Chapter 25: Three Years
Su Hao once again quickly approached the Snowflake Leopard. The Snowflake Leopard, alert and crouched, roared at Su Hao and launched another desperate attack. If it couldn't defeat its opponent this time, the Snowflake Leopard intended to retreat.
Closing in rapidly, the Snowflake Leopard extended its claws, attempting to knock down its opponent and then bite its throat. However, it didn't expect that this small figure would simply dodge out of its line of sight with a quick sidestep.
"Horizontal slash!"
"Swoosh!"
A flash of the knife blade swept from the Snowflake Leopard's neck to its spine, leaving behind a narrow and long bloodstain.
Splattering onto the snowy ground, it dyed the surroundings red. The Snowflake Leopard crashed heavily to the ground, struggling to turn its neck and lick its wounds, but it couldn't reach them.
In just a moment, it reluctantly closed its eyes and took its last breath.
At this moment, Wu Yuntian walked over to Su Hao and looked at the heavily wounded Snowflake Leopard, praising, "Well done, Xiang Wu!"
Su Hao proudly shook the short knife in his hand and said, "Hehe, it was just luck."
However, Wu Yuntian had a regretful expression on his face. "It's a pity this fur is in such good condition. I'm afraid it won't fetch a good price."
Seeing Su Hao's indifferent expression, he continued, "I originally wanted to exchange this fur for some money and gather enough to get you a more suitable knife. But it seems that won't happen now."
Su Hao immediately said, "Father, there are still other prey around. I feel that there is still room for improvement in my combat skills!"
Wu Yuntian smiled and said, "Alright, we'll go to another place tomorrow."
...
The next day, they encountered a giant-sized mountain chicken.
Su Hao didn't think much of it. If he could defeat a leopard, why couldn't he handle a chicken? However, Su Hao ended up being tormented by the mountain chicken, and in the end, Wu Yuntian had to come to his rescue. Afterward, Su Hao developed a grudge against the chicken.
The mountain chicken had sharp claws and a pointed beak. It could also briefly fly in mid-air. The most crucial point was its quick reaction speed, which rendered Su Hao's short-range dodging ineffective.
He was tormented by the mountain chicken for six days until he finally set a trap with a rope to deal with it.
The next day, Wu Yuntian restricted Su Hao's use of combat tools. He couldn't take shortcuts and could only use the short knife and armor. Under Su Hao's strong insistence, Wu Yuntian upgraded the armor, protecting the vital parts of his body.
...
Next, he encountered a small black wild boar. In the boar's ruthless charge, Su Hao learned what it meant to be a bulldozer. He also learned how to fully unleash the power within his body, generating a powerful impact. In the end, he narrowly won by colliding head-on with the boar. It took him ten days of battle and half a month of recovery.
...
He encountered a violent bear with tough skin and thick flesh that couldn't be harmed by knives or moved by kicks. Facing this high-defense tank, Su Hao learned the technique of attacking one spot persistently. In the end, he slowly wore down the bear's strength until it perished. It took him two months.
...
Sly jackals, agile leopard cats, nimble birds of prey, swift giant snakes...
Accompanied by Wu Yuntian, Su Hao roamed the mountains, sweeping away all the wild beasts suitable for him to practice against as they ventured farther and farther.
Under Wu Yuntian's guidance and protection, Su Hao broke through one challenge after another. The time required varied, but his experience in battling wild beasts became extremely rich, giving him a whole new understanding of his advanced ordinary esper strength.
Time passed, and his height began to increase. His arms and legs became strong and muscular, his body became well-defined, and his facial features developed. With his bright eyes, short hair, and a hint of childish roundness still present on his cheeks, one could tell that in a few more years, he would grow into a handsome young man.
"Father, today's target is a five-meter-long blue and white striped wave tiger, right?" Su Hao's voice sounded slightly mature, resonating with the vibrant energy of youth.
Wu Yuntian, with a wrinkle in the corner of his eye, was surprised and asked, "Indeed, it's a wave tiger, but how did you know?"
"I've already seen it." Su Hao chuckled.
In these past three years, the information on various beasts had been constantly collected, and the database was exceptionally rich. With just a glance, Xiao Guang could identify various species, no matter how well they were hidden.
Xiao Guang's automatic search function was no longer a casual command from three years ago. Su Hao specifically rewrote the search program, established various databases, and named and added new entries at any time. It had now become a special reconnaissance skill for Su Hao.
Any recorded object could be instantly identified, and even if he hadn't seen it before, as long as he named and recorded it, he would be able to identify it the next time he encountered it. After three years of collection, he had basically compiled a record of all the wild beasts in the vicinity of Chashan Outpost.
Su Hao had encountered the blue and white wave tiger two years ago, but Wu Yuntian didn't let Su Hao deal with it at the time.
"Since the target is the wave tiger, then there's no problem. Father, please wait here for a moment." Su Hao said, and with a light leap, he jumped off a large rock and headed straight for the wave tiger.
Wu Yuntian stayed in place, looking around in bewilderment. He muttered to himself, "Does this kid have the eyes of an eagle? Where is the wave tiger? Why didn't I see it?"
Over the past three years, he had witnessed Su Hao's inexplicable growth speed, and he had become numb to it. Even if something incomprehensible were to happen again in the future, he wouldn't be surprised.
If Su Hao was considered an advanced ordinary esper three years ago, he had now surpassed the boundaries of an advanced ordinary esper. His combat power even exceeded that of an intermediate elite esper.
For Wu Yuntian, it was an incomprehensible situation. What puzzled him the most was the vigorous blood energy in Su Hao's body. He had never seen it in anyone else before. For him, this situation simply couldn't exist.
It seemed that if there was even a slight increase in the blood energy in his body, it would exceed the limits of his body's tolerance. Moreover, he could maintain this overflowing state at any time and place.
"What exactly is Xiang Wu's 'Blood Qi Reinforcement Wave'?" Wu Yuntian had also studied it for three years but still couldn't comprehend it. He could only lament that they were destined to be without fate.
As he watched Su Hao's departing figure, he felt a slight sense of pride and murmured, "Indeed, he is my son."
Su Hao moved swiftly through the forest
, gradually increasing his speed while agilely avoiding various obstacles. When he approached within 50 meters of the wave tiger, the tiger's ears twitched, sensing Su Hao's approach.
"Roar!"
The roar of a king echoed through the forest.
"Howl!" Su Hao also howled back at the sky in response to the wave tiger's roar.
As the king of the mountains, the wave tiger felt provoked and majestically charged toward Su Hao with lightning speed.
Two figures crossed paths in an instant.
"Bang!"
The wave tiger's massive body fell heavily to the ground, breaking several thick branches along the way before finally coming to a stop. At this moment, blood gushed out from beneath its imposing tiger head, creating a pool.
In that split second of their encounter, Su Hao used his knife to thrust directly into the tiger's brain from under its chin, instantly ending its life.
"Done!" Su Hao sheathed his knife and patted the tail of the wave tiger, dragging it away.
(translated by begs)