Chapter 43

Only those who have cultivated the Tu Man Heart Sutra to the eighth level or above can become top-tier hunters. Reaching the level of a top-tier hunter, the savage energy within their bodies condenses to an alarming degree. This is a watershed in strength, where a single top-tier hunter can easily defeat a group of high-tier hunters.

In the entire Tian Yao tribe, there were only three hundred and one top-tier hunters.

These people were almost all strategic forces of their respective tribes.

Wulasu admitted that with his current strength, he could not last more than ten moves against a top-tier hunter.

But today, Wulasu saw Meng Tian actually fighting on par with a top-tier hunter, and he could no longer remain calm.

That top-tier hunter's hunting knife had the combined strength of a dozen bulls, yet it moved as swiftly and ghostly as a phantom. Each move and technique was seamlessly connected, transforming the knife into a surging flood, splashing boiling knife energy that enveloped Meng Tian.

Meng Tian, who was visibly becoming more and more strained, suddenly heard a loud eagle's cry in the stone room. A pair of long wings spread out in the air, lifting Meng Tian's body almost into the air, and her speed instantly increased several times.

It was precisely when Meng Tian summoned her Lightning Eagle battle soul.

With the power of the Lightning Eagle fused into her, Meng Tian's speed became so fast that it left people speechless. The girl's body was half-floating in the air, looking down from above, and her black gold spear burst into a dazzling golden light.

In the blink of an eye, the stone room was filled with the afterimages of the golden spear.

In just a moment, Meng Tian had evened the odds, and the intense battle in the stone room reached a fever pitch.

Wulasu, watching from outside the gap, was captivated and his heart pounded fiercely.

He had long heard of Meng Tian's reputation as a genius. When they trained together as battle soul hunters, many people secretly admired that girl and sought opportunities to display their strength in front of Meng Tian to win her favor.

Wulasu did not deny that he was one of them. He admitted that he was stunned by the girl's beauty, and in his daydreams, her clear and beautiful smile, like the moon, constantly flickered before his eyes. Wulasu believed that he was gifted and that his demon beast battle soul was of a high rank. His future would surely bring greater achievements, and in the Tian Yao tribe, he would surely be a high-ranking ruler.

He believed he had the strength and qualifications to pursue that beautiful girl.

Wulasu had carefully designed many small details and coincidental encounters to chat with Meng Tian, and he had secretly paid attention to everything the girl liked, then at the right moment, he would casually take out certain items to win Meng Tian's favor.

Although Meng Tian always maintained a distant demeanor and did not show much favor towards him, Wulasu could feel the gradual process of becoming familiar from strangers.

In this process, Wulasu was happy and believed that with his strength and background, the girl would eventually be moved by him.

But he never expected that this scene today would shatter all his confidence.

A girl who had just become a battle soul hunter could actually fight on par with a top-tier hunter? What kind of miracle was that?

Once she broke through to the eighth level of the Tu Man Heart Sutra and became a top-tier hunter, how powerful would she be?

Wulasu suddenly realized how huge the gap was between him and that girl, so great that it left him deeply despairing. Reflecting on the past two months, Wulasu realized how naive he had been.

Such an outstanding genius, in her eyes, what was his strength worth?

Wulasu's face turned red as he turned and looked at the Thirteenth Elder.

The Thirteenth Elder stood behind, staring through the gap in the stone door at the two figures inside. After a long while, he sighed and said:

"Two months ago, our Elder Hall did not realize that this girl's talent was so extraordinary. In just over two months of intensive training, she can fight on par with a top-tier hunter, which is simply a miracle, a miracle."

"These two months of practical training have polished away her rough edges, allowing her true potential to shine brightly!"

Wulasu suddenly understood what the Thirteenth Elder meant by bringing him here. The tall and strong young man felt disheartened, hanging his head and said dejectedly:

"Elder, I recognize the gap. The true strength of the strong is indeed so great. It seems that the top of this year's Tian Yao list will undoubtedly belong to Meng Tian."

"No!"

Xiaoxiao Hu firmly denied, turning to look at the stunned Wulasu and shaking his head with a faint smile:

"Meng Tian's talent is indeed extraordinary. These days, she has been choosing to fight top-tier hunters, and her strength has improved rapidly. But Wulasu, do you know what kind of environment can most quickly enhance a person's strength?"

"What...?"

Wulasu was speechless: "Isn't it practical combat?"

The Thirteenth Elder nodded with a smile, then shook his head: "True practical combat is not what you see now. True practical combat is on the real battlefield, in the moment when your enemy is determined to kill you, in the baptism of blood and fire, in the struggle for life and death."

"Only by experiencing true life and death can a person's full potential be unleashed, leading to a sudden enlightenment and breakthrough in cultivation."

The Thirteenth Elder looked at Wulasu with a teasing expression: "Do you think that fighting a few strong opponents is practical combat? In your battles, you never had the determination to die, nor the sudden enlightenment of seeking life in death. That is not the same as a life-and-death battle."

At this point, the Thirteenth Elder raised his gaze and looked into the distance:

"Do you know that yesterday, Tie Mitao and a group of Elder Hall guards set out for the western border of the tribe to participate in the anti-bandit operation?"

"While you are still performing in the hunting grounds, while you are still proud of gradually uncovering your potential, Tie Mitao has already focused on the trials of iron and blood. He seeks enlightenment in the battlefield where death is almost certain, and he grows and matures in the rain of blood and wind."

"That child's resolve is far greater than we expected. At such a young age, he dares to step onto the front lines of the battlefield. In a few months, how miraculously will his cultivation grow? A genius who has shocked the entire tribe and has the courage to seek life in death, who else can stand at the pinnacle of this year's Tian Yao list besides him?"

The Thirteenth Elder's gaze returned to Wulasu. Hearing this, Wulasu was speechless. He suddenly realized that, whether in talent or resolve, he was still far from being a true strong person.