Chapter 33: The Tiger Roars in the Mountains and Forests

After observing the battle for a moment, Qin Liang was certain that Wang Feng, whom he had previously crippled, must have only recently completed his sixth soul-refining stage, which was why he could be defeated so easily.

The Iron-Bristled Boar before him, however, was significantly stronger. Its metallic bristles were particularly troublesome, allowing it to hold its own—and even gain a slight upper hand—against Ling Dehai during their prolonged skirmish.

Qin Liang needed to fight such a formidable opponent to hone his own skills. He had already confirmed that the Wang family possessed many warriors at the fifth soul-refining stage; those who had challenged the Jiang family earlier were merely a small fraction of their ranks. Even the Second Young Master and Third Young Lady were only being used as probes, which spoke volumes about the depth of the Wang family's foundation. If a conflict were to break out between the Wang, Feng, and Jiang families in the future, the Jiang disciples would likely suffer heavy casualties.

Therefore, Qin Liang had to grow stronger as quickly as possible to become a leader among the younger generation.

*Swish, swish...*

Qin Liang leaped from the tree, gripping a prototype Origin Weapon sword. With a few swings, cross-cutting sword qi erupted. The iron bristles shattered into pieces the moment they touched the energy, sent flying away by the force.

"Brother Qin..." Mu Chuan was stunned. Seeing the sword prototype in Qin Liang's hand, his jaw dropped in disbelief; he could not fathom that the youth was carrying an actual Origin Weapon. This was a treasure so rare that even experts at the Origin-Condensation stage would covet it. Even without being fueled by internal energy, it could slice through metal like mud. Against mere bristles—which were not true steel needles—they stood no chance against Qin Liang’s sword qi.

"Brother Qin, watch out!" Seeing more bristles flying from behind, Mu Chuan warned him in a panic.

Qin Liang turned and deflected them with a few effortless swipes of his blade. "Find a place to hide for now. I will go and slay it."

Without waiting for a reaction from Mu Chuan, he charged straight toward the Iron-Bristled Boar.

Watching his retreating back, the four men were dazed. Was this truly just a boy? They had initially assumed Qin Liang was weak and inexperienced in fighting demonic beasts, yet now, they were being protected by him. It felt surreal.

"Brother Ling, I'm here to assist you!"

Qin Liang arrived on the scene, brandishing his sword. Facing the three-meter-tall Iron-Bristled Boar, he showed no fear, unleashing a series of sword qi strikes.

"Brother Qin, be careful!" Ling Dehai warned anxiously. If something happened to Qin Liang, he wouldn't know how to face his daughter; after all, this was her savior, and he had promised to protect him.

However, before he could finish his sentence, Qin Liang and the Iron-Bristled Boar were already locked in a fierce exchange. The speed of both combatants was so blinding that Ling Dehai, himself a sixth-stage refiner, could find no opening to intervene.

"This Brother Qin is truly a young hero!" Ling Dehai sighed in admiration. It was no wonder the boy had saved his daughter twice. At such a young age, with so much room for growth, his future achievements would be limitless. If only he could marry his daughter to him...

During their brief collision, the Iron-Bristled Boar realized the human youth was only at the fifth soul-refining stage. It felt insulted and enraged by the boy's audacity.

"Awoo!"

It let out a furious roar that shook the forest. Its bristles shot out like arrows, intent on turning the human into a sieve.

Qin Liang sneered. Holding his sword in his right hand, he balled his left hand into a fist and unleashed a Seven-Star Punch. A gale, carrying seven layers of hidden force, swept through the woods with overwhelming, tyrannical power. The sharp bristles were scattered and knocked off course, grazing past Qin Liang harmlessly.

After the strike, Qin Liang rode the wind with his blade, his speed so rapid that it rattled the boar.

*Swish! Swish!*

From two meters away, Qin Liang swung twice, slicing off the boar's tusks and forcing it to howl in agony.

"Brother Qin is truly fierce," Ling Dehai remarked from afar.

The Iron-Bristled Boar shared the sentiment. It felt as though this boy was more of a beast than it was. It couldn't comprehend how a fifth-stage refiner could possess such terrifying strength. With its two tusks severed, it knew it was outmatched and would surely die if it continued.

It turned and bolted into the thicket, hoping that no matter how fast the boy was, he couldn't pursue him through the dense brush. However, Qin Liang swept his sword, and the resulting wave of energy flattened a massive patch of the undergrowth.

The boar panicked. Its earthy-yellow spiritual glow flared like a giant gemstone as it dove forward, desperate to reach the next patch of dense forest. Yet, at that moment, it felt a pair of eyes watching it from the darkness.

It realized there must be another expert nearby and that its doom was sealed. Deciding to fight to the death, it suddenly spun around and charged back after running only a few dozen meters.

In truth, it was Qin Liang’s spiritual perception, which could now extend up to fifty meters. The boar was fast; if it had continued to flee into the forest, it would have been difficult to catch. Qin Liang had gambled on that perception, and to his surprise, it had worked—the boar had stopped running.

Seeing it turn back, Qin Liang decisively unleashed a "Tiger-Form Fist." He had acquired this technique from the spoils of Wang Feng’s storage bag. It was a basic Wang family martial art—only a low-grade Yellow-tier technique—but when combined with Qin Liang’s wild, explosive strength, it possessed no small amount of power. With his current soul strength and aptitude, he had mastered the technique after reading it for only a single night, though his proficiency was still lacking.

As the fist stance took shape, the phantom of a fierce tiger emerged and lunged toward the boar.

A tiger's roar shook the mountain forest, striking fear into the boar. It roared back, burning its spiritual energy to defend itself.

*Boom!*

A massive explosion followed. The boar successfully broke through the tiger-form stance, intending to crush the reckless human in a single blow. But a sudden sense of mortal danger gripped its heart—it realized it had been careless.

Qin Liang’s fist stance had been a feint; his true objective was to mask a much stronger sword strike. The prototype sword was an Origin Weapon—a semi-finished high-grade one—and its destructive power was unmatched.

While the fist stance was erupting, Qin Liang had launched the sword like an arrow. It pierced the air, its whistling sound masked by the roar of the tiger. By the time the boar sensed the danger, it was too late. The blade pierced its skull, leaving a massive, bloody hole. Its brain matter was on the verge of spraying out; the sight was gruesome.

"Awoo..."

The Iron-Bristled Boar wailed, but it refused to give up, burning its own blood essence to squeeze out its final potential.

"Hmm?"

Qin Liang frowned. It seemed his plan to use the beast's blood essence to cultivate the Berserk Beast Body would have to be abandoned.

"Brother Qin, retreat! This beast is burning its blood essence; you cannot fight it head-on!"

In the distance, Ling Dehai had leaped into the tree branches and shouted. The boar couldn't climb, and by shooting arrows from the trees, they could maintain an advantage. But when they saw Qin Liang not retreating, but instead charging forward with his sword, they were horrified.

"It's over!"

The five men turned pale. They felt Qin Liang was being far too reckless. Charging in like that was suicide! Could such a young genius be destined to fall in his very first battle against a demonic beast?

"Even if I have to sacrifice this old life, Brother Qin cannot come to harm. You lot, stay here and provide cover!" Ling Dehai gritted his teeth and prepared to rush out to save him.

Suddenly, Mu Chuan cried out in shock, "Wait! Big Brother, look—Brother Qin seems to have a hidden trump card!"