"The Life Wedge used to seal the power of this Armor contains a terrifying corrupting force. Over time, it will form a source of corruption, eroding ordinary creatures into filthy abominations...
"A family of wolves originally occupied this Valley of Howling. Under the pollution of the Life Wedge, they have all been twisted into ferocious, bloodthirsty magical beasts..."
The White Crow flapped ahead of him, squawking out the game's seemingly plausible lore.
Even now, Feng Yin couldn't tell if the bird was still just an NPC meant to guide the way and provide comic relief, as it was in the original game. Or had it, along with the game's Materialization, become a truly sapient creature?
Feng Yin didn't want to complicate matters, so he continued to ignore the White Crow's words. He faithfully played the role of a silent Soul Armor, striding forward with the Canfeng Sword resting on his right shoulder and his Simple Arm Crossbow ready on his left.
Following the crow's guidance, he soon passed through the narrow valley entrance and arrived in the lush, dense forest of a Gorge.
The next moment, before Feng Yin could even take in the scenery, several swift shadows darted out from the dense woods. They sprinted on all Four legs, charging straight at him.
However, Feng Yin had anticipated this. He quickly retreated, backing right into the entrance passage he had just come through.
At the same time, he got a clear look at the creatures rushing toward him.
Three giant wolves!
Each stood over a meter tall at the shoulder and measured more than two meters long, comparable to the size of a calf. What was most startling was that their forms had long deviated from those of normal creatures. Violent, bloody auras trailed behind their heads, and their eyes gleamed with a fierce, crimson light. Their fangs were as sharp, curved, and long as the claws on their Four limbs. If an ordinary person were bitten or scratched, they would undoubtedly be critically injured on the spot.
By now, they had attacked side by side, hot on the heels of Feng Yin as he retreated into the crevice.
However, the narrow passage obviously couldn't accommodate the three exceptionally massive wolves side by side. With their prey so close, the Wild Beasts didn't think twice. They dispersed and charged into the passage one after another.
This was exactly the opportunity Feng Yin had been waiting for!
Having retreated into the passage, he already had both hands gripping the Canfeng Sword. Thanks to Xie Yanran's guidance over the past few days, he was no longer a complete novice when it came to weapons. Although the Canfeng Sword was longer and heavier than the Wooden Sword used for practicing the Jiao Sword, for his current form as an Armor, if he could lift it, it effectively had no weight!
He assumed the standard high stance of the Jiao Sword—holding the sword high with both hands, the tip pointing backward.
The next second, the first giant wolf to rush into the passage was met with a heavy slash from Feng Yin, who was using his Jiao Swordsmanship in actual combat for the first time!
After professional training, Feng Yin's Slashing no longer relied on brute force. Instead, he fully utilized his stance and footwork, combining them with concise arm movements to swing the sword. Even though his Armor's Strength hadn't increased, his Sword Speed was actually a bit faster than when he fought in the initial level!
The heavy and sharp blade precisely executed a Slashing blow to the giant wolf's head, splitting its flesh and cracking its skull in a single strike. The giant wolf let out a tragic howl, its forward momentum completely broken.
Having completed his Slashing, Feng Yin didn't halt his offensive. A crimson, ghostly light surfaced on the pitch-black visage of his Armor. With a fluid shift in movement, the posture he used to deliver the Slashing blow seamlessly transitioned into a low stance. In an instant, he accurately turned the blade of the Canfeng Sword and delivered an upward sweep, striking the giant wolf's lower jaw dead on.
The giant wolf was knocked back onto its hind legs before it collapsed limply to the ground, breathing its last. This blow had directly ended its life. A wisp of black mist drifted up from its corpse.
[Banished Frenzied Filth Wolf. Gained 3 units of Spirituality.]
Before Feng Yin had time to check the kill notification, the second giant wolf charged into the passage. Feng Yin repeated his trick, executing another standard slash-and-sweep combo to kill the second beast. Without a moment to spare for his kill rewards, he gathered his momentum and charged back out, running right into the third giant wolf.
Having successfully used his Swordsmanship to quickly dispatch two wolves, his confidence was surging. He preemptively assumed a mid-level stance, then stepped forward with a thrust. This strike hit the sprinting giant wolf squarely in the head, sending it flying backward on the spot. Feng Yin quickly followed up, reversing his blade and thrusting downward, driving the tip of the sword straight into the giant wolf's skull. It was pinned dead to the ground.
He had completed a triple kill in an instant! Exhilarating! Feng Yin was incredibly satisfied. This time, he hadn't even needed to use the Stealing Step Skill.
Moreover, this encounter directly confirmed an important fact: the Martial Arts he learned in reality could be executed through this Armored shell! Although this Armor had no actual musculoskeletal structure, it responded as naturally as an extension of his own body, capable of performing standard, complex kinetic movements just like a normal human physique! In fact, the movements it executed were even more stable and agile than when he practiced with his human body.
Was this the sheer power of having both Strength and Mobility at eleven?
Feng Yin sheathed his sword and walked back into the valley.
The White Crow was still hovering, flapping its wings. "Wow! Such masterful Martial Arts! It seems you were a Combat Master in the past!"
In the game, if a player managed a quick kill without taking damage during a wave of combat, the White Crow would shower them with similar over-the-top praise, offering maximum emotional value.
Feng Yin ignored it and took the initiative to walk deeper into the Gorge's dense forest. The White Crow cawed and continued to lead the way.
As he advanced cautiously, Feng Yin silently reviewed the previous battle. Because he had played the game before, even though the "art style" was drastically different, the level layout hadn't changed much. Therefore, the monster placement in the Valley of Howling remained exactly the same—a pack of giant wolves would ambush him right out of the crevice.
On a first playthrough, facing giant wolves that were more agile and ferocious than three Prison Wardens combined, most players would suffer a minor setback. Some might even panic, die, and have to restart. Don't ask Feng Yin how he knew that.
Fortunately, these first few levels were the ones he was most familiar with. Now, they were merely converted into a realistic, first-person perspective; the strategy remained exactly the same. Moreover, even though transitioning to a first-person perspective meant losing the omniscient top-down view, it granted him finer control over the Armor. Coupled with the fact that he could use the Swordsmanship he learned in reality, his actual combat prowess was higher than his equivalent progression in the game.
Amidst his thoughts, he encountered the enemy once again.
It was another group of three giant wolves. They were huddled on the ground, leaning over and gnawing on what looked like a human corpse.
Feng Yin didn't charge in. Instead, he quickly hid behind a tree, peering out slightly to aim. The Crossbow Arrow on his left Arm Armor gleamed with a cold Light.
TWANG!
With a powerful snap of the mechanism, the high-speed Crossbow Arrow whistled through the air and pierced deeply into the side of a giant wolf's face. The strong impact made it stumble, and it whipped its head around in a furious rage.
He thought, "It's a pity I couldn't hit the eye socket..."
Feng Yin sighed inwardly. This Armor's hands were undoubtedly steady, allowing him to accurately hit his target with a simple aim. However, he didn't have much experience. Hitting the wolf's head was easy, but hitting its eye was much harder.
He put away his Left Arm Crossbow and switched to a two-handed sword stance.
The three startled giant wolves were already galloping toward him. They were remarkably coordinated; as they drew near, two of the wolves split off to flank him from behind on both sides.
They were actually trying to surround him!
This time, there was no narrow passage for Feng Yin to play his one-man-holding-the-pass strategy.
The next moment, a foul wind hit his face as the first charging wolf lunged at him. Simultaneously, urgent footsteps echoed from behind! The three fierce beasts had clearly launched their attacks in unison.
Yet, Feng Yin wasn't panicked in the least. He twisted his body, and his figure instantly turned into a blur. Like a flash of lightning, he broke right out of the three wolves' coordinated encirclement.
Stealing Step!