62: Chapter 62 The Initial Formation of the Thunder Network and Its Practical Test

On the fourth day at noon, after finishing the work in the herb garden, Lin Xuan set off riding the half-Spirit Beast Red-Scaled Horse.

By the afternoon, Qinghe Village came into view.

It was a small village nestled against the mountains and near the water, with about a hundred households.

At this moment, every household's doors and windows were tightly shut, and hardly a soul could be seen in the village; only a few lanterns hanging on the old locust tree at the village entrance swayed in the twilight.

Lin Xuan did not enter the village, but instead circled to the edge of the forest on the west side of the village.

"Come out," he said softly.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse leaped out from the Spirit-Taming Tower Space and landed on his shoulder. The little fellow's dark purple fur was almost invisible in the night, with only those lively eyes gleaming with a faint light.

"Find the wolf pack," Lin Xuan issued the command through the contract.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse twitched its nose, fully activating its [Spirit Energy Tracking] talent. It closed its eyes, perked up its ears, and a moment later, pointed toward the northwest.

Lin Xuan cast the Breath Concealment Technique, his figure blending into the night as he silently crept in that direction.

Deep in the mountain forest, there was a shaded, rocky beach.

A dozen dark shadows were weaving between the rocks. These were adult Shadow Wolves, calf-sized, with gray and black fur that blended almost perfectly with the shadows under the moonlight.

They moved almost without sound, save for the occasional faint "snap" when they stepped on dead branches.

On the highest rock in the center of the rocky beach crouched a Shadow Wolf noticeably larger than the others. Its fur was darker, almost pure black, and there was a silvery-white crescent marking on its shoulder and back—it was the wolf king.

It held its head high, its eerie green eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, and a low rumbling sound emanated from its throat.

Lin Xuan crouched behind an ancient tree thirty zhang away, observing through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

"Thirteen ordinary Shadow Wolves, one wolf king," he counted silently in his heart. "The wolf king's aura... is indeed close to Medium Grade of the first rank."

He transmitted an instruction to the Herb-Seeking Mouse: "When the battle starts later, hide further away and keep watch."

The Herb-Seeking Mouse nodded and scurried up a tree, hiding in the dense foliage.

To be safe, he summoned the Thunder-Patterned Pangolin from the Beast Taming Space and had it sink into the ground to hold the line.

Lin Xuan adjusted his breathing and slowly formed seals with his hands in front of his chest.

The spell gestures for the Thunder Net Technique had twelve variations, and he had long known them by heart. Thunder Spiritual Energy surged from his Dantian, flowing along specific Meridians, condensing and weaving in his palms...

After three breaths, a pale blue net of Thunder Spiritual Energy appeared silently in front of him.

The net was about three zhang in radius, woven from countless fine threads of lightning, with tiny purple electric sparks leaping on its surface. Lin Xuan could feel that this net not only possessed lethality but also contained a strong paralyzing effect—this was the essence of the Thunder Net Technique.

The time had come.

He dispelled the Breath Concealment Technique, and his figure flashed out from behind the tree!

Almost simultaneously, the wolf king turned its head abruptly, its eerie green eyes locking onto Lin Xuan's position, and it let out a shrill howl!

"Awoo—!"

The dozen Shadow Wolves reacted instantly, turning into gray shadows and pouncing from all directions! Their speed was indeed fast; they covered the thirty zhang distance in three breaths!

Lin Xuan did not retreat but advanced, pushing his hands forward!

"Thunder Net, go!"

The pale blue lightning net flew out of his hands, expanding with the wind, instantly growing to five zhang in radius, covering the six or seven Shadow Wolves rushing at the front!

Those Shadow Wolves wanted to dodge, but the Thunder Net's coverage was too large and its speed too fast; they had no time!

"Zzzzt—!"

The Thunder Net fell, shrouding the six Shadow Wolves! The moment the lightning threads touched their fur, blinding electric light erupted! The Shadow Wolves let out shrill screams, their bodies convulsing violently; their legs went limp, and they fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth, unable to move.

The paralysis effect took hold!

The remaining seven Shadow Wolves were startled by this turn of events, and their momentum slowed.

But the wolf king did not stop. It leaped down from the rock, its body turning into an almost invisible black afterimage in mid-air, pouncing straight at the back of Lin Xuan's neck! Its speed was more than twice as fast as the ordinary Shadow Wolves!

Lin Xuan had anticipated this.

Without looking back, he gripped his right hand behind him, and the Thunder Spiritual Energy compressed crazily!

Thunder Spear Technique!

A lightning spear, as thick as an arm and wreathed in purple electricity, condensed instantly. The tip of the spear was aimed at the wolf king's trajectory, and it shot out!

With this spear, Lin Xuan had predicted the wolf king's landing point.

The wolf king was in mid-air, unable to change direction, and could only watch helplessly as the lightning spear pierced toward it!

"Pfft—!"

The lightning spear hit the wolf king's left shoulder precisely and pierced through! The violent Thunder Spiritual Energy exploded inside its body, sending flesh and blood flying!

"Awooo—!" The wolf king howled and fell to the ground, its left foreleg nearly blown off, the wound charred black, and blood gushing out.

But it was, after all, a Yao Beast close to the first rank Medium Grade, with tenacious vitality. Despite being heavily injured, it struggled to stand up, its eyes filled with even greater ferocity, and it opened its mouth to spit out a gray-black wind blade!

Lin Xuan dodged to the side; the wind blade grazed his clothes and cut down a tree as thick as a bowl behind him.

"A dying struggle."

He no longer held back, grabbed the startling thunder whip, and lashed out!

"Crack—!"

The tip of the whip, wreathed in lightning, struck the wolf king's neck precisely. Thunder Spiritual Energy exploded, blasting a large hole in the wolf king's neck. It finally fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and stopped moving.

With their leader dead, the remaining seven Shadow Wolves were instantly in disarray. Three of them turned to flee, while the other four were overcome with ferocity and pounced even more crazily.

Lin Xuan sneered and wielded the startling thunder whip.

He executed the Thunder Flash Step, his figure turning into a pale purple afterimage, weaving through the wolf pack. Every lash of the whip resulted in a Shadow Wolf falling. Combined with the occasional Palm Thunder to finish them off, all seven Shadow Wolves were wiped out within ten breaths.

The battle ended.

Lin Xuan stood with the whip, breathing slightly. The burst of activity just now had consumed forty percent of his Spiritual Qi, but the results were brilliant.

Thirteen ordinary Shadow Wolves: six were paralyzed and captured alive by the Thunder Net, and seven were killed. The wolf king was slain.

He walked over to the Thunder Net; the six Shadow Wolves were still twitching but were unable to struggle. The paralyzing effect of the Thunder Net Technique could last at least a quarter of an hour.

Lin Xuan did not show mercy and finished them off one by one.

It was not that he was cruel, but that Yao Beasts and the Human Race were inherently opposed. If he let them go today, they would attack more villagers tomorrow.

He collected the spoils. The Shadow Wolves' fur, sharp claws, and fangs were all good Materials, especially the wolf king's almost pure black fur, which was worth a lot.

As for the flesh, he left some for the Herb-Seeking Mouse and the Pangolin to eat, and buried the rest in the Beast Taming Space to fertilize the soil.

All the Materials were put into the Storage Pouch. A rough estimate suggested they could sell for at least two hundred contribution points. Added to the task reward of three hundred points, this trip netted five hundred points.

If one person completes this kind of task, the contribution points are quite considerable. If he completes a few more, the income won't be worse than selling thunder-patterned soil.

It's just that the risk is a bit higher, as one often has to leave the Sect to perform tasks, which carries the risk of Yao Beast disasters or human misfortune.

It is safer to stay in the Sect, but the trade of thunder-patterned soil cannot last long. He needs to improve his talisman-making success rate as soon as possible, ideally being able to earn cultivation resources with this craft within a year.

Compared to the contribution points of the task, Lin Xuan valued the combat testing more.

The group control effect of the Thunder Net Technique exceeded expectations. With a large range and strong paralysis, it could instantly change the tide of battle when facing enemies with a numerical advantage.

The penetrating power and explosive force of the Thunder Spear Technique were also satisfactory; combined with prediction, it could effectively kill high-mobility targets.

Thunder Flash Step, startling thunder whip, Palm Thunder... these existing methods were linked more smoothly in actual combat.

"My combat methods have become much richer, enough to handle most situations," Lin Xuan muttered to himself.

He recalled the Herb-Seeking Mouse and the Pangolin. The little fellow jumped down from the tree, landed back on his shoulder, and conveyed a feeling of admiration, "Master is amazing."

Lin Xuan smiled and patted its head: "Let's go back."

In the night, he left the rocky beach and walked toward Qinghe Village.

The task was completed; it was time to report it.

And behind those tightly closed doors and windows in the village, pairs of eyes watched through the gaps at the young man in green robes walking out of the mountain forest, holding a huge wolf head in his hand.

When the morning light first appeared, the crowd had already gathered under the old locust tree at the village entrance.

When Lin Xuan placed the wolf king's head on the ground, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.

The old village chief stepped forward tremblingly and was about to kneel, but Lin Xuan supported him.

"Immortal Master... thank you, Immortal Master, for saving our whole village!"

Lin Xuan waved his hand: "It is part of my duty."

He took the task completion certificate handed over by the village chief and, without staying long, turned and left.

Behind him were the villagers' endless thanks.

Before him was the gradually brightening sky and, two hundred miles away, the small courtyard that belonged to him.

He was very satisfied with this combat test.

The Earth Escape Technique is nearing Perfection. Next, it is time to make the final preparations for exploring the mysterious space beneath the small courtyard.