Excellent
---
Dawn crept over the Jade Sky Sect, painting the mountain peaks in hues of gold and crimson.
Lin Chen stood at the sect gates, his figure still and calm, yet his pulse beat with quiet excitement.
The mission scroll was tucked at his waist, the antidote vial from Mu Qinglan nestled safely in his inner robe.
"Time to earn my first real meal in this life," he muttered, lips quirking. "And hopefully not die while doing it."
---
The Jade Fang Ravine lay three days east of the sect, a place where spirit beasts roamed and weak-willed disciples met their ends.
Lin Chen set out alone, his pace steady, wasting no breath on songs or chatter.
Yet, in his heart, a familiar thrill bloomed — the old hunger for the hunt, buried since his fall in his past life.
---
By midday, he reached the outer ridges where the earth grew cracked and red.
The scent of blood and iron tainted the air.
"This place hasn't changed much," he mused, stepping lightly over a weathered skull. "Still loves to chew up foolish disciples."
---
He knelt near a patch of disturbed soil.
His fingers traced the deep claw marks and faint paw prints.
"Large… heavy. This isn't a lone wolf. There's a pack."*
His lips pressed into a thin line. "Of course. Why make things easy?"
---
From his satchel, Lin Chen pulled out several thin iron spikes and strips of beast tendon.
"First rule of survival: Let the trap do the heavy lifting."
---
Hours passed as he set traps:
Pits camouflaged with leaves and dirt
Tripwires rigged to release falling rocks
Poisoned meat laced with mild paralysis powder
"Crude, but it'll do," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Let's see if old instincts still work."
---
As night fell, the ravine grew alive with howls — low and guttural.
The Scarlet-Fanged Venom Wolves were on the move.
Lin Chen crouched low behind a jagged boulder, watching the shadows flicker between the trees.
His breath slowed. His heartbeat stilled.
"Come on, beast… take the bait…"
---
A flash of crimson fur lunged forward, fangs dripping with venom that shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
The trap triggered —
A rockslide roared down, slamming into two wolves with bone-crushing force.
"Two down," Lin Chen counted, eyes flicking sharply. "But where's the alpha?"
---
The ground trembled.
A larger shape emerged from the shadows — its eyes burning like molten coals.
The Alpha Scarlet-Fanged Venom Wolf.
Lin Chen's mouth curled into a grim smile. "There you are."
---
The beast lunged, faster than the others, venom mist swirling from its fangs.
Lin Chen rolled aside, pulling a throwing dagger from his belt.
He hurled it mid-roll — the blade slicing through the mist and lodging deep into the beast's shoulder.
"Not enough to kill… but enough to piss it off."*
---
The wolf howled in fury and charged again, its massive claws tearing through rock.
"Tch — persistent mutt."*
Lin Chen darted back, leading the beast into the final trap:
A shallow pit laced with sharpened stakes dipped in silver dust.
The wolf fell in with a bone-jarring crash, its limbs impaled and thrashing.
---
"Got you," Lin Chen hissed, stepping forward, pulling out a curved sword scavenged from a past mission.
But the beast wasn't done.
With a final, desperate surge, it spat a glob of venom straight at Lin Chen's chest.
---
"Shi—"
The venom splashed across his robes, sizzling through cloth and grazing skin.
A searing pain tore through his side.
"Damn it—burns like hell!"*
His fingers fumbled for the antidote vial from Mu Qinglan, popping the cork with his teeth and downing half the contents.
The burning eased — slightly.
"Remind me to thank that woman later… properly," he wheezed. "If I live."*
---
With a roar, he leapt into the pit, blade flashing.
He struck once — twice — carving through sinew and bone.
The wolf's last howl echoed through the ravine before silence fell.
---
Lin Chen stood panting, blood dripping from his blade, sweat and venom mixing on his skin.
"One wolf… three hundred stones," he muttered. "At this rate, I'll need two more kills to reach Elder Mo's price."*
His lips twitched. "Piece of cake… said the idiot before dying."*
---
He slumped against a rock, letting the cool night wind wash over him.
Far above, the stars shimmered cold and distant.
"I fell from those heights once," Lin Chen whispered, voice soft. "But I'll climb back… step by bloody step."*
---
Elsewhere… in the alchemy division…
Mu Qinglan sat by a glowing furnace, her eyes half-closed in meditation.
Suddenly, her lips curved into a faint smile.
"He used the antidote… and lived."*
Her fingers tapped lightly on the jade table.
"Interesting boy… very interesting."*
---
[End of Chapter 8]