Chapter 51: The Lionheart Mercenary Corps

On the outskirts of the Beast Mountain Range, the magical beasts roaming here were all of relatively low rank, so Lin An and Nalan Yanran couldn’t be bothered to waste time on them. In less than ten days, the two had already ventured deep into the range, where the beasts they encountered were all around the fourth rank, comparable to Dou Spirit experts among humans.

Though Nalan Yanran’s talent was commendable, it was nowhere near Lin An’s heaven-defying speed of advancement; at this point, she was only an eight-star Dou Fighter. If not for her utter confidence in Lin An’s strength, she would never have dared to go so deep into the mountains so soon.

Along the way, they had run into a few human mercenary groups, but there was no interaction between them—not even an exchange of words.

“Junior brother, it’s already getting late. Why don’t we rest here for the night?” Nalan Yanran suggested.

Seeing the sky grow ever dimmer, Lin An agreed with her; pressing on would only invite more danger. After days of arduous travel, both of them were weary.

But before Lin An could reply, a low, guttural beast’s roar echoed from nearby.

Nalan Yanran’s expression instantly tensed.

It was a fourth-rank Swift Gale Leopard, renowned as the fastest beast in the mountain range. Its claws were razor-sharp—so much so that even a nine-star Dou Spirit would hesitate to face them head-on.

“This is bad, it’s a fourth-rank Swift Gale Leopard!” Nalan Yanran said gravely.

“Don’t worry, senior sister. Leave it to me—you find a place to hide!” Lin An’s eyes lit up with excitement. He had been seeking a worthy opponent to test his skills, and this Swift Gale Leopard was just that.

“Be careful, junior brother! If you can’t beat it, don’t force yourself—your life matters most!” Nalan Yanran barely finished her warning when, with a low snarl, the Swift Gale Leopard became a streak of light, pouncing toward Lin An.

The beast was intelligent; it sensed the threat emanating from Lin An. If it could take him out, the other human would pose no challenge.

Lin An responded instantly, charging forward.

“Wind Wolf Seal!”

His battle energy surged into his palm, condensing in a breath into the form of a spectral wind wolf, which collided head-on with the Swift Gale Leopard.

Boom—

A shockwave of energy burst from the clash, sending fierce winds sweeping outward.

Nalan Yanran hastily retreated, knowing that her presence would only distract her junior brother. Hidden away, she could allow him to focus fully on the fight.

“Hahaha...”

“It’s been too long since I’ve had a real battle!”

Lin An’s strength was evenly matched with that of the Swift Gale Leopard. A tremendous force surged through his arm and into his body, yet far from harming him, it set off a resonance within him.

Every bone and limb felt as if it were being cleansed, trembling with newfound vitality. Lin An could sense his body growing stronger.

The Swift Gale Leopard, having failed in its first strike, withdrew to a distance of seven or eight meters, eyeing Lin An warily. The power this human wielded was beyond its expectations, but to make it give up so easily was out of the question.

With a deep growl, blades of wind rapidly took shape before it. The force they radiated was so intense that even the air seemed to ripple—these blades looked as though they could slice through space itself.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Dozens of pale blue wind blades sliced through the air toward Lin An.

Without a word, Lin An activated his movement technique, vanishing from his spot. In a blink, he reappeared above the Swift Gale Leopard, bringing his fist down onto its back.

The impact sent the beast flying several meters, slamming it against an ancient tree with a pitiful howl.

Yet the Swift Gale Leopard swiftly regained its footing, fur bristling, eyes blazing red as it glared at Lin An.

Clearly, Lin An had thoroughly enraged it.

Bang, bang, bang—

With every exchange, the beast’s strength seemed to increase, each collision making its power more formidable. But Lin An’s progress was no less remarkable; with each round, he felt himself grow even stronger.

Truth be told, if Lin An wished, he could have killed the beast with ease. But he chose not to. He wanted to use this magical beast to temper his own body.

The battle raged for a full hour. The longer it went on, the more spirited and powerful Lin An became. In contrast, the Swift Gale Leopard gradually grew weary, unable to keep up.

It was astonished—the human’s stamina and physical strength far surpassed its own.

A desire to retreat began to form in its mind.

But with the fight at its height, how could Lin An let such a rare opponent escape? Besides, he planned to make a meal of it tonight!

Seizing his chance, Lin An leapt onto the leopard’s back, raining fist after fist down onto its head.

Crack, crack, crack...

In moments, the sound of shattering bones was clear—the Swift Gale Leopard was beaten to death by Lin An’s bare hands.

“Senior sister, it’s dealt with. You can come out now!” Lin An called, hefting the beast’s carcass as he summoned Nalan Yanran from her hiding spot.

“Junior brother, you never cease to amaze me. I didn’t think you could kill a fourth-rank magical beast!” Nalan Yanran had been watching from a distance, astonished by the spectacle. At first, it was an even match, but in the final stretch, Lin An had completely overwhelmed the beast.

“That Swift Gale Leopard was just unlucky to run into us,” Lin An replied honestly. Without overwhelming strength, most mercenary groups would have chosen to flee rather than confront it. After all, fourth-rank beasts were quite a handful in these mountains.

Clap, clap, clap...

“You two are truly impressive. I wouldn’t have thought that ones so young could possess such terrifying strength, able to defeat a fourth-rank magical beast so easily.”

At that moment, two middle-aged men descended from the ancient trees in the distance, looking at Lin An with faces full of admiration.

“Who are you?” Lin An asked warily, chiding himself for being careless; he hadn’t realized anyone was watching.

“I am Mo Feng, leader of the Lionheart Mercenary Group. This is our vice-leader, Xu Wen. Witnessing your battle today was nothing short of astonishing!” Mo Feng said with a gentle smile, giving off an air of refinement and warmth. Yet Lin An sensed a hint of danger about him.

These two were not to be underestimated.