Chapter Four: The First Thunder of Spring

Amidst the vast falling snow, several shadowy figures appeared, moving steadily and nimbly, exuding an air of calm and composure.

No wonder they are creatures skilled in tracking and ambush, William Reed thought to himself. Unknowingly, the wolf pack had already surrounded him. In terms of tracking and stealth alone, the shadow wolf Scott was no match for these fellows.

William Reed dared not underestimate this wolf pack. In the natural world, the most primitive law of the jungle prevails: survival of the fittest. Any creature that manages to survive and reproduce cannot be taken lightly, and wolves are especially intelligent animals.

A series of deep, guttural growls emanated from their throats, mingling with the sound of falling snow, making the atmosphere all the more jarring and dangerous. Yet William Reed kept his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, right hand gripping his longsword, its tip angled toward the ground. His posture seemed both tense and relaxed, his chest rising and falling steadily with his long, even breaths.

He never considered running away. In this environment, trying to escape the pursuit and hunt of a snow wolf pack was pure folly. Since there was no way to escape, the only option was to stand and fight.

"Whoosh—"

A gust of wind, thick with a foul stench, rushed at William Reed from behind—the wolves had begun their attack. But the first to strike was not one of the visible shadows, but one he hadn't sensed at all. Clearly, the pack had already begun to employ their tactics in utter silence.

"Clang—"

With a slight flick of his wrist, the battered longsword shimmered with icy flames, letting out a crisp, ringing hum. The icy flame shot like lightning behind him, slicing through the air. Shimmering snowflakes were split in two by the blade, drifting apart before continuing their descent.

"Awroo—" A massive snow-white wolf, as strong as a calf and with a powerful build, howled in pain as it brushed past William Reed, tumbling to the ground and rolling several times, staining the pristine snow with gruesome crimson. Its intimidating green eyes glared at William Reed, filled with both fury and a hint of fear, blood dripping steadily from its shoulder. Clearly, William Reed's sword had left a deep impression.

William Reed frowned slightly. Just now, by listening to the wind, he had aimed that strike directly at the heart of the highland snow wolf. The greatest feature of sword techniques driven by thunder battle energy was their speed—even a lesser bronze-ranked warrior would have struggled to dodge it.

Yet this snow wolf, at the critical moment, twisted its body midair and avoided the fatal blow.

Although this snow wolf was large, judging by its aura, it was still at the beast level and had not yet formed battle energy. Even so, it managed, by instinct or intuition, to evade that dangerous strike.

This situation made William Reed feel a sense of danger, for among the shadows circling nearby, he could faintly sense the aura of black iron battle energy from two of them. This did not include the lead wolf, whose strength was unknown and who remained hidden behind the heavy snow.

Clearly, the first snow wolf to appear was the lowest in rank, sent to test the enemy's strength.

Perhaps sensing that William Reed was not an easy opponent, the wolf pack did not attack again recklessly, but neither were they willing to leave. William Reed also knew that he could not retreat now, or the wolves would take it as a sign of fear and weakness, and immediately launch a relentless pursuit. For the moment, both sides were locked in a stalemate.

But William Reed was in no hurry, even though his stomach was growling with hunger. The wolves were just as hungry, or they wouldn't be out hunting in this weather. Months of hardship and being hunted had long taught him the importance of patience. Perhaps the wolves were even hungrier than he was.

After a full incense stick's time in standoff, the wolves seemed unable to bear their hunger any longer. At a distant howl from the lead wolf, the shadowy figures began to circle him, gradually picking up speed and drawing closer.

Sigh—

William Reed couldn't help but sigh. He had originally hoped to drive them away. He didn't want to fight a pack of hungry highland snow wolves to the death in this frozen wilderness. But the wolves had made the choice for him. That's how the world is—many things are simply beyond one's control.

In that instant, William Reed moved.

The unique feature of the Thunderbolt Flash movement technique was just this: still as a maiden, swift as a rabbit. As he stomped down, the snow beneath his feet exploded, and his figure shot out like a cannonball, aiming straight for the wounded snow wolf.

The azure ice-flame sword was especially dazzling amid the swirling snow. The Thunderclap Battle Technique, the companion art to the Lei family’s Heavenly Thunder Three Transformations, began with its first form—Lightning and Thunder. This was a sword move that emphasized speed above all. It was said that at its highest level, a single strike would unleash countless sword shadows like lightning illuminating the night sky, accompanied by rolling thunder, leaving no room to dodge or defend.

It was with this very sword move that William Reed had ambushed and killed the shadow wolf Scott, striking seven or eight sword lights in an instant.

Of course, against this young wolf that hadn't even reached black iron rank, William Reed didn't need to go all out and waste his battle energy. With a single strike, he unleashed only three streaks of azure sword light. Even so, it was not something a mere beast-level snow wolf could dodge by instinct alone.