In the Qin River Forest, Nangong Ling drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The projectile streaked like a shooting star, severing a shadow wolf's leg. The wounded beast fled with its tail between its legs.
Nangong Ling was a handsome youth of seventeen or eighteen, his yellow robes exuding an air of nobility. Around him, peers of similar age radiated exceptional grace, their admiration for his archery skills bordering on worship.
Only Wei Yu, a stern-faced young man, asked, "Brother Nangong, why not finish it with another arrow?"
Nangong Ling burst into laughter. "Wei Yu, you don't understand. If I kill it now, I'd have to hunt another beast. Why waste time searching one by one? Shadow wolves hold grudges and travel in packs. Letting it live will bring me more points."
Wei Yu gave a thumbs-up. "Truly the top genius among the Eight Clans - unmatched in strength among our generation, and peerless in wisdom."
"Not at all, Brother Wei," Nangong Ling replied, though pride couldn't help but show on his face. "You're no less exceptional."
Nangong Ling bowed to the group. "Everyone, when the shadow wolf pack comes, I can't handle them alone. I'll be counting on your assistance then!"
Everyone's eyes lit up at these words, their hearts swelling with delight. This was practically handing them extra points! And the way he said it was so pleasing to the ear.
"With Nangong Ling looking after us, we'll be classmates in a month."
"Once we're enrolled, we must never forget Nangong Ling's help!"
"From now on, Nangong Ling is our leader. If he tells us to catch chickens, we won't play around!"
Wei Yu stood to the side, his expression remaining calm as ever, though a flicker of wariness now danced in his eyes.
On the surface, he and Nangong Ling were both members of the Eight Clans and close friends. But only Wei Yu knew the truth - Nangong Ling would never truly consider anyone a friend!
Howl!
The cries of shadow wolves echoed through the Qin River Forest, their eerie green eyes glowing in the darkness.
Nangong Ling's face paled. Why were there so many shadow wolves? The rustling of leaves intensified as the pack closed in around them.
These shadow wolves, as sturdy as oxen with claws sharper than steel, were mid-level demonic beasts. Their combat strength equaled that of humans in the Qi Gathering Realm. While individually not exceptional, in a pack...
"We might be in over our heads," Wei Yu said gravely. "We're only thirteen people. Apart from you and me, who are at the early Qi Sea Realm, the rest are all in the Qi Gathering Realm - mid to late stages. And there must be over thirty of those wolves!"
Nangong Ling feigned composure. "With my archery skills, what difference does it make how many come?"
The others nodded, bolstered by his confidence. They placed absolute trust in Nangong Ling's marksmanship—every arrow found its mark with lethal precision.
A louder howl erupted from the wolf pack. This time, even Nangong Ling couldn't maintain his facade. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"The pack leader is a high-level demonic beast!" Wei Yu's pupils contracted.
"Are all those so-called experts just eating dry rice? How could they let a high-level demonic beast into our assessment area?" Nangong Ling's voice carried bitter resentment.
The group's faces paled. Even Nangong Ling and Wei Yu might struggle against such a creature, let alone thirty shadow wolves.
"Are we really going to die here today?" A girl's voice trembled on the verge of tears.
Panic rippled through the group.
"Shit, no wonder they have so many points. They're just grinding them out like this?" Qin Yang and his two companions perched on a massive tree, each occupying a separate branch as they observed the scene.
"But why aren't they climbing trees? Are they that stubborn? Trying to fight it out?"
"Even Ultimate Twelve Protection can't play it this recklessly," Qin Yang muttered to himself.
Jin Wanshan and Lou Mengyu heard his words, but only half understood their meaning.
"It looks like they're in a fierce battle. Should we go help?" Lou Mengyu asked.
"You two stay here and keep watch. I'll handle it alone," Qin Yang said after a moment's thought.
Lou Mengyu opened her mouth to protest, but Jin Wanshan nodded before she could speak. "Alright, be careful."
The swift agreement nearly made Qin Yang slip and fall from the tree. The fat man knew how to read the situation - he understood the wolf pack held absolute dominance.
With the battle about to erupt, Qin Yang didn't wait. He leaped from the tree and charged forward.
"What do we do now?" Wei Yu whispered. The others were already in disarray.
Nangong Ling frowned. "We really messed up this time. If it wasn't for the alpha wolf, we might have stood a chance. But..."
At that moment, the alpha wolf gave the attack command. All shadow wolves lunged forward.
"Face them! Running will only mean certain death!" Nangong Ling roared, nocking three arrows on his bowstring and loosing them in rapid succession.
Three shadow wolves fell to arrows, but the remaining pack closed the distance in an instant.
Hand-to-hand combat erupted as Nangong Ling's battle prowess plummeted. In stark contrast, Wei Yu's strength shone through - each shadow wolf met its end with a single punch, despite both cultivators being at the early Qi Sea Realm stage.
The others fared poorly. Clumped together, they barely dented the wolf numbers while sustaining heavy injuries themselves.
The shadow wolves' intelligence showed as they swiftly targeted the most dangerous opponent. More wolves swarmed Wei Yu, limiting his movements. While this eased pressure on the others, it also slowed the wolf casualties.
Wei Yu's true qi burned dangerously low. The alpha hadn't even moved yet - when it did, the strike would undoubtedly target him!
A glance at Nangong Ling revealed the cultivator retreating while fighting. "I'm just creating distance for my attacks!" Nangong Ling called out.
Wei Yu cursed inwardly. The others had already bought into it, even going so far as to cover for Nangong Ling, treating him as their last hope for survival.
Howl! A pained cry from a shadow wolf made all the creatures freeze in unison.
Everyone turned toward the sound, drawing in sharp breaths.
The head wolf, which had been poised to strike, lay defeated—a single punch to the head had taken it down!
"Damn! They weren't kidding about its bronze skull and iron bones!" Qin Yang shook his numb hand. Even his full Qi Sea Realm strength, channeled through the Racing Thunder Fist, had left him this shaken. What would happen to someone with weaker cultivation? A single strike might shatter their hand!
Qin Yang surveyed the scene and smiled. "Carry on," he said. "Those who fight, continue. Those who flee, escape."
With that, he fixed his gaze on Nangong Ling.
Nangong Ling had long since reached bow range, and the shadow wolves around him were being held at bay by the others. Yet he hadn't fired a single arrow, instead maintaining a growing distance from the pack.
Had Qin Yang arrived even a moment later, Wei Yu and the others might never have seen Nangong Ling again!
The group eyed Nangong Ling with suspicion. Only Wei Yu narrowed his eyes, remaining silent.
A vicious glint flashed in Nangong Ling's eyes as he insisted, "I was waiting for the perfect shot at the head wolf! As they say, 'Kill the horse first to take down the rider; capture the king to defeat the bandits!'"
He began nocking arrows as he spoke, targeting shadow wolves. "This brat's been stealing our points and sowing discord! Don't believe a word he says! Who knows what schemes he's hatching? For all we know, he's the one controlling these shadow wolves!"