Chapter 530: Chapter 337: Still No Advantage
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At the start, the boar was evidently surprised by the speed displayed by the human. However, it quickly composed itself and used its own speed to dodge to the side. It narrowly escaped at the last moment, leaving less than a second afterimage of its air in the wake of the dagger’s sharp edge cutting through.
Seeing this, both man and beast were now entirely focused on one another. In an instant, all that could be seen were two black blurs, one relentlessly chasing while the other desperately fled.
Even after the first exchange of blows, he still had no advantage. While Yan Xiaobao focused intently on the fight, Lan Feng was busy analyzing the situation. Despite his usual habit of teasing the white-haired boy, he didn’t want Xiao Bao to get hurt. Observing the boar, Lan Feng quickly deduced that this beast was of Duke rank—very possibly at its peak level.
Yan Xiaobao didn’t have the luxury to care about his opponent’s exact rank; his only concern was defeating the beast in front of him. His eyes darkened increasingly with each passing minute, but there was no trace of the red fog. If he absolutely had no other choice, Yan Xiaobao resolved he would only use it as a last resort.
Just barely avoiding the charging tusks, Yan Xiaobao countered with his dagger, but his attack was easily deflected by the boar’s miniature tusks. The two continued trading strikes, but neither could gain the upper hand. Although both managed to scratch and superficially wound each other, none of their injuries were severe enough to truly alter the course of the battle. This was no longer a contest of brute strength, but one of endurance and Inner Energy.
Yan Xiaobao had spent his entire childhood cultivating the purest essence of Qi, and using such a high-quality Qi meant that activating his abilities required less effort. This allowed him to sustain his abilities for longer periods and granted him greater stamina.
The boar screeched in rage as it realized that this endurance-driven battle was being won by the human. The beast gathered all its remaining fog energy, and a black mist began to form around it, eventually condensing onto its tusks. Its now-blackened tusks shot forward with unprecedented speed as the boar unleashed its full strength in this final attack.
The sudden acceleration caught Yan Xiaobao off guard, but his body instinctively reacted, allowing him to narrowly avoid the attack. However, his shoulder was struck and immediately slashed open. A torrent of blood gushed out.
Realizing its final attack had failed, the boar knew it was doomed. Exhausted from using all its energy, it could no longer mount any form of resistance. Yan Xiaobao, gripping his dagger tightly, thrust the tip into the forehead of the now-spent beast with a heavy arm. He then quickly retrieved some pills from his pouch and shoved them into his mouth. Moments later, a chilling, stinging sensation spread through his body, halting the flow of blood and slowly beginning to heal his wounds.
Although the medicinal pills could heal his wounds, they weren’t nearly as effective as using proper medicinal medicine, and they came at a much steeper cost. Unfortunately, Yan Xiaobao had no other choice but to use them quickly to stop the bleeding. He then hoisted the miniature boar onto his shoulder and briskly resumed fleeing deeper into the forest to leave the battlefield as fast as he could.
After traveling for several hours, Yan Xiaobao finally stopped. He had been carrying the boar the entire time. Scanning his surroundings, Yan Xiaobao observed that there were no beasts nearby. He made a small fire and roasted the miniature boar there. Allowing himself a full half-hour to feast, he stood up again after finishing. Extinguishing the fire, he sprinted forward to see if he could find other beasts to battle, beasts that could help him grow stronger.
As he moved deeper into the forest, he encountered one beast after another. Some were fairly weak, while others possessed strength comparable to the boar he had faced earlier. Not all of the strong beasts could be dealt with so easily, and the number of scars on his body continued to grow. The green pearls he used ignored all his wounds, forcing the young man to rely heavily on his pills.
Although fighting battle after battle drained a tremendous amount of energy, Yan Xiaobao began to quickly notice changes within himself and his combat style. His reactions became faster, his body started dodging on its own, and the attacks he launched were devoid of any mercy.
Yan Xiaobao finally came to understand the old adage: when one is kind to others, they are cruel to themselves. There was a time when he fought a young wolf—one barely older than a pup. Xu Yue had once shown mercy to such creatures, believing it unnecessary to kill them outright, especially when hunger was not a pressing issue and the wolf hadn’t initially tried to attack him.
Unfortunately, later on, the wolf had returned with its pack. The ensuing fight was brutal. Though he expended all his strength, he was forced to flee after managing to kill only three, sustaining multiple injuries in the process. To date, it had been the most perilous moment he’d faced in this vast forest.
As he ventured deeper into the forest, the beasts grew increasingly stronger. With their strength, many also became more cunning. The smarter the beasts became, the more Yan Xiaobao had to adapt his tactics. Eventually, he reached a point where he could no longer press forward, as his path was blocked by a King Beast from earlier.
Although these beasts lacked martial power, they had their own fog energy. As the beasts grew older, their energy would evolve and grow stronger. This fog energy was at least as potent as the martial power wielded by humans. No matter what Yan Xiaobao did, he couldn’t contend with such a beast. Realizing he couldn’t win, he chose to retreat.