Chapter 29: Slaying Beasts

The massive spirit ship soared through the sky, slicing open layers of clouds along the way.

From afar it looked like a spirit sword slashing through the heavens, leaving behind only a faint trace.

Yun Hao sat cross-legged on a small boat-shaped spirit artifact.

The small wooden table in front of him was piled high with spirit fruits and snacks, yet he currently had little appetite.

Wang Yi opposite him had shown an unusual warmth ever since seeing him, leaving Yun Hao somewhat unable to cope.

“Senior Brother, this is a Tu Yi fruit. It’s sweet and refreshing. Please try one.”

Wang Yi smiled constantly while introducing the various rare fruits on the table, hoping Yun Hao would eat a few more and remember him.

That way they could recognize each other when they met in the future.

But Yun Hao was not very interested and barely touched the spirit fruits.

He only wanted to reach the Black Beast Mountain Range safely, complete the sect mission, and return to Proud Sword Sect as soon as possible to resume the leisurely life of accompanying Senior Sister.

He shook his head lightly and politely declined Wang Yi’s kindness.

“Senior Brother, please just call me Yun Hao. You are older than me and your cultivation is higher. I don’t deserve to be called Senior Brother by you.”

Yun Hao’s words left Wang Yi feeling flattered.

Inner sect disciples with such a gentle temperament were extremely rare.

Normally they were supposed to be extremely arrogant by nature.

For a moment Wang Yi did not know how to respond, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and smiled as he explained.

“Senior Brother is overthinking. You are an inner sect disciple and I am an outer sect disciple. According to sect rules, I should address you as Senior Brother.”

Before Yun Hao could react, he continued.

“Senior Brother has come out this time to complete your first sect training mission, right?”

Wang Yi wanted to build rapport by starting with recent events around Yun Hao and see if there was anything he could help with.

Yun Hao saw that Wang Yi had brought up the training topic himself and no longer minded the form of address.

He nodded and followed Wang Yi’s lead.

“Senior Brother is correct. This time I need to slay five Miye Deer and bring back their antlers as proof.”

Wang Yi’s eyes lit up with delight when he heard this.

This was the simplest possible mission.

He could casually call over any Foundation Establishment outer sect disciple and it would be done.

Not to mention five—even fifty would be no problem.

He thought for a moment and probed carefully.

“Five Miye Deer aren’t difficult at all. There’s no need for Senior Brother to act personally. How about I collect them for you?”

Yun Hao frowned.

He was not the type to use crooked shortcuts, and this went against the immortal path that Senior Sister and Elder Lin had taught him.

He felt slightly displeased, as if Senior Sister and Elder Lin had been slighted.

But then he remembered that Wang Yi meant well and was trying to help, so he still refused politely.

“This is my own training mission. There is no need for Senior Brother to trouble himself.”

Wang Yi saw Yun Hao reject him outright and wanted to try again, but he caught sight of Yun Hao’s faintly furrowed brows and realized it was no longer appropriate.

He cupped his hands with a smile.

“Haha, I was being presumptuous. Miye Deer usually stay in the outer areas. Once we reach the Black Beast Mountain Range, Senior Brother only needs to go a little deeper to find them. There is no need to venture too far inside.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. Yun Hao is deeply grateful.”

In the end Wang Yi still told Yun Hao about the Miye Deer’s habits and activity range.

Since Yun Hao insisted on completing the mission alone, giving him some tips was still helpful.

After that neither of them spoke again.

They sat cross-legged inside the boat, regulating their breathing and striving to restore themselves to peak condition.

…

Two hours later, the spirit ship landed with a rumbling sound and Yun Hao’s group’s training officially began.

“Remember, you have two days to complete the mission the sect assigned you. Two days later, whether you have finished or not, you must return here to assemble. Otherwise you will have to make your own way back to the sect alone!”

Wang Yi announced the deadline to all the disciples.

His voice was deep and powerful, as if it could pierce the soul, shaking everyone awake.

Yun Hao listened quietly among them.

Over the past month he had not only practiced combat with Elder Lin but had also read many basic texts about the cultivation world.

He already knew common knowledge about rare spirit fruits, exotic flowers and trees, and ordinary demon beasts.

Miye Deer were low-level demon beasts that lived in small family groups of three to five.

It was easy to defeat them one by one.

As long as he was not surrounded and attacked simultaneously, they posed no threat.

A quarter-hour later, Wang Yi had finished explaining everything that needed to be said.

He waved his hand to signal that the mission had officially begun, then walked into the spirit boat to meditate.

Most of the surrounding disciples immediately scattered in all directions.

They were veterans who had completed missions before and naturally knew what to do.

The remaining disciples gathered together, planning to face their first challenge as a group.

Some even came to invite Yun Hao to join them, but he shook his head and refused each time.

He had already received help from Elder Lin, Senior Sister, and even Wang Yi.

If he still could not complete the mission alone, it would truly be embarrassing.

He could not accept that version of himself.

Yun Hao thought carefully.

Miye Deer generally lived among thick shrubs and had very strong territorial instincts.

They marked their territory with dung.

He only needed to follow this clue and search slowly to find them.

Following the Miye Deer’s habits, he gradually made his way deeper into the mountain range.

But Yun Hao soon realized things were not as simple as he had imagined.

While searching for the Miye Deer he accidentally wandered into the territory of a Foundation Establishment giant bear.

And the giant bear happened to be in a bad mood.

It chased after Yun Hao in a frenzy of attacks.

If he had not cultivated the Wind Shadow Art and possessed extreme speed, he might not have escaped at all.

Actually, during the chase Yun Hao felt that if he fought head-on he could defeat the giant bear.

He only needed to use the Wind Shadow Art to move quickly, slowly wear down its condition, then look for an opening to strike a vital point with a killing blow.

But there was no need.

His main goal was still to find the Miye Deer.

Wasting spiritual power on the giant bear was not a good choice.

After the accidental encounter with the giant bear’s territory he became even more cautious.

He relied on traces in the leaves and shrubs, giant beast footprints on the ground, dung, and other signs to determine whether Miye Deer were nearby.

After searching for half a day, Yun Hao finally spotted their tracks on a sloped hillside.

He hid downwind.

Miye Deer were low-level demon beasts that mainly relied on scent to detect enemies nearby.

They were classified as demon beasts at the early Qi Refining stage because adult Miye Deer could spit flames.

Ordinary cultivators found those flames hard to resist.

Yun Hao waited patiently for an opportunity.

He crouched low, hidden among the trees, and drew the iron sword he had received when he joined the sect.

He focused completely on observing the Miye Deer’s movements.

He did not plan to attack actively until the last moment.

He was alone, while there were seven or eight Miye Deer.

Even if he killed one, the others might not engage him and he would have to search again.

Steady your mind. A little closer… just a little closer!

Yun Hao chanted silently in his heart.

The spiritual power in his qi sea was on the verge of overflowing.

As long as these Miye Deer came just a little closer, he could burst out instantly and slay them.

The chance is here!

In an instant Yun Hao fully activated the Wind Shadow Art, pushing his speed to the limit.

The rest of his spiritual power wrapped around the iron sword in his hand.

Under this enhancement, in the space of a single breath the heads of the three foremost Miye Deer flew high into the air, severed by Yun Hao’s blade.

Of the remaining four, two reacted extremely quickly and fled at once.

The other two howled and charged straight at Yun Hao.

Yun Hao held his breath and focused.

He leaped with full strength to dodge one Miye Deer’s charge, then twisted his right hand.

His sword shattered the incoming red fireball.

Using the momentum he swung out a spiritual blade and another Miye Deer collapsed.

The last one finally realized the situation was wrong.

They were facing an opponent they could not resist.

It turned and ran.

You still want to escape? You’re not getting away!

Yun Hao activated the Wind Shadow Art.

In two or three breaths he caught up behind the final Miye Deer.

While it was still panicking, Yun Hao’s sword sliced off its head.

The entire process of Yun Hao slaying the Miye Deer took only a dozen breaths.

Besides the ambush, the most important factor was his perfect mastery of the Wind Shadow Art.

He had raised his speed to a level even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could not match.

The first training mission went quite smoothly.

He looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.

A relaxed feeling instantly filled his body.

He cleaned the bloodstained iron sword, cut off all the Miye Deer antlers, and stored them inside his token.

Then he left the area.