A flash of white light—
When Zhao Xuan's vision cleared, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast desert.
Golden sand stretched endlessly in every direction, the wind howling and scattering dust into the sky.
Not far away, atop a small dune, the Ironhide Boar was greedily devouring something with gusto.
Zhao Xuan didn't even need to guess what it was eating.
What else could it be?
Spirit fruit, obviously!
"You damn beast—stop eating that!"
Zhao Xuan roared in anger.
For f**'s sake!*
"You're just a pig! What do you need spiritual fruit for!? You're about to die anyway—what a waste!"
And worst of all—
"That spiritual medicine is mine!"
Rage boiled over.
"Tatatata!!!"
Zhao Xuan stomped forward, using Soru, vanishing into a blur as he charged up the dune.
"Snort! Snort! SNOOORT!"
The Ironhide Boar's eyes went wide. It hadn't expected Zhao Xuan to actually follow it into the relic!
Panic flashed in its gaze. It squealed frantically, stumbling to its feet in a futile attempt to resist—
But Zhao Xuan's furious kick struck first, slamming squarely into its abdomen.
"Grrrrgh!"
The boar screamed miserably, its shriek echoing across the desert.
The force of Zhao Xuan's kick sent it flying, tumbling through the air before crashing into the sand dozens of meters away—creating a massive crater.
Zhao Xuan didn't chase immediately.
Instead, he crouched by the dune, checking what the boar had been eating.
Only then did he finally see it clearly.
A cactus.
Yes—you read that right.
The "spirit fruit" the boar had been devouring wasn't fruit at all—it was a giant cactus, its body covered in sharp, gleaming spines.
Of course, this was no ordinary cactus.
Even without tasting it, Zhao Xuan could feel the rich spiritual energy pulsing through the half-eaten plant.
He clenched his jaw.
"Damn it! A fine spiritual medicine, ruined by a filthy pig!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Meanwhile, the Ironhide Boar—battered but not dead—was staggering out of the sand pit.
When it spotted Zhao Xuan standing beside its precious cactus, its eyes went bloodshot.
"Snort! SNORT! SNOOORT!"
It roared furiously, kicking up sand with its hind legs as if digging a trench.
The sound was deafening, echoing across the dunes—just like the wails Zhao Xuan remembered from a pig farm in his past life… when the boars were being castrated.
Then, with another enraged snort, it charged.
The ground trembled under its massive weight.
"Yell all you want—you think I care!?" Zhao Xuan barked back. "You think you're the victim here? I'M the one who should be pissed!"
He glared, voice rising with fury.
"That spiritual plant was worth millions, at least! A full specimen could've sold for a fortune! But now, thanks to you, it's worthless!"
Just thinking about how a few seconds of delay had cost him a fortune made his heart ache.
As the Ironhide Boar rushed forward, Zhao Xuan spun in place, unleashing a Rankyaku kick infused with Armament Haki.
Boom!
The strike landed cleanly—
—and the boar went flying again, tumbling through the sand.
But before Zhao Xuan could relax, the beast struggled back to its feet once more, letting out a guttural squeal before charging again in blind fury.
Zhao Xuan sighed, lifted his leg, and kicked it away—again.
After being sent flying repeatedly, the Ironhide Boar finally seemed to realize something—
It couldn't win.
No matter how hard it fought, this human was far too strong.
So it gave up.
Whimpering pitifully, the Ironhide Boar turned tail and fled deeper into the desert.
Zhao Xuan didn't chase it this time.
Instead, he crouched beside the shredded cactus, face full of pain, and began carefully collecting what was left of the spiritual cactus.
But then—
From the direction the boar had run, a series of furious squeals echoed through the desert.
Zhao Xuan froze.
Then his expression darkened.
"Wait a second…" he muttered. "Don't tell me that damn pig found another spiritual cactus to ruin!"
His face went pitch-black.
Without hesitation, he leapt to his feet and sprinted toward the sound.
Sure enough—
His suspicion was dead on.
When Zhao Xuan arrived, he saw the Ironhide Boar locked in combat with a sandstone statue that seemed to have come to life.
And behind that statue, atop another dune—
—stood a massive, unscathed cactus, radiating vibrant spiritual energy.
At that moment, the boar shattered the statue with a brutal headbutt.
Then, limping and wheezing, it began to trot toward the cactus, drooling as it opened its mouth wide—
Just before it could take a bite—
Whoosh!
A fierce gust sliced through the air.
Then—
BAM!
Zhao Xuan's kick struck true, sending the Ironhide Boar flying once more.
The beast crashed into the sand, rolling several times before finally lying still.
Zhao Xuan exhaled deeply, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Phew… good thing I got here in time," he muttered in relief.
"Another few seconds, and that damn pig would've ruined this one too."
His gaze turned toward the cactus—
intact, glowing faintly under the desert sun.
Zhao Xuan grinned.
"Finally… a perfect spiritual cactus—untouched and all mine."
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