The hunting team successfully brought down a black bear. If rationed carefully, a single bear—combined with corn—was enough to sustain the village for quite some time.
This was more than enough to ease the village's food shortage, sparing the hunting team from having to venture deeper into the forest and risk their lives.
With the hunting team's return, the entire village was filled with joy.
Chi Li Mu waited near the village gate every time, anxious for Wu Tian's safe return, afraid he might be injured.
This time was no exception. Seeing the team return with a slain black bear, worry appeared on her small face instead. She feared that some of the uncles might have been hurt.
"Uncle Gu Xiong, is everyone okay?"
"Don't worry, Chi Li. No one was injured."
As they spoke, Wu Tian darted out of the group and ran circles around Chi Li Mu, wagging his tail.
The little girl didn't mind the dirt on him at all. She hugged him tightly and said happily,"Bai Long'er, are you alright? Now everyone will have meat to eat! Hehe… you were all amazing!"
The clan chief soon arrived as well, leading the villagers in processing the bear's hide and meat. Some portions were distributed immediately, while the rest were dried and stored.
When night fell and everyone in the village had gone to sleep, Wu Tian lay quietly in the girl's arms, sorting through his recent gains.
Traveling with the hunting team had accelerated his growth tremendously. Though only a few days had passed, both Hunting and Wind Listening had already surpassed thirty percent.
Even his Poison Devouring talent had reached ten percent.
As progress increased, the speed of improvement naturally slowed. Even so, Wu Tian was confident that within a few months, he could push both skills to one hundred percent.
"I wonder what will happen once a skill reaches one hundred percent…"
A faint sense of anticipation stirred in Wu Tian's heart. He felt that reaching full mastery would likely bring a surprising change.
Beyond his own growth, Wu Tian had also been quietly observing the gu arts used by the hunting team.
"The gu techniques in the village aren't as mystical as I imagined. Most of the gu insects are used to repel snakes and bugs, purify water, or absorb poison—simply helping the villagers survive better in the forest."
"As for the truly fierce and terrifying gu insects… only Gu Xiong Mu and the clan chief likely possess those."
Wu Tian had once seen Gu Xiong Mu release a centipede from a bamboo tube.
The centipede was entirely emerald-green, like a piece of jade. Rather than appearing vicious, it looked exquisitely carved, almost beautiful.
Yet the moment it appeared, the surrounding poisonous insects froze in terror.
The hunters' expressions were filled with reverence—and even fear.
As for what that jade centipede was truly capable of, Wu Tian had no idea. He had never seen Gu Xiong Mu use it in battle.
"If I want to acquire new abilities, relying solely on Hunting and Wind Listening won't be enough to become a demon."
"Gu Xiong Mu once said that to the east of the village, there's a black bear that has already cultivated intelligence. The previous disaster that killed so many villagers was caused by that bear."
"I wonder… how did that black bear become a demon?"
His thoughts drifted, and before long, Wu Tian fell asleep.
Over the next period of time, the hunting team shifted their focus to the wolf pack roaming nearby. If left unchecked, the wolves would pose a serious threat to the village.
However, the pack was numerous. Trying to wipe them out directly would inevitably result in casualties.
So Gu Xiong Mu adopted a guerrilla strategy—using traps, ambushes, and coordinated hunts. Each day, they killed two or three wolves.
After seven or eight days, fewer than ten wolves remained.
The alpha wolf was cunning and sharp. Seeing the pack's numbers dwindling, it led the remaining wolves deeper into the forest to escape.
Gu Xiong Mu led the hunters and white dogs in pursuit.
After chasing them for over ten miles, all the wolves except the alpha were slaughtered.
Though wolf meat was tough and unpleasant, over twenty wolves provided enough food for the village to last a long time.
During the pursuit, they also discovered a herd of deer deep in the forest—a welcome surprise.
However, there were signs of other human hunters nearby.
"It should be people from Red Blood Village," Gu Xiong Mu said cautiously. He did not rush to hunt. Their recent gains were already sufficient.
"Withdraw for now. We'll scout the area thoroughly before making any decisions."
Wu Tian was also carefully surveying the surroundings. His keen sense of smell detected lingering traces of human presence, and Wind Listening allowed him to sense residual danger in the air.
Gu Xiong Mu's judgment was spot on—other hunters were active nearby, and they were dangerous.
During this time, Wu Tian maintained a steady pace of growth. His Hunting and Wind Listening skills exceeded forty percent, gradually approaching the level of adult white dogs.
By Wu Tian's estimation, most adult white dogs had both skills above sixty percent, with a few reaching as high as eighty percent.
As for the Dog King, Yin Shuang—Wu Tian couldn't quite gauge him.
But one thing was certain.
Yin Shuang was terrifyingly powerful, far beyond an ordinary adult white dog. He could likely fight head-on against an alpha wolf or even a black bear.
Yet Yin Shuang was also extremely cautious, never taking unnecessary risks—a patient and seasoned hunter.
Time flew by.
After carefully scouting the area around the deer herd, Gu Xiong Mu discovered not only deer, but also several ferocious beasts on the verge of becoming demons.
They also once again found traces of Red Blood Village hunters.
"The people of Red Blood Village can cultivate the Red Blood Gu," Gu Xiong Mu explained gravely. "The Red Blood Gu enters the body through the eyes, ears, mouth, or nose, burrowing directly into the organs and gnawing at the heart. It's terrifying."
"They dare to hunt even beasts on the verge of demonhood. It's said that the Red Blood Gu King of their village has even slain true demon spirits."
Deeply wary of Red Blood Village, Gu Xiong Mu avoided direct contact. After learning their activity patterns, he led the team to hunt the deer herd during off-hours.
Every operation was conducted with extreme caution. Combined with other forest prey, the village's food reserves steadily increased.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Late autumn arrived, and the weather grew colder. The deer herd gradually thinned.
Wu Tian's growth, however, was nothing short of terrifying.
Even as his skill progression slowed in the later stages, he continued to advance—slowly but relentlessly.
His body now stretched over two feet long, only slightly smaller than adult white dogs. Yet in terms of strength and speed, he far surpassed ordinary adults.
His fur was supple and snow-white.His claws and fangs were sharp as blades.
His skills had reached their limit.
After another hunt concluded, the system panel suddenly appeared on its own.
Ding! System Notification:Your skill Hunting has reached full mastery and can now awaken as a talent.Please choose one of the following talents:
Option One: Razor ClawsYour claws become significantly sharper, granting an increase in strength.
Option Two: AgilityYour movement and reaction speed are greatly enhanced.
Option Three: RegenerationYour vitality is greatly increased, improving stamina and recovery from injuries.
(End of Chapter)