She closely examined the boar in front of her.
It had two massive horns on its forehead, sharp and curved, capable of piercing through any obstacle with ease.
Its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth that jutted out menacingly.
The beast radiated an aura of power and strength that could easily crush Hun Yu, but thanks to Yun Xiu, it didn't affect them at all.
As she had mentioned before, this was a Tier 6 Prana beast.
Although it wasn't as strong as her, it was only one realm lower in power. Hun Yu thought that while it might hold its own against Yun Xiu for a while, defeating her was out of the question.
Yun Xiu drew her sword, ready to make a move, but the boar decided to rush at her with incredible speed.
Ordinary people wouldn't be able to grasp its movement, but Yun Xiu was no ordinary person.
She couldn't dodge because Hun Yu and her fox were behind her; if she dodged, they might be caught in the attack.
Yun Xiu grunted as the boar collided with her, the force sending her staggering back ten paces.
Dust kicked up around them, momentarily obscuring the sight. Unlike a normal warrior, Yun Xiu didn't falter for long.
Her eyes narrowed. This beast was strong, stronger than most Tier 6 Prana beasts she'd encountered.
But strength alone wouldn't win this fight. It needed strategy. Focusing her Qi, she felt a familiar surge of power course through her.
The boar, momentarily disoriented, snorted and pawed the ground, searching for its target.
Yun Xiu saw opening. With a burst of speed fueled by her Qi, she sidestepped the boar's next charge, its tusks whistling past where her head had been a moment before.
Capitalizing on the boar's momentum, Yun Xiu used her agility to circle behind it. The beast, frustrated by its missed attack, spun clumsily, its bulk making it a slow target.
Yun Xiu saw its flank, a patch of exposed hide beneath the thick fur.
Gathering her Qi once more, she lunged forward, her blade flashing silver in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. The boar let out a surprised squeal as Yun Xiu's blade found its mark, carving a deep gash across its flank.
This wasn't your average boar, though. As Yun Xiu pulled back, expecting a furious counterattack, the beast roared, and a wave of raw, earthy energy erupted from its body.
The ground trembled, and loose stones skittered across the forest floor. Yun Xiu, caught off guard by the sudden shockwave, stumbled backward, the brunt of the energy slamming into her chest.
A searing pain shot through her, momentarily stealing her breath.
Suddenly, the air grew thick with a strange, metallic scent.
Looking up, Yun Xiu saw the boar's eyes widen in surprise. Embedded in its shoulder, protruding from the wound she'd inflicted, were razor-sharp metal quills.
They seemed to erupt from beneath the beast's thick fur, triggered by her attack. The boar squealed in agony, thrashing its body as the quills dug deeper.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Yun Xiu channeled her Qi once more. This time, however, the power surged not just through her body, but through the air around her.
With a burst of concentrated energy, she propelled herself upwards, rising several feet above the ground. The boar, enraged and wounded, looked up at her with a snarl, its glowing tusks sparking with a final, desperate energy.
From its mouth, a torrent of razor-sharp earth shards erupted, propelled by the beast's earth-shaking ability. The shards flew upwards in a deadly hail, aimed at Yun Xiu where she hovered in the air.
This wasn't a random attack; the boar, in its final act of defiance, seemed to sense her airborne vulnerability.
Yun Xiu reacted with lightning speed. Weaving through the barrage of earth shards, she used her control over the wind to deflect the deadliest ones, their metallic clangs echoing through the forest.
Several grazed her leg, drawing a sharp cry of pain. But she persevered, her eyes fixed on the enraged beast below.
With a final surge of Qi, Yun Xiu focused her blade with a brilliant light. Diving down from the sky, she aimed for the boar's exposed neck, the one weak point she'd observed during their fight.
The earth-shaking beast, weakened by the quills and its final attack, could only raise its head in a futile attempt to defend itself. Yun Xiu's blade pierced through flesh and bone with a sickening crunch.
The boar let out a final, choked bellow before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
Yun Xiu landed beside the slain beast, her chest heaving, her body wracked with pain.
She had won, but the victory tasted bitter. The metallic scent of the boar's quills filled the air, a constant reminder of the close call.
Looking down at her wounded leg, she knew this fight would leave its mark for days to come.
But as she glanced back at Hun Yu, who was staring at her with wide eyes filled with awe and relief, Yun Xiu couldn't help but muster a weak smile. "Looks like we managed," she said.
She took out a pill and swallowed it, then sat down to concentrate, maximizing the effects of the pill.
After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and stood up, fully healed. The pill was no ordinary one; it was a high-tier healing pill.
Turning her gaze to the dead body of the beast, she raised her hand. Hun Yu, silent all the while, watched to see what she was doing. The next moment, a glowing gem ball of brown color emerged from the boar's body.
She tossed it to Hun Yu. "Put this in the bag," she instructed. As she did, a fox suddenly jumped onto her.
This fox appeared unusually intelligent for a Tier 1 beast.
Hun Yu looked at the ball glowing with a brown light in his hand, confused. "This?"
"This is the core of that beast," Yun Xiu explained. "It contains all the energy of its lifetime.
And since it's from a Tier 6 beast, it's very valuable—around 5 million gold coins." She said it casually, but Hun Yu was shocked by the absurd amount.
This little ball was so expensive. But considering it contained the lifetime energy of such a powerful beast, it made sense. Silently, he followed her.
But why was this beast so close to the outer area of the Prana Beast Forest? Usually, high-tier beasts are rare and only found deeper in the forest. This was a Tier 6 beast, close to Tier 7. If it had been a Tier 7, there would have been serious trouble.
Yun Xiu was in the High Lord Profound Realm, comparable to a Tier 7 beast in power, but he had heard that Prana beasts usually had the upper hand due to their hard skin, sharp teeth and claws, and brute force.
"System, do you know why this beast was in the outer area?" he asked.
The system took a second before replying. {The beast appears to be aware of Yun Xiu's strength but did not run away. Usually, Tier 6 Prana beasts have wisdom comparable to a human child, and Tier 7 can speak with the wisdom of an adult human.}
{So, in simple terms, there could be any reason for this beast to be here.}
Scratching his head, Hun Yu felt the system's answer made things more complicated. Well, there was no point in dwelling on it since the beast was dead.
But one thing was sure: he needed to get stronger. He had been forced to his knees by just the aura of that beast. If not for Yun Xiu, he wouldn't have had a chance to fight back.
"Let's go. The commotion must have attracted many people. It's better we leave fast to avoid trouble," Yun Xiu said. Hun Yu nodded.
...
In the distance, an old man led a group of seven young people, three girls and four boys. The old man walked in front, and they followed behind him.
"What was that commotion just now, Principal?" asked a young man who appeared to be around 15-16 years old.
The one titled Principal replied, "Hmm... It might be someone fighting with a high-tier Prana beast." He added, "We should go there to see. It would be great if both parties fighting each other ended up killing each other; we can have the aftermath."
"If the one fighting the beast is dead, the Prana beast should be injured. Maybe we can take the chance and kill it. The core of a high-tier beast is quite expensive," explained the old man. "Let's go and see if we can profit from this."
The group, led by the old man, heard his words but didn't react much. In their world, there was no such thing as being good and helping others; profits mattered most.
...
Hun Yu and Yun Xiu walked deeper into the forest. His gaze fell on his information panel.
[ Information Panel ]
Name: Hun Yu
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Clan/Sect: Assistant of the Sect Master
Title: Handsome face? Nah, I like a burned face! (Increased Charm When Face is Hidden)
Cultivation Level: Tempering Body 3 (+)
Physique:
- Body Constitution: None
- Strength: Above +4 average civilian
Elemental Affinity: Unknown (Revealed upon reaching Elementalist realm)
Techniques:
- Strikes of 7 Hell and Heaven (Mid - Bronze)
- Water Flow Sword Dance (Low - Silver)
Special Ability:
- Empathic Healing
}
"Hmm, a title section appeared," he thought. It wasn't there before, so who knows what might be next? His current task was to save as many energy points as possible to afford a good cultivation technique.
If he could get his hands on a good cultivation technique, his speed would increase by four or five times.
For now, he should focus on completing the task of assisting Miss Sect Master in getting the herb she wanted.
Although he didn't know how he could even assist or help her, being just a Tempering Body, what could he do? He could only tag along, take care of her food, and not much more. He was too weak.