Chapter 55 : Complete Victory
Among the dense forest, a small white figure was fleeing at high speed.
Her feet barely touched the ground as she ran with all her might. The surrounding scenery seemed to transform into streaks of blurred lines, rapidly receding from her vision... She was already running as fast as possible—certainly top-tier speed for a cub with such short limbs. Unfortunately, while feline creatures were agile, the White Tiger belonged to the metal attribute, and her enemies happened to be adult Wind Speed Wolves with wind attribute enhancements.
The wolf howls behind her seemed to draw closer. Such howls had been continuous throughout her flight—partly to intimidate the fleeing cub, partly to share the enemy's position with companions.
Jiang Mo had no idea how long she had been running, but following System's guidance, she had never left this forest—dense woodland posed difficulties for any tracker, and with System planning her route, Jiang Mo could flee almost without hesitation. Occasionally ducking through thickets only large enough for a cub to pass through would put considerable distance between her and the pursuing Wind Speed Wolves.
For the time being, the Wind Speed Wolf pack couldn't do much about her, but continuing to flee indefinitely wasn't a solution. Though she hadn't yet felt tired, according to System's calculations, viable escape routes through the encirclement were becoming increasingly scarce.
Finally, the little white tiger slowed her frantic pace enough to ask System: "How many wolves are chasing me?"
With the Wind Speed Wolves in such close pursuit, System's scan required neither time nor effort. It immediately answered: "Host, there are five Wind Speed Wolves within 1,000 meters behind you, and another seven about 2,500 meters further back." After reporting those in direct pursuit, it briefly mentioned the wolves distributed elsewhere—surrounded on all sides, without question.
Hearing System's answer, Jiang Mo's will to continue fleeing diminished further. After some thought, she asked System: "Five wolves is too many. Is there any way to shake off two or three temporarily?"
Upon hearing this, System rapidly scanned and calculated, then once again transformed into an arrow to guide her: "This way."
Though she enjoyed antagonizing the System daily, in critical moments Jiang Mo trusted it considerably. Without hesitation, she pivoted and sprinted in the direction System indicated. Once again, tiger and System used their established tactic, fleeing into a patch of low but dense brambles. The pursuing Wind Speed Wolves didn't hesitate either—the smallest one, wrapping itself in a layer of green light, led the chase into the bramble thicket.
Then came the second, the third... Wind Speed Wolves were wind-attribute spirit beasts. Though their low level meant limited spiritual energy control, they had two techniques for attack and survival: wind blades for offense, and the green light now enveloping their bodies.
The green light was naturally a utilization of wind spiritual energy, a simplistic protective barrier. Unlike the practical and sharp wind blades, the Wind Speed Wolves' green light shields actually consisted of numerous tiny wind vortices. When encountering obstructing brambles or branches, they could not only pass through successfully but also trim anything nearby—provided it wasn't too hard for the wind vortices to cut.
By coincidence, the little white tiger's claws wrapped in sharp metal energy couldn't be cut by the wolves' wind vortices, and the bramble thicket specifically selected by System clearly wasn't easy to handle either. Thus, the Wind Speed Wolves could only advance gradually, cutting away the bramble branches and thorns bit by bit while continuing to pursue the perpetrator who dared slaughter their companion.
This wasn't the first time they had experienced such a situation, so the tracking Wind Speed Wolves no longer rushed impatiently but methodically pursued through the bramble thicket. The large patch of brambles would delay them considerably.
Finally, the first Wind Speed Wolf leading the way emerged from the bramble thicket. The prey that only knew how to flee and the smooth pursuit had somewhat relaxed its vigilance. After emerging from the brambles, it shook its disheveled fur while quickly sniffing the air to discern the prey's scent, judging how far it had fled.
Wolf species have keen senses of smell, especially sensitive to the scent of their own kind's blood. In just one breath, it detected that familiar bloody smell. As the information reached its brain, the not-unintelligent spirit beast almost instantly realized something was wrong.
The blood scent was too strong—their prey hadn't fled far but was actually nearby!
The Wind Speed Wolf immediately became alert, but from the moment it emerged from the bramble thicket without caution, its fate was sealed—a blade-like object appeared from nowhere, swiftly slicing across its neck. Several broken wolf hairs floated gently to the ground. Then "drip, drip, drip," crimson blood gradually fell onto the soil, one drop, two drops, three drops...
The vigilant Wind Speed Wolf looked down, its bright yellow eyes showing not only alertness but also a hint of confusion. Perhaps it wondered where the blood came from—when thin blades cut through skin and flesh, both pain and bleeding seemed delayed.
But what was broken remained broken. As blood drops on the ground increased, intense pain finally arrived.
The shocked Wind Speed Wolf tried to howl in anguish, but its slashed throat only produced broken moans. Soon, it collapsed, the ruptured wound finally erupting with blood, gradually staining the ground beneath it red.
The intense bloody scent quickly spread. The Wind Speed Wolves still within the bramble thicket soon smelled it. They grew agitated, no longer concerned about thorns scratching their fur or the pain from small wounds. They accelerated toward the thicket's exit, but the wolves already moving in single file couldn't all escape the brambles simultaneously.
The second Wind Speed Wolf broke free from the bramble thicket, maintaining extreme vigilance as it cautiously searched for enemies. But the companion's blood scent in the air was too strong, already masking the prey's original scent.
Still unwilling to relax, it approached its barely breathing companion while observing its surroundings.
Nothing happened. It finally reached its companion's side, involuntarily letting out a mournful cry upon seeing its pack mate lying in a pool of blood. But it dared not lower its head to lick its companion's wounds, nor relax its vigilance, simply standing guard while waiting for the others to arrive—wolves are intelligent, knowing that unity is their greatest advantage, thus unwilling to act independently.
Soon, the third Wind Speed Wolf appeared, immediately spotting its whimpering companion upon emerging from the brambles. The two wolves exchanged glances, and the one just freed from the thicket quickly approached its companion.
The unexpected event occurred in that instant. The ground the previous wolf had traversed safely suddenly contained numerous tiny needles. They lay hidden among fallen leaves, nearly impossible to discern with the naked eye... or perhaps they had only appeared after the wolf's gaze had swept over them, then mercilessly pierced its paws when it ran across unsuspectingly.
These were needles condensed from the White Tiger's sharp metal energy. Though this tiger cub's weakness broke the lower limits of divine beasts, undeniably every bit of spiritual energy she cultivated still carried the White Tiger's unique sharp metal quality, possessing penetrating sharpness.
Even the Wind Speed Wolf's tough hide couldn't withstand this piercing, especially since after embedding in flesh, the originally tiny needles seemed to strengthen, forcefully impaling the beast's four paws straight through.
The intense pain made the afflicted Wind Speed Wolf howl in agony as it collapsed to the ground, then more fine needles pierced its body.
The bloody scent in the air intensified, and more terrifyingly, the fallen Wind Speed Wolf wouldn't die from these injuries alone. It howled continuously in pain, its shrill voice making one's scalp tingle...
System spoke again, warning its hidden host: "Host, it's calling for companions. More wolves are approaching to surround us."
Hearing this, the little white tiger didn't linger, again fleeing along System's planned route. While she had previously remained hidden successfully, the thick blood scent in the air adequately concealed the wolf blood on her body. But once she moved, the subtle rustling sounds of grass and trees quickly attracted the second Wind Speed Wolf's attention. Red-eyed, it pursued without hesitation.
Of course, this Wind Speed Wolf dared pursue without hesitation partly because its two remaining companions had finally broken free from the bramble thicket. Three wolves could achieve some coordination, enough to buy time.
As the little white tiger ran again, System reminded her: "Host, only three remain."
She certainly knew this, but after killing two Wind Speed Wolves, the blood scent was too strong for her to risk staying put. Moreover, with three wolves more than twice her size in pursuit, she dared not simply turn around for a direct confrontation. Even if she could defeat them, the delay might allow the wolf pack to catch up and surround her, leading to dire consequences—though with Senior Sister present, her life was certainly not in danger.
After fleeing again and having System select another advantageous terrain, the little white tiger finally skidded to a halt, then turned to attack the three relentlessly pursuing Wind Speed Wolves.
Truthfully, the current little white tiger had undergone earth-shattering changes compared to her previous competition self. Now she not only outleveled the Wind Speed Wolves significantly, but her combat power was incomparable to before. The previous two tests had given her a clear comparative understanding of their respective strengths—she could handle three Wind Speed Wolves without excessive delay.
After a brief clash, the tiger cub indeed achieved complete victory, but before she could catch her breath, System said: "Host, more are coming."
Upon hearing this, the little white tiger didn't hesitate, turning to flee again.
After a long while, the sky gradually darkened.
With excellent patience and System's precise scanning and planning assistance, the little white tiger not only avoided being successfully surrounded and killed by the wolf pack but also managed to defeat these wild monsters one by one through kiting and positioning techniques, clearing them slowly but effectively. When System finally informed her that the wolf pack had chosen to retreat due to heavy losses, the little white tiger finally collapsed from exhaustion.
Her fatigue was genuine. From afternoon until dusk, Jiang Mo had lost count of how many Wind Speed Wolves she had killed. She had no energy or spirit left to check her point gains, not even bothering to respond to System's incessant chatter in her ear.
In the end, Cloud Qingyue retrieved her from among a pile of wolf corpses, then with a hand seal, cast a cleaning spell that thoroughly removed all blood stains from her body.
She returned to that soft embrace with its cool fragrance, but this time she turned her head away, not looking at her.