Chapter 9: A Warrior’s Romance

Zhang Shen was thoroughly pleased with the transformations presented on the panel. Not only had his cultivation level ascended another layer, but his physique, enhanced by the experience obtained from progressing in his cultivation, had also advanced a notch further.

All along, his physical prowess had always been his greatest asset.

Consuming medicinal herbs, practicing techniques and martial skills, and advancing in his cultivation–all these provided Zhang Shen with experience points, improving his physical body. It was challenging for his physical level not to exceed his cultivation level.

“When others perceive me as only exceptional in cultivation and merely competent in martial skills, my proficiency in martial skills will exceed their imagination. And when they assume this is my peak, my physical level can make them despair.”

Zhang Shen patted his own defined pectoral muscles, delighting in their sturdiness.

With over ten days remaining before the half-month deadline, Zhang Shen used this time to familiarize himself with the power surge following the breakthrough, as well as with the newly acquired Cold Moon Blade.

“Indeed, with each breakthrough, the power increases manifold.”

After acquainting himself with the greatly improved internal energy and physique, Zhang Shen drew out the Cold Moon Blade. With a gentle stroke against a massive boulder that required three people to wrap their arms around it, the Cold Moon Blade sliced through it as though it were tofu.

“So sharp,” Zhang Shen praised, worthy of a top-grade Acquired spiritual weapon, its sharpness was beyond comparison.

He then attempted to infuse the strength of the Tenfold Power Strike into it, level by level, until he infused the power of the seventh level into it, and the Cold Moon Blade showed no signs of distress.

The more Zhang Shen looked at it, the more his satisfaction flourished. Given the resilience showcased by the Cold Moon Blade, he didn’t need to worry about damaging it, even if he implemented the power of the tenth level.

“Now comes the most critical part.”

Zhang Shen demonstrated the Cold Moon Blade Techniques, with a flurry of flashes, the blade flickering with luminescent light.

Arc Moon Slash, Half Moon Slash, Full Moon Slash, Dark Moon Slash, Bright Moon Slash, and other blade maneuvers he had honed to perfection were unleashed, and the sword’s energy crisscrossed, spanning a radius of five meters.

“Considering the reach of the sword energy along with my arms and the weapon, my initial offensive radius was merely around three meters. But now, it’s five meters. The way the Cold Moon Blade enhances the Cold Moon Blade Techniques is indeed remarkable.”

Zhang Shen’s brows chilled as he launched a lethal strike at the massive rock beside him, which had been sliced and peppered with fragments by his blade energy.

“Full Moon Amid Sparse Stars!”

It was as though a bright moon overshadowed heaven and earth, obscuring all the stars. The massive rock was promptly obliterated by a single slash, bursting into numerous shards.

“Even the strength of Full Moon Amid Sparse Stars, which I’ve only mastered to a significant extent, is much stronger. Excellent sword, it truly is an excellent sword.” Zhang Shen caressed the Cold Moon Blade, extremely pleased with it. As a warrior, he couldn’t resist a treasured sword that could make him even stronger.

In high spirits, Zhang Shen practiced the Cold Moon Blade Techniques a few more times. Among them, Arc Moon Slash, Half Moon Slash, and Full Moon Slash displayed a proportional power boost.

Dark Moon Slash and Bright Moon Slash were as potent as Full Moon Slash, but these two maneuvers were more treacherous and virtually impossible to guard against.

Among the last four moves, Full Moon Amid Sparse Stars, Missing Moon Strike, Quadruple Moon Illusion, Nine Moons Sharing the Sky, Zhang Shen had only mastered Full Moon Amid Sparse Stars.

These techniques symbolized the majestic might of a full moon, its brilliance overshadowing all stars. It was an embodiment of a commanding presence, akin to the authoritative might of a monarch. With a single, powerful slash, it unleashed a powerful sword energy that struck anything within its scope, a dominating move that impacted a broad area, not limited to a single adversary but all who stand within its range.

After rehearsing the first six moves repeatedly, Zhang Shen felt a sense of satisfaction. He knew the methods to practice the final three moves but hadn’t yet embarked on them. He harbored no urgency. First, he would refine ‘Full Moon Amid Sparse Stars’ to perfection before moving on to the next move.

After all, experience points remained paramount.

Half a month went by rapidly. During this period, Zhang Shen’s power increased even more.

Mainly the Tenfold Power Strike. Since his physical strength ascended to the ninth layer, his training in this technique appeared to have divine assistance.

Currently, the eighth level had been perfected, and he was on the cusp of beginning practice on the ninth.

Next, the Bright Moon Technique’s sixth layer had also been refined to perfection, verging on mastery. This enabled Zhang Shen to practice the Acuired 6th Layer energy not as sluggishly as others who had just broken through.

“The Bright Moon Technique’s nine layers correspond to the Acquired Stage nine layers. Unless one reaches the required stage, one cannot practice the subsequent layers of the technique. But there’s no harm in gaining a preliminary understanding, especially with my advanced physical stage, which allows me to catch glimpses of the mysteries of that stage. Though the path of internal energy and the system’s physical path are distinct, they share similarities in certain areas.”

Zhang Shen prepared himself and accepted a mission from his family to lead a small team to purge wild beasts.

The Endless Wilderness straddled the territory between the human and beast races, spanning a million kilometers in width.

Both races interweave and coexist here.

Hence, apart from human towns like Hongyuan City, numerous human villages and tribes lived in the wilderness. Simultaneously, these villages and tribes were perpetually at risk of being attacked by beasts and wild animals. So, they primarily rely on larger, nearby powers for survival.

The human settlements within three to four hundred kilometers surrounding Hongyuan City depend on it. In exchange for protection, they provide food, iron ore, and other valuable commodities.

The Zhang, Lin, and Ye families typically each oversee a particular area. The mission Zhang Shen received was of this nature.

However, as his experience remained somewhat limited, his role this time was primarily to maintain a position, while the specific command was delegated to someone with more experience.

“Master Shen, the people of Stone Village report that a large number of wolves have recently appeared in their vicinity. Many of their men were injured while hunting,” stated Zhang Qin, a man approaching his mid-forties with cultivation only at Acquired 4th Layer. But despite his seemingly low cultivation, his experience and calm demeanor had led to his assignment as the commander of this mission.

“They sent scouts to investigate and discovered from their excrements that the pack numbers at least a hundred. Fearful of the pack’s size, they reported the situation.”

Zhang Shen nodded in understanding. A pack of a hundred wolves would likely have at least one spiritual wolf within its ranks. Such a situation was not something a mere village could manage, otherwise, Stone Village wouldn’t have passed up such an opportunity.

For a minor village or tribe, an encounter with this wolf pack could spell disaster.

For the three families of Hongyuan City, however, this presented an excellent occasion for their warriors to gain valuable combat experience. This was also why the three families were willing to accept tributes from the surrounding villages in exchange for protection and regularly clearing out wild beasts.

“You will assume command, while my role will be purely supportive. Don’t concern yourself too much about me. If you require my assistance, don’t hesitate to inform me,” said Zhang Shen, showing respect for Zhang Qin’s authority. He didn’t want his interference to lead to a situation where he would be the only survivor.

Zhang Qin was a competent man, swiftly assuming command.

“Zhang Xun, you’re skilled in concealment and tracking. The task of locating the wolf pack falls to you. Exercise caution, a pack of this size is highly likely to house a spiritual wolf. Despite the low intelligence of low-level beasts, they are not to be underestimated.”

Zhang Xun responded with a nod, “Rest assured, I have obtained some wolf dung from Stone Village.” He held up a bag.

Zhang Qin nodded in approval, “Zhang Wu, we need you to prepare additional smoke bombs. Once Zhang Xun uncovers the wolf pack’s lair, we’ll first deal with them using the smoke.”

Zhang Shen commended their planning internally, quickly committing it to memory.

“In dealing with beasts, there’s no room for moral constraints. All necessary means are justified.”

At this point, Zhang Qin turned to Zhang Shen.

“Master Shen, when the time comes, I’ll need you to be on the lookout for the potential spiritual wolf to preempt any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Understood,” responded Zhang Shen.