Volume Two: Setting Out on the Journey - Chapter 8: The Gap!

Elsewhere.

"This footwork..."

Su Yu, watching the battle from behind, was suddenly filled with shock. "Perfect stage? No, that's not it—it's the Micro-level!"

"To think he could dodge the Raging Boar's tusks with such finesse!"

Even Su Yu, who had been skeptical of Wang Jue's strength, couldn't help but marvel. "It’s truly incredible! Just how bold is this kid? Daring to rotate right in front of the Raging Boar's tusks—wasn't he afraid of being impaled?"

That single rotation appeared simple, yet it revealed Wang Jue’s astonishing command of movement.

The skepticism in Su Yu's eyes faded slightly. "Micro-level footwork is truly exquisite. Did he just get lucky, or does he actually have the skill?"

"Amazing!"

"Beautifully done!"

Jiang Yunxin and Jiang Yunyan, the two sisters, couldn't help but cheer.

"It seems this kid's strength is even greater than we imagined!"

Shen Feng’s face lit up with satisfaction as he smiled. "To act like that in such a dangerous situation and succeed—his footwork is definitely extraordinary."

"Furthermore, his timing is impeccable. However, the most troublesome aspect of Star Beasts is their immense vitality. Given the strength he has shown so far, killing this Raging Boar won't be easy."

"Still, for a complete newcomer, possessing such strength is enough to qualify him to join our Hurricane Squad."

As soon as these words were spoken, the four members of the Hurricane Squad, including Su Yu, revealed faint smiles.

No one said a word; instead, they kept their eyes fixed on the distance, watching the battle between the now completely frenzied Raging Boar and Wang Jue.

*Drip, drip...*

Foul-smelling blood rolled down the thick skin of the Raging Boar’s neck onto the ground.

"Roar!"

With madness burning in its eyes, the Raging Boar let out low growls and charged at Wang Jue again and again like lightning. Its "combo" of iron hooves, tusks, and tail attacks was relentless.

"Damn it, I didn't expect this beast to be so persistent!"

Wang Jue dodged nimbly. "Fortunately, the injury to its neck has significantly reduced its agility when turning; otherwise, I might have been hurt."

He knew that during his previous practical assessment, he had faced the siege of eight Level 2 Star Beasts simultaneously to hone his footwork. In theory, the intensity of being surrounded by those eight captive beasts was not much different from the raw, untamed ferocity of this single Raging Boar.

*Whoosh!*

Instead of retreating, Wang Jue charged forward.

With an elegant side-step, the tips of the Raging Boar's tusks missed his body by barely two centimeters. Yet, those two centimeters were like an unbridgeable chasm. The Raging Boar couldn't land a single scratch on him.

"Strike while it's vulnerable!"

Wang Jue brought his Bloodthirsty Sword down in a fierce, swift vertical slash!

*Swoosh!*

Accompanied by a shrill, piercing whistle, the Raging Boar let out a cry of angry alarm, its four hooves digging into the ground as it tried to evade the strike. Unfortunately, Wang Jue was too fast. A sound of steel biting into flesh echoed out.

With a *chiss*, the longsword struck the neck again. Though not in the exact same spot as before, it sank seven or eight centimeters deep into the thick hide!

"It seems that because of the previous injury, it can't exert full muscular force in its neck to defend. Its defense will be even weaker next time."

As he withdrew his blade, Wang Jue retreated instantly, easily sidestepping the boar’s frantic retaliatory attack before closing in once more.

He repeated the same tactic.

"Hrrgh... Roar..." The Raging Boar let out a frenzied, enraged howl.

"Time to finish this!"

Wang Jue shifted his feet three times in rapid succession, his body blurring into an illusion as he avoided yet another strike.

*Sky-Slaying Sword Technique!*

Following that fluid footwork came Wang Jue’s full-powered, sharp, and lethal strike.

*Riiip!*

The blade struggled at first, but once it penetrated ten centimeters, the resistance dropped sharply. Wang Jue’s sword sliced nearly two-thirds of the way through the Raging Boar's skull before he swiftly pulled back and retreated, refusing to linger.

*Splash!*

Blood sprayed like a fountain from the massive wound.

"Awoo..."

With a miserable howl, the Raging Boar’s entire body convulsed. Its hooves kicked the ground unconsciously, cracking the earth with every twitch. Then, nearly devoid of consciousness, the beast made one final, desperate charge, slamming into a nearby tree. Leaves, wood shavings, and splinters flew everywhere.

"Whimper..."

The Raging Boar’s voice faded, and it ceased to move.

Wang Jue stood on a piece of deadwood nearby, looking down at the carcass of the Raging Boar, whose head was nearly severed. He noticed the flow of blood had slowed to a trickle—it had clearly bled out. After all, it had lost several buckets' worth of blood.

"Phew..." Wang Jue let out a breath of relief. "This beast is finally dead."

He leaped down, landed beside the body, and used his sword to pry the two tusks from the boar's gaping, blood-filled maw.

...

"Hiss..."

The four members of the Hurricane Squad watching from afar couldn't help but gasp.

"This newcomer is a freak!"

"He's a monster!"

Jiang Yunxin and Jiang Yunyan exclaimed. If they had only been surprised before, they were now truly stunned.

"Incredible," Su Yu couldn't help but remark.

Shen Feng kept his gaze locked on Wang Jue as he harvested the materials. "By the way, did you notice how formidable his footwork is?"

"In terms of raw speed, the Raging Boar was still a fraction faster than him. But as we saw, his evasions were so effortless, so fluid!"

"To reach this level of footwork, it’s clearly beyond the 'Perfect' stage. Since it’s not Perfect, it must be the Micro-level!"

A trace of lingering shock remained in Su Yu's eyes. "He’s only sixteen and already has Micro-level footwork. No wonder Ninchuan helped him so much even though he hadn't joined the Martial Arts Association. I didn't get it before, but perhaps I do now..."

"Heh." Shen Feng revealed an unconcealable smile. "It looks like we’ve found a treasure!"

"Indeed. With some training, our Hurricane Squad will have a new backbone."

Su Yu nodded for once, hesitating before saying, "Captain, why don't you let me take him under my wing?"

"Hahaha..." Both Jiang Yunxin and Jiang Yunyan laughed.

As veteran martial artists who had walked the line between life and death countless times, they knew well that some so-called geniuses possessed great physical stats and strength, but when facing real Star Beasts, they couldn't even display a tenth of their potential. Because of this, they usually looked down on such "geniuses." True experts were forged through countless life-or-death battles.

In their eyes, Wang Jue had performed so well on his first outing that he could integrate into the squad even without guidance.

"Captain," Wang Jue ran over from the distance. "About these tusks..."

"You killed the Raging Boar," Shen Feng said. "We didn't lift a finger, so the spoils are yours."

"Understood." Wang Jue nodded and, without refusal, tucked the two tusks into his backpack.

"Those tusks should fetch about thirty thousand at the Adventurer Headquarters, or perhaps forty thousand at the Martial Arts Association," Su Yu said with a smile.

While the levels of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Star Beasts seemed close, the price of their materials differed several times over. If it were a Tier 3 or 4 beast, the materials would easily be worth hundreds of thousands. As for materials from Tier 5 and above, the prices were astronomical.

"Wang Jue." Su Yu’s expression suddenly turned stern. "In our eyes, your performance just now was barely a passing grade."

"Oh?" Wang Jue looked over. "Please, Brother Yu, give me your guidance."

"Your footwork is high-level, but your efficiency is too low," Su Yu said, his face still cold. "Watch closely and see how I kill a Tier 2 Star Beast quickly."

Shen Feng didn't stop him, instead leading the group deeper into the forest.

About five minutes later, they encountered a "Spotted Cat Star Beast," a feline creature known for its speed. The creature was covered in spots and as sturdy as a half-grown calf, possessing far more agility and ferocity than the Raging Boar.

"This one will do," Su Yu said coldly. "Watch me..."

With a *whoosh*, Su Yu charged straight at the cat, holding his long blade in his right hand and a shield in his left.

*Brother Yu is a Tier 6 Red Star martial artist; his level suppression is enough to slaughter this Tier 2 beast,* Wang Jue thought, watching intently.

To his surprise, Su Yu didn't display his Tier 6 cultivation, instead suppressing his aura to Tier 3, just one level lower than Wang Jue.

He collided with the cat head-on without any dodging.

Or rather, at the exact moment the cat lunged with a roar, Su Yu sidestepped and angled his shield to deflect the impact. The collision threw the cat off balance, causing it to tilt to one side.

*Riiip!*

The long blade in his right hand turned into a cold beam of light, arching treacherously around the shield and slicing through the exposed throat of the off-balance cat.

*Splash!*

Blood sprayed like a fountain. Su Yu retreated instantly, watching coldly as the cat let out a pained roar before collapsing and losing its life.

Only then did Su Yu step forward to harvest the fur, claws, eyes, tail, and teeth, placing them in his pack before walking back.

"Did you see that? My footwork is inferior to yours, and the power I used didn't exceed yours," Su Yu said to Wang Jue. "Yet, I was able to kill it in a single strike."

Wang Jue: "..."

He was stunned, finally understanding the massive gap between himself and Su Yu.

Honestly, the battle had been decided in a split second. Meanwhile, Wang Jue had spent a great deal of effort to kill the Raging Boar, dodging repeatedly and attacking the neck over and over. And the Raging Boar was far weaker than this cat.

"Think about it carefully."

Su Yu looked at the stunned Wang Jue without offering further explanation. He had already demonstrated it once; now, it was up to Wang Jue to reflect on his own. After all, this was something he had to realize on his own.