Chapter 17: The Day of Entering the Mountain Range
Deep in the Mountains
The dense forest was eerily silent. Sunlight struggled to pierce through the thick canopy, leaving the surroundings dark, damp, and in some places still covered in snow.
A silver-haired serpent man and a young man clad in black moved cautiously, weapons in hand.
"Uncle Zong, we've been walking for nearly half an hour, and we haven't encountered a single magical beast," Dongbo Xueying whispered. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice, but also a restless excitement. He had gained tremendous strength recently but had yet to truly test it in battle.
"You…" Zong Ling shook his head helplessly. Though his nephew seemed mature, he still carried the reckless spirit of youth. He lowered his voice and said, "We've just entered the outskirts of the mountain range. Magical beasts are naturally scarce here. The deeper we go, the more likely we are to encounter them. When that happens, we'll see just how strong you really are."
"Hmm."
Dongbo Xueying nodded lightly.
Just then—
Rustle~~~
A faint sound reached Dongbo Xueying's sharp ears. Instantly, he raised a hand, signaling Zong Ling to halt. Though Zong Ling hadn't heard the sound, he immediately tensed. He knew that ever since Dongbo Xueying awakened his ancient bloodline, his hearing and vision had become exceptionally keen.
"There!" Dongbo Xueying whispered, his gaze locked on a spot ahead to the left.
Zong Ling followed his line of sight.
From the dense thicket in the distance, the rustling grew louder. Then, one by one, lean black figures on four legs emerged. They looked somewhat similar to wolves but were noticeably smaller. Their bodies were thin, covered in dense black scales, and their dark red eyes gleamed coldly as they silently observed the two humans.
"Black-Scaled Jackals?"
Both Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling tensed. Encountering these creatures so soon after entering the mountain was not a good sign.
Black-Scaled Jackals were Tier-3 magical beasts—ferocious, intelligent, and skilled at coordinated attacks. Worse yet, their claws and fangs were coated with deadly venom.
A Tier-3 beast was the equivalent of a Heavenly Knight in strength. And they never moved alone. The pack emerging from the thicket numbered thirty-five in total—enough to tear even a Tier-4 magical beast to shreds.
"This is bad," Zong Ling muttered nervously. "Xueying, be careful."
"Uncle Zong, protect yourself. Leave them to me."
Dongbo Xueying took a deep breath, his breathing becoming steady and powerful as he focused on the pack before him.
The Black-Scaled Jackals instinctively spread out, forming a fan-shaped formation to encircle them. Being surrounded by so many pairs of cold, red eyes sent a chill down Dongbo Xueying's spine. His willpower was strong, and his spear technique was formidable—but this was his first time facing such overwhelming numbers.
"Grrr—"
A low, guttural growl came from one of the jackals at the back.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
All at once, the Black-Scaled Jackals lunged forward from every direction.
Being attacked simultaneously by so many beasts—even a Meteor Knight would struggle to survive.
"Die!"
Dongbo Xueying's spear moved.
Swish!
The spear struck like lightning—so fast it left afterimages in the air.
As the tip of his spear pierced forward, an illusion of countless snowflakes filled the air—a scene of deadly beauty.
One of the jackals raised its claws to block the spear, but—
Shhkk!
The moment the spear tip was deflected, Dongbo Xueying twisted the shaft, generating a sudden rotational force. The jackal's claw was flung aside, and in an instant—
Pfft!
The spear tip plunged into the jackal's lower jaw, piercing through the back of its skull.
The Tier-3 magical beast twitched violently before collapsing, lifeless.
As soon as the first kill was secured, Dongbo Xueying pulled back his spear with lightning speed—
And struck again!
Just like a venomous serpent lashing out—
Pfft!
Another jackal fell dead on the spot.
These creatures were seasoned killers, but Dongbo Xueying had spent ten years honing his spear techniques to the extreme.
"Rooooar!"
The remaining jackals growled in fury, charging without hesitation.
Despite killing three in an instant, Dongbo Xueying now faced eight jackals lunging at him simultaneously!
"Back off!"
His spear danced like a shadow, rapidly whipping and striking—
Just like when he used to practice by relentlessly striking alchemy dummies for hours on end, each blow now sent jackals flying.
With one sweeping strike, four jackals were smashed aside.
With another reverse sweep, four more were flung away.
Physically, Dongbo Xueying was far stronger than these beasts—but numbers were their true advantage. No matter how powerful he was, being surrounded by waves of fearless attackers was dangerous.
"Xueying, speed! Move! If you can't hold them off, run!"
Zong Ling called out from high up in a tree branch, his snake-like tail wrapped around the trunk for support. His agility had been his greatest survival asset during his previous ventures into the Destruction Mountain Range.
"I know!"
Dongbo Xueying focused completely.
Though his spear technique was advanced, the pressure of real combat affected his execution. Moreover, the jackals' scales and bones were incredibly tough—each time he stabbed, pulling the spear out took time, slowing him down.
"I need to move. I can't let them surround me!"
Gradually, he began to adapt.
Back at the castle, he often sparred by letting groups of soldiers attack him at once, dodging and countering with his footwork and spear. Of course, those training sessions were controlled—without real blades.
Now, he applied the same tactics.
Swish, swish…
By making small, quick movements, he manipulated the battlefield, ensuring that he only faced three jackals at a time.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Blood splattered. Snowflakes swirled.
One by one, the jackals fell.
BAM!
Dongbo Xueying's spear lashed out violently—his full strength snapping the bones of a jackal, its body twisting unnaturally before it collapsed, coughing blood.
High above, Zong Ling watched with growing satisfaction.
"He's adapting quickly," he murmured. "Faster than I expected. If he keeps this up, in another two or three days, he'll be fully accustomed to battle."
"Awoooo!"
A sharp, fearful cry came from within the jackal pack.
At once, the remaining jackals turned tail and fled.
Dongbo Xueying gave chase, slaying two more before stopping.
Huff… Huff…
Breathing heavily, he finally relaxed his stance. His entire body felt hot, his blood rushing through his veins at an exhilarating pace.
"How do you feel?" Zong Ling dropped down from the tree.
"It's… different." Dongbo Xueying nodded. "Three years ago, I fought criminals in life-or-death combat. But that was one-on-one. This kind of group battle… has given me new insights into my spear techniques."
A high level of spear technique was one thing.
But in real combat, how to chain attacks together? How to coordinate footwork? That all came from experience.
"Also, when fighting for my life, my entire body feels more alive. My control over my strength is becoming sharper," Dongbo Xueying observed.
"This is the survival instinct that emerges under the threat of death," Zong Ling said.
"This is the instinct of all living creatures… when faced with the threat of death," Zong Ling remarked.
"My spear techniques might break through even faster," Dongbo Xueying thought, feeling his blood boil with excitement. After ten years of relentless training, honing his skills to an incredible level—what better place to put them to the test than in the Destruction Mountain Range?
"Let's move quickly. The scent of blood here will soon attract more magical beasts," Zong Ling urged.
"Understood," Dongbo Xueying nodded.
Neither of them bothered collecting the corpses of the Tier-3 magical beasts. While they had some value, how many could they realistically carry? The effort wasn't worth it. As for spatial storage artifacts, Dongbo Xueying's was so small it could barely fit one Black-Scaled Jackal, making it practically useless for carrying large amounts.
Thriving in the Destruction Mountain Range
The moment he entered the Destruction Mountain Range, Dongbo Xueying felt like a dragon diving into the sea. His combat experience grew rapidly, and his spear techniques were constantly refined through battle.
Each night, they would return to their camp outside the mountain range—never staying overnight inside.
With Zong Ling's serpent lineage and Dongbo Xueying's awakened ancient bloodline, their movement speed was astonishing. Even while weaving through the rugged terrain, they could cover 200 li per hour on their return journey. Though they moved cautiously while exploring, they could rush back swiftly along their previous path without issue.
Spending the night in the mountains was too exhausting, and they needed proper rest to stay at their peak.
Day by Day, Progress Accelerates
As time passed, Zong Ling was astounded by Dongbo Xueying's rapid improvement. He could see how the young warrior became more and more battle-hardened, growing sharper with every encounter.
After each fight, Dongbo Xueying analyzed his performance, learning from his mistakes and improving for the next battle—constantly refining his skills.
"Even as a child, he knew how to think critically and summarize lessons. Now, he applies the same method to combat—learning from every encounter to make his next performance even more flawless," Zong Ling mused to himself.
He had always believed Dongbo Xueying was highly intelligent.
Zong Ling considered himself smart as well. He understood the importance of learning from past experiences—as did many others. But Dongbo Xueying's mindset was unique. His ability to absorb knowledge and apply it efficiently was on a whole different level!
Even as a child, while others enjoyed heroic tales of knights and warriors, Dongbo Xueying had been analyzing patterns in those stories.
For instance—
He noticed that nearly 90% of transcendent knights had never attended an academy.
He observed from small hints in the biographies that those knights placed extreme emphasis on mastering the basics—leading him to obsessively perfect the fundamentals of his spear techniques to an almost insane degree.