Foul-smelling blood rolled down the thick hide around the neck of the Single-Horned Boar, dripping onto the dusty highway. A manic gleam shone in the boar’s eyes, and with deep, guttural snorts, it charged at Luo Feng in a series of lightning-fast bursts. Hooves, single horn, and tail—the three forms of attack came ceaselessly.
“Injury to the neck has noticeably reduced its flexibility in turning its head,” Luo Feng gracefully evaded.
During his practical combat assessment in the martial arts world, he had honed his movement techniques while simultaneously facing an assault from seven H-grade monsters. While the density of that siege was slightly less than this single, nearly F-grade Single-Horned Boar, it wasn't by much.
Whoosh!
Instead of retreating, Luo Feng pressed forward, executing a slick sidestep. The tip of the boar’s horn scraped past Luo Feng’s body, leaving a gap of barely three centimeters. Yet, this tiny distance was like an impassable chasm, preventing the boar from inflicting even a scratch.
“Draw the blade!”
Luo Feng’s Blood Shadow Battle Blade swept down from above in a fierce vertical chop! Accompanied by a piercing, abrasive whistle, the Single-Horned Boar roared in shock and rage, digging its four hooves in, attempting to evade the strike. But Luo Feng’s blade speed was too swift. The sound of steel sinking into flesh followed.
Shhh—
It struck the neck again. Though not in the exact same spot as before, this time the blade penetrated about eight centimeters deep!
“Hmph, from the previous injury, its neck muscles cannot exert one hundred percent of their force to resist. Next time, its neck defense will be even weaker,” Luo Feng immediately flashed away upon sinking the blade in, easily avoiding the boar’s subsequent furious retaliation. Then, Luo Feng closed the distance again!
“Huuuh~~ Huuuh~~” The Single-Horned Boar let out a roar of angry frenzy.
“Final strike!”
Luo Feng shifted his weight three times in rapid succession, creating a blurred afterimage, once more evading the boar’s attack. His nimble footwork was paired with a sharp slash from Luo Feng!
Thwack!
This strike met initial resistance, but once it sank twelve centimeters deep, the resistance sharply plummeted. Luo Feng’s Blood Shadow Battle Blade drove through, splitting the Single-Horned Boar’s skull nearly two-thirds of the way before he swiftly withdrew the blade and retreated rapidly!
Blood jetted out of the massive wound like water from a tap!
“Aoooww~~” With a mournful bellow, the Single-Horned Boar convulsed, its four hooves kicking madly and unconsciously, tearing cracks into the asphalt highway surface. Then, moving without awareness, the boar bolted and slammed into the curved guardrail nearby, breaking it before tumbling down the embankment.
The sound gradually faded, and all reaction ceased.
Luo Feng stood at the broken edge of the highway guardrail, looking down at the body of the Single-Horned Boar whose head was nearly severed. The flow of blood had slowed; clearly, most of it had drained out. After all, the amount lost previously must have been close to a wooden bucketful.
“Dead!” Luo Feng leaped down, then used the Blood Shadow Battle Blade to sever the boar’s horn right at the base of its skull.
The horn was, by far, the most valuable part of the Single-Horned Boar!
Watching from afar, the five members of the Fire Hammer Squad couldn't help but let out a long breath.
“Pervert!”
“Monster!”
These two words escaped the lips of the Wei brothers, respectively.
“Well? Wasn’t my recommendation a good one?” Chen Gu shouted proudly. If they had been surprised before, they were now utterly stunned.
“Incredible,” Zhang Ke murmured in awe.
The captain, Gao Feng, known as 'Double-Wind Hammer,' stared at Luo Feng, who was busy carving out the horn in the distance: “How is Luo Feng’s movement technique so formidable? In terms of pure speed, the Single-Horned Boar was still slightly faster than him. But how easily he managed those successive evasions just now. And every single one was so fluid! If he could maintain that movement technique a thousand times, that would reach the Micro-Level!”
“He’s only eighteen. If he were Micro-Level, he should have been sent to the Global Headquarters of the Martial Arts Association for special training,” Wei Tie, the elder Wei brother, interjected.
Micro-Level…
This meant that martial artists of the same rank could achieve precise and minute evasions every single time, utilizing the smallest possible exertion for the most perfect evasion! This level of evasion was extremely difficult; an ordinary martial artist might manage it once or twice. But doing it a hundred or a thousand times signified true Micro-Level mastery!
“We’ve struck gold!” Gao Feng smiled broadly.
Wei Qing, the younger Wei brother, nodded in rare agreement. “Yes. If we cultivate him properly, the Fire Hammer Squad will gain another core member.”
“The Second and I will teach him,” Wei Tie stated.
Chen Gu and Zhang Ke both smiled. As seasoned martial artists who had danced on the edge of death countless times, they understood well that some so-called geniuses possessed excellent physical fitness but couldn't manifest even a tenth of their strength when fighting real monsters. Thus, they generally looked down on mere geniuses.
True masters were forged through innumerable life-and-death battles!
Luo Feng’s initial display of power demonstrated that he was also formidable in actual combat.
“Captain,” Luo Feng ran over from a distance, “This horn…”
“You killed it, so the horn belongs to you,” Gao Feng stated.
Luo Feng nodded, not refusing the offer.
Among monsters, the materials from Beast Soldier-grade creatures were generally not valuable. This was because Beast Soldier-grade monsters could easily be eliminated using thermal weapons… Even a junior warrior with a machine gun, provided his aim was good, could easily slay them one after another. Therefore, Beast Soldier-grade monsters weren't worth much!
“This horn should fetch about three thousand yuan if sold to the Martial Arts Association, plus a few contribution points. Selling it to the Underground Alliance might fetch five thousand,” Chen Gu added with a smile.
Only the materials from Beast General-grade monsters held true value.
And the essential materials from 'Lord-level Monsters' were worth astronomical prices!
“Luo Feng, your performance just now only qualifies as barely passing,” Wei Tie, the leader of the Wei brothers who usually kept a stern face, finally spoke.
“Brother Tie?” Luo Feng looked over. “Please enlighten me, Brother Tie.”
“Your foundational movement is good, but the efficiency is far, far too low.” Wei Tie’s face remained cold. “Later, watch how I dispatch an F-grade monster.”
…
Luo Feng had just killed a nearly F-grade monster. After traveling for a while, Luo Feng and the team encountered an F-grade feline monster, a 'Tiger-Cat Beast.' This Tiger-Cat was covered in dappled spots, its physique as robust as an ox’s belly. Its agility and ferocity were significantly higher than the Single-Horned Boar.
“Watch me,” Wei Tie said coldly.
Whoosh!
A shield in his left hand, a curved saber in his right. Wei Tie charged straight at the Tiger-Cat Beast!
“Brother Tie is an Advanced Warrior, his physical attributes are comparable to this F-grade Tiger-Cat Beast,” Luo Feng observed closely. In the distance, Wei Tie didn't bother with evasion; he charged head-on. No, more accurately, the moment the Tiger-Cat roared and lunged, colliding with Wei Tie—
Wei Tie angled his body, colliding his shield obliquely against the creature.
This angled impact destabilized the Tiger-Cat Beast’s center of gravity, causing it to list to one side.
Shick!
An arc of cold light snaked out sinisterly from beneath the shield, grazing past the exposed throat area of the Tiger-Cat, which was unbalanced. With blood spraying out like water from a hose, Wei Tie quickly retreated, watching coldly as the Tiger-Cat roared in agony, gradually weakening until it collapsed, its life force extinguished.
Wei Tie swiftly sliced off the Tiger-Cat Beast’s tail, extracted a nearly transparent tendon from within, tucked it into his pack, and walked back.
“Did you see that? My movement technique is inferior to yours, and I didn’t use more strength than you did. Yet, I killed it in one move,” Wei Tie looked at Luo Feng.
Luo Feng was still reeling in shock.
That fight had instantly determined life or death. Whereas he had spent considerable effort repeatedly evading the Single-Horned Boar’s attacks before finally striking its neck to secure the kill—and that boar was significantly weaker than this Tiger-Cat Beast.
“Think about it carefully,” Wei Tie offered no further explanation, allowing Luo Feng a moment of solitary reflection.
Luo Feng was utterly stunned.
Wei Tie’s speed and technique weren't something to boast about, but the results were undeniable, achieving maximum impact.
“The best way to kill a monster is to target its weakness!” Wei Qing, the younger Wei brother, approached and stated plainly. “For most quadrupedal monsters, the weak points are the eyes, genitals, throat, and mouth. The next tier of vital spots includes the soft abdomen… The lowest tier of vital points is the neck and back, which you struck repeatedly!”
Luo Feng nodded. He knew this, but monsters moved so fast, piercing the eyes was incredibly difficult! Moreover, the Single-Horned Boar and the Tiger-Cat generally kept their heads lowered, making striking the throat hard. Attacking the abdomen was also tricky. Chopping at the neck/back was the easiest approach.
“Opportunities to strike the weak points are rare. Monsters aren't stupid; they protect their vulnerabilities.”
“But if there’s no opportunity, you must create one!”
“Like my brother just did. By suddenly colliding at an angle, he made the Tiger-Cat Beast lose its balance, momentarily exposing its throat. Then, the curved saber instantly flashed out from beneath the shield, plunging into its neck, killing it instantly,” Wei Qing continued coldly. “Even my brother’s final strike came from under the shield, preventing the monster from reacting in time!”
Luo Feng nodded.
“Remember, learn to utilize your own advantages,” Wei Qing advised. “Be the most effective, the most concise! Your movement technique is excellent, but you don’t need to flaunt it every time. The ultimate goal of killing a monster is always to do so most effectively.”
“Understood,” Luo Feng affirmed.
Wei Qing allowed himself a rare, faint smile.
“Move out,” Captain Gao Feng waved and chuckled.
The Fire Hammer Squad clearly intended to cultivate Luo Feng as a future 'core member.' Along the way, Wei Qing and Wei Tie took turns engaging various monsters, interspersed with instances where they let Luo Feng handle them alone. Through instruction and demonstration, they imparted practical combat experience, and Luo Feng’s rate of improvement was staggering.
Even the Battle General-level expert, Gao Feng, stepped in a few times to guide Luo Feng.
Luo Feng gradually realized that killing monsters required maximizing the effect of every single strike. His first fight against the Single-Horned Boar, with its dazzling series of evasions, had actually been pointless showing off. Luo Feng’s attacks gradually became sharper, more direct, cleaner, and more efficient!
Three days later.
One morning, the six members of the Fire Hammer Squad advanced along a dilapidated suburban highway.
“Two F-grade Lion-Mastiffs ahead, Luo Feng, you take them,” Captain Gao Feng commanded.
“Yes, Captain.”
Luo Feng grinned, setting off toward the two Lion-Mastiffs at a deliberately moderate speed.
“Roar~~” “Roar~~” The two Lion-Mastiffs roared and charged at Luo Feng, their eyes filled with savage bloodlust. They paid little heed to the human approaching them. When the distance narrowed significantly—a smile finally crossed Luo Feng’s face.
Whoosh!
His speed suddenly skyrocketed! The fur on both Lion-Mastiffs instantly stood on end.
Luo Feng closed the distance instantly. His feet executed four bizarre steps—this was ‘Flowing Light,’ a movement technique from the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade series. He lured the Lion-Mastiffs to swipe their claws, and Luo Feng twisted his body, precisely evading the razor-sharp talons. The moment their bodies passed each other, the Blood Shadow Battle Blade thrust out insidiously!
Thrust! It plunged directly into the throat, a vital spot.
Luo Feng quickly surged forward, then turned to face the second Lion-Mastiff.
“Roar~~” Seeing its companion’s throat gushing blood, the remaining Lion-Mastiff let out a low growl and rapidly fled the scene.
Gao Feng, Chen Gu, and the others in the Fire Hammer Squad all smiled at the sight.
Although Luo Feng’s experience still lagged behind the Wei brothers, his advantage in movement technique meant that his current lethality was in no way inferior to the elder or younger Wei brother.
“Luo Feng, let’s go, we need to get into the county seat quickly! Lion-Mastiffs are pack animals; the one that just ran will soon bring a group of them,” Chen Gu said cheerfully. Luo Feng grinned as he rejoined the group. The six members of the Fire Hammer Squad finally entered their destination—County City 0201.
..