The next day, Chen Wu took Chen Xiaojun through the northern stone gate of the village. They passed through several miles of open land. It was precisely this stretch of open terrain that kept soul beasts from attacking the village—because it offered no cover, making it easy to spot and be slain.
Outside the Blackmoon Forest, Chen Wu said, "Xiaojun, go in by yourself. Uncle Yu wants you to get a taste of blood, so I can't follow, or I'd scare them off. Although I've already spoken with the Blackmoon Alpha Wolf, there are always some lone wanderers—brutish and violent ones. Be careful."
Despite his name, Chen Wu didn't look physically imposing at all—his build was well-proportioned. With that said, he disappeared.
"Uncle Wu, your beard slows you down!" Chen Xiaojun called with a grin as he stepped into the forest.
"…I'm known for having too little beard, not too much!"
———
Chen Xiaojun wandered through the woods for over an hour before spotting a rather unusual soul beast: a Gale Wolf.
Although it was also a wolf-type soul beast, Gale Wolves and Blackmoon Wolves didn't get along. Finding one in Blackmoon territory was suspicious.
Whatever—this one seemed to be about 200–300 years old and was alone. That was enough for now.
Chen Xiaojun circulated his soul power and drew a sheathed sword from his storage bracelet. This sword was long and slim, with a sharp, pointed tip. The double-edged blade was silver, and the spine and body of the sword a deep blue. It measured 2 chi 2 cun 3 fen in length and 1 cun in width (about 73 cm long, 3.3 cm wide). The hilt was black with golden spiral patterns, the pommel shaped like a bird's head, and it had no crossguard—it was a single-piece sword.
Its full length was about 87 cm and its name was Wind Luan. Elegant and majestic in appearance, its blade was sharp and resilient. It could bend to a 90-degree angle and spring back without deforming. It excelled in thrusts and quick slashes.
This fine sword was forged from a special metal collected by the Chen family. A year ago, Chen Yu gifted it to Xiaojun for daily training. Chen Xiaojun loved it deeply.
Though only six years old, Chen Xiaojun had undergone years of medicinal baths and supplements, and since the Douluo Continent was far more spiritually rich than Blue Star, his body was exceptionally well-developed—already 1.3 meters tall. Wielding a 95 cm sword was still quite manageable.
(Note: According to real-world Chinese developmental data, six-year-old boys range from 104.1–132.1 cm in height, averaging 117.7 cm. Given the spiritual difference between worlds, he's using the higher end.)
Chen Xiaojun activated "Sword Shadow Body", entering combat mode. The shadow of a sword flashed behind him as he charged straight at the Gale Wolf.
The wolf responded by launching its innate skill—Gale Blades—sending two wind blades toward him.
As the blades neared, Xiaojun stepped forward with his left foot, stomping hard and dodging the first. Then with a twist of his right foot, he spun around the second—using a move from "Sword Steps" called "Lotus Sway Within an Inch".
This move emphasized unpredictable motion—moving as if on the edge of danger, dancing on the tip of a sword.
He followed with "Starlight Thunderstrike", appearing like a meteor beside the Gale Wolf's right side. Wind Luan unleashed a flurry of sword flowers, aiming for the wolf's waist.
The Gale Wolf was over two meters long and 1.5 meters tall, likely over 200 years old.
As the saying goes, "Bronze head, iron tail, tofu waist"—wolves were no exception. The beast twisted and swung its tail, a strike that could injure Xiaojun seriously if it landed.
Though it was Xiaojun's first time facing a century-old soul beast, years of Chen Clan training had made him composed. Using his left hand to block with the sheath, he borrowed force to activate the "Swift Roc Movement", moving with the Gale Wolf as Wind Luan rained strikes down on its waist.
If "Starlight Thunderstrike" emphasized explosive leg strength and straight-line charging, and "Lotus Sway Within an Inch" relied on rapid lower-leg pivots and tight evasion, then "Swift Roc Movement" was somewhere in between—fast and elusive like a flying roc, constantly shifting and difficult to predict, ideal for short-range sword combos.
Wind Luan did not disappoint. Razor-sharp and incredibly resilient, it left several gashes on the Gale Wolf's waist. Blood soaked its fur.
The wolf's eyes turned blood-red. Its entire body radiated a green glow as a storm of wind wrapped around it and it lunged at Xiaojun.
Xiaojun counter-charged. Sliding low, Wind Luan sliced beneath the wind barrier, cutting through the wolf's abdomen.
"Two—ugh…" The wolf let out a miserable cry as its belly tore open. Blood and guts spilled across the ground. The scene was grisly.
A few seconds later, the Gale Wolf collapsed in silence. A yellow century-old soul ring floated up, glowing brightly.
"What a pity—it's not what I'm looking for. Doesn't cut," Xiaojun shook his head, slicing through the wolf's corpse.
"No soul bone and wolf meat isn't tasty either. Let other soul beasts have a feast," he muttered as he continued deeper into the forest.
From this encounter, Chen Xiaojun gauged his strength: he could handle century-old soul beasts with no issue.
He then killed a few more minor soul beasts. Eventually, he came across a small pond and decided to observe the area for potential prey that was both edible and beatable.
Soon, he spotted a yellow ox-type soul beast, likely just over 100 years old. Using "Starlight Thunderstrike," he appeared beside it and pierced its skull—killing it in one blow.
Chen Xiaojun began butchering the ox. Since beginning sword practice, he had honed his knife skills under the excuse of "helping mom" with soul-beast meat prep.
In fact, before transmigrating, he was already a decent cook. Influenced by his family and his own interest, he had watched many food streamers and learned step-by-step. Though not a master chef, he was certainly better than most. Since arriving in this world, he had made several dishes for his family.
Suddenly, as his sword pressed down, it bent and sprung back—narrowly avoiding a sharp, gray-black claw. A figure appeared three meters away: a Shadowless Panther.
This panther had a dark gray coat streaked with violet star-like patterns. Over two meters long, it was relatively small for a soul beast—though Shadowless Panthers were known for their compact size and stealth.
A high-tier, grade-seven soul beast, the Shadowless Panther wasn't especially powerful in raw strength, but its skills were highly troublesome.
It had used its innate skill—"Panther Shadow Stealth"—to sneak up near Xiaojun and launch a surprise attack. Luckily, it had to reveal itself to strike, and Xiaojun was alert.
There were rumors of a parallel shadow world attached to the material one—accessible only to soul beasts or masters with shadow-type talents or skills.
Because of this shadow nature, re-entry into the physical world always required manifesting within a certain range of living beings. The distance depended on the respective cultivation levels but was never less than 3 meters.
If not for that restriction, shadow-type creatures—able to traverse two worlds—would be absolute nightmares. Even so, they were already very dangerous.
Fortunately, shadow-type soul beasts and masters were rare.
The Shadowless Panther landed, then immediately reactivated "Panther Shadow Stealth", vanishing again—as if jumping back into the parallel shadow realm.
"This is going to be a pain. Guess I'll have to use that move."
Chen Xiaojun re-sheathed Wind Luan and grasped the hilt. He stood completely still. Only the faint breeze rustled the air, and a heavy stillness settled around him—as if the very air had frozen.
He focused completely. Then, he spotted faint footprints appearing to his left. The corners of his lips curled.
Using a sword-palming soul power technique, he shot a Sword Spirit Bead straight at the spot—forcing the Shadowless Panther to materialize.
But just then—a black claw shot at his back from behind. A fatal strike!
Chen Xiaojun spun on the ball of his foot, executing "Lotus Sway Within an Inch", and drew his sword in one fluid motion.
Thunderous movement. A turning slash.
Wind Luan shot backward like a flash of lightning, carving through the soul beast's throat. Its head flew off, blood gushing like a fountain.
The real Shadowless Panther had been right behind him.
A yellow soul ring appeared again, while the decoy panther in front faded away.
It had gotten within a meter of him—way too close. He was even splattered with blood.
"Thank goodness for that copy of Illustrated Rare Soul Beasts. If I hadn't known about the panther's innate skill Shadow Split, I'd be dyed red by now."
Chen Xiaojun retracted the Sword Spirit Bead, sat down to rest, and resumed butchering. He cleaned and packed up thigh meat and ribs into his Radiant Light Bracelet—from two soul beasts, no less.
At noon, he casually ate some prepared dried soul beast meat and continued hunting.
———
By evening, he arrived at a cave—the Chen Clan's traditional resting camp, well-ventilated and lit.
It had been regularly cleaned and checked for several hundred meters. No soul beasts nearby.
He scattered some powder at the entrance to repel insects, then got ready to enjoy a proper meal. Out came the stew pot.
"Tonight we're having tomato beef stew. It's gonna smell amazing." He figured the scent wouldn't carry more than a few hundred meters—a relatively safe range.
He tossed in ox ribs and thigh meat, added yellow wine, boiled water, skimmed blood foam, then added Sichuan pepper, star anise, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and diced tomatoes. His mother, Ye Xiuxin, had packed him a generous set of utensils and seasonings.
As the stew simmered over a low flame, he hummed:
"…I plucked flowers in Jiangnan, toasted spring breeze and red wax,
Passionate like me, wandering for the world…
I watered my horse in Jiangbei, facing the west wind and yellow sand,
Heartless like me, beheading love beneath my sword…"
This was one of his favorite ancient-style ballads. Xiaojun had always liked songs with a martial wanderer flair—free-spirited, unrestrained, roaming the world.
"I have to last three days, find the Blackmoon Wolves, and challenge their millennium-level soul beast. This tests both my combat and survival skills. Uncle Wu must be nearby, watching over me but not allowed to show up—it's tough on him too.
Today's fights—uneven ground, awkward footing—my sword steps still need work, not yet smooth.
Against that Gale Wolf, activating Sword Shadow Body gave me speed, but I need to flow better—or try sneak attacks without it. Be more flexible.
My Sword Draw Technique was strong—twice as fast as normal sword strikes—but still not enough. That Shadowless Panther nearly got me.
Too bad. Both of its innate skills—'Panther Shadow Stealth' and 'Shadow Split'—would've been perfect for my first soul skill, but it was only 300–400 years old. And it lacked the refined elegance I was looking for.
I'll have to find more century-level soul beasts over the next few days and fight them properly."
The next day, Chen Xiaojun fought over a dozen century-level soul beasts, utterly exhausted. He sat to meditate, clearing all distractions and circulating the Orthodox Sword Qi Technique.
Taoists categorized internal energy circulation into three modes: sheep-power (slow and cautious like a cart), deer-power (fast like a sprinting deer), and tiger-power (fierce and forceful like a charging tiger).
Today, nearly all his soul power had been depleted. His Yin and Yang points were fully open, drawing in soul power with ravenous intensity—like a raging tiger. The power surged like a river through his meridians.
Thanks to the vibrant ambient soul power of the wilds, his internal meridians rapidly stored more power.
Since his soul core hadn't yet been awakened, his current storage relied entirely on meridians. He needed to constantly nourish and expand them to store more soul power.