Chapter 39: Master

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Master

How much time had even passed between spotting the danger and identifying the Frost Spider?

And a creature as powerful as the Frost Spider couldn’t even withstand a single strike from Li Heng?!

The rest of what Lin Tao was about to say died in his throat. He swallowed, staring blankly at the Frost Spider’s corpse nearby, lost in thought.

"The Frost Spider... is dead? Just like that?"

Zheng Zhuoran and Zhang Jian weren’t in much better shape. If they were shocked when they saw Li Heng clashing with the Frost Spider...

...then seeing Li Heng’s sword slice the Frost Spider in two sent a tremor through their hearts, nearly knocking them off their feet!

"Bai Shasha... Li Heng... did he kill a Frost Spider before?"

Xue Qing was also staring blankly at the Frost Spider’s corpse, but she suddenly recalled Bai Shasha’s relaxed expression from earlier. It seemed she’d realized something.

Xue Qing’s question definitely caught the others’ attention, especially since it was about the Frost Spider.

Bai Shasha nodded and said softly, "On our first day in the secret realm, the very first Secret Realm Creature we encountered was a Frost Spider. Li Heng killed it with a single sword strike—one even faster than the last."

It was rare for Bai Shasha to say so much, yet her tone was exceptionally calm.

Encountering a Frost Spider on the very first day!

And another one-strike kill!

"Wait! You said the first Secret Realm Creature you met was a Frost Spider?"

Zheng Zhuoran immediately latched onto the crucial detail!

At Bai Shasha’s words, a lot of things suddenly clicked into place for Zheng Zhuoran.

Why was Li Heng so strong?

Why was he unaffected by the cold?

Why could he kill a Frost Spider in a single blow?

The only reason, the only fact that could explain it all, was that Li Heng had already become a Soul Pupil before even entering the Falling Flood Dragon Icefield Secret Realm.

And he must have been one for a long time.

’Maybe this Li Heng reached the Soul Pupil Realm several months ago!’

Of course, if Bai Shasha knew what Zheng Zhuoran was thinking, she would have surely added that not long ago, Li Heng had to be cautious just to kill a few wild wolves.

But Bai Shasha didn’t know what Zheng Zhuoran was thinking. So, in his mind, Li Heng had now become shrouded in a bit of mystery.

’A very low-key master with exceptionally high Swordsmanship!’

"Actually... it’s not just his Swordsmanship!"

Unlike Zheng Zhuoran, while Lin Tao was certainly impressed by Li Heng’s Swordsmanship, after he collected his thoughts, what he admired most was Li Heng’s speed!

From the moment he warned Li Heng of the danger, both Li Heng’s reaction time and his charge speed were the most exceptional he had ever seen from someone their age.

Bar none!

Although Li Heng had been in action for the shortest amount of time, his performance had stunned the entire team, leaving a deep impression on every single person.

No one had questioned Li Heng’s strength before, but now, the Frost Spider’s corpse on the snow served as further proof of his immense power!

None of the five moved. They just stood four or five meters away, staring intently at Li Heng.

Li Heng, meanwhile, was calming his racing heart. ’Good thing my strength and agility are high enough. Otherwise, that thing’s Soul Energy Skills would’ve been really hard to dodge!’

Li Heng had no idea what kind of impression he’d made on his teammates by killing the Frost Spider in one blow. All he knew was that it had been a close call, but ultimately without any real danger.

Fortunately, he had sensed the ice-type Soul Power and detected the Frost Spider activating its Soul Energy Skills in time. Otherwise, if he had been forced onto the defensive, it would have been more of a hassle.

In addition to his strength and agility surpassing the Frost Spider’s, Li Heng had used the Wolf Walk Technique to launch a preemptive strike, catching it off guard. With the passive effect of his rudimentary Sword Intent, the fight was almost risk-free.

As for the Frost Spider’s venomous frost silk, Li Heng had dodged it using the Wolf Walk Technique, then found an opening and struck it down with his sword.

Name: Frost Spider Silk

Category: Soul Energy Items

Value: Common

Effect:

1. When forging specific equipment, adding this material has a low chance to add an Ice attribute, a low chance to add a Poison attribute, and an extremely low chance to add both attributes.

2. A material for weaving certain types of clothing.

[Consume 100 Soul Energy to upgrade this item?]

By killing the Frost Spider, Li Heng not only gained 25 Soul Energy points, but also got a Soul Energy Item to drop.

However, before the green light of the drop could even flash, he had already stored it in his Space Stone.

It wasn’t that Li Heng was being selfish. According to their prior agreement, since he had killed the Frost Spider entirely on his own, the resulting spider silk was his to keep. Stashing it directly in his Space Stone was simply more efficient.

After taking care of the Frost Spider, Li Heng suddenly realized how quiet his surroundings were. Other than the howl of the frigid wind, where were his teammates’ voices?

He quickly looked up and around, only to find the five of them staring at him as if they were possessed, each with a different expression on their face.

’Uh... What’s wrong with everyone?’

’Did the cold freeze their brains?!’

Seeing the five of them standing motionless, Li Heng grumbled to himself before scooping up the Frost Spider’s corpse from the ground and walking over to them.

"This is a Frost Spider. I remember it’s a soul beast, so it can be used as the entry fee for the settlement! I’ll have to trouble you with it, Sister Qing."

"O-okay..."

Listening to Li Heng speak about the Frost Spider in the same casual tone one might use for a common Snow Leopard, Xue Qing’s mind went blank and her scalp tingled.

’This is the monster that almost got Zhuoran and Brother Jian... Never mind. You’re the expert; you call the shots.’ At a loss for words, Xue Qing dazedly took the Frost Spider’s corpse from Li Heng.

After Xue Qing took the Frost Spider, Li Heng finally remembered that Lin Tao had seemed to be shouting something at him earlier. He turned his head and asked.

"Oh, right. My attention was completely on the Frost Spider just now, so I didn’t clearly hear what Lin Tao said. What were you saying? Something about the Frost Spider... ’highly venomous’... ’fight’...?"

Lin Tao’s face froze, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. He cursed inwardly, ’I knew I shouldn’t have opened my mouth!’

"It was nothing! You must have misheard me, Li Heng! I was just saying that your Swordsmanship is incredible! And your reactions are so fast!"

Faced with the sudden praise, Li Heng felt a little embarrassed and replied, "I was just lucky! It was all just good luck!"

Li Heng laughed it off with a few brief words. Seeing Lin Tao’s discomfort, no one else in the group felt the need to ask any more questions.

And so, the group rested for a moment before setting off again.

This time, however, Li Heng noticed that after he’d killed the Frost Spider, the gazes of his teammates had become more focused on him.

Previously, any glances that fell on him would last a few seconds at most before moving on. But now, his teammates’ eyes seemed to constantly drift back to him.

After seeing Li Heng instantly kill the Frost Spider, everyone had mentally relabeled him. The label "very skilled at Swordsmanship" was replaced by a single, more fitting word—master!