Chapter 196: Strengths And Weaknesses (I)

In the forest, droplets of water fell from the leaves. The heavy rain from last night heralded the arrival of winter, bringing a sharp drop in temperature. After the rain, the skies cleared completely. Golden sunlight spilled down, bringing a trace of warmth to the cold season.

Roars echoed through the forest at dawn, accompanied by thunderous crashes from battle. A beast's howls were filled with fury and frustration.

Not far away, Little Black leaned lazily against a damp tree trunk, munching on some wild fruit it had found somewhere, watching the fight ahead with relish. It had seen battles like this several times already. Though every fight ended with a retreat, Little Black still found them entertaining. Watching the beast that once held a grudge against it roar in anger under Lin Zheyu's fists made it quite happy.

Hiss, chirp, chirp.

When Lin Zheyu landed a punch squarely on the beast's nose, drawing a furious roar, Little Black let out an excited cry, as if cheering him on.

Bang.

Caught off guard, Lin Zheyu was sent flying by a swipe of the beast's claws, crashing through several tree trunks before coming to a stop. Moments ago, he had tried to strike at the beast's neck, its weak point, but it had been a trap. The cunning creature had anticipated his move, using its weakness as bait before countering with a vicious strike.

"I can't hit it. This thing's too cautious and guards its weakness too well."

Lin Zheyu rubbed his chest where the claw had struck, feeling a dull ache. Fortunately, his body was now as tough as a Marrow Refining Realm beast, thick-skinned and resilient. A single claw strike was nothing to worry about.

Roar!

The beast bellowed again, its eyes filled with madness.

Having been harried by this small opponent several times already, an opponent clearly weaker yet annoyingly persistent, the beast grew increasingly frustrated. With a roar, it lunged first before Lin Zheyu could attack again. Lin Zheyu rolled across the ground to dodge the charge, then sprang up and engaged it once more, relying on his superb lightness technique to keep up the fight.

Nine days had passed since their last encounter. Lin Zheyu had fully perfected the tenth stage of the Golden Goose Technique, so even without activating his blood qi burst technique, he could now spar easily with the beast using his agile, ghost-like footwork.

A few minutes later, the blood qi power within his body had fallen below fifteen percent.

I'll throw one more solid punch, then retreat

.

If he kept this up, he would exhaust his blood qi and be helpless before the beast. With a single thought, his aura surged. The burst technique was activated, channeling sixfold blood qi power into his right arm. At the same time, his fist momentum gathered, and a triple-strength Barbaric Ox Fist erupted forth with awe-inspiring force.

After weeks of tempering, he could now freely unleash a threefold power Barbaric Ox Fist, though only four punches at most. The combination of fist momentum and the technique caused an overclocked burst, consuming vast amounts of essence, qi, and spirit.

Bang!

With a punch carrying eighteenfold power, Lin Zheyu struck the beast squarely on the skull. It felt as if he had hit solid black iron, and his arm went slightly numb. The creature's head was unbelievably tough, and its defense terrifyingly strong, impossible to break through. Though the immense force failed to deal a fatal blow, it sent the beast hurtling backward, smashing through several large trees before finally coming to a stop.

Roar!

The beast roared furiously but didn't even glance at Lin Zheyu before turning tail to flee. It was no longer Lin Zheyu who needed to run, as the beast was the one escaping. After several encounters, it had learned it could not win against this opponent. Though weaker in strength, Lin Zheyu was infuriatingly agile and impossible to kill, so every fight with him left the beast seething with frustration.

The moment it saw Lin Zheyu, it wanted to run, but Lin Zheyu never let it go so easily. Each time, he would chase it down, engage it in fierce combat, and use the battle to hone his Barbaric Ox Fist and fist momentum. Only after exhausting most of his blood qi power would he let the creature escape.

"What a hard skull," Lin Zheyu couldn't help but mutter.

Even with his current physique, that powerful punch hadn't been enough to subdue the beast. Instead, his fist tingled from the impact. If he could tame it as a mount, it would be an excellent choice. Unfortunately, Lin Zheyu simply couldn't defeat it.

"Little Black, go hunt down a beast for roasting. Make sure not to get lost, now. Come back to Cave No. 3," Lin Zheyu ordered, glancing at the relaxed creature lounging nearby with a fruit in its paw.

At the mention of roasted meat, Little Black's eyes lit up instantly. It leapt to its feet, ignoring the fruit that fell from its body, and vanished into the forest in the blink of an eye.

After so long together, Lin Zheyu and Little Black had developed a seamless understanding. The little creature handled hunting and firewood, while Lin Zheyu only needed to cook. Once Little Black disappeared into the forest, he picked up his Golden Scale Saber from the ground and walked toward one of his cave bases. After living in the mountains for so long, he had prepared several such hideouts where he could rest or take shelter from the rain.

Gulp, gulp.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He took out a water pouch from his pack and drank several gulps of concentrated Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction. Warmth spread through his abdomen as threads of blood qi began to regenerate, quickly restoring his strength.

Not long after Lin Zheyu returned to the cave, Little Black came back, dragging a massive python over ten meters long. Inside the cave was a pile of dry firewood, collected earlier by Little Black on his orders and stored in case of rainy days. Today, it was just what they needed.

Crackle.

A bonfire blazed inside the cave.

Little Black stared eagerly as Lin Zheyu skinned and cleaned the python, rubbing its paws together impatiently. Unable to wait any longer, it tore off a chunk of snake meat, skewered it on a branch, and began roasting it over the fire. By the time he finished preparing the meat, Little Black's portion was already nearly done.

It looked at Lin Zheyu, chirped a few times, then glanced at the seasonings on the ground. Lin Zheyu chuckled and helped sprinkle on spices. The rich aroma of grilled meat mixed with cumin and chili powder filled the cave, and the little creature's mouth watered uncontrollably.

Two hours later, Little Black was lying on its back with its belly up, eyes half-closed, and its paws folded over its stomach in pure contentment. Lin Zheyu, meanwhile, sat cross-legged, circulating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method while cultivating the soul secret art from the Seven Fiend Ghost Manual. His enhanced physique not only granted greater defense but also improved his digestion and recovery speed. With proper nourishment, he could restore his depleted blood qi power to its peak within a single day.

Four hours later, about 30% of his blood qi strength had recovered.

"Little Black, stop sleeping. Go hunt a stronger beast," Lin Zheyu said, giving the drowsy creature a light slap to wake it.

Chirp, chirp.

Little Black shook its head, rubbed its eyes in a distinctly human-like gesture, and instantly perked up with renewed energy.

***

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. In the morning, the forest echoed with beastly roars. As soon as Lin Zheyu awoke, he would seek out that powerful beast to spar with, refining his Barbaric Ox Fist and fist momentum, then spend the afternoons hunting.

Bang, bang, bang.

The battles were fierce, and Lin Zheyu's momentum qi surged with astonishing might. Through relentless tempering over time, his fist momentum had become more condensed, and his mastery of it ever more refined.

Roar!

The beast let out a furious roar, thrashing wildly with its claws as gales swept through the forest. Lin Zheyu's feet moved with the Golden Goose Technique, fused with the Ten Thousand Troop Steps and Phantom Shadow Step. His movement was light and elusive like a phantom. He darted around the beast with ghostlike speed, throwing one Barbaric Ox Fist after another, driving it into a frenzy.

Bang, bang, bang!

His fists struck the beast's body again and again, producing dull thuds. Though the blows caused little pain, they left the creature seething with irritation and rage.

Now's my chance!

Lin Zheyu narrowed his eyes, and a surge of blood qi erupted through his body. Activating his burst technique, he unleashed sixfold blood qi power. His muscles bulged in an instant, the wind from his fists howled, and his mighty fist momentum bore down like a crushing wave. The beast suddenly sensed danger.

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

Before it could react, a massive fist slammed into its forehead. Terrifying power erupted as Lin Zheyu delivered blow after blow, each one carrying eighteenfold strength. The beast staggered under the sudden assault, momentarily dazed. Even with its incredible defense, the barrage left it dizzy and disoriented, though the effect lasted less than two seconds before it recovered.

Roar!

As soon as the beast regained its senses, it let out a roar and turned to flee. Lin Zheyu stood quietly where he was, reflecting on the sensation just now. If he had attacked the creature's weak spot at its neck during that brief moment of dizziness, he might have inflicted serious injury, but only that.

Yet Lin Zheyu hadn't done so. The beast had served as his sparring partner for so long, so it deserved some mercy. Besides, he couldn't help but feel it was rather pitiful, caught up in his training for no reason and enduring countless beatings.