Chapter 9

Beside a small river, a not particularly large magical beast was drinking water. This magical beast wasn't especially big, roughly the size of a slightly larger dog. Its body was covered in dark scales, and its long tail had several spines. Its head, however, looked much like that of a cat.

The Armored Lynx, it was said, had a bit of dragon blood, though it was so diluted that it could hardly be called a sub-dragon species. Nevertheless, this bloodline allowed the magical beast to grow scales, which, combined with its already large size, made it extremely defensive without sacrificing its agility.

The Armored Lynx was not a social creature, but it usually had a family of about ten. At the moment, there were seven or eight ordinary lynxes surrounding the Armored Lynx.

Such a group of beasts and magical beasts shouldn't pose a threat to Rais and his companions. The problem was the Armored Lynx itself. Its dragon bloodline, combined with the natural abilities of a lynx, resulted in some extraordinary changes. Not only was it agile like the wind, but it also possessed two to three innate spells. While these spells were far less powerful than those of dragons, they significantly boosted the Armored Lynx's strength as a level three magical beast!

So, despite its ugly appearance, the Armored Lynx was a formidable opponent, even for a level four adventurer. However, due to its dragon bloodline, the materials from its body were highly valuable, and few adventurers who discovered it would let it go.

Rais and his group's target was this Armored Lynx.

The Armored Lynx was exceptionally cautious. If they charged over boldly, it would likely flee immediately. Although it was one of the strongest level three magical beasts, it generally avoided direct combat. If provoked and not killed, it would seek opportunities to ambush its enemies, causing endless trouble. A single misstep could lead to a significant disadvantage.

Of course, if the opponent was far stronger, it wouldn't risk death and would instead hide far away, harboring a grudge. Whether it could take revenge in the future was uncertain.

To deal with the Armored Lynx, they needed to launch a sudden, powerful attack to prevent it from escaping. Otherwise, capturing it again would be difficult.

Rais and his group had set up a trap for the Armored Lynx.

After drinking its fill, the Armored Lynx led the other lynxes into the forest. The lynxes surrounded the Armored Lynx, protecting it tightly. They knew that only by protecting the Armored Lynx could their small group thrive.

However, today, a group of humans planned to hunt down their protector.

As the group of lynxes passed a large tree, an attack was launched without warning.

A sudden flash of light on the ground, and an ice spike shot out from under the Armored Lynx's feet! The Armored Lynx, known for its agility, jumped away, avoiding the ice spike entirely.

However, the ice spike didn't just appear. After missing, it shattered with a crack, transforming into a cloud of ice mist that enveloped a large area!

In an instant, all the lynxes, including the Armored Lynx, were covered in a layer of frost. The frost didn't cause much damage, just a bit of cold, but it significantly slowed down the lynxes.

This was the true purpose of the spell, a combination of Ice Spike and Frost Ring!

This was one of the reasons Rais and his group had high hopes for Lydia. Despite being taught by a wandering mage for less than a year, Lydia could combine spells to achieve extraordinary effects. Such talent would be wasted if not used for magic. Given the opportunity, she might even become a Gold Mage of level seven or higher!

In this world, levels one to three were called the Bronze Tier, levels four to six were the Silver Tier, and levels seven to nine were the Gold Tier. If one became a Gold Tier adventurer, they would be among the most powerful in the world—possibly even a national asset in some small countries!

Seeing Lydia's potential and character, Rais and his group decided to bring this inexperienced girl along to help her earn tuition. Lydia's magical abilities also greatly assisted their adventuring team, making their tasks easier.

For example, the Frost Ring immediately reduced the Armored Lynx's greatest weapon—its speed. This was the moment for the others to act.

With a whoosh, Ban jumped down from a tree in front of the Armored Lynx. He slammed his shield forward, blocking the Armored Lynx's escape route. With his other hand, he swung his sword at the Armored Lynx's neck!

At the same time, Beck emerged from a bush behind the Armored Lynx, thrusting his spear at its tail. On the other side, Uncle Rais leaped up, his two-handed sword crashing down on the Armored Lynx!

Their coordination was perfect, sealing all the Armored Lynx's escape routes. The three of them formed an equilateral triangle around the Armored Lynx, cutting off any chance of escape!

However, the Armored Lynx had dragon blood. In this situation, it had no choice but to reveal its true abilities.

It suddenly raised its head and let out a roar. The roar was not like that of a lynx but more like a dragon's, though it was much sharper. The roar sent a terrifying aura spreading out!

The three people near the Armored Lynx were momentarily stunned by the roar. Seizing this opportunity, the Armored Lynx found a gap and darted out.

"Damn it, this thing's innate spells include Dragon Aura! It's a rare breed; its magic crystal must be even more valuable!" After the shock, the three quickly recovered. However, the Armored Lynx had already escaped, and it wasn't easy to catch up. Beck shouted in frustration, but he was powerless against the Armored Lynx.

At this moment, Erin drew her longbow and fired arrows one after another at the Armored Lynx. To chase the Armored Lynx and get a good vantage point, Erin leaped from tree to tree, moving like a bird. Although the Armored Lynx was agile, it was forced to change direction repeatedly by the arrows, significantly slowing its escape.

Meanwhile, Ji Ran moved. He had been lying in wait on the other side to prevent the Armored Lynx from escaping, but the beast used its Dragon Aura to stun the three and escaped in another direction. Now, he had no choice but to use his light step to chase after the Armored Lynx.

Unlike the others, who ran and leaped to increase their speed, Ji Ran simply focused his mind, stood straight, and took a step forward.

This step covered a vast distance, as if the ground in front of him had shortened, allowing him to leap over it!

In "Swordsmen Unparalleled," the light step technique of his Zangjian Manor was called "Step of the Near and Far."

As the disciples of Zangjian Manor joked, "When I chase you, it's a step away; when you chase me, it's a world apart."

This light step technique was not advantageous for long-distance travel and was even unsuitable for it. However, in short-distance pursuits, it had unparalleled effects!

Although his level had been reset due to his reincarnation, and the levels of various skills and techniques had to be restarted, even the lowest level of the Step of the Near and Far allowed him to cover over ten meters in a single step.

Channeling the true qi within his body—clearly, only true qi could drive the light step, not mana—the Step of the Near and Far was activated repeatedly, and in just a few steps, he caught up to the Armored Lynx.

The Four Seasons Sword Technique was unleashed!

This sword technique was famous in the game for its elegance. Each strike was devoid of any烟火气 (smoke and fire, metaphorically meaning violence or aggression), like a watercolor painting. Each movement seemed slow but was actually fast, making it clear to see but impossible to block when one tried to defend.

This unique charm was the essence of the Four Seasons Sword Technique.

Although Ji Ran's Four Seasons Sword Technique had been reset to level zero due to his reincarnation, his years of practice were not in vain. Even at level one, he could still use it with considerable power. Moreover, recent battles had raised the technique to level two, and his own level had surpassed twenty.

With a few strikes, all the Armored Lynx's escape routes were sealed, making it impossible to break through Ji Ran's sword net. Of course, if it had the courage to withstand a few of Ji Ran's strikes, it might have escaped with injuries, but the Armored Lynx was a coward and wouldn't dare to charge into the sword.

Thus, the Armored Lynx was entangled by Ji Ran alone. The sword light danced around it, and the sword qi surged, churning up the surrounding soil. The Armored Lynx, trying to avoid Ji Ran's attacks, was in a sorry state. Whenever it tried to escape, a sword would suddenly appear from an unexpected direction, blocking its path!

At level two, the Four Seasons Sword Technique could release sword qi directly, not just through sword techniques. This greatly increased the power of the sword technique, allowing him to single-handedly pin down the Armored Lynx!

However, the Armored Lynx's agility was also quite high; otherwise, it wouldn't have escaped from Rais and the others. Unfortunately, its Dragon Aura couldn't be used again in a short time, or it might have had a chance to escape...

For a while, Ji Ran couldn't bring down the Armored Lynx. Unless he used a new sword technique he had recently mastered, which required a significant amount of true qi. If possible, he hoped to conserve his strength...

"Hey, are you just going to watch? I could really use one or more helpers to finish this fight..." Ji Ran looked at Rais and the others, who had gathered but hadn't joined the battle, and spoke helplessly.