Volume One: First Signs of Distinction Chapter Seventy-Nine: Confirmation!

The Blood Wolf Valley was less than two hours’ journey from Peaceful Town.

Along the way, Wang Jue noticed that there were even more people heading to Blood Wolf Valley than he had expected, and he couldn’t help but worry about possible conflicts with them.

After all, he realized that lone travelers like himself were rare among those going to Blood Wolf Valley.

Most were in groups of five or six, some seven or eight, and there were even teams of more than a dozen. It was clear that Blood Wolf Valley had become a lucrative destination for martial artists.

Wang Jue didn’t think he would return empty-handed, but he also didn’t dare to expect a bountiful harvest.

His aim this time was simply to see for himself what Blood Wolf Valley was like, and perhaps hunt a few lone blood wolves for some money to use in the virtual combat chambers.

He had no real intentions of making a fortune.

From what he had read, ordinary blood wolves were first-rank star beasts, the leaders were second-rank, and the wolf king was third-rank.

With his current strength, it was doubtful whether he could even handle a leader, let alone a wolf king.

Naturally, the martial artists who came to Blood Wolf Valley were at least at the ninth level of Body Tempering, most at the Spirit Nurturing stage, and a few at the Scarlet Star stage.

While those at Body Tempering could only deal with ordinary blood wolves, the Spirit Nurturing warriors would specifically target the pack leaders, and if they had the numbers or happened upon an injured wolf king, they wouldn’t hesitate to strike.

As for those at the Scarlet Star stage, they hunted wolf kings and also searched for rare herbs.

Blood Wolf Valley was simply too vast; no one knew how many wolf packs it truly contained.

And besides the wolves, there were rare medicinal herbs growing in the more remote, seldom-trodden areas.

Compared to the materials one could harvest from star beasts, a single first-rank herb could easily fetch hundreds of thousands, even a million if luck favored you.

Anyone with sense would know which was more profitable!

…

Soon, Wang Jue, moving along with the crowd, arrived outside Blood Wolf Valley.

Yet, unlike the other teams, he did not enter immediately.

He exhaled slowly, watching the biting, knife-like wind sweep across his face, then stepped into this barren land.

Ever since he’d broken through to the Body Tempering realm, his physical strength had increased severalfold—already surpassing the limits of Body Tempering and approaching the first or even second level of Spirit Nurturing.

Yet even so, as he entered Blood Wolf Valley, he could feel the chill cutting right to his bones.

Traveling alone, Wang Jue did not rush ahead. Instead, he stood quietly at the entrance, surveying his surroundings.

All around stretched blood-red earth, with only pockets of green—flowers, grasses, trees—dotting the landscape. The rest was blood-colored soil, or rather, gravel left behind after the topsoil had eroded.

Looking at the trees, one would hardly suspect that this was a dangerous place; it seemed no different from any other mountain valley.

But what truly surprised Wang Jue was that the color of the sky above the valley was unlike the world outside.

A blood-red mist shrouded almost the entire valley, the dark crimson hue making it seem as if Blood Wolf Valley were a world unto itself, cut off from reality, even though plants flourished within.

But the ever-present, biting wind that stung his face was enough to mark this as an extremely harsh environment.

Dust and sand, whipped up by the wind, filled the valley with an air of desolation.

In the distance, the valley seemed filled with a baleful energy; the wind mixed with this aura, making the air feel haunted, as though something was always watching…

Suppressing his unease, Wang Jue stepped forward, leaving footprints of varying depth in the gravel.

Soon the wind swept by, erasing his tracks, leaving everything as it was—as if no one had ever passed.

He walked for half an hour or more, but never saw any sign of blood wolf activity.

On reflection, the business of hunting blood wolves had gone on for some time; no doubt, any wolves near the exit had long since been cleared out by the adventuring teams.

Resigned, he continued deeper into the valley.

As he pressed on, the blood-red of the land deepened, and as the terrain rose and fell, the once-open view became blocked by forests of mingled scarlet and green.

Suddenly, Wang Jue halted and looked left, toward the edge of the blood-red forest. Several objects lay sprawled in the grass, crushed and mangled.

As he approached, his expression grew grave.

Corpses.

They were the bodies of both humans and blood wolves.

Four were blood wolf carcasses, but seven were human remains, chewed so badly they were almost unrecognizable.

Judging by the size of their bones, he could just make out that they were five men and two women, most likely an adventuring party.

From the battle marks nearby, it was clear that this group had encountered a large pack of blood wolves and been overwhelmed.

Otherwise, the four blood wolf corpses would surely have been dealt with as well.

Wang Jue frowned slightly and moved closer.

Unlike human corpses, he had never before seen a blood wolf’s body up close.

Each was about two and a half meters long, with blood-red fur, powerful limbs ending in sharp claws, and four fangs nearly twenty centimeters long jutting from their jaws—a truly fearsome sight.

He touched the congealed blood and deduced that the battle had occurred not long ago.

Then he turned his attention to the blood wolf corpses.

Without hesitation, Wang Jue drew his sword and expertly dissected the four carcasses.

His ease came from having accompanied Lan Yiyi and her team on hunts before; though he’d only handled one or two himself, he’d watched Lin Mu and the others enough to know the process.

During the dissection, he noticed that, likely due to the panicked attacks of the adventurers, three of the wolves’ pelts were badly damaged, their bones hacked apart beyond recognition.

But Wang Jue didn’t mind the loss.

The fangs and claws of the three wolves were intact, and one even had a blood pearl inside.

He also searched the human corpses for spoils and found the party’s previous loot: twenty-four fangs, four blood pearls, twenty-two undamaged bones, four complete but blood-stained pelts, and two more that were only slightly damaged.

A rough calculation showed that he had easily netted over a hundred thousand.

He considered searching the mangled bodies for anything else, but seeing that their armor was in tatters and empty potion vials lay scattered around, he abandoned the idea.

It seemed they’d resorted to potions in a desperate final effort—only to lose their lives regardless.

Not wanting to waste time, Wang Jue bundled up his spoils.

Since there was too much to carry, he buried the seven corpses in a pit, then hid the loot nearby, marking the spot before climbing the nearest large tree to scout ahead.

If the valley’s edge was already this dangerous, the depths would be even more so.

The brutal state of the corpses sent a chill through him—a seven-person team wiped out so easily! He was alone; the risk was obvious.

What’s more, his gains were already substantial. If he turned back now, it wouldn’t be a wasted trip.

So should he go on?

After a moment’s hesitation, Wang Jue pressed forward.

“No,” he told himself, “how can I give up halfway on my first solo hunt?”

In an instant, his resolve was set: “A sword would rather break than bend; a man must have unyielding bones. I cannot retreat, nor leave any future regrets!”

Since becoming a martial artist, Wang Jue’s character had begun to change, though he hadn’t noticed it himself.

Especially as a student of the sword—one must charge ever forward, cutting down all cowardice within.

Rising again, Wang Jue ventured deeper.

He even hoped to encounter a blood wolf soon, to truly taste the edge of life and death.

Only such trials could unlock his potential, increase his combat experience, and deepen his understanding of the martial path.

Undeniably, it was a dangerous way.

But it was the most effective.

Life-and-death combat was the greatest forge.

If Wang Jue wanted to rise above others in this world of martial supremacy, he had to steel his heart.

…

Deep in the valley, Wang Jue pushed aside the branches blocking his view, ready to move on, only for his expression to grow serious.

Not far ahead, a blood wolf was feasting on half a corpse.

He instantly became alert.

Carefully hiding himself, he scanned the surroundings. Seeing no other wolves, he realized it was a lone blood wolf.

“Blood wolves are even more cunning than other wolves, masters of forest combat…”

Information flashed through Wang Jue’s mind. Taking advantage of the wolf’s distraction, he crept forward step by step.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

Ten meters…

Suddenly, the blood wolf stopped tearing at the corpse, about to look back.

Wang Jue, sword in hand, sprang into action.

“Now!”

With a fierce look, he pushed off with all his strength.

With a swish, he shot out like an arrow, his masterful footwork carrying him nearly ten meters in one step. He descended in front of the blood wolf, star power flowing along his sword.

The next instant, the icy blade slashed down in a sweeping arc.

A spray of blood arced out as the wolf’s massive head flew.

Dead in an instant.

It all happened in a flash.

From the charge to the sweep of his sword, the fight was over before any of the imagined scenarios in Wang Jue’s mind could play out—the lone blood wolf was slain.

Clutching his sword, Wang Jue felt a strange sensation—he wasn’t unsettled at all, but rather eager for more.

“Could it be because of those killings back when I fought the Black Dragon Gang?”

The thought flashed through his mind. Shaking it off, he checked the notification panel before him.

[Star Source 1, Experience 100!]

As expected.

Killing star beasts did grant star source points!

His guess confirmed, Wang Jue couldn’t help but feel exhilarated.

After all, being able to gain star source points by hunting star beasts was far better for him than spending money to absorb star energy stones.