The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Chapter 40: Garb Wolves

As the sound of wolves howling rang out once more, Li Lang was forced to make a decision. He could either engage his targets in the dark of night now or wait until morning.

I should be able to handle them…That’s why I chose this task in the first place.

Garb Wolves were typically low-level Qi beasts. They were weak enough that even those without any cultivation could defeat them if they were properly equipped. However, that was only in a one-on-one scenario, and wolves never fought alone.

Their numbers and shrewdness gave most normal folks a run for their money, which was why a request was sent out to the Spirit Grove.

Concentrating his Qi into his eyes, Li Lang swiftly tidied up his camping grounds and began to head off toward the sound of the wolves. The Qi not only allowed him to see better at a distance, it enabled him to operate in the dark as well.

Having practiced the control of his Qi for months, Li Lang was no longer the same person he had been when he encountered those thugs in Xiang Yang. His ability to manipulate the flow of his internal energy had greatly increased, allowing him to seamlessly direct his Qi into his legs when he ran, or to his fists when punched, without any delay at all.

As Li Lang raced across the woodland, he soon heard several growls in the distance. He adjusted his course and was soon able to spot two dozen wolves chasing a pair of elks.

The scene gave him pause as he readjusted the image of his opponent. It was his first time seeing this species of wolves, and he was already on full alert simply due to the fact that these Garb Wolves were a full size larger than what he expected.

Once he composed himself, he pushed aside all idle thoughts and charged from the side of the pack.

One of the wolves instantly spotted him and howled to alert his pack to the newcomer. Half a dozen wolves quickly split off to deal with Li Lang.

The six oversized wolves soon collided against the lone unarmed boy. Just before impact, Li Lang suddenly picked up speed and jumped up to unleash his only offensive martial arts, the Skysoar Kick. His small figure sailed through the air before it connected precisely with the leading wolf.

It all happened so suddenly that the remaining five wolves couldn’t even react and ran past their target. When they turned around, they found their prey standing above their companion, unleashing several more kicks toward their collapsed ally.

They all growled and charged at Li Lang once more.

I know this is for training and all, but it feels so stupid fighting wolves with my bare hands… I can’t wait to break through and learn how to coat a weapon in my Qi to fight with.

While mundane weapons existed, the point of this mission was for Li Lang to practice his Qi control in a real combat scenario. It was the most common method to stir breakthroughs for cultivators, as one truly had to muster all they had when they felt their lives were at risk.

This was why Li Lang opted out of procuring a weapon, as fighting with one would not be conducive to his training.

He prayed his attacks were enough to bring the first wolf he knocked down out of the picture as he prepared to handle the other five enemies coming his way.

This time, he didn’t charge forward and waited for his enemy to approach. Just when the wolves were close enough to tackle him, he quickly sidestepped and kept all five of his enemies directly in front of him. The movements he showed were a huge improvement to the amateur footwork he previously displayed, which came in handy when outnumbered.

The wolves realized the slipperiness of their prey and began fanning out.

They would soon come to regret that, as Li Lang used the opportunity to take them out one by one.

He charged the closest wolf and baited it to bite out at him before kicking the mutt in the face. The young boy didn’t dare to relent on his assault and followed up with more blows as the surrounding wolves drew near.

Garb Wolves or not, they were a species famed for their teamwork and they displayed just that. They quickly lunged at the stationary Li Lang and bit down on his legs and shoulders.

However, what they didn’t expect was that this little boy had skin as tough as the thickest hide they had encountered. Their teeth barely sunk into his skin before they could go no further.

This caused the offending wolves to suddenly become stationary targets. They didn’t know how to react except to continue clinging to their prey, which allowed Li Lang to pummel the daylights out of the Qi beasts with his free hand.

Once he was done with his immediate enemies, Li Lang quickly brought his attention to the remaining pack that had been chasing the elks. They had succeeded, and a small group began dragging their prey away as the larger pack turned to face him.

Seeing how streams of blood dripped down his body, the young boy quickly popped a Recovery Pill into his mouth as he prepared for the arduous battle to come. He knew the main danger he faced was being surrounded by the enemy as they didn’t have the power to finish him off thanks to the defenses his Ironhide Art had provided him.

That changed when the wolves collectively howled.

It took a moment for Li Lang to realize that these Qi beasts before him had called in reinforcements upon seeing him vanquish their allies.

From the tree line, the sound of bushes violently rustling rang out before another Garb Wolf popped out. This wolf was yet another size larger than the other members of the pack, and Li Lang swiftly realized it was the leader of the pack.

The alpha howled upon arriving and the other wolves quickly fanned out in an attempt to circle Li Lang.

…I’m not going to outrun their encirclement with two legs. I need to end this quickly.

For a moment, Li Lang considered using his warding talisman, but quickly decided otherwise. He steeled his resolve and kept his eyes on the enemies.

He waited for the wolves to fan out even further before he suddenly charged straight ahead, straight toward their leader.

The alpha wolf howled at the sight of their prey, daring to challenge them.

However, the young cultivator was too fast for any of the other wolves to react in time. Li Lang swiftly charged through the encirclement by skillfully enhancing his movements with Qi and closed the distance with the leader of the pack.

Once he got close, he didn’t hesitate to unleash his only martial technique he had been honing, and kicked out at the bear-sized wolf. Unfortunately, his straightforward attack was easily read by the monster and it swiftly dodged out of the way.

My lack of combat experience is so obvious that it’s painful…

Before Li Lang could right himself, the Qi beast lunged at him. The young boy could only brace himself with his defensive technique as he attempted to jump out of the way. He also tried to force out his Qi to form a protective layer on his skin, but pain quickly flooded his system before he could complete the maneuver.

The claws of the wolf had managed to clip his forearm, leaving Li Lang with a long gash despite his high defenses.

Ouch! It did make sense that this guy is stronger than the other wolves, of course.

The wolf didn’t relent in its attack, keeping Li Lang too busy to consume a Recovery Pill. He dove left and right to dodge out of the way, but his footwork allowed him to retain his balance despite his large movements.

As he got the hang of dodging, he was soon able to throw in some punches that knocked the beast back. He made use of the valuable distance he created to consume a pill.

At the end of the day, the Garb Wolf was still a low-level Qi beast. That meant it wasn’t much better than a normal beast and its intelligence was limited as it listened more to its instincts.

It tried to lunge out at Li Lang once more, but the boy was ready for it this time. He sidestepped out of the way and unleashed another Skysoar Kick that knocked the wind out of the beast.

It landed on its side, and Li Lang rushed upon seeing that. The other wolves had almost reached the fighting, so he didn’t waste any time and let out everything he had at the Garb Wolf.

Punch after punch, he tried to stir his Qi to the maximum to enhance his blows. After a few punches on the defenseless beast, the light in its eye soon began to fade.

Seeing the scene, the other wolves whimpered and circled their formidable enemy carefully as they struggled to decide on their next course of action without their leader.

The exhausted Li Lang carefully monitored them while he began looking for a path of retreat. He was too tired to continue, and eliminating the alpha had completed his objective already. Even if the remaining wolves got away, their threat level had already decreased by several degrees without their leader.