A fierce roar shook the mountain slope. Leaves fell. Birds flew away from their nests in panic.
At this moment, a giant black bear was rampaging. Its eyes glowed red. Its breathing was heavy. Its massive claws slammed into the ground, leaving deep marks.
Before it stood Li Wuchen. His body was slightly bent. His breathing was steady and controlled. Both of his hands were raised, ready for the next attack.
Blood still flowed from his knuckles. Yet his face remained calm. As if he wasn't facing a ferocious beast… but merely doing normal training.
The bear roared. As if declaring that it was stronger than this human child.
Whoosh!
The bear charged forward. Its massive body shot ahead.
Its right claw swept sideways, aiming for Li Wuchen's head.
The attack was extremely fast. Powerful. And completely lethal.
But Wuchen moved even faster. His foot shifted half a step. His body tilted. The massive claw only grazed the edge of his clothes.
Rip!
His garment tore. But his body was untouched. At the same time, Li Wuchen launched a counterattack.
BOOM!
His fist struck the bear's ribs. The heavy impact sounded, but the bear only staggered slightly. Instead of retreating in fear, the beast roared in anger.
It turned and slammed both claws into the ground.
BANG!
The ground cracked. Dust flew. Wuchen leaped backward, keeping his distance. The youth's eyes narrowed.
"Its body is hard…"
He took a short breath.
"Harder than the rock earlier."
In the distance, the old man stood with hands on his hips, grinning.
"Just noticing now?" he shouted.
Wuchen didn't turn.
"Then… I just need to hit it harder."
The old man laughed loudly.
"Idiot! If it was only about hardness, anyone could become a martial artist!"
He took another messy gulp of tea, then shouted,
"Use your brain! Don't just use your muscles!"
Wuchen paused for a moment.
The bear charged again. But this time, Wuchen did not attack immediately.
He observed his opponent rushing toward him with a deep, quick, and thorough gaze.
The movement of its feet.
The direction of its shoulders.
The rhythm of its breathing.
The left claw always came first.
Slightly faster.
And Wuchen's eyes flashed.
Slightly weaker.
"So that's how it is…" he muttered with a faint smile.
The bear swung its left claw.
Whoosh!
Wuchen stepped forward instead of retreating. He advanced.
Whoosh!
His body ducked, passing under the swing by a hair's breadth. Then in an instant, he counterattacked.
BOOM!
His right fist struck the lower part of the bear's belly.
Aargh!
The bear growled in pain. But Wuchen's attack wasn't over. He unleashed a flurry of punches. A combination of right and left fists.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three consecutive punches landed on the same spot. Wuchen's movements were fast. Dense. Simple. Yet every strike hit the target perfectly.
Receiving such a barrage, the massive creature retreated two steps. For the first time… its balance faltered.
The old man in the distance narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm…"
Wuchen didn't stop. He stepped forward again.
But the bear suddenly went berserk.
"Auuurrrghhh!"
It raised both claws and slammed them downward. This attack was faster. Stronger. More brutal.
Wuchen, who felt he had the momentum, was half a second too slow. He couldn't dodge perfectly.
BANG!
The ground beneath his feet shattered. His body was thrown sideways.
Rip!
His back was grazed by the bear's claw. Blood spurted. Wuchen rolled on the ground, then quickly got up. His breathing became irregular for a moment. But his eyes remained calm. He regulated his breath again while calculating all possibilities.
Wuchen touched the wound on his back. Looking at the blood on his hand. Then he smiled faintly and commented,
"Not bad, this big bear's attack."
Hearing that, the grumpy old man immediately cursed,
"Not bad, my ass! You almost got torn apart alive!"
Wuchen glanced at him, "I'm still alive, aren't I, Gramps?"
"Crazy brat!"
The bear charged again. Just like before, Wuchen did not retreat. He stood firm.
Waiting.
Waiting…
And,
The moment the claw was about to touch his face—
He moved.
One step to the left. A small spin. His body entered the bear's blind spot.
Then,
BOOM!
His left fist struck its neck.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bone was heard clearly. The bear staggered. Wuchen didn't give it a chance. He leaped. Both feet stomped the ground and his body shot upward.
Then, he channeled all his strength into his right leg. And—
BANG!
A kick struck the bear's head from above.
Thud!
The massive creature fell to its knees, making the ground tremble. Wuchen landed lightly. He raised his hand. Took a deep breath. Then—
BOOM!!!
He delivered the final punch that struck the bear's temple.
CRACK!
The bear let out a groan for a moment. Then fell silent. All that remained was silence, accompanied by the massive body swaying… then collapsing.
For a moment, dust rose and the forest became quiet. After several breaths, the wind blew again, clearing away all the flying dust.
Wuchen stood there with clenched fists. His body was full of wounds. His breathing was heavy. Yet he remained standing.
The old man in the distance walked closer. His movements were very relaxed, but in an instant, he was already beside Wuchen. He glanced casually at the bear's corpse. Then looked at Wuchen.
"Hmph. It finally died."
Wuchen wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"It was a decent opponent."
The old man snorted. "Decent, my foot? You almost got ripped apart alive."
Wuchen smiled faintly, "But I won."
The old man stared at him for a long time. Then said softly,
"Yes… you won." He patted Wuchen's shoulder.
"Starting today, your body has entered the next stage."
Wuchen raised an eyebrow, "Steel Body?"
The old man nodded. Then shook his head. "Half a step toward it."
Wuchen took a long breath. His gaze turned toward the distance.
"Master, when can I descend the mountain?"
The old man grinned. Then—
Smack!
He flicked Wuchen's forehead. It didn't shatter his head, but it was enough to make Wuchen grimace in pain.
"Impatient to look for trouble?"
Wuchen answered while rubbing his aching forehead,
"Not looking for trouble."
He clenched his fist.
"I just want to see… how strong the people out there really are."
The old man laughed. "Fine! We descend tomorrow!"
The next day…
The mountain path at the foot of the mountain was quiet. Wuchen walked leisurely. His clothes were simple. Unremarkable. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary young man.
No aura.
No pressure.
No sign of power.
Behind him, an old man walked while carrying a tea gourd.
"Yellow City is ahead," he said.
Wuchen nodded. His eyes looked calm and his face showed no particular expression.
After some time, the two of them arrived at the main road.
People began to appear. Merchants, travelers, and some martial artists in distinctive clothing.
Suddenly, a large man blocked their path. His body was burly. His face was rough. With messy long hair and unkempt sideburns. His ferocity was completed by a large machete hanging at his waist.
"Stop!" the large man said fiercely.
Wuchen stopped. The old man behind him yawned.
"What is it this time…" he muttered lazily.
The large man pointed at Wuchen. "You just came down from the mountain?"
Wuchen nodded, "Yes. What's the matter?"
The large man grinned.
"This area belongs to our group. Anyone who passes must pay."
Wuchen looked at him flatly. "How much?"
The man raised five fingers, "Fifty silver coins."
Wuchen nodded slightly. Then said, "I don't have any."
Silence for a moment.
Then the large man laughed loudly.
"Don't have any? Then you think you can just pass through?"
The fierce man drew his machete.
Whoosh!
"If you don't pay… leave your hand behind!"
Some people around began to move away. The old man behind Wuchen commented casually,
"Left hand or right hand? Which one do you choose, kid?"
Wuchen didn't turn. "Neither."
The old man suddenly clapped, "Wow, greedy too. Both of them?"
Wuchen shook his head. "I mean… none will be cut."
Feeling his threat and presence were being ignored, the large man snorted angrily.
"Insolent! I changed my mind. I won't just cut your hands, but also your legs and that wrinkly old man's!"
After spitting out the threat, the thug stepped forward and swung his machete.
Whoosh!
The attack was fast. Fierce. And powerful. If it hit a human body, it would surely split it in two like a watermelon.
But Wuchen did not stay still. There was no way he would become minced meat for his opponent.
The moment the large man moved, Wuchen followed. His physical speed even put him one step ahead.
His palm rose. Then—
Grab!
Wuchen caught the man's wrist and stopped the attack effortlessly.
The large man was shocked. He tried to pull his hand with all his strength but failed. The sensation he felt was as if his hand was being coiled by a giant python.
"You?!"
Before he could react,
Crack!
Wuchen twisted his hand.
The sound of breaking bone was heard clearly.
"Arrghhh!"
The machete fell. The large man howled in pain. Seeing his opponent's body starting to lose balance, Wuchen delivered a light kick.
Thud!
The large man's body was struck squarely, sent flying, and fell face-down with his butt in the air. Truly an unsightly pose.
Seeing this, the surroundings instantly fell silent. Everyone stared with wide eyes. Wuchen patted his hands as if cleaning off dirt. As he walked away, he glanced at the large man and said flatly,
"Don't bother people passing by."
He continued walking as if nothing had happened. The old man behind him chuckled.
"Haha… not bad for a warm-up."
He patted Wuchen's shoulder. "Yellow City is close."
Wuchen nodded. His eyes looked forward. Toward the city gate that was beginning to appear in the distance.
Without Wuchen realizing it…
On top of the city wall, a pair of clear eyes was watching him.
Calm.
Cold.
Full of curiosity. It was a beautiful girl in white clothes. Lin Xue'er stood there.
The wind gently blew her hair. Her eyes never left the figure of the youth without aura.
"Interesting…" she murmured softly.
To be continued.