After a full night's rest, his injuries had mostly recovered.
"It's time to go out and hunt mutated beasts to gain Mental Energy."
Shen Han moved cautiously along the edge of the forest, as not only mutated beasts but also members of the Tang Family might be watching him.
Swiftwind Claw Rabbits, Earth-Rending Burrowing Rats, Azurewater Scale Fish—Shen Han used his Sniff ability to scan for mutated beasts he could handle, killing them, acquiring their demon cores, and Devouring their Mental Energy in one smooth motion.
He would always avoid any that were beyond his Rank or that he wasn't confident in dealing with.
Now was not the time to show off by fighting above his Realm; unknown dangers lurked in the forest at all times, and once injured and immobile, he could face eternal damnation.
After a few days, he had collected no less than 20 Elementary First Rank mutated beasts, and the corresponding Materials had filled his Storage Pouch.
At market price, this was over 1 million in income, and his Mental Energy had also Breakthrough to 427, reaching the Realm of a Ninth-stage Martial Warrior.
Reaching the Martial Master Realm before graduating high school would be no problem at all.
Name: Shen Han
Mental Energy: 427 / 460 (Ninth-stage Martial Warrior)
Special Ability: Chaos Element, Lightning Element
Rank: Chaos Element - SSS Rank, Lightning Element - D Rank, Ice Element - A Rank
Skills: Chaos Element - Sniff (Rank 1 / 10), Copy (Rank 1 / 10), Devouring (Rank 1 / 10), Replace (Rank 1 / 10)
Lightning Element - Thunder Rending Sky (Beginner), Lightning Sky Curtain (Beginner)
Ice Element - Frost Condensing Thousand Blades (Minor Achievement)
The Mental Energy growth from this forest training trip had already met his goal.
Next was to find the Tang Family Young Lord he had encountered before; it would be inexcusable not to Copy such a high-Rank Lightning Element Special Ability talent that had so rarely appeared.
"I hope they haven't left yet," Shen Han thought, growing a little anxious after searching for so long.
After wandering the outskirts for a long time, he faintly heard sounds of fighting ahead.
Shen Han suppressed his aura and stealthily moved closer.
"I've been looking for you for so long, and you've finally shown yourselves."
He carefully sensed and checked the surrounding environment; there were no ambushes.
Only Tang Yunxiang was fighting a purplish-blue fox, while the lewd middle-aged man stood by, ready to assist.
"This is actually a First Rank Advanced Shadow Lightning Fox!" Shen Han was pleasantly surprised.
This Shadow Lightning Fox's cultivation was similar to that of a high-stage Martial Warrior, but it was not easy to deal with.
One must know that the Lightning Fox Shadow is a nimble and mysterious mutated beast, fox-like in appearance, covered in shimmering blue lightning patterns, possessing extreme intelligence and agility.
Its main skill is "Lightning Teleport," which allows it to move short distances rapidly on the battlefield, as if traversing through lightning, making it difficult for enemies to predict.
At the same time, this mutated beast also possesses the skill "Thunderous Whimper," which can be unleashed in an instant to deliver a fatal blow to enemies.
This was truly a case of finding something without searching for it, and it cost no effort.
If he could acquire the skills of this Shadow Lightning Fox, it would greatly compensate for his lack of speed.
Shen Han suppressed his inner excitement and calmly observed the battle below.
The strength of the two Tang Family members was comparable to his own; going down now would be a reckless act of suicide.
Tang Yunxiang and the Shadow Lightning Fox had been entangled in battle for one or two hours, with neither able to gain the upper hand.
Whenever Tang Yunxiang prepared to deliver a killing blow, the Shadow Lightning Fox would always evade the attack using "Lightning Teleport," and whenever the Shadow Lightning Fox tried to escape, the lewd middle-aged man nearby would intervene to block it.
The battle had reached a stalemate.
Next was a battle of attrition, to see which side would succumb first.
Suddenly, the Shadow Lightning Fox feigned an escape and unleashed "Thunderous Whimper," and the lewd middle-aged man was caught off guard, struck down and convulsing on the ground.
"Damn it," Tang Yunxiang inwardly cursed, "Do I really have to use my trump card?"
Tang Yunxiang suddenly produced a dark red Medicinal Pill from his hand and swallowed it without hesitation.
Shen Han, who was about to make a move, saw that the situation was unusual and suppressed his impatience, continuing to wait.
Tang Yunxiang was originally a Sixth-stage Martial Warrior, but after consuming the Medicinal Pill, his eyes turned blood-red and murderous, and his cultivation surged by a large margin: Seventh-stage Martial Warrior, Eighth-stage Martial Warrior, Ninth-stage Martial Warrior.
"You forced my hand! Tyrant's Sanction ~" The sky seemed to grow dark and oppressive, and black lightning gathered more and more, fine threads of lightning converging into a black pillar that struck towards the Shadow Lightning Fox.
The Shadow Lightning Fox, preparing to escape with "Lightning Teleport," grimly discovered that all directions it could flee were filled with black lightning pillars.
"It's useless, die, you beast."
One lightning pillar struck the Shadow Lightning Fox, and all nearby lightning pillars also turned and struck it.
The Shadow Lightning Fox finally couldn't hold on and collapsed, its fur scorched black by the electricity, and blood flowing from several parts of its body.
Just then, the effect of Tang Yunxiang's Medicinal Pill wore off, and he sat on the ground, breathing heavily in a wave of weakness.
"Hahahaha~~, nothing can escape from my Tang Yunxiang's grasp, you beast, accept your fate!"
If Shen Han missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he truly wouldn't be fit to survive in this world.
"Frost Condensing Thousand Blades ~" Ice Blades shot from different directions towards the stunned lewd middle-aged man and Tang Yunxiang, blocking all possible escape routes for the two.
"Chichi chi~" The sound of Ice Blades piercing flesh.
The lewd middle-aged man's throat and chest were both pierced; it was clear he wouldn't survive.
Tang Yunxiang, on the other hand, had his hands and legs crippled.
"Ah~" A mournful scream echoed through the forest.
"It's actually you.
Brother, let's talk this over, don't kill me, I am the Tang Family Young Lord, I can give you unimaginable resources."
Tang Yunxiang hadn't expected to fall here.
Once he returned home, he would definitely find this brat; nothing less than killing his entire family would appease his anger.
The situation was stronger than him; he still had to admit defeat when necessary.
"It's too late.
From the moment you wanted to snatch my Storage Pouch and kill me, we were already in a death feud," Shen Han said, completely unmoved.
The Copy Skill activated, and a pure Lightning Element energy converged into the purple star in his Sea of Consciousness.
After absorbing it, the purple star became much brighter than before.
"It seems the A-Rank Lightning Element Special Ability I Copied has Fused with my existing D-Rank one to form a new Lightning Element Special Ability."
Although he hadn't managed to Breakthrough to S-Rank, Shen Han felt a slight regret.
If his peers from the same year heard this, they would all be banging their heads against walls; A-Rank was already a Heaven-Defying Rank.
"If I Copy a few more A-Rank Lightning Element Special Abilities in the future, I should be able to Breakthrough to S-Rank or even higher."
After Copying, an Ice Blade ended Tang Yunxiang's life.
Looking at the Shadow Lightning Fox still lying on the ground, covered in blood, Shen Han also tried to activate his Devouring Skill.
Name: Shen Han
Mental Energy: 477 / 500 (Tenth-stage Martial Warrior)
Special Ability: Chaos Element, Lightning Element
Rank: Chaos Element - SSS Rank, Lightning Element - A Rank, Ice Element - A Rank
Skills: Chaos Element - Sniff (Rank 1 / 10), Copy (Rank 1 / 10), Devouring (Rank 1 / 10), Replace (Rank 1 / 10)
Lightning Element - Thunder Rending Sky (Beginner), Lightning Sky Curtain (Beginner), Lightning Teleport (Beginner)
Ice Element - Frost Condensing Thousand Blades (Minor Achievement)
After collecting the Storage Pouches of Tang Yunxiang and the lewd middle-aged man, Shen Han was pleasantly surprised.
"I'm rich! All the Tang Family team's finances were on these two."
The mutated beast Materials and demon cores collected by the Tang Family team were several times more than what Shen Han had collected himself.
"Finally, I don't have to worry about resources anymore," Shen Han breathed a slight sigh of relief.
After inventorying the spoils, he headed towards the school.
Shen Han was very satisfied with the results of this second trip to the forest.
"Indeed, killing and plundering treasures is the fastest way to increase strength."