After finally killing wave after wave of them, his terrifying aura intimidated the surrounding Snow Wolves. They grew timid and no longer dared to approach.
Their intelligence wasn't very high, but their sense of danger was acute. The human before them had them completely suppressed; to keep charging forward would be suicide.
"What's wrong? Too scared to come at me?" Yi Tianyun watched the Snow Wolves retreat, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. 'This is the kind of power I need.'
AWOO!
A wolf's howl echoed from the mountaintop. Yi Tianyun looked up. Bathed in the spilling moonlight, he could clearly see the figure standing on the snowy peak—it was the Snow Wolf King!
'It really is a boss. Even its name is gold!'
His eyes narrowed. He saw that the name above the Snow Wolf King's head was displayed in gold—the classic sign of a boss!
He had been slaughtering them for so long precisely to lure out the Snow Wolf King. It was a Tier 1 Mid-Grade Demon Beast, with a cultivation roughly equivalent to the eighth level of the Body Refining Stage. This would be a major challenge for him!
DING! The system's voice rang in his mind.
"Side quest accepted: 'Slay the Snow Wolf King and Eliminate the Scourge'!"
"Completion Reward: 5,000 Experience Value, Summon Snow Wolf King as a Mount!"
Yi Tianyun's eyes widened. 'What an amazing quest reward! I can make the Snow Wolf King my mount? Just thinking about it sounds incredible!' Most people could never subjugate a beast like this; they would rather die than be tamed as a mount.
And now, all I have to do is kill it to be able to summon it as my mount!
'This is great. Hurry down here so I can kill you and make you my mount!'
Yi Tianyun licked his lips, his eyes filled with excitement. The best part about killing a major boss was always the rewards. Now, with an added quest reward on top, it was even more thrilling.
The Snow Wolf King, perched high above, looked down on Yi Tianyun with an icy stare. The surrounding Snow Wolves parted to form a path, but their gazes remained fixed on him, vigilant. Even though they were outmatched, they would not submit.
AWOO!
The Snow Wolf King charged down from above, its silver fur standing on end like a thousand sharp needles. It hurtled toward him in a frenzy, scattering snowdrifts in its wake.
It transformed into a streak of silver light, hurtling down. In just a few breaths, the Snow Wolf King had descended from the peak. As it drew closer, its immense physique was truly staggering.
The Snow Wolf King's physique was a full two meters tall, towering over an average person. Its sturdy body alone could crush him flat, let alone its Sharp Claws.
ROAR!
The king's majesty would not be challenged. It swung a massive claw and pounced, a sharp silver glint flashing in the darkness. The claw tore through the night, aiming to rip Yi Tianyun in half!
Yi Tianyun had remained perfectly still. But the instant the Snow Wolf King lunged, he finally made his move.
His palm transformed into a claw as he swiped forward—Sharp Claw against Sharp Claw!
As he lunged, a silver streak and a pale blue light cut through the air, colliding in an instant.
CLANG!
His Frost Fist met the Sharp Claw, creating a piercing sound like two metal weapons crashing together. It was as if ten thousand silver needles were stabbing into their eardrums, an unbearable sensation.
After the violent impact, with another CLANG, both were knocked back. But this time, Yi Tianyun was thrown much farther, sliding a long way before he managed to stop.
He looked up to see deep gouges carved into the ground. The Snow Wolf King, in contrast, had only been knocked back a few steps. It was clear the beast's power was slightly superior.
A Demon Beast's greatest advantage was its Physique—its terrifying, brute strength. That power alone was enough to grind a person into paste!
'What tyrannical power... I almost couldn't block that.'
Yi Tianyun's hand trembled slightly, the webbing of his thumb numb. The beast's ferocious power had almost inflicted internal injuries. 'So, testing my strength against you was the right call. A good warm-up...'
He never fought battles he wasn't confident of winning. He needed a real fight to understand his own weaknesses.
AWOO!
A look of disdain appeared in the Snow Wolf King's enormous eyes. It utterly despised the human's strength, seeing him as nothing but fragile.
In the next moment, it gave Yi Tianyun no time to rest. It once again became a streak of silver light and lunged, its massive frame possessing a shocking speed that defied its size.
"However, it's time to end this! Otherwise, I'll run out of time!"
Yi Tianyun let out a great laugh. The Frost Fist he wielded suddenly erupted in a dazzling light. Blue energy radiated outwards and, in the blink of an eye, every Snow Wolf in the vicinity, including the Snow Wolf King, was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture!
They weren't dead, however, just completely Frozen. They wouldn't be able to break free anytime soon. He winced at the cost; to use this special effect, he had spent a full thirty points of Madness Value.
'Killing a single Snow Wolf only gets me three points, and just like that, thirty points are gone!'
The next moment, Yi Tianyun rushed forward and pressed both hands against the Snow Wolf King's body. Activating the Star Absorption Technique, a continuous stream of Spiritual Power poured into him, and his Experience Value began to skyrocket.
"Congratulations! Player has gained 100 Experience Value, 80 Experience Value, 120 Experience Value..."
The numbers kept climbing. With the Tenfold Experience Card active, the energy he absorbed converted into an astonishing amount of Experience Value. Now he no longer felt the sting of the cost. The Madness Value had been well spent.
'Time to go all out!'
Yi Tianyun's eyes narrowed, a brilliant light flaring within them. "Enter Madness Mode!"
After entering Madness Mode, his Experience Value soared once again!
"Congratulations! Player has gained 120 Experience Value, 96 Experience Value..."
Madness Mode only provided a twofold increase to experience. It wasn't multiplicative with the Tenfold Experience Card, but additive, resulting in a total of twelve times the experience. 'If it stacked to twenty times, I'd go crazy with joy,' he thought.
Still, every extra bit counted. Most importantly, he had to kill the Snow Wolf King now. The one-hour timer was almost up, which was why he was going all out. Otherwise, it would be a waste.
"Then let this be the end!"
The next moment, Yi Tianyun threw a heavy punch at the Snow Wolf King. THUD! The beast whimpered in pain, but it couldn't move, still completely frozen solid.
'It's not dead...'
Yi Tianyun stared, surprised that the Snow Wolf King hadn't died from his punch. 'Its hide is just too thick.'
"Alright then, let's add Combat Frenzy Mode!"
Madness Mode gained an additional effect—damage was doubled!
This meant his consumption rate increased from one point per minute to two. But that didn't matter. As long as he ended the fight quickly, he wouldn't have to worry about the high cost.
"Die!"
Yi Tianyun roared and smashed his fist down again, unleashing a blow twice as powerful as the last.
THUD! The Snow Wolf King was sent flying, a hole punched straight through its body, blood spraying everywhere! It collapsed to the ground, convulsing, on the verge of death.
AWOO...
The Snow Wolf King struggled in agony for a few moments. Then, with a final, mournful cry, the ferocious beast breathed its last.
Its tough hide had been shattered by a single punch. 'Madness Mode really is effective,' he thought. 'The cost is high, but the power boost is immense.'
AWOO!
Seeing their king slain, the other Snow Wolves let out low whimpers, turned, and fled, no longer daring to approach Yi Tianyun.
"This is the feeling I was looking for!"
The battle lust in Yi Tianyun's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a confident smile. All his hard work had finally paid off.
"Ding! Congratulations to Player 'Yi Tianyun' for completing the side quest. Reward: 5,000 Experience Value, Summon Snow Wolf King Skill!"
"Ding! Congratulations to Player 'Yi Tianyun' for successfully slaying the Snow Wolf King. Reward: 1,000 Experience Value, 100 Madness Value, one pair of Snow Wolf Battle Boots, and five hundred taels of silver!"
"Ding! Congratulations to Player 'Yi Tianyun' for successfully advancing to the ninth level of the Body Refining Stage!"
The notifications finally stopped. He had gained a full level. Killing the Snow Wolf King didn't yield as many rewards as he had imagined, but for a minor boss like this, dropping such a Treasure was already quite good.
He then pulled up his Attributes panel, which displayed his detailed stats.
Player: Yi Tianyun
Level: 9 (Ninth Level, Body Refining Stage)
Experience Value: 789/10,000
Madness Value: 189
Cultivation Technique: North Nether Divine Technique (Human Level, Skill Level 60/1,000)
Skills: Star Absorption Technique (Human Level, Skill Level 60/1,000), Eagle Claw Technique, Falling Feather Sword Technique
Weapon: Frost Fist (Mortal Iron Grade, Skill Level 77/1,000)
Armor: Snow Wolf Battle Boots
Divine Skill: Madness Mode
He had improved in all aspects, but he was still a long way from the next level.
Still, Yi Tianyun was very satisfied. It was a far cry from before, when he couldn't break through no matter how hard he tried. Only with this system could he finally advance!