CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 47: MONSTER SNATCHING_1

That night, Wang Zhan successfully broke through to become a Level 5 Martial Artist. Then, as Song Dongming stared at him as if he were some kind of freak, Wang Zhan stubbornly pestered him into sparring, successfully increasing his attribute points to 950. Only 50 more extreme attribute points remained to be improved.

But now, if Wang Zhan wanted to obtain extreme attribute points from beasts, he would need to kill at least a Level 7 beast.

Beasts of this level were now sparse in their current area.

Apart from Wang Zhan, Huang Pufeng also successfully broke through to become a Level 5 Martial Artist a bit later.

He was already at the limit of Level 4, and after this period of high-intensity combat, his breakthrough was a natural progression.

There was also Song Dongming, who had already begun to break the limit of a Level 5 Martial Artist. Theoretically, he could break through to Level 6 at any time; he was currently just solidifying his foundation.

Regardless, the strength of their three-member team had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering change compared to when they first set out.

The following morning, Wang Zhan and his companions set out once again.

This time, their destination was the Valley Plain beyond the Valley, and they headed directly for the depths of the Valley Plain.

The death of the Four-Armed Giant Ape had rendered the Valley devoid of any immediate danger. At least until the other beasts discovered their leader was dead, this valley leading to the plain could be considered a safe passage.

After several hours of travel, the three of them had ventured about twenty kilometers into the Valley Plain.

This area had once been the territory of the Demonic Dogs of the Plains, but it had long since been occupied by other high-level beasts.

Along the way, the trio had effortlessly dealt with numerous Level 5 or weaker beasts. As for those above Level 5, they hadn’t encountered a single one.

"Many senior students are active in this area; the larger beasts have probably been dealt with by them," Song Dongming analyzed.

This situation was naturally unsatisfying for Wang Zhan and his companions.

They had all finally reached the Level 5 Martial Artist realm, and their combined strength had increased tremendously. They were itching for suitable opponents to practice on.

"I hope a few Level 7 beasts show up so I can have some real fun. These Level 5 ones are just too weak," Huang Pufeng said casually.

Wang Zhan shot the guy a sideways glance, ultimately swallowing the tirade of complaints welling up inside him.

The three of them were no ordinary Martial Artists; they had all broken through their limits before advancing, making their combat prowess far superior to that of typical Martial Artists.

Theoretically, a Level 5 beast was equivalent to a Level 6 Human Martial Artist. However, for these three, defeating an average Level 6 Martial Artist, even one level above them, would be almost too easy.

"Let’s continue deeper. The Valley Plain is vast; we’re only at the edge right now," Song Dongming said.

The trio continued their journey inward, and soon, they began to frequently encounter senior students from their Academy.

"There are people fighting up ahead," Wang Zhan suddenly announced, having heard the sounds of combat coming from not too far in front of them.

Having been bored for the whole journey, the three of them instantly perked up and hurried towards the direction of the fight.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the battle scene, only to discover five third-year students utilizing a Coordinated Strike Method to besiege a Level 7 beast.

"Two Level 4s and three Level 5s, and they haven’t even broken their limits, yet they can engage a Level 7 beast!" Huang Pufeng was somewhat shocked.

"The Coordinated Strike Method is an art forged from the blood and sweat of Martial Artist pioneers; it’s naturally extraordinary," Song Dongming remarked. "If training in it didn’t require so much time, I’d genuinely want to practice it too... Huh? Wait, where’s Wang Zhan?"

As the two were talking, they suddenly realized that Wang Zhan, who had been beside them, had vanished at some point.

"Damn it, how did he rush up there?!" Huang Pufeng yelled, pointing towards the battle.

Song Dongming quickly looked in the direction Huang Pufeng indicated and, sure enough, Wang Zhan was already in the thick of it.

"Get back! Don’t ruin our Coordinated Strike Method!"

"This is a Level 7 beast! What chaos are you causing?!"

"Damn it, Wang Zhan! You’re a freshman, are you trying to get yourself killed? Get back here!"

Because of Wang Zhan’s sudden intrusion, a clear flaw appeared in the five senior students’ previously seamless coordination. Seizing the opportunity, the Level 7 beast unleashed its power, forcing all five of them back several steps.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhan, dagger in hand, had already rushed before the Level 7 beast.

"Wind and Cloud Break!"

Essence Energy enveloped Wang Zhan’s dagger, and he then plunged it fiercely into the beast’s glabella.

Perhaps this Level 7 beast hadn’t expected the human Martial Artist who suddenly appeared to be so ferocious. It failed to dodge in time and was killed instantly on the spot.

Agility +5

Wang Zhan gleefully withdrew his dagger, letting the beast’s corpse fall to the ground. Only then did he turn to the dumbfounded senior students nearby.

"Hey, seniors, you’ve worked hard. Leave the beast-slaying to your junior," Wang Zhan said with a smile.

Are you kidding me? A Level 7 beast is a treasure trove of extreme attribute points in my eyes! If I find one, there’s no way I’m letting it go! As for kill-stealing... is it wrong to be helpful and enthusiastic?

The senior students clearly didn’t care about that; instead, they stared at Wang Zhan as if they had seen a ghost.

"You... you’re Wang Zhan? The freshman who participated in the sophomore challenge and won a hundred consecutive victories?"

"Damn, what level are you? How are you so formidable?"

Wang Zhan smiled. "You flatter me; I just broke through to Level 5. Please continue, seniors. This junior will take his leave."

With those words, Wang Zhan quickly regrouped with Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming, and the three departed together.

Only a few senior students remained, looking at each other in dismay.

"I’m a third-year, and I only just reached Level 5."

"And that kid isn’t an ordinary Level 5. That beast was equivalent to a Level 8 Martial Artist, and he killed it instantly!"

"Now I know what a genius is."

"How much do you think he surpassed the limit by? Twenty percent? Thirty percent?"

"I don’t want to know. It’s too damaging to my self-esteem."

Let’s not dwell on the seniors’ lamentations.

Meanwhile, Huang Pufeng looked utterly exasperated.

"I mean, snatching beasts from the two of us is one thing, but why are you snatching from people you don’t even know? What if they get upset? Are you going to pick a fight?"

Song Dongming also nodded. "It’s different from us three. The upperclassmen have kill missions this time. If you cause someone to fail their mission, you’ll have truly made an enemy."

"Mm, you’re both right. That was my mistake," Wang Zhan nodded perfunctorily.

Just then, the three of them detected the sounds of another battle.

Before Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming could react, Wang Zhan had already charged over again.

"Damn it, didn’t you just admit you were wrong?" Huang Pufeng couldn’t hold back any longer.

Song Dongming watched with a resigned expression.

"That’s what they call ’knowing your mistake and daring to do it again next time’."

By two in the afternoon, Wang Zhan finally returned to his small team.

Seeing the makeshift barbecue grill set up by Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming, he was momentarily speechless.

"Why didn’t you guys follow me? It was so thrilling over there! There were at least three or four Level 7 or higher beasts active in the vicinity. The senior students were all scrambling for them!"

This was quite an eye-opener for Wang Zhan. No wonder the Demonic Dogs of the Plains had been driven out. It turned out this plain had become a paradise for high-level beasts.

Previously, when Wang Zhan was active around the cave, he’d thought the Academy was making a fuss over nothing, believing there weren’t that many high-level beasts to warrant sending out all the third and fourth-year students.

Looking back, it seemed they hadn’t even been operating on the outskirts before; at best, they had only picked off a few beasts that slipped through the cracks.

The real motherlode was here on this plain.

After a short wait, the meat was cooked.

Huang Pufeng casually tore off a rabbit leg and took a bite; this was from a Big-eared Rabbit he had killed effortlessly earlier.

"Everyone’s cursing up a storm on the Academy’s forum. Do you know why?" Huang Pufeng asked in a hostile tone.

"Cursing?" Wang Zhan was taken aback.

Song Dongming’s expression wasn’t much better. He said, "In three hours, you snatched four beasts, Level 7 or higher! And you snatched them from four different damn teams! They hadn’t even completed their missions yet!"

"Huh? I just delivered the final blow. I didn’t take anything; the spoils of war all went to them. They’re going to complain about that too?" Wang Zhan couldn’t understand. He glanced at the page on Song Dongming’s personal terminal; indeed, there were posts specifically calling him out and cursing him.

"Their mission requires the team to independently kill the beast. If you interfere, you’re considered outside help, so of course, the mission can’t be completed," Song Dongming said unhappily. "Moreover, the senior students have implicated Huang Pufeng and me as well. Thanks to you, our team is now a public enemy."

"Is it that serious? Alright, I’ll try to rein it in a bit next time," Wang Zhan chuckled sheepishly.

It’s the same old story: acknowledge the mistake, but dare to repeat it. There was no helping it; he was still far off his extreme attribute point targets, so Wang Zhan had to land those killing blows.

Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming weren’t truly blaming Wang Zhan; they were just grumbling a bit.

Wang Zhan quickly joined in on devouring the Big-eared Rabbit.

However, just as the three of them were eating heartily, Wang Zhan suddenly felt an icy gust of wind from behind.

He looked up and saw that Song Dongming and Huang Pufeng had both stopped eating. Even the food they hadn’t finished chewing remained motionless in their mouths.

Sensing something was amiss, Wang Zhan turned around and saw Wang Qi standing there with a cold expression.

"Sis?"

"Is this what you call ’safety first’?" Wang Qi’s expression was grim. "Eighth-rank beasts might appear in this region, and you, a mere freshman, dare to come here seeking death!"

Wang Qi raised her hand as if to grab Wang Zhan’s ear, but surprisingly, she missed.

"Huh? Your speed... Wait a minute, you’re Level 5?" Wang Qi then realized that her younger brother had already reached the Level 5 Martial Artist realm.

"That’s right. And a Level 5 Martial Artist who has pushed body refining to its limit, no less," Wang Zhan retorted. "If I didn’t have confidence, would I dare come here?"

"Sister Qi, Little Brother Wang is right. Take a look." Yue Xinyue, Wang Qi’s teammate, showed Wang Qi the posts on the forum, leaving Wang Qi completely flabbergasted.

Several minutes passed before Wang Qi finally accepted this situation and stopped troubling Wang Zhan.

"Let me introduce you. These are my two teammates, Zhou Yi and Yue Xinyue."

After the two teams got acquainted, Wang Zhan asked curiously, "Sis, you and your team must have come here with a clear objective, right?"

"Of course." Wang Qi nodded. "It’s an eighth-rank beast."