Chapter 68: The Trial (Part 2)
Chapter 68: The Trial (Part 2)
Facing the rising sun, Gao Jing ran forward continuously.
He hadn’t run this wildly in a very long time.
Wind whistled past his ears; his whole body felt almost ready to fly, swift like a racing cheetah.
The only things capable of slowing Gao Jing were the tall grasses covering the ground.
Grass stems tangled and crisscrossed, giving rise to dense, layer upon layer of leaves, most taller than his knees.
Some even reached his waist.
But Gao Jing easily found a solution.
That was following the paths trodden by small animals like prairie dogs.
When encountering obstacles, he leaped right over them!
While running, Gao Jing deliberately let out his Crimson Snake Aura.
After Igniting Bloodline, the Crimson Snake Aura within him was several times stronger than before.
Its area of effect was also wider and farther, able to condense into an invisible, intimidating force.
As the Crimson Snake Aura spread in all directions,
the insects hidden in the grass, or flying above it,
wherever touched by this aura,
all reacted as if facing a terrible, doom-filled disaster.
Some froze rigidly, others scattered and fled in panic.
Animals like prairie dogs hid shivering in their burrows, not daring to peek out.
Many were frightened to the point of wetting themselves or collapsing!
This saved Gao Jing a lot of trouble; he didn’t need to waste time or energy on them.
Ordinary prairie dogs were completely insufficient to prove his current courage and strength.
Otherwise, this trial would be far too easy.
Speeding along, Gao Jing left Shan Yue Village far behind him.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
But he hadn’t lost much stamina.
The more he ran, the more exhilarating it felt. Suddenly, he took off the backpack behind him and stored it in his Storage Space.
He increased his speed yet again!
If Gao Jing, in this state, were to run a marathon,
forget breaking the world record; even reducing the time needed to finish the 42.195 kilometers to under one hour,
would be no problem!
His limit was no longer a normal person’s limit!
He ran for over a full hour before slowing down.
He stopped moving forward.
His entire body felt wonderfully refreshed.
He took out an insulated flask to replenish lost fluids and gazed at the distant, rolling mountains,
and the dense forest.
That place belonged to the hunting grounds of the Shan Yue Giants.
It was also the place to prove a warrior’s courage and strength!
Though the majestic mountain range seemed close at hand, it was actually quite distant.
It wasn’t until dusk, as sunset approached, that Gao Jing finally reached the forest’s edge.
Along the way, he also encountered a herd of Savage Ox.
Gao Jing calmly avoided these creatures who moved like rolling hills.
When he first came to the Great World, he’d been extremely cautious,
jumping at every single rustle or sound.
Back then, Gao Jing had been very weak, venturing forth almost with his head hanging from his belt,
even prepared to die there.
Although Gao Jing was much stronger now than before,
in this world, he was still nothing more than an ant.
At best, a strong ant.
Yet he had a bit more confidence now.
Firstly, he didn’t need to fear large Wild Beasts like tigers, leopards, wolves, or bears.
Because these beasts were so much larger than Gao Jing, they usually didn’t even notice his existence.
Much less see him as a threat.
Does a lion concern itself with or hunt mice?
The answer was obviously no.
Unless that mouse insists on dancing right on the lion’s nose.
Gao Jing would have to be insanely foolish to ask for death like that!
As for animals like prairie dogs, they were easily frightened off by Gao Jing’s Crimson Snake Aura.
Therefore, in this Wilderness, there were actually not many things capable of posing a truly fatal threat to him.
But threats definitely existed.
Seeing that the sky was growing dark, Gao Jing didn’t rush into the forest.
Past experience had taught him that forests at night are over ten times more dangerous than during the day!
He found a giant towering tree and climbed up.
He rested high on a sturdy branch.
That night, Gao Jing spent amid the constant echoing roars of animals.
He only managed to sleep a short while near dawn.
Yet he woke up feeling full of energy.
Using quick meals for breakfast, Gao Jing returned to the ground.
He began searching this unfamiliar forest.
The purpose of the trial wasn’t suicide; he didn’t need to venture deep into the dangerous, unpredictable mountains.
The question was, what should he hunt to prove himself.
He had to search carefully.
He carefully held back his aura to avoid scaring away suitable targets.
By now, Gao Jing had plenty of experience exploring forests.
He ventured deeper into the forest.
Fwip!
Just as Gao Jing leaped over a thick tree root, his hiking boots barely touching the ground, a silvery gleam shot toward him like lightning. Instantly, it wrapped tightly around his ankle.
Huh?
Ambushed so suddenly, Gao Jing felt not the slightest disturbance inside—he was almost amused.
An old friend indeed!
He drove his Machete, freshly drawn, into the ground. Bending down, he seized the spider silk entangling him.
He gave a hard tug.
Long time no see, you creepy crawler—come on over here!
This silvery spider silk could be cut with a blade, but its toughness was extraordinary.
Gao Jing’s strength now easily surpassed even the mightiest warriors of the Primary World.
With one sudden burst of force, the black spider that attacked him was dragged, struggling helplessly, straight out of its burrow.
Hiss-hiss!
The poor black spider never expected its chosen prey to be so ferocious. Panicked hisses escaped it as all eight legs thrashed wildly, trying to initiate a tug-of-war with Gao Jing.
But Gao Jing was an esoteric warrior fueled by bloodline power.
He won the contest of strength effortlessly against the black spider, steadily reeling it in closer.
Come here, dear Scarlett!
Gao Jing licked his lips and grinned wickedly.
Snap!
Just as the black widow-like spider was almost within reach, the silk suddenly snapped taut and broke.
The black spider, seeing the danger, had bitten through its own thread!
It scuttled backward into its burrow at lightning speed, not daring to show its face again.
Caught off guard, Gao Jing stumbled, nearly losing his balance.
Fury surged through him.
He immediately flung away the long strand of silk still in his hand, yanked his Machete from the ground, and sprinted to the spider hole in three quick strides.
The black spider’s nest lay hidden beneath tree roots, its entrance dark and unfathomable.
But that didn’t mean Gao Jing was out of options.
The next moment, an alcohol bottle appeared in Gao Jing’s hand. Pulling out the stopper, he poured all the highly concentrated liquor inside—glug glug glug—straight into the burrow. Retrieving the empty bottle, he stepped back two paces and pulled out a cigarette and his Lighter.
He lit a cigarette, took two quick puffs, then held it between his fingers. With a sharp flick, he sent it sailing perfectly into the hole.
Whump!
The newly vaporized alcohol inside the spider nest ignited instantly, engulfing the burrow in scorching flames.
Hisssss~
A moment later, the same black spider scrambled back out, shrieking in agony. Flames engulfed its body, charring the protective bristles covering it into brittle ash. Its delicate carapace crackled under the intense heat.
The wretched creature staggered forward roughly ten meters before collapsing. Under the relentless sear of the flames, it curled into a tight, charred ball.
Gao Jing sniffed the air.
At first, he detected the pungent odor of burning hair and scorched chitin.
It was soon overpowered by a profound, savory aroma of roasting meat.
Gao Jing saw the spider’s outer shell crack and peel away under the searing heat, revealing tender white flesh inside.
Juices sizzled and tiny beads of fat bubbled right out of it!
He couldn’t help but swallow hard.