"OINK..."
Seeing Lin Li standing his ground, the Wild Boar Beast let out a snort. This time, it took the initiative, stepping forward and slowly approaching him.
It wanted to put some pressure on this tender-skinned human, to force him to turn and run.
The moment he couldn't take it anymore and ran, exposing his back, would be the perfect time for it to strike.
The battle-hardened Wild Boar Beast's strategy was excellent. If Lin Li hadn't heard Hao Zhuang's warning, he, as a novice, would have surely cracked under the pressure of its steady advance and fled, exposing his back.
But now, no matter how relentlessly the Wild Boar Beast closed in, Lin Li had no intention of turning to run.
'Damn it. If turning and running means death, then I'll just have to fight you! The outcome is still far from decided!'
Lin Li gritted his teeth and mobilized the Spiritual Energy in his body, channeling it into the Spiritual Longsword in his hand. He prepared for a life-or-death battle with the approaching Wild Boar Beast.
'Wait, that's not right. Besides turning and running, I have another way to escape with my life.'
Just as Lin Li was steeling himself for a desperate fight with the Wild Boar Beast, a flash of inspiration struck him. A crucial piece of information, one he had overlooked in his panic, surfaced in his mind.
'Damn, I'm such an idiot! My cheat! I'm a guy with a cheat! If I want to get away from this Wild Boar Beast, I can just hide on the Mysterious Small Island.'
The Wild Boar Beast, still advancing on Lin Li, was suddenly taken aback to see a relaxed smile spread across the tender-skinned human's face.
It sensed that, in that instant, all of the human's fear of it had vanished completely.
"Hahaha... With an escape plan like this, as long as I don't get killed in one hit, what the hell do I have to be afraid of?!" Lin Li suddenly burst out laughing, causing the advancing Wild Boar Beast to halt in its tracks.
"Oink..." The Wild Boar Beast grunted in confusion. Seeing the tender-skinned human suddenly burst into laughter, it wondered, 'Has he gone crazy?'
"Stop dawdling and bring it on!" Freed from his worries, Lin Li held out his left hand and crooked his index finger at the Wild Boar Beast.
'Alright, then. The Wild Boar Beast clearly doesn't understand this human gesture of provocation. I'll try another way.'
Lin Li saw the Wild Boar Beast standing there, looking at him like he was an idiot. He promptly lifted his right foot and kicked a small stone from the ground.
"WHOOSH..."
The small stone flew through the air in a parabolic arc and smacked the Wild Boar Beast right on its forehead.
"SNORT..."
Although the small stone hitting its forehead caused no damage, the act was a grave provocation. The Wild Boar Beast's anger instantly flared.
Watching the enraged Wild Boar Beast furiously pawing the ground with its front right leg, Lin Li grinned. 'Heh, this method of provocation is the most direct after all.'
"CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP..."
A flock of birds flew overhead. Spotting the standoff between the man and the beast by the mud pit, they immediately turned around and landed on a large tree not far from the scene, settling in to watch the fight break out.
...
"SNORT..."
After pawing the ground a dozen or so times, the Wild Boar Beast let out a piercing squeal, and a faint golden Spiritual Light materialized around its body.
Lin Li, who no longer had any worries, had been wearing a relaxed expression. But when he saw the faint golden Spiritual Light appear on the Wild Boar Beast, his face immediately turned serious.
Although his current cultivation level wasn't high enough to gauge the Wild Boar Beast's exact strength, seeing it conjure a full-body aura of faint golden Spiritual Light made him think. 'No matter how weak this Wild Boar Beast is, it must be at least at High-Stage Tier One. If it's any stronger, it could very well be at Tier One Peak, same as me.'
'Facing a Mutant Beast of similar strength, if I underestimate it now, I'd be a complete, arrogant fool. I'd deserve to be killed by it.'
Lin Li, who had a generally steady temperament, never considered himself an arrogant fool. The moment he saw the Wild Boar Beast channel its Spiritual Energy, he didn't give it a chance to strike first. Instead, he charged forward and launched his own attack.
This was the right move. Once a stout, brawny Wild Boar Beast began to charge, the slender Lin Li would be unable to meet it head-on. He would be forced to dodge, completely losing the upper hand.
The Wild Boar Beast was inwardly stunned to see the tender-skinned human actually take the initiative to attack it.
After all, just a moment ago, the human had been utterly terrified, constantly backing away, looking for a chance to escape. But now, not only had his fear vanished, he was actively attacking. The beast simply couldn't figure it out.
The two were only about sixteen or seventeen meters apart. Having launched the attack, Lin Li closed the distance in an instant, arriving right in front of the Wild Boar Beast.
He raised the Spiritual Longsword, which was glowing with a faint golden Spiritual Light, and thrust it toward the beast's eye.
The eyes are a vulnerable spot for any living creature. If the Spiritual Longsword found its mark, the Wild Boar Beast would be severely injured, or perhaps even killed on the spot.
"SQUEAL!" With a piercing cry, the Wild Boar Beast dodged to the right.
'Damn, you're so bulky, how are your reflexes this fast?' Lin Li cursed inwardly as his sword strike missed.
He then twisted at the waist, pushed off with his right foot, and lunged again at the dodging Wild Boar Beast.
"OINK..." Faced with Lin Li's renewed lunge, the Wild Boar Beast dodged again.
This time, the Wild Boar Beast failed to evade Lin Li's accelerated attack. The Spiritual Longsword sliced a gash across its rump. Blood immediately gushed out, and the pain sent the beast into a heaven-shaking howl.
'So you're not all that great after all! To think I was so afraid of you,' Lin Li thought, having landed a blow on the Wild Boar Beast. But his elation lasted less than two seconds before he suffered a counterattack.
After letting out that earth-shattering howl, the Wild Boar Beast, its rump gashed by the Spiritual Longsword, abruptly stopped its retreat. It planted its thick, powerful forelegs, kicked hard off the ground, changed direction, and charged violently toward Lin Li.
Its sharp tusks, now coated in a faint golden Spiritual Light, radiated a deadly aura.
'If those things hit me, they'll definitely punch two huge holes right through my body.'
Lin Li hastily dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the Wild Boar Beast's ferocious counter-charge. But just as they passed each other, the beast's massive body suddenly twisted, and its injured rump slammed squarely into Lin Li.
"BAM."
Lin Li, who weighed nearly 155 pounds, was sent flying by the impact from the stout, brawny Wild Boar Beast.
After crashing to the ground, Lin Li scrambled back to his feet. A sharp, stinging pain shot through his left hand; he must have scraped his palm open when he fell.
...