Kapitel 12: Hunt~
Deep within the depths of the Black Snake Forest, far beyond the usual territories Ning ventured into, an area where a majestic green tiger resided. The tiger was engrossed in devouring the flesh of an unidentified creature, the gruesome sight of the mangled corpse making it impossible to discern its true nature.
Unaware of the impending danger, the tiger appeared relaxed, lowering its guard as it continued its meal. However, its tranquility was shattered when its ears twitched, detecting a disturbance in the surroundings. With lightning-fast reflexes, the tiger abruptly stood up, attempting to evade the imminent threat.
*WOOSH*
A swift arrow struck the tiger's foreleg just as it lunged to evade, followed by a relentless barrage of arrows raining down upon it. Astonishingly agile, the tiger managed to evade the projectiles with remarkable dexterity.
Fueled by a surge of defiance, it turned its gaze toward the direction from which the arrows originated and let out a resounding roar. It seemed to be mocking its unseen attacker.
Then the tiger suddenly felt its movements becoming sluggish, the result of yet another arrow finding its mark amidst the confusion. The arrow's impact further hindered its mobility, causing the tiger to realize the correlation between its slowed movements and the arrows themselves. Acting on its instinctual wisdom, the tiger dashed toward the source of the arrows, determined to confront its elusive assailant.
The tiger sprinted tirelessly, searching high and low, yet found no trace of its attacker. Although the arrows consistently emanated from the same direction, no visible enemy materialized before its eyes. The tiger's confusion grew, unable to discern the presence of its foe through scent or sound. Despite its heightened senses, it struggled to evade the onslaught of arrows, after all, it was not a spider with the legendary "spidey sense."
What was happening was somewhat sad, the tiger's search yielded no answers, only an intensified barrage of arrows striking from different directions each time. Desperately fleeing in various directions, it became a pitiable target, constantly under assault. With each unsuccessful attempt to locate its assailant, the tiger's fate was sealed. It could not escape the relentless onslaught.
Eventually, the tiger succumbed to its injuries, collapsing lifelessly onto the forest floor, its once powerful form now reduced to stillness.
Despite the tiger's demise, the onslaught of arrows persisted, relentlessly bombarding the lifeless body for a full five minutes. If the tiger were still alive, it would have howled at the heavens for the injustice. After all, which freak would continue to attack a corpse for five minutes?
Eventually, a young man emerged from the shadows, his delicate features concealed beneath a layer of green paste. His scent blended seamlessly with the fragrance of tree leaves, akin to an adept camouflage artist. Each step he took was silent, akin to a ghost traversing the terrain, while his presence remained subdued.
This young man was none other than Ning.
"Beasts truly possess stronger physical bodies than cultivators. It took nearly half of my total arrows to finally bring it down," Ning remarked, gazing at the tiger's lifeless form with a mixture of fear and astonishment. This tiger was no ordinary creature; it was a spirit beast, an entity that had cultivated its Qi to formidable levels.
Spirit beasts possessed innate strength from birth, and when combined with the enhanced wisdom gained through cultivation, they became formidable adversaries. Judging by the pressure exuded by the beast, it was likely equivalent to a third-stage Qi cultivator.
It was truly remarkable that the tiger had continued to fight even after sustaining numerous poisoned arrow wounds. The arrows contained not only the venom from poisonous lilies but also toxins Ning had discovered during his excursions in the forest.
"This corpse should fetch a good price. Space Pouch is so near, just a little more," Ning muttered to himself. With that, he began to dissect the tiger's abdomen using his dagger, painstakingly searching for something specific. Given the tiger's superior strength, the task proved challenging, forcing Ning to reinforce the dagger with his Qi. Eventually, he discovered what he sought—a demon core. Such cores held immense value and could be used to craft pills for cultivation enhancement, forge powerful artifacts, or even construct intricate formations.
Safely stowing away the core, Ning proceeded to carefully remove the tiger's claws and teeth, which held the potential to become formidable weapons. Unfortunately, the amalgamation of toxins rendered the tiger's meat inedible unless a skilled spiritual chef could neutralize the poisons. Therefore, Ning collected all the salvageable parts of the tiger, ensuring no valuable resource went to waste.
A week had passed since Ning's purchase of the bow and arrows, and perhaps it was because of his innate talent for space-time sensitivity that allowed him to swiftly become proficient in their use. He was always able to quickly grasp someone's position and that helped a lot when hunting down running targets.
Ning had specifically chosen to hunt this particular tiger due to his frequent observations of its behavioral patterns. He took precautionary measures, camouflaging his scent with leaves, obscuring his face, and positioning himself at a safe distance within the trees. From there, he would shoot from various angles, ensuring he remained outside the tiger's reach. He also took care to change directions, after all the tiger isn't dumb and would follow the arrow.
Even if the tiger did somehow find him, Ning would just flee. Even if it chased him, it would not be as agile as him. Even if it was faster, the poison would do the work anyway and it would slow down.
With each hunt, Ning meticulously prepared multiple layers of strategy, methodically stalking his prey and then hunting it when he was confident. If it was Xiao Fan, Ning had a feeling, he would likely engage the tiger head-on and almost lose before having a sudden power-up to deliver a single decisive blow.
Lost in his thoughts as he made his way back, Ning's attention was abruptly seized by an unexpected voice.
"Trash, do you know who you've offended?"
Merely hearing those words was enough for Ning to discern who was being shouted at. After all, think of the devil, and he shall appear.
...
Thanks for reading~
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
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