In the entire Jing Clan, Jing Chenxing was the only person who would be willing to give a Top-grade weapon to Jing Yan.
"Thank you, Uncle Chenxing." Jing Yan took Moonbeam Sword and bowed to Jing Chenxing with a solemn face.
"Punk, why are you acting so formal with me?" Jing Chenxing said, smiling and clapping Jing Yan's shoulder.
"I will be on my way then, Uncle," Jing Yan then said goodbye to Jing Chenxing.
"Go ahead. Remember to be careful. Also remember, there's nothing you can't endure in life. Look at me, your uncle. Although I'm disabled, I keep going. You can't allow your life to be defined by the way other people see you. The most important thing is to keep the criticism of others from affecting your judgment," Jing Chenxing said in an earnest and sincere tone.
He really was concerned about Jing Yan, fearing that his nephew couldn't take all the malicious remarks and ill-mannered sarcastic comments. Deep down, Jing Chenxing was worried that the pressure from those remarks and comments was the reason why Jing Yan was suddenly insisting on going into the Blackrock Mountains to hunt Spiritual Beasts. Jing Chenxing knew that with Jing Yan's current cultivation, entering the Blackrock Mountains to pursue even the lowest-ranked Spiritual Beasts—the First-grade ones—would be quite challenging. But he didn't stop Jing Yan from going to the Blackrock Mountains by force, because he believed that Jing Yan had to discover some things on his own.
Some things simply couldn't be learned through a rational conversation; Jing Yan would have to experience them to understand.
After he left the weapon store, Jing Yan packed up plenty of food and set off from Dong Lin City on his horse, heading toward the Blackrock Mountains at full speed.
Jing Yan officially entered the Blackrock Mountains at dusk.
It was a massive area, so although quite a few warriors were going after Spiritual Beasts in the Blackrock Mountains at the same time, it was unlikely that he would come across anyone else.
Jing Yan walked in the outskirts of the mountainous area for more than half a zodiac hour, and he didn't see even a trace of other warriors.
Of course, the number of Spiritual Beasts in the outer area was also limited. Jing Yan hadn't come across any Spiritual Beasts in the time he'd been walking either.
"Well, I'm in no hurry!"
"I've packed enough food to last for a month. I can take my time." Jing Yan hunkered on the branch of a giant tree to take a break. He had some fresh water and food.
"What?"
Jing Yan's eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly wiped the corners of his mouth and stood up, gazing in a particular direction.
"A Fanged Wolf?"
Jing Yan narrowed his eyes, sniffing. He gave a faint smile.
"Finally." Jing Yan hopped off the tree, held his breath, and quickly sneaked his way toward the target.
Ever since he had cultivated the ultimate divine power of the Arch of Heaven, Jing Yan's five senses had improved dramatically. So despite the significant distance between him and the monster, Jing Yan knew based on the smell that it really was a Fanged Wolf.
This Fanged Wolf didn't make much noise. If another warrior had been there instead of Jing Yan, even a warrior of the Sixth or Seventh Heaven, they might not have discovered the beast the way Jing Yan did.
Jing Yan soon found the creature. "A Fanged Wolf it is."
Fanged Wolves were a kind of First-grade Spiritual Beast. They were far from the strongest. But for a regular Fourth Heaven warrior, hunting a Fanged Wolf was no easy task. Warriors at that level would usually team up to kill First-grade Spiritual Beasts like Fanged Wolves.
Jing Yan didn't attack right away when he spotted the Fanged Wolf. Fanged Wolves were known for their acute sense of smell. The wolf might escape if he jumped to attack it, and Fanged Wolves were very fast. At Jing Yan's current rank, it would be rather tricky to catch a Fanged Wolf running at full speed.
Jing Yan was waiting for his chance.
"Now!"
Several dozen breaths later, Jing Yan sprang into the air. With his Vital Qi flowing and Moonbeam Sword in hand, he dashed at the Fanged Wolf like lighting. In truth, Fanged Wolves weren't very large. The ferocity in their appearance came from the oversized pair of fangs curling from their mouths.
The chance Jing Yan was waiting for came the second that the Fanged Wolf looked down.
The instant Jing Yan made a move, the Fanged Wolf acknowledged him and quickly lifted its head. But in doing so, it wasted precious time. That gave Jing Yan the crucial moment he needed to get in front of its face.
As soon as the Fanged Wolf looked up, its green eyes locked on the human dashing toward it.
"A whooo!" The Fanged Wolf didn't run when it saw Jing Yan. Instead, it pushed hard against the ground with all four legs and pounced toward Jing Yan.
The Fanged Wolf moved very quickly, but Jing Yan could see every move it made with crystal clarity. He could even predict what it was about to do.
"Stance of Autumn Wind and Falling Leaves!" Jing Yan's mind didn't linger on why he could tell what the Fanged Wolf's future moves would be. As the Fanged Wolf charged, he immediately used his sword skills.
The second he activated the skill, the Moonbeam Sword in his hand went for the Fanged Wolf's chest as if it was moving by itself.
Slash!
Moonbeam Sword stabbed accurately into the Fanged Wolf's chest.
"A whooo!" The Fanged Wolf howled and its whole body convulsed. Blood spurted from its chest like a spring.
Jing Yan lowered his arm, withdrawing Moonbeam Sword. Thump! The Fanged Wolf dropped to the ground. Dust rose around it.
The Fanged Wolf wheezed. Its nostrils flared as it struggled to breathe.
Jing Yan didn't have to wait long before the Fanged Wolf died. He could feel its life fading away.
"What happened?" Recalling how he had killed the Fanged Wolf, Jing Yan simply couldn't believe it.
Why?
Because it was too easy.
To be honest, Jing Yan had never expected that killing a Fanged Wolf would be so effortless. When he found the Fanged Wolf, he had prepared himself for a tough fight. Despite the considerable improvement of his Stance of Autumn Wind and Falling Leaves and his Top-grade weapon Moonbeam Sword, Fanged Wolves were, after all, Spiritual Beasts. How could it be so easy to kill a creature like that?
Even a group of five Fourth Heaven warriors wouldn't have an easy time killing a Fanged Wolf. It would take at least half of the time of a cup of tea. Yet in Jing Yan's case, a single strike with his sword had dropped this First-grade Spiritual Beast without requiring any unnecessary effort or follow-up.
"Was it because of my luck? Did I somehow hit its Death Acupoint?" Jing Yan slowly shook his head as he studied the bleeding wound on the Fanged Wolf's body.
It wasn't hard to wound a Fanged Wolf, but it was quite challenging to kill one. Spiritual Beasts had extremely strong life power. Even in the case of First-grade Spiritual Beasts, one wound shouldn't have been fatal.