Chapter 8: Setting Up Camp

The suona reacted quickly; seeing that Wang Chong truly had murderous intent, he tumbled and scrambled away.

Now they dared not approach Wang Chong again, yet they did not leave either, following at a distance that was neither near nor far; whenever Wang Chong took two steps toward them, they ran, and when he walked away, they returned.

Wang Chong was furious.

"You're willing to follow, aren't you? Then I won't walk forward anymore." Wang Chong turned and headed deeper into the dense forest.

The goblins trailing behind grew puzzled. "Sona, why is he going that way? If we go any further, it will be the Thunder Swamp."

"That's right. The Thunder Swamp is far too dangerous. Should we still follow him?"

Sona's eyes rolled: "What's there to fear? We'll just follow him from afar. If danger arises, we'll run first. If he gets killed by a demonic beast, we can take his corpse back."

"Brother, you're still the smartest." The other goblins showered him with flattery.

"Of course. Otherwise, how could I be the big brother?" Sona strutted proudly. "Come on, let's catch up quickly."

"This place is good. Let's stop here." Wang Chong looked at the large open clearing before him, with a small river beside it, making one feel refreshed and at ease.

The sky gradually darkened, and the world seemed to suddenly become utterly silent.

He dug a hole in the ground, curled his entire body inside it, and lay there quietly.

Yet from the curvature of his legs, it was clear he had not relaxed his vigilance and remained ready to spring up at any moment to face a sudden crisis.

He kept himself in a state of feigned sleep, daring not to let even a sliver of guard down.

In this strange and dangerous place, any slightest lapse could lead to one's utter destruction.

The next day, as dawn barely broke, Wang Chong was already up, beginning his day's work.

His figure constantly shuttled between the forest and the clearing, returning with bundles upon bundles of wood.

The great sword given to him by Hawk came in handy; splitting wood with it was as easy as slicing melons and chopping vegetables.

"What is he doing?" one goblin asked, puzzled.

"What can chopping wood do? Of course it's to start a fire and cook. You're so stupid."

"Then surely he doesn't need that much wood?"

"That must mean the prey is quite large. He might go hunting soon. Perhaps he'll even invite us to eat together."

"That's right. Otherwise, why would he chop so much wood? He must be treating us to a meal..."

Several goblins crouched on a small earthen mound, their gazes tracking Wang Chong as he moved back and forth.

After chopping most of the wood, Wang Chong fashioned a fish spear from branches, speared a plump fish in the river, and enjoyed a delicious meal of grilled fish for lunch.

After the meal, he did not rest; he drew a circle on the ground and then built a simple fence.

For dinner, he ate fish again, then tidied up briefly, laid a bed of thatch, and went to sleep.

"Big brother, I'm so hungry..." Several goblins, having waited all day with hopeful eyes, still had not eaten anything.

"Didn't you say he was going to treat us to a grand feast?" a goblin complained.

"That bastard! How dare he trick us!" Sona fumed. "Alright, let's sleep first. We'll deal with it tomorrow."

The goblins, faces grim with disappointment, burrowed into their grass nests to sleep.

The night passed without incident.

With the fence in place, Wang Chong slept soundly that night, yet he did not oversleep; years of military life had instilled in him a disciplined daily routine.

As soon as dawn broke, he rose, first stretching his limbs, then began practicing the basic sword technique. This basic sword technique was called Mountain-Crushing Strike. It was a martial art characterized by broad, sweeping movements, requiring the user to leap into the air and forcefully smash down onto the ground, simultaneously generating several waves of attack. Although it was merely a basic sword technique, paired with Wang Chong's great sword, its power was immense.

Moreover, Mountain-Crushing Strike could be said to balance offense and defense; during an attack, shockwaves would form around the user's body, knocking nearby enemies flying.

When practicing martial arts, Wang Chong was extremely focused, repeatedly leaping and smashing down without tiring, until he gained some insight, only then did he stop.

In the past few days, he had been pondering this sword technique; after practicing now, he handled it even more skillfully, and this sword technique suited his preferences perfectly.

Having broken a sweat from the cultivation just now, he walked to the riverbank intending to wash, only to discover Sona and several other goblins catching fish in the river.

These goblins were utterly clumsy; trying to catch fish directly with their hands, they busied themselves for ages yet caught not a single fish.

Wang Chong watched from the side, occasionally revealing a mocking expression, which thoroughly infuriated the goblins.

"All of you, perk up! Don't let people laugh at us!" Sona scolded the other goblins.

"Yes, big brother!"

A moment later, suddenly one goblin shouted excitedly, "I caught it! I caught it!"

"Really? That's great!" Sona rejoiced.

He glanced challengingly at Wang Chong.

"Oh my, what a huge fish!" Wang Chong took one look at the fish and burst out laughing.

In the goblin's hand was a fish no thicker than a finger; it truly wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between teeth.

"Alright, you guys keep playing. Big brother isn't going to accompany you." Having finished speaking, Wang Chong charged and leaped across a narrow section of the small river.

His figure quickly vanished from Sona and the others' line of sight; not long after, a swamp appeared before him.

The place was damp and gloomy everywhere; one careless step could cause someone to sink into the swamp, so Wang Chong was especially cautious.

"Good luck." Not far from where he had started, Wang Chong spotted a fire turkey.

Although fire turkeys can fly, their flying ability is weak; as long as one is careful of their fire-breathing, there will be no major danger.

Moreover, Wang Chong had caught fire turkeys before and gained experience; catching one now was a matter of handling it with ease.

The fire turkey was very alert; even while eating insects, it would occasionally raise its head to look around.

However, Wang Chong was no longer the Wang Chong of before; after several days of cultivation, he had made significant progress.

"Let's use you to practice first."

Wang Chong quietly circled around to the fire turkey's rear; when he was still over ten meters away, a flash of cold light appeared in his hand, and he suddenly lunged forward.

At that moment, the great sword in his hand was extraordinarily agile; a streak of cold light poured down from above the fire turkey's head.

"Swish!"

The sword light vanished, and the fire turkey's head fell from its neck.

A wild turkey was slain by Wang Chong without a sound.

"Cultivation is indeed useful." A smile appeared on Wang Chong's face.

Although he was still weak compared to those powerful figures, he believed that as long as he worked hard, one day he would become a peak powerhouse.

Next, Wang Chong harvested several more prey; though none were large, they were enough for him to eat for several days.

He threaded the prey onto a vine, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and prepared to return.

"Good harvest, time to go back." He patted the prey, very satisfied with today's results.

With these prey, he would not have to worry about food for the coming days, and could cultivate in peace.