The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

The iron-backed jackal pounced with incredible speed, its stench filling the air. Its gaping maw, gleaming with menacing fangs, looked utterly terrifying.

Ye Sheng's mind went blank; his body reacted instinctively faster than he could think.

Instead of retreating, he took a sudden step forward, instinctively twisting his body to the left.

"Pfft!"

The iron-backed jackal's fangs grazed Ye Sheng's right shoulder, the sharp teeth tearing through his coarse cloth clothes and leaving a trail of blood.

The next second, a burning pain came from his shoulder, but Ye Sheng couldn't care less.

Just as he passed the Ironback Jackal, his left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the ghost-face flower on the ground beside him and uprooting it.

Become!

Ye Sheng was overjoyed, but his face remained expressionless. Instead, he used the momentum of his forward charge to roll on the ground, putting a few steps between himself and the Ironback Jackal.

The Ironback Jackal was annoyed by its missed attack. It turned around, its large, blood-red eyes fixed on Ye Sheng, and its roar grew louder.

Ye Sheng leaped up from the ground, gripping the ghost-face flower tightly in his left hand and the wood-chopping knife in his right, once again assuming a fighting stance.

He was panting heavily, the wound on his shoulder burning with pain, and blood had soaked half of his clothes.

But his eyes were terrifyingly bright, burning with a frenzied fighting spirit.

That was a close call. If I had reacted even half a beat slower, my neck would be gone.

That beast must die!

The Ironback Jackal seemed to be enraged by the madness in Ye Sheng's eyes. It stopped probing, tensed its limbs, and charged at Ye Sheng again like a cannonball.

Ye Sheng neither dodged nor evaded. Just as the Ironback Jackal was about to crash into him, he suddenly slammed the Ghost Face Flower in his left hand into the Ironback Jackal's face.

The flower of the ghost face flower burst open in the air, and a stream of dark green sap splattered all over the ironback jackal's head and face.

Immediately afterwards, a strange, sweet fragrance filled the air.

The iron-backed jackal's movements suddenly froze. It seemed bewildered by the sudden scent and instinctively shook its head.

It's now!

Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Ye Sheng poured all his strength into his right arm, bringing the "thrust" technique from the Basic Knife Techniques to its fullest potential.

"Die, you son of a bitch!"

He roared, and the machete in his hand turned into a cold light, heading straight for the Ironback Jackal's left eye!

Ye Sheng knew that the eyes were one of the most vulnerable parts of any living creature. This ironbacked jackal had armor on its back, but it couldn't possibly have armor around its eyes.

"puff!"

After a muffled thud as a sharp weapon pierced flesh, the tip of the machete had precisely pierced the ironback jackal's left eye socket.

"Agh—!!!" A shrill scream echoed throughout the entire forest of broken bones.

The massive body of the iron-backed jackal began to writhe wildly, scratching its face frantically with its claws, trying to pull out the wood-chopping knife that was causing it excruciating pain.

Ye Sheng gripped the wood-chopping knife tightly, not letting go, but instead using all his strength to vigorously stir it.

Instantly, blood and brain matter gushed out from the tip of the knife, splattering all over him.

At this moment, the iron-backed jackal struggled even more fiercely, constantly letting out miserable howls, and frantically scratching its face with its sharp claws.

After persisting for a few minutes, Ye Sheng finally exhausted himself and was sent flying backward by a huge force. His back slammed hard against an old tree, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ignoring his injuries, he struggled to his feet, staring intently at the dying beast not far away.

After a while, the iron-backed jackal rolled around on the ground a few times, snapping several thick, crooked trees in half. Its struggles grew weaker and weaker, and finally, its massive body twitched a few times and lay still.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings.

Ye Sheng leaned against the tree trunk, panting heavily. He felt as if all the bones in his body had fallen apart; his shoulders, calves, and back ached all over.

But he survived in the end, and even killed a low-level demon beast.

An unprecedented feeling of exhaustion and despair washed over Ye Sheng. His vision went black, and he could no longer hold on. He collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Sheng was awakened by a bone-chilling cold.

He opened his eyes and found that it was still dark, and he was still surrounded by that eerie forest of bones.

He struggled to sit up, feeling intense pain all over his body, especially his right shoulder. He looked down and saw that the wound had stopped bleeding, but the surrounding skin and flesh were severely swollen and red.

He looked around, and there lay the iron-backed jackal's carcass not far away, motionless. The machete was still stuck in its eye socket, its hilt gleaming a dark red in the darkness.

Ye Sheng leaned against the tree trunk, stood up unsteadily, and walked to the body of the Ironback Jackal.

He reached out and gripped the hilt of the knife, pulling hard.

With a "plop," the woodcutter's knife was pulled out, bringing with it a foul-smelling brain matter.

The moment the machete left his body, the semi-transparent panel in front of Ye Sheng suddenly started to vibrate.

The handwriting has changed drastically:

[Skill: Basic Knife Techniques (Beginner)]

[Progress: 1/500]

[Effects: Masters basic chopping, slashing, parrying, and thrusting techniques; can also learn some low-level sword techniques.]

[Derivative Talent: Initial Formation of Blade Intent (Passive)]

[Effect: The swordsmanship contains a faint trace of "momentum," which can have a brief intimidating effect when fighting enemies of similar strength or with weak will.]

I've finally mastered the basics of knife skills!

Ye Sheng was overjoyed and even forgot some of the pain in his body.

He could feel that his understanding of the knife had been elevated to a new level in that instant.

Before, when he used a knife, he only knew how to chop and slash, but now, he seems to be able to faintly sense the "will" of the knife.

Is this what "the initial condensation of sword intent" means?

Ye Sheng murmured to himself, gripping the wood-chopping knife, and casually swung it a few times.

The blade sliced ​​through the air, producing no longer a simple whistling sound, but a deeper, sharper sound, as if it could cut through the darkness.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement. Now was not the time to be happy; he needed to quickly dispose of the beast's corpse and get out of this hellhole.

Ye Sheng then squatted down and began to examine the Ironback Jackal's carcass.

This beast is a treasure trove. Its tough fur can be made into armor; its sharp claws and teeth can be forged into weapons; and its bones are excellent materials for refining elixirs and magical artifacts.

The most valuable part is the demon beast's inner core inside its body.

Without any hesitation, Ye Sheng used his machete to cut open the iron-backed jackal's belly. A strong smell of blood hit him, and he suppressed his nausea and reached inside to grope.

Soon, he felt a warm, hard object about the size of an egg, pulled it out, and wiped away the bloodstains.

It was a crystal-clear, blood-red bead, emitting a faint red glow in the darkness. Holding it in my hand, I could feel a warm energy flowing within it.

[Scavenging (Skilled)]

[Feedback: Low-level demon beast inner core (Ironback Jackal), containing abundant blood essence and trace amounts of demonic power. Can be swallowed directly (extremely dangerous), used in medicine, or for weapon crafting.]

nice one!

Ye Sheng was overjoyed. He carefully wrapped the inner core in cloth and put it in his pocket.

He then used a machete to skin the iron-backed jackal, and cut off its four claws and a pair of fangs.

But these things are too big to take with me, so I can only hide them here for now and come back to get them next time.

By the time all this was done, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

Ye Sheng dared not delay any longer. He carefully put away the Yin Soul Grass and the demon beast's inner core, identified the direction, and dragged his tired body out of the Chaotic Bone Forest, stumbling along the way.