.

They stopped at the edge of the clearing.

Their faces were hidden beneath the night.

One of them spoke.

"Two disciples."

Another laughed quietly.

"Looks like we found an easy target."

Ye Chen's hand slowly closed around his sword.

The first day of the Outer Court Trial had not even ended.

Yet the true test had already begun.