A multitude of screeching, clawing, and indecipherable noises were a constant in the territory of The Restless Forest. The reason for this phenomenon is unknown but speculations vary from vengeful spirits to a spell from a foreign mana user that had invaded these lands. Any wild theory that one could think of had been brought into existence. And the various accidents that have occurred in the past do not shed a favorable light on this location, at least to the denizens of the 77th District. Whether it be the appearance of a 3rd Step Qi Beast or a huge wave of beasts that must be culled before they reach the core of the district. There were many reasons to despise this Beast Zone. The other two beast Zones of the district were truly tamed through continuous culling of its stronger beasts, yet the Restless Forest could not stop producing calamity after calamity. Truthfully, the Li Clan’s survival so far despite being so close to the Beast Zone was entirely luck. A notion that bothered Li Wei immensely and now that he had some noteworthy power, he wanted to let out his frustrations on this dominion of doom personally while also getting a handle on his limits.
These thoughts scrambled through his brain as he lowered down to the surface, amid 300-foot pine trees all around him. His sword, Deathreaver, quickly shifted from below his feet to his right hand as his feet subsequently met solid ground. Since his Qi sense picked up some presence on the way down, Li Wei had not been caught unaware when five wolves with blue streaks across their white fur appeared. They stalked out of the underbrush with intense focus on Li Wei, their movements in tune with each other’s. Upon seeing their physical makeup, Li Wei immediately identified them.
[Race: Thunderpaw Wolf (1st Step)
Level: 124 ]
[Race: Thunderpaw Wolf (1st Step)
Level: 131 ]
[Race: Thunderpaw Wolf (1st Step)
Level: 129 ]
[Race: Thunderpaw Wolf (1st Step)
Level: 127 ]
[Race: Thunderpaw Wolf (1st Step)
Level: 135 ]
As if sensing that Li Wei’s attention was momentarily elsewhere, two of the wolves attacked at once, their bodies blurring like flashes of lightning at his position. Thankfully, both his Qi Sense and natural senses alerted him enough to narrowly avoid his throat being torn by a paw and his left leg being ripped open by a hungry maw. Jumping back briefly before pushing forward just as the wolves stumbled from their failed attempt, he slashed his sword at one of the closer of the two beasts. With a clear understanding given by the Origin Focus Blade Technique, Li Wei pierced through the eye and then finally the brain of the wolf with relatively more ease than he had expected. Whether due to his sword’s grade or his increased skills and attributes, he did not know and did not have the time to care. Retracting his blade and himself from the newly created corpse and another paw swipe from its partner in crime; Li Wei sensed something from behind that made him shift into a 180-degree turn while simultaneously slicing through the air at torso height.
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The sound of flesh departing, and a yelp was what met his blade in that instant. Still surrounded, Li Wei sidestepped to the right as a wolf pounced from behind. Despite their great speed, having Qi sense at E Rank trivialized this too greatly as he could see minuscule adjustments in their positioning that he would have been previously oblivious to. This new level of awareness forewarned of their most probable destinations. This is why when he sidestepped, his sword had been angled and moving at the precise location where he had predicted the wolf’s momentum to bring them. That was three of these fast but predictable wolves killed in less than a minute. A sight that even startled the two wolves that had stayed back and observed the skirmish. Li Wei was surprised by the way that their eyes seemed to convey actual rationalization and consideration for their next move.
A consideration that was brief and resulted in both wolves forfeiting the hunt and rushing back into the depths of the foliage. It was a smart action to take but also showed the difference between beasts and mundane animals. Rumor has it that there are Qi Beasts that can shapeshift and interact with humans with none the wiser. Of course, in these scenarios, they are high-level Qi Beasts, but this further drove the point that these beings had the potential to rival humans in cunning.
This brief death match of his was simply an appetizer. It did not push him nearly as hard as he would have liked. Thus, he ventured further into the forest, moving ever closer to its center. On the way, he encountered three-headed snakes that spewed toxins, boars that spit rocks, and horned rabbits that wanted to run his intestines through. Overall, it was a nice vacation with some light rain showers of blood here and there. It might as well have been a walk in the park as his skills did a lot of the heavy lifting. A fact that bothered him somewhat because he knew that this would not always be the case, and he needed to know what happens when he meets a foe that has both the skills and the raw stats that align with them. Li Wei was not stupid enough to believe that he could have every skill at a caliber above his Step indefinitely, let alone in the next Step, so he had to be ready for closer battles in the future.
Seconds after this thought, an invasive sensation crawled across his body while a roar bellowed a challenge. A lion the size of an elephant and seemingly entirely made of crystal landed in front of him. The aura pressing down on him was a feeling that he recognized with certainty. He identified the monstrosity that towered over him while preparing to act at any moment.
[Race: Crystal Regulus (2nd Step)
Level: 211 ]