“But that’s under normal circumstances. What if I hone my martial skills in life-and-death situations? When a person is faced with mortal danger, they either shrink back, so terrified that they can’t even display half their usual strength, or they manage to stay calm, unleash their life potential, and perform far beyond their normal abilities. I barely count as the latter—otherwise, I would have died under the fangs of those wild beasts in the past two years.”

“So, if I can overcome my fear of injury and constantly face life-and-death crises to temper my martial skills, wouldn’t I be able to improve at lightning speed?”

……

David Clark was excited, looking eagerly at the wild forests on either side, his eyes full of anticipation.

“Roar~”

Moments later, as he stood in a patch of wild forest outside the valley, fierce roars erupted from both sides. Only then did David Clark tense up, watching as four green wolves formed a ring around him in the woods, his eyes brimming with eagerness to try.

Relying on his physical strength and speed in a normal state, he wasn’t afraid of these green wolves. But now, he wanted to temper his martial skills, so this time he had to fight using martial arts!

Could he really fight with martial skills? The Gale Fist had six forms: Wind Rises to the Horizon, Spirit Wind Shines, Storm Howls, Wind Passes Without a Trace, Swift Wind and Fine Rain, and Mountain Rain Approaches.

He had studied these six forms for three days and nights and hadn’t even mastered the first one.

Each of the four green wolves on either side was as tall as his shoulder, over two meters long, covered in powerful muscles, with a green glow flowing over their bodies. Their claws and fangs, exposed in the sunlight, gleamed like divine weapons. David Clark took a deep breath to calm himself, then instead of retreating, he charged forward. Wind Rises to the Horizon—whoosh! David Clark became a blur, rushing toward the wild wolf on the far left, his iron fist wrapped in green light smashing down hard.

But as soon as he moved, the green wolf dodged in a flash. David Clark crashed down, unable to stop himself, slamming into a big tree and snapping the trunk. At the same time, three or four fierce gusts of wind rushed at him from behind and both sides.

If he relied on his physical speed, he could definitely dodge, but David Clark forced himself to resist that urge and used Spirit Wind Step to dodge with all his might.

“Pfft~”

“Rip~”

……

He was even less familiar with the Gale Step martial skill. As his internal energy churned, the sound of blades slicing into flesh rang out. David Clark’s upper clothes were shredded into strips, and several gruesome wounds, about an inch deep, appeared on his back, the pain nearly making him scream on the spot.

Counterattack with brute strength? No, that won’t do! Using brute strength wouldn’t help him hone his martial skills!

But if he didn’t, he might really die—these green wolves were too quick to react, and their claws and fangs were terrifyingly sharp.

In unbearable pain, David Clark suddenly felt a wave of bloody stench rush toward his neck. He was sure that if this bite landed, he would die for sure. In the face of this mortal crisis, David Clark’s internal energy boiled madly—Wind Rises to the Horizon!

Whoosh! His body shot forward from the broken tree trunk, instantly covering over a hundred meters, completely shaking off the fangs that had already touched the skin of his neck.

As another round of wolf howls sounded behind him, David Clark was overjoyed.

Such speed! Just now, when he used Wind Rises to the Horizon in a life-and-death crisis, he truly felt an unprecedented smoothness. The burst of speed in that instant was definitely much faster than simply leaping forward with his body.

In the past few days, whenever he used Wind Rises to the Horizon, he always had to pause for a breath or two, let his internal energy boil and circulate, connect with the power of heaven and earth, and then launch…

It had always been like this for days and nights—he had to pause every time. But just now, on the brink of life and death, he suddenly broke through. With a single thought, his energy directly activated the martial skill and he flashed out, with no pause at all. If he had hesitated for even a moment, those green wolves’ fangs would have sunk right into his body—right at his vulnerable neck!

This was a breakthrough. Under the tempering of life and death, he forced himself to use his martial skills, and as a result, he achieved a breakthrough.

Delighted, he turned and saw, a hundred meters away, the four green wolves crouched low, staring at him with blood-red eyes, full of suspicion and uncertainty.

David Clark once again circulated his internal energy, savoring the feeling from before. Wind Rises to the Horizon was unleashed again, his whole body turning into a streak of green light flashing across the sky, crashing a hundred meters away and snapping another big tree.

As for the green wolf he had targeted, it leaped away the moment David Clark moved.

“Damn it, I just broke through, and with a single thought I could unleash Wind Rises to the Horizon without any pause. So why did I hesitate for a breath this time? It was that hesitation that let these green wolves dodge!”

His joy turned to frustration. David Clark cursed inwardly, then was startled again as another bloody wind rushed at him from behind. Without hesitation, he activated Wind Rises to the Horizon again, but this time he couldn’t find that previous feeling. In the moment’s pause, a sharp claw slashed his waist, tearing the skin and flesh open, blood splattering everywhere.

After finally using his martial skill to flash away, David Clark clutched his waist, gritting his teeth, his face full of frustration.

“Still not skilled enough. Even though I broke through once, that feeling isn’t stable. Looks like I need to try more. This method is workable—no matter how many injuries I get, it’s worth it!”