Chapter 18: Chapter 17 Mirror Lake Snake Demon_2
```
"I never imagined that in just over a month, our gains would be so huge!"
"Just from fifth-tier monsters, we've hunted down twelve, and even three of the sixth-tier! The beast cores, bones, and hides of these monsters will sell for a large sum of money!"
Hong Man said with a simple smile.
At this moment, Fang Shan was also beaming with joy, "The haul from this month surpasses my previous visits to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain by far, thanks largely to Elder Sister Lin Jing and Ye Chen."
"Yeah, if it weren't for those two, how could we have possibly surrounded and killed sixth-tier monsters, and three of them at that! We've struck it rich, for sure.
Once I get my share of this money, I'm heading back to the Sect to buy a set of top-notch Yellow-tier martial arts skills!" Hong Man grinned widely as he spoke.
Zhou Mo, standing off to the side, was relatively silent and reserved. His eyes were fixed on two figures in the nearby woods—his gaze deep and ponderous, lost in thought.
Noticing Zhou Mo's quietness, Hong Man and Fang Shan glanced over. When they followed the direction of Zhou Mo's gaze, they both smiled, "Elder Sister Lin Jing has had her heart set on Ye Chen for more than a month. It looks like if Ye Chen is willing, he's likely to pluck that delicate flower."
"Don't say, among us Outer Sect disciples with fifth-layer True Qi, she's easily ranked in the top three. With her being the daughter of an Elder within the Sect, there's rarely been anyone she has taken a liking to. But this time, she's clearly taken a liking to Ye Chen."
"That's true, Ye Chen has indeed impressed us all. While he was only at the fourth layer of True Qi, he was already more powerful than most disciples at the fifth layer. In just a short month, he broke through to the fifth layer of True Qi.
His current strength must be close to Elder Sister Lin Jing's."
"In these days hunting monsters, I've seen that Ye Chen improves every day. His cultivation is like that of a prodigy unlike any I've ever seen. If I were Elder Sister Lin Jing, I too would be attracted to Ye Chen!"
Hong Man and Fang Shan chatted back and forth, their words causing Zhou Mo to grow even more frustrated. He slapped his sword onto the ground and said, "Enough, don't talk nonsense about this kind of thing. If Elder Sister Jing hears it, you two are going to get it."
"We should focus on cultivation. If we can take down that big guy in Mirror Lake, then this trip to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain would truly be fruitful."
"That big guy in Mirror Lake?"
Upon hearing Zhou Mo's words, the image of the giant Silver Stripe Serpent Monster flashed in the minds of Hong Man and Fang Shan, their eyes blazing with fervor, "The Silver Stripe Serpent Monster, a precious monster listed in the Sect's Ten Thousand Beasts Index.
To think we'd encounter it on this trip. We must take it down before it reaches maturity!"
With that thought, the two fell into a rare silence and continued with their seated cultivation.
Zhou Mo, casting a deep glance towards the two figures in the woods, also resumed his cultivation.
In the woods, the two figures were none other than the lithe, beautiful Lin Jing, and the handsome, sharp-eyed Ye Chen.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the midst of the trees, Ye Chen's sword danced as he practiced his sword skills.
With each movement of his sword tip, in just a moment, a dozen trees over a meter thick were pierced with a cross-shaped mark.
The speed of his sword draws and the power of his sword skills were hard to believe from such a young man.
Watching Ye Chen immersed in practice, his face resolute and calm, Lin Jing's beautiful eyes were filled with mirth.
"Just three days to practice the 'Cross Rapid-Kill Sword Skills' to this level, this guy truly is a monster."
"With this pace of cultivation, we might really be able to hunt down that giant snake in Mirror Lake."
"Ye Chen, you always amaze me."
Lin Jing crossed her arms over her ample chest, her posture captivating, quietly observing Ye Chen's practice without interruption.
...
"The 'Cross Rapid-Kill Sword Skills,' another set of Yellow-tier mid-grade sword skills that focus on speed."
Ye Chen's eyes carefully examined the cross-shaped marks on the surrounding trees, a glint of sharpness in his gaze.
"Swift Sword, Swift Sword, Swift Sword! Whether it's the 'Torrential Rain Sword Skills,' 'Fierce Light Sword Skills,' or these 'Cross Rapid-Kill Sword Skills,' they all strive for the ultimate in sword speed!"
"With 'Cross Rapid-Kill Sword Skills,' the sword serves as the bow, the target the bullseye, firing out rapid cross-shaped strikes! 'Fierce Light Sword Skills' are derived from the speed of piercing light!"
"And my 'Torrential Rain Sword Skills' are like torrential rains plummeting from the sky, the velocity of the pouring rain is the speed of my sword!"
Whoosh!
Ye Chen's stainless steel sword changed course, and in an instant, the vast True Qi from within his body surged out, his sword striking in all directions with incredible speed.
In a mere moment, within ten meters, Ye Chen's figure was obscured, sword lights and sword rain covering every inch of space.
This was clearly the third form of 'Torrential Rain Sword Skills,' "Torrential Rainstorm!"
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Where the sword lights passed and the sword rain fell, deep sword marks appeared on the large trees and the ground.
The extreme sword speed even caused the sound of thunder to rumble faintly through this patch of space.
It had been just three days since Lin Jing taught Ye Chen the 'Cross Rapid-Kill Sword Skills,' and he had already mastered them to a great degree.
In the Qingyun Sect Outer Sect, no one could achieve such rapid mastery of a Yellow-tier mid-grade martial technique in just three days.
As the original owner of this technique, Lin Jing was, of course, overjoyed!
The stronger Ye Chen's strength, the greater their chance of hunting the snake monster in Mirror Lake.