The sheep bleated loudly and rushed downhill, extremely panicked.
This flock had hundreds of goats, their wool mostly a bluish-gray, with bone-white horns that resembled two slightly curved sharp swords.
Originally, the goats were leisurely grazing on the grass, but suddenly two members of the exploration team appeared and started driving them away.
The two men held scimitars but didn't use them. They simply shouted loudly and easily drove the panicked goats away.
Zhenjin, Zi Di, Cang Xu, and others stood on a nearby hill, looking down at the scene.
The goats tried to change direction halfway, but people were already lying in wait. At the crucial moment, they suddenly appeared and blocked the goats' path. The goats were repeatedly redirected until they all crowded into a depression.
The exploration team began to close in, with more members emerging from all directions.
No matter where they went, the goats found no escape route, and they spun around in place anxiously.
The team members raised their swords and knives, repeatedly slashing down, beginning the slaughter.
As Cang Xu had said, the goats were extremely timid, not resisting at all in the face of the butcher's knife. They let out extremely terrified cries and crowded desperately towards the center.
But there were always unfortunate goats left on the periphery, easily slaughtered one by one by the Human Race.
Cang Xu watched this scene and spoke calmly, "In the central part of the Empire, many nobles have started to enclose large areas of land to raise sheep. They breed sheep."
"I was fortunate enough to visit several famous sheep farms in the Empire, and their scale was truly astonishing."
"In my view, sheep as a species do not have the ability to fend for themselves. They survive entirely on others' care and rescue."
"Sheep have no self-protection ability. Rams are even more shy and timid than ewes. The slightest strange noise can frighten them, and their flocking is only to alleviate their fear."
"They are not only timid but also stupid. They do not know what danger is and cannot sense its approach. No matter what happens, they stubbornly stay in place. Even in wind and rain, to make them move, they need a leading sheep. In fact, the leading sheep also remains still unless driven by a shepherd or shepherd dog."
"Sheep are very fragile. They cannot walk for long periods, easily exhausting them. When they run, their hearts beat too fast, making it hard for them to breathe. High temperatures or severe cold can kill batches of sheep. They are very prone to disease. Sometimes, mere obesity can be fatal."
"Compared to sheep, goats are more active, stronger, and braver. But overall, they are not much different."
"These two types of sheep have similar habits."
"Goats are attached to humans, enjoy being caressed, and are easy to live with. They are also easily raised. Various kinds of forage can become gourmet food for them."
"However, sheep are still more popular because their dense wool can be used to make yarn and other textiles. Especially in recent years, the Empire's textile machinery seems to have undergone significant technical innovation."
"The Shata family is also very interested in the sheep business, sending me to the Empire's central region for investigation. Unfortunately, the major nobles in the Empire intend to monopolize the latest textile machinery. Meanwhile, in the desert, the land is scarce, the environment harsh, with great temperature differences between day and night, making large-scale sheep farming impossible."
While speaking, most of the goats had already been slaughtered.
Among the attacking members, Huang Zao was the most eye-catching.
He held a long spear, and each thrust penetrated three or four goats.
He had Bronze Level strength, and although he could not activate Fighting Energy, his superior physical condition was evident at this moment.
Zhenjin had assigned the task of the first roundup of the goats to him. With the intent to atone for his sins, knowing that his every move was watched by his master, Huang Zao performed with extraordinary effort.
But in the next moment, his invincible spear was blocked for the first time.
It turned out that the leader of the goats, driven to desperation, finally began to resist.
The leader goat was twice as large as the surrounding goats, almost the size of a pony, exuding a Bronze Level aura.
The leader goat lowered its head, displaying its sharp bone-white horns, and charged at Huang Zao.
Thud, thud, thud!
The goat's hooves hammered the rocks, making a series of sharp, rapid noises.
From stillness to sudden movement, the usually sluggish leader goat burst out with astonishing speed in that instant!
Huang Zao gritted his teeth, held the spear horizontally in front of his chest, and stood motionless.
Lan Zao, serving behind Zhenjin, saw his brother's intentions and shouted angrily, "Idiot, dodge quickly, you can't use Fighting Energy!"
Huang Zao's ears twitched, and he heard his brother's warning immediately, but he bit his teeth and remained still.
"If I retreat again, what impression would I leave on my master? Brother, you're the idiot!"
"This time, I must wash away my shame—!"
Shouting in his heart, Huang Zao's eyes widened, and he fiercely thrust his spear forward.
The spear tip collided with the bone-white horns.
Then, to Huang Zao's horror, the spear tip shattered, and the spear shaft was deflected aside.
The leader goat reached Huang Zao, and at the moment of collision, Huang Zao barely managed to hold the spear shaft across his chest.
Bang.
With a dull sound, Huang Zao was knocked into the air on the spot.
He traversed an arc through the air and then landed heavily on the grassy rocky ground, his vision darkening, almost fainting on the spot.
"This guy..." Seeing his brother not listening to his advice and almost getting disemboweled by the goat's horn, Lan Zao clenched his fists tightly, raising his head and asking for orders, "Master, please allow me to take action and deal with this goat!"
Zhenjin, however, only focused on the scene, his expression indifferent, "Order Huang Zao to be a little restrained. I want this leader goat captured alive."
Lan Zao's expression changed immediately. He wanted to say something but was halted by Cang Xu's hand gesture.
Cang Xu smiled and said, "For Lord Zhenjin to have such trust in Huang Zao, he finally has a chance to redeem his honor. Although he knows he can't use Fighting Energy and his strength is inferior to the leader goat's, he still chose to fight dangerously. Now that he has been knocked down, he should know how to adjust his mindset."
Lan Zao shuddered upon hearing this and knelt on one knee, "Master is merciful and generous, seeing through Huang Zao's unbalanced mindset and giving him repeated chances to adjust and atone for his sins! I was confused. Please, Master, punish me."
Only then did Zhenjin smile and glance at Lan Zao, "You brothers are deeply bonded. What crime is there? Just stand aside and watch. After all, Huang Zao's body is still weak. If he fails to capture it alive, then you may step in."
Lan Zao was immediately moved to tears, knelt on both knees, and his forehead knocked on the ground with a dull sound. He then hurriedly ran down the hill.
In the depression, Huang Zao had already picked up a new spear, ready to strike again.
Seeing Lan Zao coming, he became anxious, "Brother, why are you here? Did the master send you to replace me?"
Lan Zao coldly snorted and said, "The master told you to restrain a bit and capture the goat alive. He gives you another chance to perform. Only if you fail will I step in."
Huang Zao rejoiced, "That's good!"
Lan Zao was so angry at this remark that he nearly slapped Huang Zao on the head. But with no other choice, he could only stand aside and support.
The ordinary goats were quickly slaughtered, leaving only the duel between Huang Zao and the leader goat.
Under the continuous charge of the leader goat, Huang Zao was in a pitiful state.
To handle this leader goat, Huang Zao could have managed with his spear. But the order to capture it alive from Zhenjin forced Huang Zao to be cautious and restrained.
Huang Zao and the leader goat were both of Bronze Level life, but without the ability to activate Fighting Energy, Huang Zao's long spear moves were careful and timid, allowing the leader goat to gain the upper hand.
However, intent on proving himself, Huang Zao showed no sign of retreat.
After a moment of stalemate, both man and goat were drenched in blood.
The leader goat bore wounds from the spear's edge, while Huang Zao, already burned and bandaged, bled mostly due to vigorous movement.
Lan Zao grew increasingly anxious, wanting to intervene repeatedly, but without seeing his brother's total failure, he could only grudgingly hold back.
The leader goat charged again. Huang Zao's physical strength had diminished considerably. He barely dodged but had no energy left to counterattack.
This time, however, the leader goat did not turn back to continue the fight with Huang Zao but broke through the encirclement instead.
The surrounding team members were ordinary fighters, exclaiming in shock, retreating one after another, not daring to face the charging leader goat with their flesh and blood.
Lan Zao was about to intervene when he suddenly heard Zhenjin's voice, "Enough, everyone back off. Let me handle this."
"Master, I... can still fight," Huang Zao called with unwillingness.
"You fool, get out of the way now! Don't spoil the master's fun," Lan Zao cursed.
All eyes focused on Zhenjin.
Since Zhenjin became the leader of this exploration team, most people had privately speculated about the level of his strength.
Was it silver, or gold?
The island strictly forbade low-level magic and Fighting Energy. Could Lord Zhenjin activate his own Fighting Energy? (Cang Xu's guess was too terrifying and remained confined to the high ranks of the exploration team, not known to everyone.)
The leader goat charged at Zhenjin, who remained calm and composed.
Just as the goat horns were about to pierce Zhenjin, the young man suddenly extended his hand, precisely grabbing the two horns at the critical moment.
Then, Zhenjin pressed down firmly.
The leader goat's momentum halted abruptly, and its head was forced to the ground. Its strong legs thrashed furiously, throwing up turf and soil, but all the while, Zhenjin's hands stayed steady as mountains, his entire body as if cast in iron, unmoved.
It gave the impression that, in front of Zhenjin, the mighty leader goat suddenly seemed as weak as a chick!
Gasps filled the air, quickly turning into cheers and shouts.
Huang Zao couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Zhenjin had not used Fighting Energy but had suppressed the leader goat purely with his physical strength.
Such power earned Huang Zao's absolute respect.
Cang Xu was also quietly moved by the scene.
He knew well enough: humans and animals did not have the same physique. Without using Fighting Energy, humans could hardly compete with same-level beings relying solely on physical attributes.
Humans were not naturally as fast as horses, as agile in trees as monkeys, could not fly like birds, nor swim and breathe underwater like fish.
Compared to many wild animals, humans' greatest advantage lay in their intelligence. Human strength, speed, physique, and so on were not on par with wild beasts.
Thus, a strong individual with Silver Fighting Spirit might lose to a Bronze level magic beast without using Fighting Energy.
"Such physical strength..."
At this moment, a speculation arose in Cang Xu's heart: "Could it be that Lord Zhenjin truly possesses a gold-level cultivation?"