Chapter 193: Powerful, Large Animals

While everyone was busy, Bian Changxi wasn’t idle either.

The vegetation here was dense. What others saw as dangerous and unknown plants, she found oddly familiar and inviting, and she was itching to try controlling them.

She saw Milk (the animal) following Gu Xu, currently being trained on how to pounce on prey more effectively. So, she walked over to a relatively safe big tree. After checking above to make sure there was no threat and confirming the ground was even, she lowered her gaze, placed her left hand on the trunk, and let her energy seep in. Her power followed the trunk and the thick, deeply rooted roots, spreading out through the soil.

The first thing she sensed was chaos.

There were many plants here, varying in strength and size, nothing like the harmless vegetables and fruit trees she was used to. The feeling was more like a messy, smoky mix, and she even noticed some roots that were restless or already giving off dangerous signals. These plants, sensing Bian Changxi’s foreign energy, immediately tried to repel her with their own power. She frowned, and her energy flow slowed down.

Avoiding the vicious ones and ignoring those about to become hostile, she specifically chose the gentler, quieter plants, sending her energy to them and watching their above-ground stems and leaves.

Just then, a wild boar was about to step over a sprawling grass stem. With a thought, she activated her ability, making the grass stem arch up to block the boar’s hoof. In the next instant, the boar’s hoof mercilessly snapped the grass and charged forward.

Bian Changxi felt a dull ache in her chest, as if the force from the boar’s hoof had been transmitted directly to her through the energy flow, like she herself had been struck.

This was a first.

Before, when she used this power, it was just to tidy up crops or disrupt the ground a bit. It was rare for her to face such direct resistance and have her defense broken so easily. She was shocked to realize that using this method could actually hurt her—it wasn’t as safe as she’d thought, even if she had the numbers on her side.

She shifted her gaze to a thick tree root protruding above the ground. The tree itself was tall and lush, but its aura was calm and safe—definitely just an ordinary tree. She easily took control of it and made the root rise up. This time, she poured in several times more energy. Just as a flying pig’s hoof landed under the root, she pressed the root down, pinning the hoof tightly. The flying pig struggled but couldn’t pull its hoof free, kicking furiously a couple of times.

The force of the pig’s resistance was transmitted back through the root—astonishingly strong. Bian Changxi doubled her energy output to suppress it, but before a winner could be decided, the root couldn’t withstand the strain and crumbled to powder with a puff.

She withdrew her power in time and wasn’t hurt this time. The flying pig, unable to stop itself, skidded several meters before coming to a halt, its wings flapping as it turned to look at her.

Bian Changxi was stunned—the flying pig’s eyes were full of anger, snorting heavily. Strangely, the parasitic grass on its forehead seemed to glow, with two faint points of light on its vaguely face-like surface, as if a pair of eyes were opening.

Then, as if receiving some command, the flying pig charged straight at Bian Changxi.

She immediately withdrew her energy from the ground and summoned her own vine with her left hand—this vine was incredibly strong. One lash struck the pig’s face, while two more shot out to bind its four hooves.

The pig’s momentum faltered, and it roared, scraping a long furrow in the ground.

Suddenly, a Tang sword appeared in Bian Changxi’s hand. She leaped forward and stabbed the blade into the pig’s mouth, thrusting it out the back of its neck, neatly severing the parasitic grass’s markings.

The head of the parasitic grass writhed in pain, twisting and struggling, then lunged at Bian Changxi. Disgusted, she yanked out her sword and slashed down, splitting the thing lengthwise.

The blade cut deep into the pig’s head. Sap and blood sprayed onto her clothes, but when she looked down, she saw her outfit was completely waterproof, and, as if equipped with some kind of processor, the blood and sap boiled away and quickly solidified into a dark brown patch.

She was a little surprised. What kind of technology is this?

Apparently, the commotion from her pig-killing drew more flying pigs from the basin, charging at her.

A fireball flew over, setting the nearest pig ablaze. Gu Xu strode over, flicked his hand, and another fireball ignited a second pig.

These pigs were covered in thick fat, which caught fire instantly, sizzling and crackling as they roasted, their screams making everyone uneasy.

Gu Xu glanced at her and said, “Keep practicing.”

But he didn’t go far this time.

Bian Changxi felt grateful. She could handle these pigs herself, but with him covering her, she could focus on honing her control abilities—that was her real goal.

So, she threw herself back into her training.

By now, ranged attacks were mostly useless. The flying pigs had mixed in with the group, making friendly fire a real risk. This was expected. Everyone jumped down from trees and rocks to engage the pigs in close combat. It took at least two people to handle one pig. Wu Dalang and Shadow worked together—Wu Dalang tanked, while Shadow struck from the side, quickly and efficiently taking down pig after pig.

Still, there were over a hundred pigs, which was a lot. Gu Xu waited for the right moment. When there were about thirty pigs left in the basin, he dropped a spark, igniting explosives and the pile of wood they’d prepared. The blaze blocked the remaining pigs.

All in all, this hunt was relatively easy.

An hour and a half later, everyone sat down to rest, surrounded by chaos and flying pig corpses. Only a few people were injured, and there were no deaths. The injuries were from contact with the parasitic grass, which required cutting away some flesh.

There were wood-type ability users in the team, so Bian Changxi didn’t move. She sat under a tree, grabbed a crystal core to absorb, and caught her breath.

She’d used a lot of energy, but it was worth it—her control had improved. Now, even with just a grass stem, she could probably block a pig’s hoof for two seconds.

Don’t underestimate those two seconds. For experts, that’s enough to turn the tide. She was very satisfied with her progress—something she could never achieve by just playing with delicate vegetables.

The wild, untamed earth was a challenge for her.

She watched as people cleaned up the battlefield, chopping off the flying pigs’ wings for separate storage, while the pig carcasses were collected by the spatial ability users. Bian Changxi couldn’t help but ask, “Can these pig carcasses be sold? Does anyone eat their meat?”

“Of course!” someone nearby replied. “A few days ago, someone hunted one and sold it to a hotel. The meat was even tastier than regular pork. Now it’s a new delicacy.”

“How do they sell it?”

“It’s about one white core per ten jin.” (A white core is a first-tier crystal core. That’s just what everyone calls it. For higher tiers, they add the level as a prefix.)

Bian Changxi estimated that each flying pig weighed at least 500 jin, with the bigger ones reaching 700, 800, or even over 1,000 jin. Each pig was worth a lot. There were over a hundred here—even if some were too damaged to sell, a few dozen still meant a nice profit.

Not to mention the wings and tusks, which could be sold separately.

Two spatial ability users were collecting the spoils. Gu Xu called them over, asked about the situation, then told everyone, “Whether these spoils are bought by Jiangcheng or sold on the market, they’ll all be converted to money. Thirty percent will be set aside as a reward for everyone.”

Cheers erupted.

Thirty percent was a lot. You had to know, of the 1,100 people who came this time, except for the hundred hired workers, everyone else had to give up 80% of their earnings—only 20% was theirs.

Twenty percent might not sound like much, but for this first group action, the profits were huge and the risks low. Everyone was eager to join, and since they didn’t have to pay the usual base tax, they saved even more, so the terms were acceptable.

But here, these fifty people, just by following Gu Xu, immediately got such a big benefit. How could they not be happy? In fact, these were all hunting team members, with guns and gear provided by Gu Xu. This outing was both a training exercise and a mission—no one would complain even without a payout.

But most people had families to support, so Gu Xu’s generosity really touched them. Thirty percent meant each person could get about thirty white cores in just a short while. Even for skilled people, that was a decent haul, so everyone worked even harder.

Bian Changxi gave Gu Xu a thumbs up.

Suddenly, her expression changed slightly. She tilted her head, listening. “Something’s coming this way—quite a few of them.”

Gu Xu stood up. “Beasts. Gather up!”

As soon as they regrouped, two wolfdogs the size of cars appeared, followed by smaller dogs, rabbits, rodents, chickens, and even a few giant insects—enough to make everyone’s eyes spin.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief—at least it wasn’t tigers, lions, or leopards.

Actually, they were worrying too much. This place was close to the city, not a primeval forest, and not near a zoo. Having wild boars was already rare—tigers and lions were almost impossible.

But these two wolfdogs were terrifying enough, so huge that their green eyes seemed to glow with bloodthirsty ferocity and greed. Their fangs dripped with thick saliva, and their heavy steps pressed deep into the earth. A casual swipe of their sharp claws left deep gouges in the ground.

Everyone gripped their guns and readied their abilities. The earth-type users immediately raised dirt walls at the front. If one of these behemoths leapt, just the impact could flatten several people.

Milk jumped onto a branch and growled, trying to intimidate the newcomers, but the two wolfdogs ignored him. One even cast a contemptuous glance his way, leaving Milk stunned and then furious.

Thanks to soi for the pink ticket! l3l4"