Chapter 54

Compared to Zhou Zhihao's enthusiastic attitude, Jin Liangliang and Zheng Nan glanced at Sun Yan, both of their faces showing disdain and contempt. They were members of the Elite Department, and it was beneath their dignity to be in the same compartment with a student from an ordinary department.

The young man Lin Tianwang remained expressionless, and from start to finish, he seemed like a transparent person, completely ignoring everything around him, and everything around him seemed indifferent to him as well.

The armored vehicle stopped steadily, the compartment door opened, and Sun Yan and the others got out. A winding mountain path lay not far away, which was presumably the 7777th mountain path.

The leading special forces soldier saluted, said nothing more, and then drove the armored vehicle away at high speed.

The five people stood at the foot of the mountain. Jin Liangliang and Zheng Nan exchanged a glance, both of their eyes filled with a challenging spirit. Without a word, they rushed up the mountain path and quickly disappeared into the lush forest.

Lin Tianwang, holding a military combat knife, walked at a steady pace. It was unknown what combat technique he used, but although he seemed to be moving slowly, he had covered hundreds of meters in just a short while and vanished at the end of the path.

Sun Yan glanced at Zhou Zhihao, and before he could speak, Zhou Zhihao darted out, waving his hand without turning back and shouting, "Bro Sun, let's have a race to see who reaches the finish line first. The loser buys the meal!"

"These people don't respect each other at all! To vie for the top 20, they are all putting in their best efforts, but what's the use of the credits from the Imperial Wind Academy?"

Unlike the others who were in a hurry, Sun Yan was not anxious. When the graduation exam ended, Teacher Dao had said that he would be awarded an additional 500 credits upon enrollment.

Compared to that, the 10 credits reward for the wilderness speed trial seemed insignificant. As for the top 20 ranking, Sun Yan did not care much about it. His life trajectory was vastly different from these martial arts geniuses, and he preferred to do everything according to his own pace.

"The wilderness survival trial lasts 48 hours. On the first day, I will look for monsters and battle them to hone my combat skills. On the second day, I will push myself to the limit to reach the destination."

Sun Yan set this plan for the two days. His strength had rapidly improved in just over a month, and what he lacked most was practical combat experience. The wild beasts and monsters distributed in the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain were all at the level of a Second-Rank Warrior, making them the perfect opponents for him to practice.

After checking his military gloves and combat suit, Sun Yan took a step and entered the 7777th mountain path.

...

As the sun set, the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain was already dimly lit. The trees here were towering and the branches formed a dense canopy, blocking out the sky. Even during the day, visibility was limited.

"According to the previous explanation from the smart brain, the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain is home to dozens of Second-Rank wild beasts and monsters, as well as several rare aggressive plants. Why haven't I seen any yet?"

In the forest, Sun Yan moved slowly, his feet as light as cotton, walking on the leaf-covered ground without making a sound. This was a manifestation of the "Wind Step" reaching the Perfect level, making his body move like a gentle breeze, reducing his footsteps to an extremely subtle level.

"It would be best to encounter a Second-Rank monster. That would be the ideal opponent for practice."

Monsters and wild beasts are fundamentally different.

Since the beginning of the interstellar age, with the expansion of interstellar colonization, more and more species have been discovered, many of which are far more powerful than humans could imagine. However, these powerful wild beasts are the result of natural evolution.

In contrast, the emergence of monsters completely defies the theory of natural evolution. During the war between the Human Alliance and the JW Alliance, the JW Alliance conducted horrifying experiments using various wild beasts, creating many terrifying biological weapons. These mutated species are called monsters by humans.

Unlike naturally evolved wild beasts, most monsters are filled with bloodlust and aggression and possess various bizarre abilities.

One of the most well-known monsters to humans is the JW Alliance's standard biological weapon—the Dual-Stinger Secret Snake. This mechanical secret snake has appeared countless times in many movies. It moves like the wind, and once its metal spikes pierce the human body, it can instantly release a terrifying electric current and venom, causing a person to wither and corrode.

Under normal circumstances, it is difficult for people to encounter such terrifying monsters. On the planet Domil, the monsters rampant in the restricted areas are mostly defective products from the JW Alliance's experiments.

However, even these defective products are much more powerful and ferocious than wild beasts of the same rank.

"Hmm, there's some movement!"

In the shadows of the forest, Sun Yan's gaze locked onto a point. With a sliver of light, he saw several large trees broken and fallen in that area.

The trees in the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain were extremely tall and thick, with trunks that required four people to encircle. For several such towering trees to be broken and fallen, there must be something happening there.

In the next moment, a long shadow slowly crawled out from behind the trees. This shadow was over ten meters long and moved with almost no sound, causing the leaves on the ground to rustle slightly.

In the next moment, Sun Yan's keen eyes identified the creature.

It was a 12-meter-long ferocious beast, with a head like a giant crocodile but a body that was disproportionate to its massive head. Its long body was snake-like but covered in thick scales, and its limbs were close to the ground, moving like a snake. Its tail, three meters long, was like a steel whip, constantly striking the ground.

"Whip-Tail Crocodile, a Second-Rank Monster!" Sun Yan recognized this ferocious beast, which he was quite familiar with.

Before the age of 8, Sun Yan and his father lived in the outskirts of Luoshan City, near the restricted area, where monsters often appeared at night. Once, they encountered a Whip-Tail Crocodile. Even though the monster was severely injured, they were still chased around and almost became its meal.

However, times have changed, and he was no longer the same.

Gripping the alloy gloves, Sun Yan stood still, immovable as a mountain, staring into the cold yellow eyes of the Whip-Tail Crocodile, his eyes filled with a challenging look.

Bang!

The Whip-Tail Crocodile was clearly enraged. Its tail swept and struck a nearby tree, which groaned and snapped, crashing to the ground.

"Such strong power, just the impact of its tail is no less than a Second-Rank Warrior using the Perfect level 'Whip Form,'" Sun Yan calculated in his mind.

"Hisss..."

The crocodile's head lifted slightly, its long tongue flicking out, and it let out a hissing sound like a snake. Then, the Whip-Tail Crocodile's steel-like tail struck the ground, and its 12-meter-long body shot forward, emitting a foul odor as it lunged at Sun Yan.

In mid-air, the Whip-Tail Crocodile's massive mouth opened wide, the distance between its upper and lower jaws being about two meters, capable of swallowing a person whole. Its sharp teeth, each over a foot long, gleamed menacingly in the dim light.

If this sudden attack had been against someone unfamiliar with the Whip-Tail Crocodile, they would likely have been caught off guard and panicked. However, Sun Yan still vividly remembered the attack of this monster.

Whoosh!

As the Whip-Tail Crocodile lunged, Sun Yan moved slightly, using the "Wind Step" to dodge to the side of the monster. He did not attack but instead reached out with both hands and grabbed the tail.

Thud!

In the darkness, a whip-like shadow flashed, but it was caught by Sun Yan's hands, making a dull sound.

This was the Whip-Tail Crocodile's attack method. While lunging to bite, its iron tail was the true killing move. If hit by that tail, even a Second-Rank Warrior would likely be cut in half.

"Such strong impact!"

Sun Yan's shoulders shook, and he used the "Dragon Subduing Pile" to stabilize his stance, then started running, dragging the Whip-Tail Crocodile along.

"Hisss..."

Caught by the tail, the Whip-Tail Crocodile became agitated, writhing its snake-like body, trying to turn and bite. However, Sun Yan ran faster, and every time its head lifted, it was dragged back to the ground.

Dragging the massive monster for nearly a kilometer, Sun Yan suddenly stopped, his internal energy surging, and he infused his arms with it.

"Roar!"

With a loud shout, Sun Yan used his arms to lift the Whip-Tail Crocodile, swinging it in a wide arc and slamming it forward.

Immediately, he turned and swung the Second-Rank Monster back again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The forest echoed with the bone-chilling sounds of heavy impacts. Sun Yan swung the Whip-Tail Crocodile's tail like a giant whip, repeatedly striking the ground, causing the earth to tremble and leaves to fly.

Thud!

On the 20th swing, Sun Yan released his grip, and the Whip-Tail Crocodile flew out, crashing into a tree, its sharp teeth embedding in the trunk.

The tree shook violently, and the Whip-Tail Crocodile slid down like a dead snake, its teeth scraping off a layer of bark.

"Phew..." Sun Yan's forehead was covered in sweat. He took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Awesome! So awesome!"

Sitting on the ground, Sun Yan took out a nutrient solution and drank it in a few gulps, restoring his exhausted physical strength and internal energy.

After meditating for a while, Sun Yan leaped up, his face filled with excitement. "Just as I expected, the most significant improvement in combat skills and internal energy comes from real combat."

The battle with the Whip-Tail Crocodile made Sun Yan feel that his internal energy had improved slightly, with the internal energy in his dantian surging, as if about to burst. He estimated that breaking through to the Third-Rank Warrior was just around the corner.

This was not the most exciting part. The most surprising thing was that the "Dragon Subduing Pile," which had been stagnant at the Initial Level, had also improved slightly after the intense swinging.

Compared to the progress of his internal energy, the slow training speed of the "Dragon Subduing Pile" was the most troubling thing for Sun Yan.

After a moment of thought, Sun Yan's gaze fell on the dead Whip-Tail Crocodile. Walking over, he grabbed the monster's tail, feeling the weight on his shoulders. "So heavy! Perhaps this method is suitable for training the 'Dragon Subduing Pile.'"

Lifting the dead Whip-Tail Crocodile, he placed its tail on his shoulder and dragged the corpse deeper into the forest.