The thick forest was quiet and peaceful. Several small beasts could occasionally be seen browsing for
food, and every time they showed up, it startled the birds, which flew from the tree as fast as their
wings could carry them.
Behind the shrubbery, a slender youth lay prone in the grass. He was motionless, only daring to
breathe every once in a while. It seemed he was waiting for something.
It was Austin's first day on Beast Mountain.
He extended his spiritual sense. An image appeared in his mind, a large bright-red beast walking more
than one hundred meters away from where he was hiding.
The Scarlet Sword Boar!
It seemed to be a one-level monster.
Scarlet Sword Boar resembled an ordinary wild boar, but was larger in size. Their skins were bright-red
and rough, which people associated with rock.
That Scarlet Sword Boar had two crimson sword-shaped horns on its head. Its horns curved a little at
the tips. Its mouth made a harsh sound. Its body gave off a stomach churning scent of blood.
It was grunting as if it were enjoying the idle afternoon. Leisurely, it ambled toward the shrubbery.
Austin had killed many low-level monsters when he went to Beast Mountain to practice his technique.
However, he'd been out of practice for three years, so his cultivation degraded to fourth level in the
Energy Gathering Realm. Facing this fierce and cruel Scarlet Sword Boar, he was not certain that he
could successfully kill it with vital energy.
He was about to actually fight a monster again. He was more excited than nervous about the actual
combat. Holding the long sword tightly with his hands, he waited for the best time to attack.
Austin had attained perfection in several popular sword skills of the Sun Sect.
Recently, he had been reviewing and practicing these sword skills. Now the sword he held in his hands
was one that he bought specially in a country market near the Sun Sect. It cost 5 vital energy crystals.
It stood out from other ordinary long swords by dint of its sharpness.
And it was perfect for his purposes, because it was what he used to practice his kata, sword-breaking
techniques, parrying, cutting, and thrusting, not to mention the techniques where he imbued the sword
with spiritual energy, to make a more devastating strike. He knew he had lost some of the magic that
he had, and he was hoping to prove himself on Beast Mountain.
Finally, the Scarlet Sword Boar moved close enough to him. Austin could even smell its foul breath,
which had felled many a disciple because they couldn't fight while being nauseous. But Austin steeled
his nerves and fought back the urge to vomit.
Austin was never an indecisive person. He decided to attack right now.
He sprang, gained momentum by kicking a tree nearby with his feet, and then he moved as quickly as
a sharp arrow loosed from a bow.
Swoosh! In an instant he was on the left side of the Scarlet Sword Boar.
"Ca-chunk." Then he swiftly raised the sword with both hands and chopped at its back twice.
After attacking it successfully, he backpedaled using the skill of Fish Swimming Pace. He wasn't about
to get hit by it, and distance was his best defense.
When his sword bit into the beast, he felt like he had struck a piece of metal. The sound was harsh and
unpleasant to the ear.
His attacks only left two slight white scars on its back—more slight scratches than debilitating injuries.
The Scarlet Sword Boar let out a long furious roar that echoed through the forest. Beasts of all shapes
and sizes fled when they heard the sound. The green was alive with the sounds of animals chattering
and lowing, and the ground vibrated from the hundreds of animals pounding the forest floor with their
feet as they fled. The sky was momentarily blackened by birds seeking a different place to hunt for
food.
It was angry, and it revealed automatically how dangerous it truly was.
It stared at Austin, the intruder who invaded his forest, with its bloodthirsty eyes. Its big nostrils flared,
dripping red liquid. The monster breathed heavily and red light radiated from its body.
Then it turned around suddenly and barreled toward Austin. Its strong hooves were as thick as trees,
running fast despite its large size. It caused the earth to quiver, and stirred the wind to whirl the leaves
into the air. It gave off a frightening aura.
Austin saw the Scarlet Sword Boar dash fiercely toward him. Meanwhile, he smelled its stinking scent
on the wind.
Austin was not worried at all. His eyes were lit up, and his fighting will aroused. He was going to turn
this beast into cold cuts and upgrade his cultivation level. Just like the old days.
"Come on. Let's fight!"
Austin was in high spirits. Instead of retreating, he rushed toward the Scarlet Sword Boar.
"Hoo..." The Scarlet Sword Boar roared.
Feeling Austin's strong fighting will, The Scarlet Sword Boar became even more furious and quickened
its pace.
A human being and a monster hurtled toward each other. Their movements called up a strong wind,
and the leaves on the ground whirled in the air.
However, when they were about to clash, Austin sidestepped using his vital energy. Instantly, he
brushed by the Scarlet Sword Boar as flexibly as a fish, unharmed by the beast.
The sword reflected the light. "Ca-chunk!" Austin chopped at its back twice more.
Austin mastered the skill of Fish Swimming Pace several years ago. This skill didn't require a lot of vital
energy. This skill depended on personal sensitivity and understanding. Therefore, when he used it, its
effect wouldn't be diminished by his low energy.
Besides, Austin learned and mastered the first two steps of Wind-commanding Skill—Feeling the Wind
and Knowing the Wind. So he had a better understanding of the wind. The wind was the most common
energy in this world.
When Rafat was still learning the Wind-commanding Skill, he was impatient and just wanted to master
it quickly. However, he could not make a lot of progress thanks to his inferior gift. So he started to learn
Using the Wind, the third step of Wind-commanding Skill, before he totally understood the first two
steps.
As a result, he didn't attain perfection performing the Wind-commanding Skill. It seemed that The Wind-
commanding Skill he performed had great power. But actually, he practiced this skill the wrong way.
By contrast, Austin had a high talent and a powerful spiritual sense. Therefore, he had a much deeper
understanding of Feeling the Wind and Knowing the Wind than Rafat. There was no doubt that he met
all the requirements of Wind-commanding Skill.
With a deeper understanding of the wind, Austin made great strides in practicing the body movement
skill of Fish Swimming Pace.
Fish Swimming Pace was a second-grade bodily movement skill, but now it was more powerful than it
should be when Austin used it. He changed his position so fast and flexibly that he was just a blur.
The Scarlet Sword Boar was large, and had great strength. It stirred the wind every time it moved,
which made it look extremely cruel and dangerous.
However, in Austin's eyes, the strong wind it generated gave away its location.
To some extent, Austin was like a fish in the water which was relaxed and free. He was in the wind, and
fortunately he had a quite good understanding of wind.
He could hear the angry grunting of the Scarlet Sword Boar. It was tiring the beast out. They had fought
more than ten rounds.
Dozens of new scars striped the back of the Scarlet Sword Boar. It gasped heavily with its mouth open.
Although the scars on its back were not severe, it became more and more furious because it consumed
a lot of physical energy and this was a long fight.
Apparently, Austin could easily handle its attacks. He moved faster and more flexibly.
Suddenly...
During the fight with the Scarlet Sword Boar, Austin found he felt something more about the wind.
Earlier, during the meditation, he felt this same thing, but he could not understand it totally. It seemed
that there was a barrier between him and the thing he wanted to understand.
But now, the barrier was disappearing bit by bit.
It was a hard-won opportunity to understand more about the wind. So Austin wasn't going to let it go to
waste. To get the Scarlet Sword Boar to keep attacking him, Austin continuously hacked at it with his
long sword.
The Scarlet Sword Boar brought a frightening gale every time it pounced on him with its huge body.
Austin made good use of this and immersed himself in his understanding of the wind.
It was the advantage of actual combat. When he cultivated martial arts skills in his daily life, he was like
a tree growing in a greenhouse. However, now he was like a tree growing in the storm.
These two environments had totally distinct effects on the cultivation of martial arts.
Gradually...
Austin found that he was in a weird state. Everything he saw was slowed way down. Time itself slowed
around him. In comparison, his movement sped up.
The Scarlet Sword Boar attacking him. The withered leaves whirling in the air. The birds fleeing in fear.
All of these things were in slow motion.
He had an epiphany and a feeling of control.
The essence of wind was the energy flowing in the air and it was affected by the speed of flowing
energy.
Wind revealed the change of energy in the space around him. For example, wind could reveal how
much energy it contained and in which direction it blew.
Reflexively, Austin closed his eyes tightly. Without physical sight and feeling with his spiritual sense, he
tried to catch the small movements of everything by his understanding of the
wind.
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