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墨書 Inktalez
The wind rustled through the leaves, creating a chorus of whispers as the branches swayed, casting dappled sunlight that danced across the ground.
In the jungle, Lu Fei Fan hunched his body cautiously as he moved forward. Suddenly, he stopped, crouching down to deftly push aside a branch with his "Fang Tooth Battle Blade," revealing a thin, silver wire stretched across his path, mere inches from his foot.
Lu Fei Fan smiled. This kind of booby trap was indeed concealed, but for someone as seasoned as him, it was rather primitive. Naturally, he saw through it at a glance. Following the wire to its end, he cut the steel wire connected to a buried High-Explosive Mine hidden beneath a pile of dirt and debris, then unstrapped a bulging backpack from his back.
With a swish, Lu Fei Fan unzipped the backpack and tossed the recently disarmed High-Explosive Mine inside. Interestingly, the bag already contained an assortment of Landmine High-Explosive Mines, Hotline Mines, Magnetic Plasma Bombs... a dizzying array that resembled a bundle of explosives.
These were all devices Lu Fei Fan had disarmed along his path. He had to remove them because they completely obstructed his way forward. These were hidden mines laid out by those in practical training exercises. However, Lu Fei Fan had been dismantling them whenever he stumbled upon one or when they impeded his progress.
Initially, he would have placed the mines elsewhere like those in training exercises so he could return later to collect them—perhaps even capturing some creatures or... other unfortunate trainees who might fall victim to them. In time, the beasts they hunted would become spoils for those who set these traps.
What seemed like simple traps were actually cunning psychological games.
If this Practical Assessment counted the dismantling of Landmines as part of the score, Lu Fei Fan would undoubtedly excel. Eventually, he grew impatient with the number of Landmines he had disarmed and decided to simply toss them into his backpack. The backpack itself was something he had picked up along the way; he didn’t know who had left it behind, but it served him well for now.
Along his journey through the minefield, he also came across several corpses of other creatures. He meticulously harvested useful parts such as ears, hooves, and tails—these would likely be used to calculate scores in the assessment. Even if he didn’t sell them, Lu Fei Fan had another plan in mind that could yield substantial profit. Thus, in addition to dismantling Landmines, he continuously collected trophies from slain beasts.
After finishing with this particular Landmine, he hoisted up his heavy backpack and continued onward. Just a few hundred meters later, he encountered several Iron Tooth Hounds. A battle erupted between these fierce and aggressive beasts with iron-hard teeth and a human burdened by a large pack.
After several encounters, Lu Fei Fan had become adept with his Fang Tooth Battle Blade. Facing off against the attacking Iron Tooth Hounds, he was able to withstand their coordinated assault; their strength was comparable to that of the basic AI enemies simulated by "Heroes" during training.
Half an hour later, Lu Fei Fan decided to end the fight after understanding the combat characteristics of the Iron Tooth Hounds. Realizing that his Military Knife techniques were no longer beneficial against them, he targeted their bellies and necks with each strike—swift and precise. In just three cuts, these Iron Tooth Hounds lost all fighting capability and fell into a pool of blood with reluctant howls.
Then he cut off their ears and stuffed them into his backpack. Glancing at the sun overhead, he continued onward, feeling a bit thirsty and planning to find a water source to quench his thirst.
After walking for about ten minutes, Lu Fei Fan had not found any water source, but he did manage to pick some unknown wild fruits to satisfy his hunger. It was then that he realized the supplies provided to the References did not include any water.
While enjoying the wild fruits, a beastly roar startled a flock of birds in the forest.
Roar—
Lu Fei Fan followed the sound and saw not far away in the wilderness, a giant one-eyed bear over two meters tall was engaged in battle with a man.
It was the Iron Wall Bear!
This type of Iron Wall Bear was known for its brutality and ferocity, with claws that possessed immense strength. If you offended it, it would relentlessly pursue you until you were dead. He watched as it swiped its paw, and with one careless hit on a tree or a rock, they were instantly shattered into pieces. The sheer power was terrifying, and its furious roars signified an uncontrollable rage.
The man fighting the giant bear appeared cautious. Dressed in a simple Samurai Outfit, he wielded a Wide-Bladed Knife. His knife techniques were not particularly impressive, and his Pulse Energy cultivation was also mediocre. However, Lu Fei Fan noticed that this man was able to hold his ground against the Iron Wall Bear, even reaching a stalemate, thanks to a peculiar footwork technique.
"Hmm? What is this..." Lu Fei Fan stroked his chin as he observed the man's footwork. It varied between fast and slow, each time just barely dodging the Iron Wall Bear's attacks while using the Wide-Bladed Knife to counterattack. Yet, the Iron Wall Bear's physique was incredibly robust; it endured four or five strikes without sustaining any significant injury, which only served to further infuriate it.
Returning to the matter at hand, why was the Iron Wall Bear so enraged at this man? Could it be...
Lu Fei Fan shifted his gaze and indeed saw a child-sized Iron Wall Bear lying on the grass in the distance. That must be the offspring of the Iron Wall Bear... It seemed likely that this man had killed the bear's child, provoking its wrath. Naturally, it sought revenge and aimed to tear him apart to quell its anger—this was a brutal law of nature's food chain.
However, Lu Fei Fan was more interested in this man's agility and footwork. He skillfully maneuvered around the Iron Wall Bear, darting left and right, advancing and retreating swiftly without engaging in a contest of strength. He understood that his Pulse Energy and physical power were no match for the Iron Wall Bear.
He circled around the Iron Wall Bear, evading its slow but relentless attacks while gradually wearing down its strength. With each strike, he added more wounds to the Iron Wall Bear's body, moving with a grace that resembled a dance within a confined space. Lu Fei Fan watched intently for a while, finally beginning to discern some patterns.
This movement technique, though seemingly simple, concealed profound intricacies. Lu Fei Fan grasped the rhythm: the man's footwork shifted among nine different positions, alternating between rapid and slow movements. It emphasized sudden advances and retreats, creating feints to confuse his opponent and exploit openings for attack. However, this style was also fraught with danger; any miscalculation or error in judgment could cost him his life.
Several times, the man found himself nearly caught by the Iron Wall Bear's claws. Fortunately, the bear's strength had diminished from earlier, allowing him to withstand a few strikes without succumbing to its ferocity.
Finally, seizing an opportunity when the Iron Wall Bear was momentarily fatigued, the man leaped forward with his blade raised. With a swift motion, he cleaved through the bear's neck, blood spraying forth. In its final moments, the Iron Wall Bear let out a roar of defiance before collapsing to the ground, unable to avenge its young.
In this brutal law of survival—where it was either you or your opponent—there was no room for mercy. Only when one became powerful enough could they afford to speak of compassion.
The man exhaled deeply and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His back was drenched in perspiration; his Samurai Outfit was completely soaked. This had been a significant test and challenge for him. Thankfully, he was nearing the completion of his Practical Assessment; this marked the fourth Iron Wall Bear he had hunted today. Just one more remained to fulfill his mission.
Dealing with this enraged Iron Wall Bear had taken him nearly an hour, but he had finally succeeded in killing it. Throughout the ordeal, he had remained focused; even when he sensed someone watching him from behind, he did not dare let his guard down.
As he struck down the Iron Wall Bear, he turned to glance in Lu Fei Fan's direction where he had last seen him among the bushes. He carefully used Pulse Energy to scan for any signs of energy in that area but found nothing. With a resigned shake of his head, he realized that Lu Fei Fan had long since departed.
Earlier, as Lu Fei Fan observed this man grow increasingly anxious during the final moments of his hunt, he had lost interest and quietly slipped away.
Ten minutes later, Lu Fei Fan was engaged in battle with two Venomous Nest Spiders in a desolate swampy forest.
These two Venomous Nest Spiders were not the largest of their kind, so they were not his ideal targets. However, after observing their movements earlier, he felt a surge of excitement. Coincidentally, he had entered the territory of the Venomous Nest Spiders, deducing that this area was likely a hunting ground for them. Therefore, he drew his Fang Zhan Dao and charged at the two relatively weaker Venomous Nest Spiders.
His footwork began to mimic that of the person he had observed in his mind—retreating and advancing swiftly, alternating between feints and solid strikes. From the initial awkward imitation, he had gained a semblance of skill through the experience of combat.
As he dealt with the two Venomous Nest Spiders, Lu Fei Fan muttered his stolen insights: “Dodge left and right; in the void, strike like a dragon. The hawk flips and returns, moving through the nine palaces without pause.”
He repeated it over and over; it had a nice rhythm to it. Indeed, the opponent's movements were as intricate as navigating a grid, requiring great finesse.
However, he was so engrossed in practicing his footwork that he lost control of his Fang Zhan Dao. With two powerful strikes akin to a mountain splitting open, he swiftly severed the limbs of both Venomous Nest Spiders, causing them to collapse lifelessly.
“Oops.” He slapped his forehead in frustration. Reluctantly, he opened their abdomens to retrieve their Spider Sacs and tossed them into his backpack before moving on. His luck was good; deeper in the withered forest, he spotted three or four more Venomous Nest Spiders.
Without hesitation, Lu Fei Fan’s eyes sparkled as he drew his blade and charged forward again, continuously reciting his summarized mantra like an obsessed training fanatic.
“Dodge left and right; in the void, strike like a dragon. The hawk flips and returns, moving through the nine palaces without pause… Ah! This is exhilarating! With this footwork, fighting in groups is so much more enjoyable! Hahaha! Bring it on, spiders!”
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