Chapter 80: Hunting Wolves
The White Bone Poison Centipede patrolled in the mountains, not knowing how many Gray Thorn Wolves it had killed, and then cooperated with Su Yan’s patrol activities to find the Wolf King’s trace.
And the most important news discovered in this process was that the Wolf King was in a state of childbirth.
“It’s a sure thing.”
Receiving this answer from Su Yan, Bai Yun became even more serious.
“After the Beast King Sect hunts in places like Miasma Valley, they will send envoys over. You must have heard about this, right?”
Su Yan nodded: “I’ve heard of it. Senior Sister, are you also interested in this young beast?”
Bai Yun did not hide anything: “When supplied to the Beast King Sect, the value of a young beast is higher than ordinary Treasure Plants, and it’s easier to exchange for rewards. However, there’s one more thing you might not know.”
“Hmm?”
Su Yan showed a confused expression, and Bai Yun said: “Contracted Beast Talent.”
She looked at Su Yan: “Contracting a beast is also a form of talent. With a strong spirit, one can subdue a Feral Beast with Martial Dao True Intent and contract it for use. To be admitted into the Beast King Sect and become a formal disciple, such skills are also indispensable.”
“First, we test bone structure. Those aged twenty-five who are in the Spirit Nurturing Realm can pass the first test.”
Bai Yun said slowly: “I am twenty-two years old, and Lu Ling is twenty-five. Although you haven’t reached the Spirit Nurturing Realm yet, even if you wait until next year, your age is sufficient to enter this assessment. It’s possible only the three of us from the Golden Ape Martial Arts School meet the requirements.”
“What about the other families?”
Su Yan asked, and Bai Yun thought for a moment before replying: “The Lin Family has the most disciples, four or five each year. Other families have about two or three each. In Yun Cang Town, there are no more than thirty people who meet the quota.”
“So many?”
“Many?”
Bai Yun was amused by his words: “Among the many martial artists in Yun Cang Town, only thirty people have emerged. It’s like sifting through sand. Although some disciples have joined sects like the Nine Peaks Sect and the Li Huo Sacred Gate, given the Beast King Sect’s conditions, only this many people qualify.”
Su Yan was truly surprised and thought to himself: ‘Only a few dozen people in a town, and this is just the bone structure assessment. I suppose there must be Outer Disciples, Servant Disciples, and the like, otherwise how could such a powerful sect that dominates the region be sustained.’
If they were formal disciples, such recruitment wouldn’t be too complicated.
“After the bone structure assessment, aren’t there further tests?”
“Naturally, there are.”
“The Beast King Sect’s envoys will give the selected candidates a Visualization Diagram, which contains the basic Beast Subduing Method. If they can comprehend the Beast Subduing Method, they will naturally pass. This tests comprehension.”
“The final trial is to subdue a Feral Beast using this Beast Subduing Method. The difficulty lies here.”
Bai Yun did not hide anything: “According to past practice, there is a great range in the difficulty of this assessment. If one can subdue an Adult Feral Beast, the stronger their strength, the more it proves their ability and contracted beast talent, and the higher their rank in the eyes of the Beast King Sect’s envoy.”
“However, some beginners who are not skilled in using the Beast Subduing Method may find it difficult to subdue them, so they go for young beasts. Subduing a young beast is also considered subduing, and this stage is also passed.”
Upon hearing this, Su Yan understood: “This is using their own young beasts as a fallback. If they have been raising them for a long time and can contract them, it will be even simpler, at least allowing them to enter the sect.”
Bai Yun said: “Although the Gray Thorn Wolf King is not a Second-order True Intent, it is still a Feral Beast equivalent to the Spirit Nurturing Realm. Its offspring, if cultivated properly, might be able to advance further. Using them as a temporary fallback is not excessive.”
Su Yan frowned slightly: “The Wolf King is vigilant. If too many people go, they might not be able to avoid the notice of the patrolling Gray Thorn Wolves, and this thing is difficult to split.”
He met Bai Yun’s gaze and saw her eyes shining brightly, saying: “We two will go by ourselves.”
The two hit it off immediately, both intending to cooperate for mutual benefit.
“I’ll deal with the Wolf King, you get the young beast. With your Blood Moving Realm strength, even a leader of the same rank won’t be able to stop you.”
After they settled on their plan, early the next morning, they each took their weapons and left the Wolf Village.
Su Yan led the way, with Bai Yun following closely behind.
Her steps were light and agile now, a significant improvement from the previous few days, more natural and nimble.
The few days of sparring had not only greatly improved Su Yan, but she herself had also made considerable progress, already showing some signs of the Transformation Realm.
The two entered the forest, where tall trees were everywhere.
“Be careful of the wolf pack.”
As they reached a mountain valley, Su Yan cautioned, the wolves in this valley were not those patrolling the outer areas, but true guards.
They were scattered among the trees, like sentinels.
Bai Yun nodded slightly, and together with Su Yan, they took out powdered medicine to conceal their scent, sprinkled it on themselves, and then leaped rapidly through the trees.
After traveling about seven or eight li in this manner, they arrived near a cliff face covered in vines.
“We’re here.”
Su Yan stopped and pointed below the cliff.
Several Gray Thorn Wolves, their bodies as large as oxen, lay resting on the rocks, their breathing rising and falling; they were clearly all leaders.
In the center of the cliff wall, there was a large, recessed cave, only three to four meters deep and about seven to eight meters wide. A five-meter-long giant wolf lay on a bed of vines and dry grass, with three wolf cubs nursing at its belly.
“It seems she has already given birth.”
Su Yan’s eyes lit up. The White Bone Poison Centipede was hidden beneath the surrounding soil, monitoring the Wolf King’s movements.
Bai Yun’s gaze sharpened: “The mother wolf is likely only a step away from being a Second-order Feral Beast.”
Her senses for aura and Qi and Blood were more acute than Su Yan’s, and she could sense the abnormal aura of the mother wolf from afar.
Around here, besides the three leader-level Gray Thorn Wolves, there were also many early First-order Gray Thorn Wolves wandering about.
“Senior Sister, do you have confidence?”
Su Yan asked, and Bai Yun pondered: “The mother wolf just gave birth not long ago, her strength must have declined. I can handle her, but what about you?”
The number of wolves exceeded Bai Yun’s expectations. Even if she dealt with the Wolf King and held off some of the Gray Thorn Wolves, the remaining ones would likely put considerable pressure on Su Yan. How could he manage to get the young beasts?
Su Yan, however, remained calm: “We can just lure away some of them. Senior Sister, wait for my signal.”
As his voice fell, he slipped into the forest and disappeared.
Bai Yun showed a confused expression, frowning slightly, but did not take any other action. Since Su Yan said so, he must have another way.
Su Yan entered the forest, found a position upwind, and took out a porcelain bottle.
After dealing with the Little Mountain Association that day, he had concocted some powdered medicine himself, based on the Little Mountain Association’s powder, with Maze Flower as the main ingredient.
The effect was naturally not as good as the original powder, but as long as the quantity was large, everything was not a problem.
He poured the entire bottle here. When the wind blew from upwind, the smell immediately seeped into the area where the wolf pack was gathered, naturally luring away a large portion of the Gray Thorn Wolves.
After setting up, he quickly returned to his original position to regroup with Bai Yun.
“What did you do?”
“Put some medicine. It’ll be quick.”
The two waited for a long time, about fifteen minutes, when the mountain wind picked up, and the scent drifted into the valley.
Suddenly!
Many Gray Thorn Wolves smelled the scent, stood up abruptly, and then one after another rushed towards the direction the smell was coming from.
The three late First-order Gray Thorn Wolves did not move; instead, they stood up even more alertly.
The Wolf King also sensed that something was wrong, stood up, and protected the three wolf cubs behind it.
“Senior Sister, it’s your turn.”
Without Su Yan’s reminder, Bai Yun took down her longbow and moved rapidly through the forest, like a white falcon, immediately landing in the distance.
She drew her bow and shot an arrow infused with True Essence directly at the Wolf King’s head.
Clang!
The Wolf King felt a fierce wind approaching, turned its head, and its hard neck spines collided with the arrow, making a clear ringing sound.
Its beast eyes fixed on the trees, glowing dimly. It immediately spotted the attacker, Bai Yun, and pounced forward, leading its subordinate wolves.
