"Throat!" Lin Feng’s gaze fixed on the Ghostly Phantom Wolf, and he took a small step forward.

But this small movement sent a wave of dread through Jing Yun and the others. Lin Feng—what did he want to do? This was a level-nine demonic beast, the Ghostly Phantom Wolf, one of the most vicious creatures below the spirit beasts. Even many ninth-tier Martial Masters would only think of running when encountering a Ghostly Phantom Wolf.

Before they could think further, Lin Feng demonstrated his intentions with action. He started jogging towards the Ghostly Phantom Wolf, unarmed, his speed increasing rapidly.

Seeing this, Jing Yun and the others froze, their hearts racing in terror.

"Howl!" The Ghostly Phantom Wolf let out an eerie howl as it saw this human approaching. Its vicious face became even colder, its eyes chilling as if from the depths of the underworld.

A scream followed as the wolf’s claws slammed down on Jing Feng’s body, but Lin Feng didn’t hesitate. His figure became a streak of black light as he closed the distance, his hand moving rapidly. The claws, which had blocked its throat, shone with a strange mix of black and white light.

"Lin Feng, come back!" Jing Yun screamed, but it seemed too late. Lin Feng’s speed was incredible, a blur of light speeding toward the wolf.

Qing Yi and Han Man opened their mouths in shock, their hearts stopped, and all they could think was: It’s over!

A flash of lightning streaked through the air, dazzlingly bright, and then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. After the lightning passed, the world seemed to freeze in place. Lin Feng’s steps stopped, and the Ghostly Phantom Wolf crashed to the ground.

Silence… terrifying silence.

Jing Yun clutched her fists to her mouth, her eyes filled with fear. Was Lin Feng… dead?

"Drip..." A soft sound broke the silence, and the Ghostly Phantom Wolf’s body collapsed to the side. A thin thread of blood appeared at its neck, slowly forming a crimson line.

"The Ghostly Phantom Wolf... is dead!" Han Man and Qing Yi stared, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what had just happened. That flash of lightning was...

"Lin Feng, are you okay?" Jing Yun asked softly, still frozen in place, looking at the still-standing Lin Feng.

As her voice fell, Qing Yi and Han Man also turned their gaze to Lin Feng, their hearts still racing. Today was the most intense, nerve-wracking moment of their lives.

Finally, Lin Feng moved. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes gleaming with a bright smile.

"I’m fine." Lin Feng spread his hands, his eyes bright as he recalled that moment—the sword strike, a technique akin to thunder, the explosive power undeniable. Of course, it only worked because his speed was fast—extremely fast.

"Whoo!" Jing Yun, Qing Yi, and Han Man all let out a sigh of relief, their tense muscles unwinding. It felt as though someone had just pulled them back from the edge of a cliff.

However, the trio did not speak. Instead, they stared at Lin Feng, as if he were some strange creature.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lin Feng scratched his head awkwardly. The way they were looking at him was too intense.

"Freak!" Han Man spat the word between his teeth. Lin Feng felt a little disgruntled when both Jing Yun and Qing Yi nodded seriously, agreeing with Han Man’s assessment.

"Lin Feng, you’re a sword cultivator," Qing Yi said. She clearly understood that the flash of lightning had been sword light—only a sword could be that fast.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"I wouldn’t say that. I just practiced a sword technique," Lin Feng shook his head. A true sword cultivator was someone who possessed a sword soul and wielded great strength in swordsmanship.

"Not a sword cultivator? Then your martial soul isn’t a sword?" Qing Yi asked, confused.

"Mm, I don’t have a sword martial soul," Lin Feng confirmed. Qing Yi gasped. No sword martial soul, but his swordplay is that fast? It was clear that Lin Feng’s comprehension of martial techniques was terrifyingly powerful, just like how he had mastered the Nine-fold Wave to its peak.

"I really suspect you can master any martial technique to its limit," Qing Yi laughed wryly, shaking her head. She didn’t probe further into Lin Feng’s martial soul, as some martial souls were rare and mysterious. Since Lin Feng had never used his martial soul, Qing Yi guessed that it must be something extraordinary.

Lin Feng just smiled. It did seem that he could cultivate any martial technique and had an exceptionally high level of comprehension.

"This is a huge gain—the Beast Core of a level-nine demonic beast!" Han Man grinned widely, pulling out a dagger and approaching the Ghostly Phantom Wolf’s body to extract the beast core. "Lin Feng, you killed the Ghostly Phantom Wolf on your own. Without you, we might not have made it out alive. The beast core should go to you."

"Jing Yun, Qing Yi, do you have any objections?"

Qing Yi and Jing Yun shook their heads with smiles. If it wasn’t for Lin Feng, they would have probably perished in Black Wind Ridge.

"I disagree. All spoils should be divided equally among the four of us," Lin Feng shook his head. Even though he had been treated as the weakest earlier and asked to stay behind, he wouldn’t be the kind of person to forget his friends. While killing the Ghostly Phantom Wolf was entirely his achievement, he wasn’t someone who would be ungrateful.

Han Man and the others saw the firm resolve in Lin Feng’s eyes and nodded.

"Looks like you’ve forgotten about me." A voice suddenly came from behind. It was Jing Feng.

Having been struck by the Ghostly Phantom Wolf’s claws, Jing Feng’s back was crushed, and several bones were broken. He could no longer get up and could only look up at Lin Feng and the others.

"Get lost!" Han Man cursed loudly. Jing Feng had not only neglected their safety at a critical moment, forcing them to deal with the violent ape, but he had also drawn the Ghostly Phantom Wolf toward them, almost causing their deaths.

"We’re leaving. His life or death is up to fate," Jing Yun said angrily.

The group began to turn and leave, but then Jing Feng’s cold voice reached them.

"Don’t forget, my brother knows that I entered Black Wind Ridge with you. If I die, what do you think my elder brother will think when he finds out?"

Han Man’s group paused and turned, glaring at Jing Feng in fury.

"You better take me with you, and you better give me half of the beast core. Otherwise, I’ll have you all dead." Jing Feng’s voice was filled with venom.

"What’s going on?" Lin Feng asked, confused. This guy was half-dead and still acting so arrogantly?

"His brother is Jing Hao, one of the top ten ranked disciples in the Outer Sect. He ranks sixth, a peak Qi Martial Realm Ninth Layer cultivator, and also possesses a sword martial soul. He’s very powerful," Qing Yi explained. Lin Feng immediately understood.

Lin Feng stepped forward and looked down at Jing Feng with a cold smile.

"Help me up, now!" Jing Feng ordered with a commanding tone.

Lin Feng froze for a moment, then gave a half-smile, looking at Jing Feng with a mixture of amusement and disdain.

"I really admire your courage."

With that, his soft sword slid out, radiating a chilling, deathly light.

"What are you doing?" Jing Feng tensed up, feeling a sudden chill run down his spine.

"Lin Feng." Qing Yi called out in alarm. Jing Hao was no joke, and while Lin Feng was formidable, his cultivation level was still lower. Qing Yi didn’t believe that Lin Feng could handle Jing Hao.

Lin Feng looked at the trio and asked, "Do you think that if we save him now, he would spare us?"

The three of them exchanged a glance, cold sweat breaking out on their backs. Indeed, from Jing Feng’s behavior, even if they saved him, he probably wouldn’t let them off.

"We’ve never wronged him. It was his own arrogance that led to his downfall. He tried to trap us and nearly got us killed. And now, he still orders us to save him, demanding half of the beast core. With a person like that, do you still think we should take him back?" Lin Feng patiently explained. Though Jing Yun and the others were mature for their age, at just fifteen or sixteen years old, they hadn’t experienced the level of insight Lin Feng had.

The trio nodded. Indeed, taking Jing Feng back would just invite revenge from Jing Hao.

Lin Feng turned back to look at Jing Feng, who now showed signs of fear in his eyes.

"I swear, if you take me back, I won’t retaliate. I’ll even give up the beast core," Jing Feng pleaded as he crawled backward.

"Too late." With a flash of cold light, Lin Feng’s sword slashed through, sealing Jing Feng’s throat. A promise made in the heat of life-or-death—how could it be trusted?

Lin Feng looked down at Jing Feng’s lifeless body, exhaling slowly. His heart stirred for just a moment, but that was all. On the path to becoming stronger, bloodshed and corpses were inevitable.

"If Jing Hao comes looking for you, just tell him the truth: It was me who killed him." Lin Feng smiled indifferently, not the slightest bit concerned.