The fiery mane boar was an extremely formidable savage beast. It was covered in flame-like fur that seemed soft but was actually tough to the extreme. Even a sword would have difficulty getting through.

It had an aggressive, violent nature and was blessed with unparalleled strength. The pair of sinister tusks which grew from its mouth were deadly weapons that even a True Martial fourth layer expert would prefer to avoid.

Compared to this savage, the snow spotted leopard and one-horned lizard were akin to docile farm animals.

Rumble!

In the yard, Xia Zhi removed the vines that bound the boar. The savage beast abruptly howled and slammed its four hooves into the ground causing dust to fill the air. Its enormous, bull-like body was akin to a small moving mountain as it ruthlessly charged at Lin Xun.

Its sharp sinister tusks were akin to a pair of sharp razor-sharp blades, flickering with a bloodthirsty gleam.

Thud!

Lin Xun moved immediately. Power flowed into his hand and a fist smashed into the side of the savage beast’s neck. However, the boar easily shook it off, completely unfazed. It suddenly spun around and thrust its sharp tusks through the air, stabbing toward Lin Xun’s stomach.

Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed as he sidestepped, feeling quite astonished. Although his earlier blow had consisted of purely physical power, any True Martial fourth layer expert who took it would not be unscathed.

However, it was completely ineffective against the boar.

Rumble!

The fiery mane boar was exceedingly barbaric. Its scarlet-red eyes glared at Lin Xun as its enormous body charged again.

Lin Xun realized that it was impossible to dodge this time, leaving him no choice but to face the brute head-on. He immediately felt as if a boulder had slammed into his body, causing his qi and blood to churn erratically as he was pushed back.

What overwhelming power!

Lin Xun’s expression darkened as his muscles tensed up like steel threads. He crouched like a cheetah and suddenly leaped forth, hooking his hand around one of the boar’s tusks. Power gushed through his wrist, and his arm muscles rapidly expanded as he abruptly hoisted up.

The thousand-pound fiery mane boar was raised off the ground.

Lin Xun’s shoulder muscles rapidly rose like the tide as power rapidly accumulated in his wrist. The force finally erupted with a ruthless jerk.

Rumble~

The boar’s giant body was shaken like a sieve as its bones emitted cracking noises. The boar was mercilessly smashed into the ground by Lin Xun, creating a giant crater.

Lin Xun had learned this technique from Xia Zhi. With a single jerk, power would ripple forth like the tide, shaking and disrupting the opponent’s power. In serious cases, it could even rupture a foe's inner organs.

Before Lin Xun could celebrate, however, the boar shook its body and stood up again. Its scarlet-red eyes overflowed with endless savagery as it charged at him again with a howl.

Lin Xun’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets. Was this brute invincible?

He quickly dodged to the side and scanned the boar’s body. The fiery mane boar had not sustained a single injury and had only become increasingly savage.

Its four hooves seemed to fly as it charged about in the tiny and narrow yard. Dust clouds rose into the air and the ground was cracked in several places.

If not for Xia Zhi, the charges would have destroyed all three of Lin Xun’s thatched houses.

“Bastard!” Lin Xun’s qi and blood roared, showing that he had also been angered. He was absolutely not going to admit that he could not even beat a pig. Otherwise, how would he ever raise his head in front of Xia Zhi in the future?

Thud!

Lin Xun no longer took any evasive maneuvers and faced the charge directly. He raised his arms in front of him and dashed into the incoming fiery mane boar, catching its tusks and forcibly stopping it in its tracks.

The boar bellowed, clearly enraged to the max. Its four hooves pushed madly as its body violently twisted in an attempt to force off Lin Xun’s hands.

However, Lin Xun’s arms suddenly squeezed like a noose. Two clear cracks rang out and the boar’s tusks were snapped into two. Blood poured out as the boar frantically howled in pain, nearly shaking off Lin Xun’s body.

Lin Xun immediately dropped to his feet and locked the boar’s leg joint with his arms. With a brutal twist and a crack, the boar’s front right leg was dislocated, causing its body to crash into the ground.

However, this was not the end. Lin Xun took advantage of the opportunity and did the same to the fiery mane boar’s remaining three legs. In the span of a few breaths, its body lost all support and it could only miserably wail on the ground.

Only then did Lin Xun finally stand up, dust off his hands, and let out a long, drawn-out breath.

He looked at the subdued boar. Although he was exhausted, he could not help but feel a sense of pride flow out in his heart.

Several months ago, he had been weak and pathetic. Now, he was able to subdue a savage beast comparable to a True Martial fourth layer cultivator with only physical force. It was impossible for Lin Xun to not be excited by such a tremendous transformation.

It was all attributed to his relentless hard work and Xia Zhi’s help.

The constant sparring with Xia Zhi had made his body stronger with each passing day. His skin, muscles, and bones were now as hard as steel and filled with explosive power.

At the same time, the continuous sparring also taught Lin Xun the secrets of properly utilizing his body. He was now capable of perfectly gathering every inch of power in his body!

“Even without aeth power, my raw physical might should allow me to challenge a True Martial fourth layer expert.” Lin Xun pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

A cultivator was different from a beast. A cultivator possessed equipment, weapons, techniques, and, most importantly, battle tactics and experience. There was no way to compare such an existence to a mere beast.

Hence, it would not be so simple to defeat a True Martial fourth layer expert with physical power alone.

Xia Zhi walked over and lightly tapped the fiery mane boar’s head with her tiny hand. The beast immediately fell unconscious as if it had been struck by lightning.

Xia Zhi looked at Lin Xun. “You’re a bit stronger than this pig.”

The pride in Lin Xun’s heart instantly vanished. He helplessly shrugged and smiled bitterly, “Can’t you praise me just once?”

Xia Zhi frowned as she earnestly considered, “Is there any part of you that’s worth praising?”

Lin Xun was speechless.

……

While they were eating lunch, Lin Xun thought of a question, “When compared to aeth power, physical power seems to only be suitable for close combat. No matter how strong the body becomes, the power I gain will not be as great as focusing solely on aeth power cultivation.”

Xia Zhi did not say a single word. Instead, she lightly swung her finger as if it were a blade.

Ch!

An arc of blade-like qi flew out and sliced off a willow branch that was more than a hundred feet away.

Lin Xun was stunned while Xia Zhi shifted her focus back to the food.

A long time later, Lin Xun said with a complicated expression, “You…how do you cultivate?”

He had seen everything clearly earlier. There had been no trace of aeth power in Xia Zhi’s attack and it was created purely from her physical power!

In other words, this was hard proof that when physical power reached a certain level, it could break free from the restrictions of ‘close-combat’!

From what Lin Xun knew, only Spirit Dipper stage and above aeth power cultivators were able to release their aeth power externally and kill their enemies from a distance away.

With this comparison, Xia Zhi’s external force release appeared even more extraordinary.

Xia Zhi puzzledly said, “It’s easy to achieve. I could do it once I remembered it.”

Lin Xun was not as devastated by her unreasonable explanation this time and accepted it as the truth. After these few days of observation, he had discovered far too many inconceivable things about Xia Zhi. She was basically a born genius that knew everything from the start!

How else could anyone explain why a five-year-old girl possessed such terrifying battle power?

After a long session of thinking, Lin Xun ultimately gave up on getting to the bottom of the matter and instead asked Xia Zhi what the technique was called.

In his view, the technique was very similar to martial arts and should not have appeared out of nowhere.

Xia Zhi shook her head. “It has no name.”

Lin Xun let out a bitter chuckle, “Then let’s give it one.”

Xia Zhi offhandedly agreed.

In contrast, Lin Xun was full of zest. After some thinking, he said, “Shall we call it Joint Disruption Art?”

He had learned several close-combat techniques over the past few days, such as the shock ripple disruption, the double arm-twist, the bone-locking art…etc.

All of these techniques were simple, straightforward, and clean. They specialized in targeting the opponent’s weak points such as joints and required a certain combination of ruthlessness and decisiveness.

Xia Zhi half-heartedly nodded, not stopping Lin Xun’s enthusiasm.

His eyes shined as he confidently said, “Although this art has yet to be perfected, I believe that through our combined intelligence, this art will become increasingly powerful. Who knows, it might even become famous one day and leave its mark in history.”

Xia Zhi looked as if she wasn’t even listening as she continued to eat.

Lin Xun’s passion soon dulled upon seeing that he was not getting any response. He shook his head and said, “Never mind, this matter isn’t urgent. We can discuss more next time.”

Xia Zhi suddenly raised her head and looked at Lin Xun, “Didn’t you say you will be going to the Qingyang Tribe in a few days?”

Lin Xun nodded, “Yeah. If everything goes smoothly, I should be leaving in five days.”

The reason he said this was because according to his estimation, the Omega Secret-Realm’s second attempt should arrive in three days. He intended to first deal with this matter before heading to the Qingyang Tribe.

Lin Xun had gained some confidence over the past few days of training and was now somewhat expectant towards the Omega Secret-Realm’s second trial.

At this point, Lin Xun suddenly realized something and asked, “Why are you asking?”

Xia Zhi responded, “I find it a little hard to see you leave.”

“It’s okay, I’ll be back soon.” A warm feeling flowed in Lin Xun’s heart. Although the little lass had repeatedly pummeled him over the past few days, she at least had some conscience.

However, Xia Zhi quickly shook her head, “I’m just wondering who will be making my meals if you suddenly leave.”

Lin Xun’s face froze. So that’s her concern…

He spitefully said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make sure you don’t starve to death even if I leave!”

Xia Zhi acknowledged with a peaceful expression, “That’s good.”

After which, she returned to her food…

Meanwhile, a dazzling streak of light suddenly flew over the old mountain forests a dozen miles from the village.