Chapter 42: The Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird (Part-1)

This area was already close to the forest’s core. Fourth-ranked monsters possessed strength comparable to Exalts and were no longer easy prey. However, Ryan was now a five-star Exalt.

With advanced martial arts, powerful equipment, and a body strengthened by countless pills, killing these monsters was demanding but far from impossible.

As for the rumors of eighth-ranked monsters lurking within the Forest of Death, Ryan found them increasingly unreliable.

Judging from the gradual escalation of monster strength, the forest’s center should at most house fifth-rank beasts. Sixth-rank monsters, if they existed at all, would be rare anomalies. As for eighth-rank monsters, that was pure fantasy.

If such creatures existed anywhere, it would be in the Desolate Valley near Jiuyi City, not here.

Three days passed in relentless combat.

In the fourth-rank monster region, corpses littered the forest floor. Broken trees, scorched earth, and bloodstained clearings bore silent witness to Ryan’s passage.

During these three days, Ryan leveled up once more, advancing to a six-star Exalt. The speed of his growth was nothing short of terrifying.

More importantly, for three entire days, Ryan had used only one martial art.

Heavenly Star Palm.

Hundreds upon hundreds of monsters fell beneath his palms. Each strike refined his control, timing, and force. By the end of the third day, the proficiency bar finally reached its limit.

Heavenly Star Palm: 100/100.

At that moment, Ryan felt a fundamental change.

The technique no longer felt like something he activated consciously.

Each movement flowed naturally, seamlessly, as though the palm technique had become an instinct.

Attacks could be launched from impossible angles, transitions were smooth, and control was absolute.

Most terrifying of all was the increase in power.

Before, Heavenly Star Palm could heavily injure a fourth-rank monster. Now, a single palm strike could outright kill one.

The power had nearly doubled.

Ryan stood amidst the forest ruins, eyes bright with satisfaction. His theory had been correct. The perceived weakness of his martial arts had never been due to their rank, but rather his lack of mastery.

The past three days had been exhausting. Nearly a hundred palms a day, countless battles, constant experimentation. His arms ached, his spirit was drained, but the results were undeniable.

With Heavenly Star Palm perfected, Ryan moved on.

Phantom Step was next.

This technique was used constantly, and its proficiency rose rapidly. Once it reached 100/100, the change was astonishing.

Ryan’s speed surged once more.

If his previous speed was equivalent to one hundred meters in a breath, it now exceeded two hundred and fifty.

Even compared to the God’s Boots, the increase was dramatic. His movements became ghostlike.

Seven overlapping afterimages appeared with each step, making it nearly impossible to discern his true position.

The improvement was not just numerical. The technique felt complete.

Ryan’s combat strength rose by several levels purely from this refinement.

After Phantom Step, Ryan turned his focus to Desolate Landslide.

Three more days passed.

He rested when exhausted, then returned to slaughter. Desolate Landslide was used relentlessly, hundreds of times, until its proficiency finally reached 100/100 as well.

With mastery came transformation.

The technique became more flexible, more controlled, and far deadlier. Subtle changes in timing and force allowed Ryan to unleash destruction with far less strain.

Standing in the devastated forest, Ryan clenched his fist.

Proficiency was no longer a concept.

It was power.

During these three days, Ryan advanced once more, stepping from a six-star Exalt to a seven-star Exalt.

On average, his cultivation rose by a minor stage of the realm every three days.

If this terrifying speed were seen by others, jealousy alone would not be enough. People would want him dead.

For ordinary warriors, a single breakthrough required years of accumulation, careful meditation, endless polishing of foundations, and even then, the success was never guaranteed. Bottlenecks were common, stagnation was normal, and failure was frequent.

Yet Ryan advanced as naturally as breathing.

No bottlenecks or barriers at all.

With the God of War System supporting him, he truly resembled a favored child of heaven.

However, every blessing came with a small annoyance.

After six straight days of slaughter in the fourth-rank monster region, Ryan noticed something unsettling. Finding a fourth-rank monster was becoming increasingly difficult. Entire swaths of forest were eerily silent, devoid of any presence.

Whether the monsters had been completely wiped out or had fled in terror, even Ryan could not tell.

The fourth-rank region of Forest of Death had nearly become a barren land.

If the Holy Mystic Continent had laws protecting monsters, Ryan suspected he would already be labeled a public enemy.

This was not hunting anymore. It was extermination.

Of course, Ryan had no choice. His system demanded monster kills to grow stronger. Killing people was technically possible, but Ryan had no intention of becoming a bloodthirsty butcher of his own race.

After some thought, on the seventh day, Ryan finally crossed into the fifth-rank monster region.

At the same time, he shifted his focus to the final remaining Sky-rank martial art that had yet to reach mastery.

Wind Blade.

Heavenly Star Palm and Desolate Landslide were already perfected. Phantom Step had also reached full mastery. Now, Wind Blade would become his primary training target.

At the same time, this marked Ryan’s first true confrontation with fifth-rank monsters.

Fifth-rank monsters were terrifying existences, their strength comparable to human War Kings. Some were even slightly stronger than Ryan himself.

This was dangerous territory.

If he encountered a particularly fierce fifth-rank beast, retreat would be his only option.

But Ryan did not hesitate.

A warrior’s strength was forged through danger and tempered through life-and-death trials. Facing only weaker opponents would bring stagnation, not growth.

Flowers raised in greenhouses never survived storms.

Ryan understood this well.

Moreover, Wind Blade was a long-range technique. Combined with Phantom Step at full proficiency and his terrifying speed, Ryan possessed excellent tools for hit-and-run combat.

As long as he was cautious, even fifth-rank monsters could be challenged.

Stepping carefully into the fifth-rank region, Ryan confirmed his earlier judgment. This area was the true core of the Forest of Death.

No eighth-rank monsters existed here. That was nothing more than a wild rumor.

At most, Forest of Death could house a few sixth-rank monsters. Anything beyond that belonged to far deadlier lands, such as the Desolate Valley near Jiuyi City.

Not long after entering the region, Ryan encountered his first fifth-rank monster.

Name: Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird

Rank: 5 (Level-45)

Description: A rare avian beast with golden blood flowing through its body. Possesses extreme speed, capable of creating afterimages in flight. Highly proficient in lightning-fast peck attacks.

Judgment: Threatening (relative to the player)

Before Ryan stood a majestic beast resembling a golden-feathered eagle, towering nearly two meters tall. Its body was powerful and dignified, radiating an oppressive presence.

Just one glance was enough to make Ryan tense.

From the description alone, he could tell this monster would not be easy to deal with.

At this moment, the Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird was perched quietly atop a massive tree branch. Its sharp gaze faced forward, completely unaware of Ryan’s presence.

Ryan’s eyes gleamed.

This was his first fifth-rank monster. If he could secure a clean kill through a sneak attack, it would greatly boost his confidence and save enormous effort.

Fifth-rank monsters were notoriously difficult to kill head-on. If he could eliminate one before it reacted, the rewards would be immense.

Slowly, Ryan bent his waist and began to close the distance.

His movements were extraordinarily light, producing almost no sound. Each step was calculated, controlled, and silent.

His eyes never left the Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird. Any sign of movement, any flicker of awareness, and he would immediately abort the plan.

Five meters.

The monster remained still.

Ryan’s heart surged with excitement. The success rate of this sneak attack was already high.

With Wind Blade’s speed and cutting power, Ryan estimated he had at least a sixty percent chance of killing it instantly.

But sixty percent was not enough.

This was a fifth-rank monster. Unknown abilities and possibly high survival instincts. One mistake could cost him dearly.

Ryan remained motionless, observing patiently. Only after confirming multiple times that the monster had not noticed him did he decide to act.

With a thought, a blade of compressed wind formed silently in his hand.

In the next instant, Ryan moved.

His body rose like a coiled spring released. Phantom Step activated instantly as he burst forward, the ground barely reacting beneath his feet.

Every movement flowed perfectly, seamless and precise.

This was an attack he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.

And now, it began.

Ryan’s speed was terrifying.

From five meters away, it took no more than a breath for him to close the distance, his figure flashing forward like a released arrow.

Within that fleeting instant, the Golden-Blood Polar Shadow Bird had no time to respond at all.

Man and beast were now separated by no more than an arm’s length.

“Wind Blade!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep