'I might need a sheath for the sword. Otherwise, I'll always put the sword in the Item Box. Although the speed to take it out is fast, it still doesn't feel right.'
Jiang Cheng had some ideas in his mind. However, he had never done any handwork in his previous life. Besides, Jiang Cheng did not have any materials or tools to make a sheath, let alone any nails. So, he was unsure if he could make a sheath for the sword.
'If there was a chance in the future, I'll order a special sheath for the sword from the camp or other forces. My speed of withdrawing the sword is too slow now. I can't control it like my arm. Although the sword isn't heavy, I still can't seem to withdraw it at the same speed as I can unleash it,' Jiang Cheng reflected as he practiced with the sword, trying different ways to exert force.
The hidden mantis did not appear, so nothing happened that night. It made Jiang Cheng wonder if he had misinterpreted his senses, but he did not let his guard down. Instead, he became even more cautious. Therefore, Jiang Cheng continued to travel slowly on the following day. He focused on gathering logs from the giant trees and gaining more experience. There was no tree left wherever he passed.
At noon, Jiang Cheng finally reached level 12 after gaining enough experience. As a result, his HP increased by 0.1. Four of them continued to move towards the prairie at a slow pace, with Jiang Cheng gathering logs along the way. On this day, other than leveling up, his HP increased by 0.1 after consuming enough food.
Another two days have passed in a twinkling. It had been four days since the Giant Green Bison appeared. They only managed to move ten kilometers forward within these days, and they were about to enter the prairie officially. All the trees behind them had disappeared, and a two-kilometer-wide region had opened. It was because Jiang Cheng had to guard against the sneak attack from the mantis. Otherwise, their speed would have been even faster.
Jiang Cheng had sex with Tong Xiaorou as usual tonight. After taking a three-hour nap, he asked Liang Xin to block the entrance of the tree hole again. Then, he set up a Campfire and practiced his sword around it. Jiang Cheng practiced his sword almost every night for the past few days. He started to sense a special connection with the sword in his hand. Despite still being weak, it was a significant improvement.
Under the giant tree, Jiang Cheng kept slashing at the air one after another around the Campfire. Instead of attempting a continuous sword technique, he pursued an instantaneous outbreak technique. So, he kept practicing.
Liang Xin dozed off at the entrance of the tree hole that was three meters above the ground. Occasionally, she woke up and watched Jiang Cheng practice his sword to relieve her boredom. At first, Liang Xin did not notice anything unusual. However, she gradually realized that Jiang Cheng's arm and sword would be blurred for a second when he drew his sword. It was a situation that only occurred when the sword's speed was so fast that it exceeded the limits of her dynamic vision.
[HP +0.1]
Jiang Cheng, who was practicing his sword, paused. He almost could not feel any changes as the HP increased by his cultivation instead of an instant boost. However, Jiang Cheng once again sensed the feeling of being watched after the increase, and this time Jiang Cheng could vaguely detect the general direction. The 0.1 increase in his HP seemed to enhance his perception slightly just as he was about to break through a certain threshold.
[Jiang Cheng (Rank 1): LV.13 (11.34%)]
[HP: 3.7]
[Gathering (Level 1)]
[Fusing (Level 1)]
[Item Box: 18/20]
Jiang Cheng had made significant progress in the past few days. Not only did he advance in his cultivation, but he also gained experience through gathering materials. If his HP were converted to strength, it would be 370 kilograms. He was edging closer to superhuman strength!
Jiang Cheng stopped after checking his personal information. He then strode in a direction after looking at Liang Xin, who was dozing off at the entrance of the tree hole. The dead branches and leaves under his feet produced a cracking sound as he approached the target that spied on him step by step.
Initially, he tried to act nonchalant and only turned his attention toward the spot when he got closer. However, he could not see clearly due to the poor lighting. As he approached closer, the sensation of being spied on abruptly turned malevolent.
BOOM!
Instantly, the withered grass in front of Jiang Cheng burst, and he saw an afterimage shooting toward him.
"I've been waiting for you!" said Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng immediately went into battle mode, with his eyes fixed on the figure. His dynamic vision was far beyond that of ordinary people, making him feel that time had slowed down while he was in battle mode.
SWOOSH!
When the figure was three meters away, Jiang Cheng attacked suddenly. He quickly slashed down with his sword and pierced through the evolved mantis just as its blade arm was about to strike.
THWACK!
The body of the evolved mantis dismembered immediately. The inertia carried Jiang Cheng and rushed out another three to four meters before stopping. He turned around and looked coldly at the evolved mantis that had spied on him for several days.
The sound awakened Liang Xin, who was at the entrance of the tree-hole shelter. As she opened her eyes, she saw Jiang Cheng instantly killing the evolved mantis. She was surprised and realized that Jiang Cheng's strength had undergone a massive change in just a few days.
'They had fought back and forth previously, and Jiang Cheng took dozens of moves to kill this evolved mantis. However, this time, he had dispatched this creature that I thought was very powerful with just one slash. It was incredibly fast,' Liang Xin wondered.
Jiang Cheng, who was fifty meters away from the trunk of the giant tree, kicked the mantis's head. He then walked over to the mantis's corpse, grabbed a blade, and dragged it. Despite its weight, he effortlessly pulled it towards the Campfire.
SLASH! SLASH!
Jiang Cheng severed the blades of the mantis with a slash. After setting the Tang Dynasty Sword aside, he picked up two mantis sabers and sat in front of the Campfire with his back toward the giant tree.
Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. In the past few days, he did not dare to travel fast because of the vague feeling of spying. He was also scared to take his eyes off Tong Xiaorou and Yaya, and the constant tension had been wearing on him for several days. Now he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders as he had finally dealt with the evolved mantis.
'It seems that I can't even underestimate the animals. After these creatures evolved, they might have gained a certain level of intelligence!' Thinking of this, Jiang Cheng immediately attempted to fuse the two mantis blades.
Each of the mantis sabers weighed approximately six kilograms. They were heavy and had a metallic texture despite not being made of metal. Because Jiang Cheng previously had used the mantis saber to fuse with Tang Dynasty Sword, he decided to strengthen the mantis saber first to avoid failure. He planned to use the fused mantis saber as material to fuse with the Tang Dynasty Sword.
Liang Xin, who was at the entrance of the tree hole shelter, looked at the mantis corpse on the ground. She could not help but swallow her saliva. Despite this, she remained calm because Jiang Cheng did not seem to enjoy eating the flesh of these evolved insects. So, he would definitely leave it for her.
Soon, the mantis blades were successfully fused. One of them disintegrated while the other gained an additional attribute of sharpness. Jiang Cheng then proceeded to fuse the mantis saber with Tang Dynasty Sword. As both of them leaned against each other, a bright light emanated. The Tang Dynasty Sword began to heat up and absorb the invisible characteristics of the mantis saber. After a short time, the quality of the Tang Dynasty Sword further improved when the mantis saber broke.
[Tang Dynasty Sword (White): Density +4, Tenacity +3, Sharpness +3]
Jiang Cheng waved the sword casually. With a slashing sound, he cut through the back of the evolved mantis corpse effortlessly. It was as if he was cutting through a cardboard box.
"It could cut clean through iron as though it were mud," said Jiang Cheng, looking at Tang Dynasty Sword in satisfaction.
However, Jiang Cheng's good mood did not last long as he thought about the decreasing water supply. There was a high chance that he would have enough food in the future because he could kill evolved beasts. The lack of water was a problem despite there being plenty of food.
"I have to speed up tomorrow, but the Prairie may be even more dangerous than the forest. I hope the creatures in the Prairie have migrated too!" Jiang Cheng sighed in his heart.
Then, he placed the sword on his knees. He held its hilt with one hand and put the other hand on the blade as he closed his eyes to rest. However, it was not long before he suddenly opened his eyes and looked ahead.
Two glowing figures were walking over and holding hands from a distance of a hundred meters.