Chapter 94

Having escaped the spotted snake's pursuit, Tang Jie continued along the mountain path.

"There's a spirit herb ahead!" Yi Yi, huddled in Tang Jie's arms, pointed ahead and then quickly retreated.

Having learned from the previous lesson, Yi Yi dared not easily show herself again, hiding in Tang Jie's arms where her presence wouldn't be detected from far away.

Following Yi Yi's guidance, Tang Jie arrived at a patch of grass and saw a dozen or so bright red plants swaying in the wind.

"It's Red Ling Grass, not very valuable," Tang Jie said regretfully.

Red Ling Grass was worth one spirit coin for every three plants, not very valuable, but it grew quickly, usually maturing in about half a year, and would grow in small patches.

Tang Jie counted the Red Ling Grass and found there were about twenty plants, so he took out his medicinal hoe and started digging.

The value of Red Ling Grass mainly lies in its roots, so it must be dug up with the roots intact. However, the academy stipulates that at least one plant must be left in any patch to allow it to spread and grow. The academy wouldn't specifically assign people to monitor each student, but if they were to seriously investigate, few could escape, so students rarely dared to violate the rule.

After collecting eighteen plants, Tang Jie carefully stored them and continued on his way.

As he was walking, Yi Yi suddenly shouted, "Run, another monster is coming!"

Tang Jie turned and ran, asking, "What is it?"

"It's a leopard, a very fierce leopard!" Yi Yi shouted, waving her fists.

Hearing this, Tang Jie stopped.

Yi Yi panicked, "Run! Why are you stopping?"

Tang Jie sighed, "The leopard can be fought."

"Ah?" Yi Yi was stunned.

She had been terrified by the snake and instinctively wanted to run at the sight of any monster, but she hadn't considered that they weren't here to avoid every monster they encountered.

There were only three types of leopard-like creatures in Tiger Roar Valley, and none of them were high-grade.

Tang Jie only avoided medium-grade and above; if he avoided even low-grade creatures, he might as well not have come.

Turning around, he saw a black leopard charging towards him at incredible speed, leaving a black trail in the sky.

"It's a black leopard. Its fur is quite valuable, and its flesh has nourishing effects," Tang Jie thought, already calculating how much he could sell the leopard for if he skinned and dismembered it.

The black leopard suddenly rushed to Tang Jie, clawing at him with a sharp claw that glinted in the sunlight.

Tang Jie roared and struck back with his palm, meeting the leopard's claw head-on. He wanted to test his physical strength and didn't use any defensive spells. The claw and iron palm collided, a thin line of blood splattered, and Tang Jie grunted and stepped back. Looking at his palm, he saw five bloody holes.

This injury was quite severe, but Tang Jie was not alarmed; instead, he was pleased.

Low-grade monsters generally had few spells and relied mainly on their physical strength. Although the black leopard wasn't the strongest in terms of power among low-grade monsters, Tang Jie could fight it without using spells, which was quite rare.

After the first clash, Tang Jie activated the Water Condensation Shield and kicked the black leopard, fighting in a style that traded injuries for injuries.

The claws pierced through the shield, leaving five bloody marks on Tang Jie's chest, while his kick landed on the leopard's abdomen.

The abdomen is a vital point for felines, and the kick caused the leopard to howl in pain. However, it quickly turned in mid-air, and its long tail lashed out, striking Tang Jie and sending him flying.

The force was immense, and Tang Jie felt a burning pain. As he flew, he activated his Primordial Energy and pointed at the leopard.

Unexpectedly, the leopard was incredibly agile, dodging the attack and rushing into Tang Jie's arms, biting at his neck.

This sudden change left Tang Jie no choice but to activate the Formless Golden Body. The leopard's bite was like clamping onto steel, making a clanging sound but failing to penetrate. The leopard was stunned, and Tang Jie struck it with an elbow, while the leopard slapped him in the face.

The two separated instantly, the leopard flying away, and Tang Jie with a bloody face and two shallow tooth marks on his neck.

"Truly troublesome," Tang Jie cursed. The black leopard was known for its speed, and that dodge was likely its innate ability, making it extremely quick.

This clash was more disadvantageous for Tang Jie.

Yi Yi shouted, "You said you could fight it!"

"I didn't say I could fight it easily!" Tang Jie replied irritably, taking out the puppet token.

A beam of light shot from the token, and a black humanoid combat puppet appeared on the ground, charging at the black leopard under Tang Jie's control.

Unexpectedly, the black leopard let out a cry and turned to run.

Yi Yi threw the Immortal Binding Rope, but the leopard easily dodged, disappearing in a flash.

Seeing the leopard escape, Tang Jie could only watch helplessly as it vanished into the forest.

"Damn!" Tang Jie cursed, feeling frustrated.

The black leopard, though weak in combat, was incredibly fast, making it hard to kill.

Since the black leopard had run away, Tang Jie continued digging for herbs.

Fortunately, with Yi Yi's help, Tang Jie's herb-gathering went smoothly, and he quickly found several types, though they were not very valuable, they added up.

However, to truly gain benefits in Tiger Roar Valley, one had to rely on monster hunting.

Monsters were always more valuable than herbs, often yielding hundreds of coins per kill. For example, the spotted snake that had chased Tang Jie could have been worth seven or eight hundred coins if he had killed it, including its skin, flesh, and bones.

However, such targets were usually taken down by groups of students.

The strongest monsters in Tiger Roar Valley were high-grade, but only students below the Spirit Lake stage were allowed to enter, emphasizing the importance of teamwork. However, Tang Jie had many secrets and had to act alone.

After walking for a while, Tang Jie and Yi Yi encountered a third monster, a brown bear.

Yi Yi shouted, "This one is slow!"

Tang Jie, feeling helpless, replied, "This one is strong."

There were only two brown bears in Tiger Roar Valley, one medium-grade and one low-grade.

Even the low-grade brown bear was the toughest of all low-grade monsters in Tiger Roar Valley, with its massive paws capable of crushing boulders.

Tang Jie's body, though strong, was not yet capable of fighting such a large creature. Using the puppet to kill it might work, but the cost would be high.

With the bear's strength, even the Immortal Binding Rope might be snapped.

Unless there was a significant power gap or the opponent had valuable items but lacked the ability to use them, like Zhuang Shen, a balanced fight usually meant more cost than benefit.

Most lucrative victories occur between the strong and the weak.

True battles between strong opponents usually result in heavy losses for both sides, with no real winner, only varying degrees of loss.

To gain benefits, one must choose targets wisely.

The stronger one is, the more choices one has, and the greater the potential rewards.

Tang Jie was strong for his stage, but even so, among the low-grade monsters in Tiger Roar Valley, only a quarter were suitable for him to fight, making his three failures quite normal.

When Yi Yi sensed the presence of another monster, she said weakly, "A wolf, can we fight it or not?"

"What kind of wolf?"

"I don't know," Yi Yi replied, resting her chin.

Tang Jie looked at the map and recalled his lessons, muttering, "If it's a lone wolf, it's either a Needleback Wolf or a Wind Wolf, but either can be fought."

"Can we fight it?" Yi Yi perked up.

"Yes," Tang Jie nodded, "but it's not very valuable."

"Ah," Yi Yi sighed.

"Be content. With our current abilities, fighting wolves is about all we can do," Tang Jie said, not daring to be complacent and already releasing the puppet.

A wolf, though not very valuable, could still be worth seventy to eighty coins, so killing one would not be a total loss for the day.

Sure enough, a Needleback Wolf soon appeared in the distance.

Seeing it, Tang Jie laughed.

This wolf was strong but not as fast as the black leopard or as tough as the brown bear, making it a perfect opponent for Tang Jie.

The Needleback Wolf was cautious at first, reluctant to charge. Tang Jie had Yi Yi show herself, and the wolf immediately turned red-eyed, roaring and charging forward.

Yi Yi screamed and hid, while Tang Jie laughed and swung his iron fist to meet the wolf.

The Needleback Wolf roared, clawing at Tang Jie. Both bodies trembled, and the wolf let out a sharp cry, suddenly lowering its head and raising its spines, which shot out like thousands of needles.

This was the Needleback Wolf's signature move, with each spine as sharp as a steel needle, and the combined attack was formidable.

However, Tang Jie and the other students had learned about this wolf before entering, and Tang Jie was prepared.

As the wolf lowered its head, Tang Jie activated the Formless Golden Body and the Water Condensation Shield.

Hundreds of spines pierced the shield and hit Tang Jie, making a series of thuds, but they did not penetrate deeply.

Meanwhile, the puppet charged, striking the Needleback Wolf's bare back, nearly breaking its spine. The wolf, realizing the danger, glanced greedily at Yi Yi and tried to escape.

"Think you can run?" Tang Jie activated the Purple Lightning Leap and caught up, kicking the wolf in the abdomen and sending it back to the puppet.

Yi Yi threw the Immortal Binding Rope, successfully binding the wolf.

However, the wolf, being fierce, continued to struggle and bite, trying to break free.

The Immortal Binding Rope, which had immobilized Tang Jie, could only partially restrain the wolf, and it might have escaped.

Fortunately, the puppet pressed down, pinning the wolf and activating its defensive array, allowing it to withstand the wolf's attacks.

The wolf was now immobilized.

Tang Jie formed a spell, a point of spiritual light appearing on his finger, turning it white.

The Jade-Cracking Finger!

This was another powerful technique Tang Jie had stolen from the Divine Lightning Sword Canon.

Although he was not yet proficient, it took him a while to form the spell, but with the puppet and the Immortal Binding Rope holding the wolf, he could take his time.

Once his finger was completely white, Tang Jie approached and pointed at the wolf's head.

The finger pierced the wolf's head like a soft tofu, making a soft thud, and a surge of spiritual energy burst through, followed by a light thud as the wolf stopped moving.

"Phew!" Tang Jie withdrew his finger and stepped back.

The battle, though short, was intense, and he was also injured.

The spines, now powerless, hung limply, making Tang Jie look like a hairy man.

Yi Yi carefully removed the spines, each one leaving a small blood spot.

It took a while to remove all the spines, and Tang Jie's body was covered in red dots, like a rash.

However, with his strong physique, these injuries would heal in a couple of hours.

"Collect the spines. These can retain some of the wolf's essence and can be used to make talisman pens," Tang Jie instructed Yi Yi.

"Got it," Yi Yi nodded obediently.

Tang Jie then began to skin and dismember the wolf.

Yi Yi watched, curious, "Brother, should we look for more monsters?"

"Of course."

"But it's dangerous. The monsters here are so powerful." Even the weakest wolf had left Tang Jie covered in injuries, and Yi Yi was afraid of encountering stronger creatures.

The monsters in Tiger Roar Valley wouldn't line up for them to choose from.

After a moment, Tang Jie stopped and said, "It's not that the monsters are powerful, but that we are still weak."

"Why don't we wait until we are stronger?"

"Because by then it might be too late," Tang Jie replied, stroking Yi Yi's face. "I have many enemies who are always looking for trouble. They haven't come for me yet, but they will, and they won't give me much time."

"Ah, so we need to get stronger quickly to protect ourselves!" Yi Yi raised her fist.

"No," Tang Jie shook his head and smiled, "not to protect ourselves..."

"To kill them all!"