Li Wei tilted his head just in time, narrowly dodging the wolf king's killing strike in reflex. But even though the fatal bite missed, the beast's claws still raked across his shoulder.
His gray robe tore open from the back to the front, exposing his firm, golden muscles, and a long, bloody scratch that stung sharply.
Li Wei hissed. "That was close!"
If he hadn't heard that faint noise behind him earlier, the Wolf King might have taken his head clean off.
For a second, his mind filled with the fear of death.
But then, in the next second, it quickly morphed into rage.
A mere beast… dared to wound him, the chosen one with a golden system?
Unforgivable.
His blood boiled. He clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. "You little mutt… you're so dead."
He lunged forward, but the Wolf King had already made his next move. Opening its mouth, it shot a dozen sharp white arcs in the form of wind blades.
They whistled through the air like thrown knives.
"Not good!"
"Phantom Step!"
Li Wei's body blurred into four afterimages, zipping in different directions. The wind blades sliced through his illusions, missing him by a hair. Several blades slammed into a thick tree behind him.
CRACK!
The trunk snapped clean in half, spraying wood dust everywhere.
Li Wei's scalp tingled. "Thank god for Phantom Step…"
But now it was his turn.
He clenched his teeth and glared fiercely at the Wolf King. "You showed off your skill. Now feel mine."
*
Landslide Technique
Li Wei bent his knees, gathered strength, and launched himself into the air. His left hand gripped his right bicep. His right arm bent sharply. His elbow pointed downward like a hammer about to fall.
"Beast, die!"
"LANDSLIDE!"
He dropped like a meteor.
BOOOOOOM!
Dust exploded outward at once. The ground caved in. The Wolf King didn't even have a chance to dodge as Li Wei's elbow smashed into its spine with devastating force. The powerful beast was driven deep into the earth, bending its body into a sickening V-shape.
Blood mixed with dirt and sprayed across the ground.
The Wolf King's eyes bulged, and its jaw hung open. Meanwhile, its tongue flopped out lifelessly.
Instant kill.
Li Wei landed beside the crater, panting slightly.
Even he was stunned by the raw, overwhelming power of the Earth-rank martial art.
"Damn… that's brutal…"
Then,
Ding! 10,000 EXP gained!
Ding! First-time kill of Silver-level Boss! Reward: Frost Sword.
Ding! Gained martial skill: Wind Blade.
Ding! Gained item: Level-2 Monster Core.
Ding! 'Wolf Killer' title upgraded to: Wolf Slayer Master.
Ding! Level Up! Current Level: Two-Star Elite Warrior.
The notifications washed over him like a wave of euphoria.
This…
This beat the thrill of any online game he had ever played.
He opened the rewards quickly.
*
Frost Sword (Legendary)
A divine weapon forged by the Water God. Contains the Soul of Extreme Winter.
Attacks inflict frost damage
Chance to freeze enemies
Level Requirement: 50
Li Wei was first excited when he saw a legendary sword but when he read the details, he nearly spat blood. "Level 50? F**king shit... I can't even use it!"
He cursed the system for being stingy, only for a moment, though. Because the rest of the loot was insane.
*
*Wind Blade (Beginner)
Sends a half-moon-shaped wind blade that deals damage equal to 100% of Strength. (Improves with Strength)
*Level-2 Monster Core
Material for synthesis. Can be sold.
*Wolf Slayer Master (Title)
+20% damage to wolf-type creatures. (Upgradable)
*
Now he had a long-range attack, a passive bonus, and a divine sword waiting for him in the future.
"Today's harvest is perfect," Li Wei said with a proud grin. "Absolutely perfect."
He stretched his sore shoulder to rest a bit, only to hear footsteps rapidly approaching from behind the trees. Leaves rustled, branches swayed.
Someone was coming.
Actually… several people.
The noise grew louder and clearer, and Li Wei realized there were four or five people rushing toward him.
He waited calmly. After killing the wolf king and gaining more levels and rewards, he was filled with great confidence now.
Soon, five figures leapt through the trees and emerged into the clearing with each one carrying a fierce aura. The man in front, a muscular giant in blue, stood out the most.
His presence was powerful, like a mountain pressing down on everything.
Li Wei recognized him immediately. It was Li Wang, a nine-star warrior and Li Meiran's strongest follower.
And the others?
Trackers and fighters who had followed the trail all the way here.
They stared at the sight of Li Wei standing alone in this dangerous forest, strong, alive, and looking annoyingly fine.
Their jaws nearly dropped.
That "waste" came into the Forest of Death alone?
At night?
Still alive?
And who killed these monsters?
At first, Li Wang had doubted the clues. He wondered if his men had followed the wrong trail. After all, in his mind, Li Wei was nothing more than a talentless good-for-nothing. A "cultivation cripple." A boy who couldn't even take a single punch from Li Yujing.
So how could Li Wei possibly travel through the Forest of Death alone, kill beasts along the way, and cause the massive uproar they just heard?
Impossible.
Or so Li Wang thought.
As they moved deeper, the sight of scattered beast corpses made his heart sway. Maybe they had followed the wrong person. Surely these kills weren't done by Li Wei… right?
But then came the explosions and tremors, the wild power fluctuations that made even a nine-star warrior like Li Wang pause.
That was when he decided: mistaken or not, they had to check.
And now, standing in the clearing, seeing the scene in front of him, Li Wang's brain almost shut down.
There, covered in soot and dirt, was Li Wei. With Clothes ripped, Hair messy, and face black like charcoal.
And behind him?
There was a huge, circular crater, still steaming.
An unknown silver-furred beast lay twisted at the bottom, completely lifeless. Around them was a giant scorched black field, so cleanly erased it looked like someone had taken a giant brush dipped in fire and wiped away everything.
The grass, stones, trees, everything was gone and replaced only by thick, gray charcoal dust.
The entire group froze.
This… this wasteland… this destruction…
Was this really the "trash" their Young Master Li Meiran wanted to kill?
Li Wang swallowed hard.
His voice cracked a little as he spoke aloud, "You… are you Li Wei?"
He didn't want to believe it. The person standing before him radiated a pressure so heavy, so cold, that it made him, an almost elite warrior powerhouse, instinctively tense.
No mere waste should feel this dangerous.
Li Wei casually brushed dust off his hands and face. "Yeah, I'm Li Wei. And you are?"
Li Wang's pupils contracted.
It really was him.
Impossible.
Impossible.
IMPOSSIBLE.
How could the useless son of the patriarch turn into this monster overnight?
After a long pause, Li Wang finally kept his face straight and said coldly: "So you were hiding your strength all this time… No wonder Li Yujing disappeared. I suppose he's already dead by your hands."
Li Wei raised a brow calmly. "Oh? So you're from Li Meiran's side."
Whatever gratitude he had for them "saving his life" vanished instantly.
These dogs weren't here to help.
They were here to kill him.
And they would've succeeded… if the Wolf King hadn't roared earlier.
What an irony.
Li Wang clasped his hands politely, but his tone was sharp as a blade as he said. "Li Wang greets Young Master Li Wei. But I must ask, where did you hide Li Yujing's body? Killing a Li clan member without cause is a major crime."
Li Wei laughed coldly. "Killing Li clan children is a felony, huh? Then what about him trying to kill me? I'm not a Li clan child?"
Li Wang's eyes narrowed. "Nonsense. Li Yujing respects the rules. Even if he struck you, it was only a joke. But you, you killed him. You killed your own clan member. By law, any clan member has the right to behead you on the spot."
His voice was righteous.
His expression was serious.
He twisted the truth like he was breathing air.
Li Wei's lip curled with contempt. "Oh, so when he attacks me, it's a joke. But if I cut off his head, that's also a joke, right? Why blame me then?"
Li Wang's face darkened. "No matter your argument, you killed your own clan member. I can execute you here and now."
"Really? Then show evidence." Li Wei crossed his arms, completely unfazed.
"You admitted it yourself!" Li Wang snapped, pointing at him. "My men heard it. Isn't that right?"
"Yes!" the men behind him chorused automatically.
Li Wei smirked. "And where's the body? Bring proof."
Li Wang clicked his tongue. Evidence? Of course, there was none; Li Wei had turned the corpse to dust. But he didn't care. He wasn't looking for fairness. He just needed Li Wei dead.
"Evidence?" Li Wang scoffed. "When you're dead, what I say will be evidence!"
He waved his hand sharply.
The four henchmen behind him stepped forward, hostility rolling off their bodies.
Li Wei didn't even blink.
He could see their levels clearly through the Sky Eye Technique.
Four-star warriors.
Five-star warriors.
Nothing more.
Li Wang was a nine-star warrior.
But Li Wei?
He was already a two-star War Division martial artist. Their strength difference was like heaven versus dirt.
Li Wei sighed. "So you really want to do this? Fine. Show me if you can kill me."
He lifted his hand slightly. "Wind Blade."
Shing!
Four crescent-shaped blades of white light flew past him.
Puff… puff… puff… puff!
The blades sliced cleanly through the four henchmen.
For one frozen moment, the men kept walking forward as if nothing had happened.
Then, a breeze blew.
Thin red lines appeared on each of their bodies.
And their top halves slid off, one after another.
Four corpses collapsed to the ground in perfect, bloody halves.
All of them were dead instantly.