The Night Panther wanted to charge out when it started to stagger. Its vision became blurry, and it started wobbling on its feet. It shook its head furiously as it tried to regain its senses.
Adrian, seeing this, became ecstatic. In truth, he wasn't completely confident in the slumberseed potion. Because what he had was a pill recipe, he didn't know whether the potion would work just as well.
However, it seemed his worries were meaningless. With renewed vigor, he charged out towards the Night Panther. A spiderweb-like crack appeared on his previous spot as he infused all his energy into his feet.
A faint bronze halo seemed to surround him as his figure moved at breakneck speed. When he was a few dozen meters from the Night Panther, his figure suddenly disappeared.
The Night Panther, already trying to regain its wit and confront Adrian, was suddenly dumbfounded. However, its instincts as a rank 3 beast should not be underestimated.
For the first time throughout this whole ordeal, a faint sense of danger enveloped its mind. As soon as it sensed danger, it immediately twisted its body and dodged to the left. However, due to its less-than-optimal condition, it couldn't avoid the attack completely.
Adrian appeared a few meters away. Without stopping his charge, he swung his swords diagonally. A long, blazing sword light shot out towards the Night Panther.
This was the Silver Rank martial skill, the Sword of Flames.
Though it managed to avoid a fatal strike, the sword light was too fast to avoid completely. A fountain of blood sprayed out as the sword light that narrowly missed the neck of the panther landed on its right shoulder.
The panther roared in agony as the lingering flames continued to sear its flesh. Adrian, seeing that his attack failed to land on the intended target, didn't stop his charge. Even though he wasn't using Astral Steps anymore, his speed wasn't something an ordinary sixth-level of the Foundation Establishment realm cultivator could compare to.
He leaped into the air, narrowly dodging a strike from the Night Panther. Twisting in whole body mid-air, he landed on the trunk of a large tree nearby. Using the massive trunk as a foothold, he bent his knees and launched himself back in the direction he was coming from.
Without wasting any time, he activated his Astral Steps, once again disappearing from the perception of the beast. The massive blood loss made the effects of the Slumberseed potion more evident as the massive beast was struggling hard to stay on its feet.
However, its instincts kicked in once again. Feeling the threat of death that was even greater than before, it once again tried its best to dodge. But this time it couldn't react fast enough.
This time, Adrian appeared right next to the Night Panther. This was a risky move that Adrian decided to take. Even though it seemed as if the Night Panther was falling asleep, that was not actually the case.
Normally, if he had used a normal sleeping potion, there would have been no question of whether it could knock it out or not. However, due to the fact that he was still a beginner alchemist, he wasn't able to bring out the maximum effects of the Slumberseed flower.
Dulling its senses and affecting its movement were already the maximum effects it would probably achieve. If he decided to wait for it to fall asleep, he would instead have to face a reinvigorated Night Panther.
Adrian swung his sword down with all his strength. He had poured all of his remaining Qi into this attack.
The flames that emerged burned brighter than before. The Night Panther didn't imagine that it would be attacked up close. It couldn't react in time and was struck squarely in its neck by Adrian.
This time, the flaming slash was able to cause a significant injury to the Night Panther. An injury so deep that the bones were showing became exposed.
A howl filled with agony could be heard in the desolate mountain range. Due to the fact that this was the 'new' territory of the Night Panther, there were no other beasts nearby that could come to its aid.
This unintentional situation favored Adrian as he raised his sword above his head once again. Even though he has exhausted his Qi, he still has his physically enhanced strength.
With a low shout, he swung his sword toward the exposed bone on the neck of the beast. A sound akin the metal clashing against one another resounded as his sword struck the neck.
Veins bulged on his head as he summoned the rest of his strength from his already tired body. In a swift motion, the sword passed the neck of the Night Panther.
Even though it took a while to describe all this, in actuality, it all took place in seconds.
The Night Panther's massive frame collapsed with a thud. Its eyes, once full of life and vigor, were now filled with pain and listlessness.
If one looked closely, a tinge of regret could be seen in them. It didn't imagine that its life would end at the hands of the 'puny' creature in front of it. The Night Panther, which was usually known for its cautiousness, actually died because of its arrogance.
What an irony. The light in its eyes gradually faded as its breathing became struggled. Its body gradually stopped moving, indicating its life force fading away. It was completely dead.
Adrian collapsed on the body of the beast as he took in deep breaths. He had just killed a rank 3 beast. What was more exciting was that he did so single-handedly.
Just over a month ago, it took five individuals, including himself, all whose strengths were greater than his own, in order to even have a chance at killing a beast at this level.
His level of growth this past month was truly astonishing. Even with his fatigue, he couldn't help but have a massive grin plastered on his face. If news of this got out, it would shock a great deal of people.
Of course, Adrian wasn't planning on announcing his victory. It took a while for him to reign in his emotions and calm himself down. This was just the beginning. His journey to power was just starting now.