Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 28 Nighttime Hunt

Shu Hongjing's expression froze for a moment, then he said with a strange look, "If he is the son of Liujindao, then it should be true. This kid didn't lie to you, he really is a genius, and I heard that his movement technique is even subtle."

Shu Yi asked with great concern, "What happened to him the other day?"

"The incident that happened recently is a grudge between the older generation and has nothing to do with you young people. The gold... gilded knife has been dealt with now."

Upon hearing this, Shu Hongjing seemed to have thought of something, and he asked with great interest, "What secret manual is that kid practicing?"

Shu Yi replied directly, "He cultivates the 'Wind Slash'." She knew about this; back then at the Thunder Martial Arts Academy, someone had speculated about the secret manual Ning Ze was cultivating.

"Wind Slash? Are you sure he said he's mastered the first level?" Shu Hongjing leaned forward excitedly, almost as if he were about to collapse onto the table.

Shu Yi didn't understand why her grandfather was so agitated. Even a martial artist couldn't log into a martial arts forum, but she still replied earnestly, "It's definitely 'Wind Slash'."

"Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

Shu Hongjing laughed heartily.

"Grandpa, what's wrong? Is he really that amazing?" Shuyi asked curiously.

"Impressive?" Shu Hongjing shook his head and smiled. "Impressive is an understatement. To be able to successfully cultivate the first level of a top-tier secret manual is one in ten thousand. If the time limit were extended to two months, I estimate that only one or two people in our Yangzhou district, or even the Jiangnan base city, would produce such a feat every year!"

"If what he said is true..."

"What's wrong?" Shuyi stared with her adorable big eyes, waiting for what would happen next.

Shu Hongjing joked, "If what he said is true, then hurry up and marry him!"

"Grandpa!" Shu Yi said coquettishly, and started to squirm shyly. She was still in school. Although many of her classmates were already married, and she often fantasized about getting married, she had never thought about getting married so early.

Shu Hongjing said with a serious face, "Grandpa isn't forcing you, but just reminding you. If he really has this kind of talent, you'd better hurry up. It's good that it hasn't been shown yet, but once people discover his talent, all sorts of rich young ladies will flock to him. At that time, this young man might not be able to resist the temptation... It will be too late to regret it then, and crying to Grandpa won't help."

"He wouldn't dare!" Shu Yi exclaimed anxiously, biting her bright red lips, her eyes thoughtful and filled with jealousy.

Shu Hongjing smiled without saying a word. He didn't know how much Ning Ze liked Shu Yi, but he could tell that his granddaughter really liked that boy.

The room fell silent.

After daydreaming about marriage for a while, Shuyi came back to her senses.

When she looked up, she saw a face full of mockery.

Shu Yi's face, which had just returned to normal, flushed red again. She whispered, "Grandpa, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Grandpa was wondering if you would kick me out if this weren't my room," Shu Hongjing joked.

"How could I possibly kick you out?" Shu Yi stubbornly denied it, but she looked restless.

Shu Hongjing smiled and said, "If you want to contact him, just do so. In the wilderness, communicators are usually muted, so there's no need to pinpoint a specific time. He'll reply if he has time."

After what happened at home, Shuyi did want to seek comfort from Ningze, but after thinking about the time, she said somewhat dejectedly, "He always replies to my messages after waking up early in the morning."

Shu Hongjing was a little puzzled and asked, "Woke up so early in the morning? Weren't you supposed to be preparing to hunt monsters at night?"

Shu Yi frowned slightly and replied, "He did contact me at night before, but this time when we went to the wilderness, he said he was going to hunt monsters at night."

Shu Hongjing's expression suddenly changed. Seeing his granddaughter about to look up, he quickly regained his composure and pretended to ponder, saying, "It might be related to the monsters we hunt. Some teams also hunt monsters at night."

As he said this, he silently added to himself, "These are all warrior squads comprised of warriors at the level of generals. They all prefer to hunt monsters at night. Among the beast general-level monsters, the predators are the ones that actively seek out the night; only valuable monsters dare to come out, provided you have the strength to hunt them."

Shu Yi finally sent Ning Ze a message, and the grandfather and grandson chatted casually for a while.

tonight.

The wilderness area is exceptionally quiet.

Through the broken window frame, the moon peeked into the room. Under the silvery moonlight, five blurry figures could be vaguely seen. Some were sitting cross-legged, while others were lying flat on the ground. What they had in common was that their faces and bodies were stained with dark red blood.

The roars of the nearby monsters had disappeared, and even the chirping of insects was gone. Only faint, strange, sharp, or low moans could be heard from afar.

"Squeak~"

The swaying broken window frame swung back and forth, and a figure darted in unnoticed.

"You're back?"

As a greeting rang out, everyone sleeping in the room awoke.

Under the moonlight, pairs of dark, white eyes were exceptionally clear, and they all looked toward the center of the room.

There stood a young man who was about 1.8 meters tall. Because he was backlit by the moonlight, his face was not visible. Behind him, which was illuminated by the moonlight, was a bright red color, and there was a liquid flowing out like pulsating blood vessels.

He stood proudly, a silver-white longsword with many nicks and chips beside him, and the ominous aura made the air in the room seem heavy.

"Tick-tock!"

"Tick-tock!"

As a terrifying sound rang out, a stench filled the room.

"Uncle Zuo, I think we should go somewhere else tomorrow; there are fewer monsters here."

"If we stay any longer, we'll probably be discovered by a lord-level monster. If they find that we have fewer men, they'll definitely hunt us down."

Zuo Xingyuan sat up helplessly, as if he had been dragged up by someone.

His lips twitched violently. He didn't want to move; he wanted to go back to the base city!

But how could he possibly admit defeat in front of a junior?

He could only try to reason with him and appeal to his emotions, saying, "We've been out for half a month, and everyone's tired. Your Uncle Yang probably doesn't have many bullets left."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chao quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes! I'm almost out of bullets. I'll be in danger after one more battle. If I run out of ammunition and supplies, then I'll be in real trouble."

These past few days have been absolutely agonizing. During the day, they seem to have transformed into demons, their eyes turning red with rage whenever they see a beast-general-level monster.

Killing monsters wouldn't normally be a big deal, but the frequency is too high, just like Ning Ze's relentless attacks!

All day long, it's either fighting or on the way to a fight. No one can stand this kind of life for more than ten days in a row! It's too grueling!

"Boom!"

A heavy thud was heard as something fell to the ground.

Under the moonlight, Zhang Chen and the others watched as a bulging backpack fell to the floor. Two long, sharp teeth protruded from the zipper of the backpack, their white fangs reflecting a faint glow in the moonlight.

Putting aside the strange light, just considering the length of the tooth, the entire backpack is over forty centimeters long, which adds more than twenty centimeters. That means the tooth alone is over sixty centimeters long, or more than half a meter.

These are clearly the teeth of a ferocious beast. Coupled with that dangerous curve, they don't resemble the teeth of a long-toothed monster, but rather those of a tiger. To have such long, sharp teeth, this monster must be enormous.

It is common knowledge that the larger a monster is, the stronger it is. Therefore, this monster is at least a high-level monster.

Xu Liang looked over with a confused expression. Was this person showing off the monster he had hunted?

That shouldn't be the case. Doesn't this kid always get this kind of reward?

He brought back fresh materials of a high-level beast general-level monster on the very first day. Otherwise, why would they follow this kid like crazy?

Ning Ze said with a slightly apologetic tone, "I'll trouble you uncles to bear with me for a couple more days. I can go out by myself. Tonight's harvest was quite good: two high-level beast general-grade Netherworld White Tigers and Cloud-Patterned Black Panthers, and two mid-level beast general-grade Flaming Crimson Foxes and Heavy Armored Bears. I don't need 80%, just 60% will do. The other 20% can be considered as a reward for your hard work, uncles."

According to the rules of the martial arts squad, a monster that is killed entirely by one person can earn 80% of the material price.

As the main force in defeating monsters, you can obtain 60% of the material price.

The price of a beginner-level Beast General monster to an advanced-level Beast General monster is 1000 million to 5000 million Chinese Yuan.

The price of a high-level beast general-level monster ranges from 5000 million to 5 million Chinese yuan.

Because monsters that are active at night are more ferocious and powerful, their prices are also higher. These four monsters are worth at least the materials for 10 mid-level Beast General monsters, a value of 3 million!

Twenty percent, that's equivalent to the average price of two mid-level Beast General-level monsters, at least over 6000 million.

Even the combat squads aren't that efficient at killing enemies. Let alone getting them for free.

It's possible that Zuo Xingyuan and Ma Yu, who were originally generals, were at a disadvantage because they usually put in more effort and received more rewards.

"Kid, what do you mean by this? If it's a rule, then you have to follow it! Do you think we uncles would take advantage of you for nothing?"

Zuo Xingyuan felt a little embarrassed. He was getting paid without putting in any effort, and by a junior no less. If word got out, he would lose all face.

Of course, the most exhausting thing is mental fatigue.

He vaguely—no, very clearly—felt that he could no longer carry Ning Ze.

They were able to run on their own; it was the other way around that they were holding us back.

Now he misses the early days of Ning Ze, when the guys were acting together and he could put on a paternalistic air and give them a lecture. How wonderful that was!

"Please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean that."

Ning Ze quickly explained, "I only wanted to show my respect by offering this gift because I saw that you uncles had been waiting for me for quite a while. If you don't want it, then don't. Let's follow the rules."

After all, other martial artists can't fight like him. They basically have to rest after a fierce battle, and then they have to find beast general-level monsters. It's daytime, so killing monsters is very slow.

He is different.

Even if surrounded by a horde of beasts, it doesn't matter; the only monsters fighting are a few around you.

These monsters' subordinates were all warrior-level, posing no threat to him whatsoever. He could fight or run at will, cutting through the monsters and taking the heads of the beast generals with ease.

Many of the monsters that are active at night are solitary, and some even deliver goods to the door, which is why their harvest is so high.

"I think you're the monster; you never seem to get tired."

Xu Liang muttered sourly, "Only four today? That's inefficient. Yesterday we had eight!"

"I casually killed five low-level beast generals, mostly cat and dog monsters, not worth much," Ning Ze said casually.

Xu Liang opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

Five low-level Beast General-level monsters would cost at least 60 million Chinese Yuan, even at a cheap price. They're not even eligible for a statistic? That makes sense; weren't we just about to give them 60 million?

Ma Yu said calmly, "Let's rest for a bit after we get back. We'll go somewhere else tomorrow."

It's no wonder he was calm; these past few days, everyone has been stunned into silence.

The first time Ning Ze wanted to act alone, everyone was worried, but they couldn't dissuade him, so they could only let him go and kill nearby, so that at least they would have someone to look after him.

But then, as they listened, there was no more sound from around them. They could only find out that people were still alive by using a communicator. They were really brave to have made contact during the battle. At that time, they were terrified.

As for now, who knows where this kid is going to kill monsters late at night?

He brings back materials for high-level beast generals every day; perhaps one day he'll be surprised if he brings back a lord-level monster.

"Click!"

"Click!"

The floorboards creaked.

Ning Ze sat down next to Xu Liang.

"Kid, you can't rush your training. Although your combat suit isn't damaged, your longsword can no longer support you in long-term combat," Ma Yu earnestly advised.

Ning Ze's combat uniform and Qinghong longsword are both D5 series. According to the level classification, their sturdiness is equivalent to the fifth level of a martial artist, namely beginner, intermediate, and advanced warriors, and low and intermediate generals.

Now that his prey are all high-level warriors, it's perfectly normal for this longsword to be damaged or even broken.

Ning Ze's expression fell slightly, and he replied, "Don't worry, I have no problem with my cultivation. I've just encountered a hurdle that might take me two days to overcome. After I go back, my cultivation will slow down, which may affect my progress."

"Okay, as long as you understand." Ma Yu didn't say anything more. The other person was a genius, and his strength was so formidable that he didn't need to teach him anything anymore.

Ning Ze nodded and said nothing more.

Silently open the system panel.

[Host: Ning Ze]

[Realm: Beginner Warrior 8139kg; Spiritual Master 2782kg]

[Cultivation Skills: Gene Energy Cultivation Method "Five Hearts Towards Heaven"; Guiding Technique "Seven Techniques of Spiritual Wind"; Visualization Method "One Sword Seals the Heavens"]

[Combat Skills: "Swift Movement" - 9683/10000; "Wind Slash" - Perfected - 1832/100000]

After half a month of training, his physical fitness improved rapidly, successfully reaching the standard of a warrior.

Now his "Wind Slash" has been cultivated to perfection, allowing him to unleash five times the power.

When unleashed at full power, that's 40000 kg of force, which is already the limit for a high-level warrior.

The consequence of such terrifying power is that his movement speed is very slow, even a third slower, which is only slightly better than at home.

As for why...

Ning Ze had a guess in his mind, which might be due to the system's rationality.

Just like changes in cultivation skills, the replacement of combat skills, and even the visualization techniques for creation. These are changes that occur on the system panel only when he makes them subjectively.

The increase in strength can also be attributed to the perfection of genes and the enhancement of genetic energy, all of which are related to his body.

He was indeed very strong after he exerted his strength, but his physical endurance did not increase much.

Forces are reciprocal. During intense battles with monsters, the pressure on the body is constant, which also stimulates his life potential.

Even when fighting increasingly powerful monsters, the greater the multiplier of his power, the more intense the stimulation, and the faster his strength will increase.

And movement techniques...

Battle against novice and intermediate beast generals.

In his subconscious, he believed that as long as he exerted force, his speed could be increased to the level of a high-ranking warrior, and with the assistance of his mental power, he could easily dodge the monster's attacks.

In his mind, this kind of dodging was normal avoidance; it caused minimal sensory stimulation, little mental pressure, and a small underlying desire to dodge. His proficiency increased at only slightly more than half the rate of his swordsmanship proficiency.

Fighting high-level beast generals is extremely dangerous; he must kill them as soon as possible.

After all, he only has the body of a novice warrior, and his combat suit is only level 5, which can only defend against attacks from mid-level beast generals. If he takes an attack from a high-level beast general, he will definitely be seriously injured. At this time, his improvement speed will be much faster, almost twice as fast as when he was at home.

This is the reason he guessed, and also a speculation about the system rules.

Currently, my movement skill "Swift Movement" has a skill level of 9683/10000, and I only need 317 more points of proficiency to improve it.

When his movement technique reached the "Subtle Level", his perception and body control underwent miraculous changes.

He wanted to hone his movement technique to the 'perfect level' and then experience it by fighting in the wilderness.

Based on his current cultivation progress, he should be able to level up in about two days.

(End of this chapter)