Sovereign of Chaos

Chapter 10: Practice Blade Technique - Chopping Trees

"Knife? Ethan, what do you need a knife for?" Charles raised an eyebrow.

The group of boys glanced sideways, puzzled as they looked at Ethan.

"What's Ethan going to do with a knife? Kill a big cat?" the snotty-nosed kid wiped his nose, curiously asked.

"How is that possible?" Justin Storm patted the snotty-nosed kid's shoulder. "You think a big cat is so easy to kill? Let me tell you, not everyone is called Brother Justin!"

"Hmm." The snotty-nosed kid smirked. "I knew it, Brother Justin is the most handsome."

"Get lost, stop flattering me," Justin grumbled, noticing his dream girl's attention was drawn to Ethan. "Your snot is all over my clothes."

Ethan thought for a moment and replied, "I want to chop trees. I don't need any wages, as I'm used to using a knife to cut trees. I'm not comfortable with a saw."

No wages?

Everyone was astonished, even Lily blinked her big, bright eyes, deep in thought.

Justin scoffed but seeing everyone's eyes on Ethan, he didn't say anything more.

Charles looked intently at Ethan. "Fine, you can use a knife to chop trees, but the cuts must be neat. As for the wages, they'll be halved!"

Upon Charles' command, the boys started working in pairs, taking saws with them. Ethan, however, picked a heavy knife and ventured alone into the forest.

"Wait for me, Brother Ethan!" Lily called out as Ethan was about to enter the dense woods.

"What's up?" Ethan turned around and saw that Lily had somehow acquired a roast chicken. He couldn't help but grin. "Taking such good care of me? I'm truly flattered."

Lily rolled her eyes, sweat dripping from her body. She handed the wrapped roast chicken to Ethan, panting, "You've halved your wages, I can't let you go hungry. Take it. You haven't eaten all morning; don't starve yourself."

Ethan's heart warmed as he accepted the chicken, jokingly saying, "Thank you, my lady. I'll do my best to chop more trees and not let you down."

Lily giggled, her eyes curved like crescent moons. "Such a smooth talker, asking for a beating."

Ethan quickly retreated two steps, keeping a distance to avoid Lily's "surprise attack." "My lady, please go back. There are many big cats in the mountains. If we really encounter one, I'll be the one to blame."

Lily hummed in response, her beautiful eyes fixed on Ethan. She was silent for a while before softly saying, "Then... I'm going back. Be careful."

Ethan shivered imperceptibly, nodding his head. He then turned and walked into the dense forest without looking back.

……

After wandering alone in the dense forest for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ethan finally found a number six tree.

The Iron Blade Tree was named for its tough texture and the straightness of its trunk, which resembled the edge of a blade. Finished Iron Blade wood could be made into fine furniture, such as doors, windows, and beds, as well as various wood carvings, with a wide range of uses.

Ethan approached the root of an Iron Blade Tree, about the thickness of a bowl's mouth. He first cleared the surrounding weeds and bushes before squatting down, staring intently at the tree root. After a while, he gripped the handle of the knife with his right hand, closed his eyes, and activated the Swift Shadow Blade Technique.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet; the birdsong above and the chatter of the snotty-nosed kid and others a hundred feet away seemed to fade.

"Whoosh."

"Clang."

His eyes opened, the blade appeared.

With a flick of Ethan's wrist, the long knife was unsheathed. A white flash followed, and the blade plunged directly into the tree root.

"My skills are still lacking," Ethan frowned, looking at the blade barely two fingers deep into the root. "The Iron Blade wood is indeed tough; it took all my strength at the third level of the Strong Blood Realm to penetrate this deep. It might take more than ten cuts to completely fell this tree."

"This could be a bit troublesome. After all, it's not a saw. Can the cuts still be neat after more than ten strokes?"

"Once more!"

Ethan slightly adjusted his position, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes again.

"Clang."

"Clank."

The long knife struck the back of the Iron Blade Tree, shaking the dead leaves off the tree's top.

"Again!"

"Clank."

"Clank."

"Clang."

"Clank."

Three cuts, four cuts... after twelve cuts, the Iron Blade Tree fell with a crash.

"Phew."

Ethan took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and panted, "Finally, it's down. Twelve cuts! This is just one tree; I still have to chop off the branches and cut the Iron Blade wood into ten-foot-long logs. How many trees can I fell in a day at this rate?"

"Fortunately, the cuts are still neat," Ethan nodded, finding some consolation.

Ethan sat on the fallen trunk for a while before getting up and chopping off the branches one by one.

A bowl-thick Iron Blade Tree was about thirty feet tall, meaning it needed to be cut at least three times - more than thirty strokes!

By the time Ethan had completely cut one Iron Blade Tree, two hours had passed, and it was already afternoon...

"I can still fell another one today!" Ethan panted as he leaned against the trunk. "I wonder how the others are doing. Charles would probably cry if he knew we could only fell one or two trees in a day."

After finishing the remaining half of the roast chicken and meditating for a moment, Ethan unsheathed his knife again.

"Clank."

"Clang."

"Clank."

"Clank."

In the blink of an eye, dusk had fallen.

……

Nightfall at the Lily household's grand hall.

The Lily family were prominent residents of Storm Clan's Village, living comfortably off the land with no concerns. At this moment, the time had come to light the lamps, and bustling servants could still be seen throughout the hall. Gathered around a large table, the Lily family enjoyed a hearty meal together, savoring the warmth of steaming dishes during the harvest season.

"Charles, how are the young workers we hired today?" asked a silver-haired but energetic man in his sixties, Lily's grandfather Joseph.

"They're not bad, Father," Charles replied, draining his glass of wine with a smile. "They're all spirited youngsters, but they're inexperienced, so their efficiency may be lacking."

"It's a farce, what can a few children do?" slurred a tipsy, gray-bearded man sitting next to Joseph. "The Ironwood trees are incredibly tough. When will these kids ever finish cutting down all the trees in area six? We should just hire a group of professional lumberjacks, and they'll get the job done in less than two months!"

Joseph frowned. "You've had too much to drink, brother. Hire lumberjacks? Who would dare come to Storm Clan's Village to cut down trees? According to the news from the guards, several big cats have injured some soldiers and entered Stone Town. I suspect they're lurking around the mountains near Storm Clan's Village. Who would dare come here to cut trees in times like these?"

"It's just a couple of tigers, is it really that big of a deal?" whispered a burly young man in his twenties.

Lily gently nudged her brother with her elbow, whispering, "Don't butt in, brother."

"Only two tigers, no big deal?" Joseph raised a white eyebrow. "Hmph! The big cats are the rulers of the forest, and this time it might even be an ancient one! Otherwise, do you think the garrison couldn't have taken them down? Count yourself lucky it's not a century-old big cat, or else it would be a disaster not just for Storm Clan's Village, but for Stone Town too!"