Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Six-Fanged Azure Wolf (Part One)

Lu Zhe slowly exhaled, opening his eyes. It had been twenty days since he found himself in this remote, untamed mountain forest. He spent his days either being chased by beast kings or chasing them himself, interspersed with hours of sitting cross-legged in cultivation. The only exception had been the cave he stumbled upon ten days ago, which he ended up collapsing through his own reckless actions. His only gains during this time were the increase in his spiritual power and the pale violet ring he found in that cave.

He glanced down at the ring on his left pinky. The pale violet band rested quietly there, and as he touched it with the index finger of his right hand, a chill seeped through his fingertip, reaching deep into his heart.

Lu Zhe gazed at the ring on his finger, memories of the cave resurfacing vividly. Ever since fleeing the cave, the ring had ceased to emit any glow, sitting as still and deep as a tranquil well.

Sighing, Lu Zhe sat up, looking toward the sky. He had been thrown into this desolate wilderness by Old Ye for twenty days now, and it would be seventy more before he could leave. Lately, he counted the days on his fingers, each one dragging on.

He had tried to leave the forest, but each attempt led him back to where he started—clearly lost. As time passed, he gave up searching for an exit, realizing that only someone with Old Ye’s ability to fly could escape; otherwise, one would easily become hopelessly lost.

The forest could nurture life, but it could just as easily claim it. Lu Zhe now understood firsthand the formidable power of nature.

Turning to his side, he picked up a few fruits he had gathered the previous day, preparing extra to stave off hunger today.

After eating, he looked at his palms and murmured, “It seems, to survive, I’ll need a weapon for protection and hunting.”

He rose, stretched, and gazed into the dense woods before swiftly heading deeper into the forest.

Venturing into its heart, Lu Zhe suddenly heard faint pattering sounds—like some animal moving. His extraordinary hearing allowed him to immediately drop to the ground and crawl toward the source.

He gently parted the grass, revealing a blue creature. Fixing his gaze, he recognized the animal making the noise.

It was a juvenile Six-Tusked Blue Wolf, its head lowered as it fiddled with something on the ground.

Speaking of the Six-Tusked Blue Wolf, it was a common beast king species, larger than ordinary wolves, with blue fur and six sharp tusks—hence the name. They typically lived in forests and grasslands, with a few found in desert regions. Since their individual attack power was low, they were classified as first-tier beasts and usually moved in packs. Why there was only one here, Lu Zhe could not guess.

Lu Zhe watched it silently, recalling that the wolf’s tusks were prized by hunters for their sharpness, often fashioned into weapons like spears.

Thinking of this—and remembering how these wolves had cost him a rabbit days ago—Lu Zhe let out a cold chuckle. He picked up a stone of suitable size and quietly approached the young wolf.

The wolf was engrossed in its task, oblivious to Lu Zhe’s approach.

Step by step, holding his breath, Lu Zhe crept closer. Suddenly, he sprang up, raising the stone high and bringing it down on the wolf’s head.

A dull smack echoed as the stone struck, and the wolf let out a brief moan before collapsing, motionless.

Lu Zhe, not stopping, continued to smash the wolf’s head, venting his frustration.

After seven or eight blows, he paused, breathing heavily. Then, he pried open the wolf’s jaws with his hands. A foul stench wafted out, and Lu Zhe waved it away, holding his breath as he looked inside.

Six gleaming tusks, each as thick as an adult’s index finger, caught his eye—three above, three below. He tapped one with his finger, and it rang with a metallic clink.

Satisfied, Lu Zhe propped the wolf’s jaws open with a branch and, picking up another stone, began hammering at the base of the tusks.

With a sharp crack, one tusk fell out. He placed it beside himself and looked at the wolf’s mouth, now with only one tusk remaining, smiling with satisfaction.

Just as Lu Zhe prepared to knock out the last tusk, a rhythmic thudding sounded nearby. Startled, he grabbed the five tusks at his side and fled, vanishing into the woods.

Moments after his departure, wolves emerged from every direction—large and small, numbering three or four dozen. They gathered around the fallen wolf.

One of the larger wolves approached the dead wolf, licking its fur, then raised its head and howled mournfully at the sky. The others followed suit, their cries echoing through the forest.

Lu Zhe, after escaping, ran quickly to a small waterfall. Gazing at his reflection in the water, he smiled faintly and took out the five tusks from his pocket, washing them one by one.

Once the blood was cleaned from their bases, he grabbed a nearby leaf and gently wiped his hard-earned trophies.

Holding the cleaned tusks up to the sunlight, they gleamed even brighter. Lu Zhe admired them, picking one up and testing it against a nearby tree.

The tusk left several deep marks in the bark, and green sap trickled from the wounds. Lu Zhe, seeing this, felt wholly content.

As he sat on the ground polishing these tusks, he was unaware that dozens of eyes watched him intently from the shadowed woods behind.

(As an apology to everyone, Mr. Noble is having a burst of inspiration today—five chapters will be released by ten tonight, so stay tuned.)