Author note: Sorry for the late update. I was really busy lately with life. Thank you for your support.
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After entering the Dragon Forest, Fu abruptly summoned his saint weapon, a wide smirk spreading across his face as he looked at Ye Feng.
"Brother Feng, let's go find Zhang Wei and his brother. I want to rob them and take their pills. Those pills helped me break through to the Saint Realm—if we get more, our cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds."
"HAHAHAHA, sure, but let us focus on collecting monster cores. I really want to win the prize in this competition."
Fu smirked and nodded. "Fine by me. I couldn't care less about this competition and it's prize. All I want are the pills Zhang Wei and his brother are carrying."
Ye Feng burst out laughing at Fu's words, and Fu quickly followed, laughing like a maniac as the two of them walked on, their voices echoing through the forest.
.
Ye Feng shook his head and calmed himself before turning to Fu. "Whatever. Let's go and start hunting monster cores first. If we run into the Zhang brothers along the way, we'll rob them of their pills."
Fu's eyes lit up at Ye Feng's words. He broke into a happy grin and quickly followed after him.
Ye Feng took out the Dragon Forest map from his space belt and led the way deeper into the Dragon Forest, to start hunting rank two monster beasts.
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With Ye Feng and Fu
Fu and Ye Feng continued deeper into the Dragon Forest when, all of a sudden, a crimson-furred fox lunged out from the shadows straight at Ye Feng. His eyes widened in surprise, but he reacted instantly. With a sharp flash of blood-red light, Ye Feng summoned the Blood Dragon Fang and raised it just in time to block the incoming claw.
"Clank!"
Sparks flew as the fox's claws scraped against the Blood Dragon Fang's blade, the crimson fox landed lightly on the ground after it failed ambush attempt, its crimson eyes gleaming with killing intent.
Seeing Ye Feng block the monster beast's attack without any difficulty, Fu immediately charged forward, his saint weapon flashing with light. Amazement filled his eyes—'brother Feng's body hadn't been this tough when he fought the Zhang brothers. His body now might be already as strong as mine,' Fu thought in disbelief.
Fu then swung his saint weapon at the crimson fur fox, "SQUASH."
The crimson-furred fox was sliced cleanly in half, its body collapsing to the ground. Fu chuckled and glanced at Ye Feng.
"You will owe me a favor in the future, Brother Feng."
Ye Feng chuckled in response. Without wasting any time, he stepped forward and dug the monster core out of the fox's corpse.
Fu glanced at the crimson-furred fox's corpse and asked Ye Feng, "What kind of monster beast was this?"
Ye Feng looked over at him while holding the rank-two monster core in his hand and replied, "It's called a Crimson-Eyed Fox. This one wasn't mature enough to properly use its innate abilities, which is why you were able to kill it so easily. If it had been a rank-four Crimson-Eyed Fox, both of us would have died without a doubt."
Fu was surprised and asked, "How come?" Ye Feng sighed and began to explain, "Firstly, our cultivation is far too low to go head-to-head with rank four monster beasts; even our saint weapons wouldn't leave a scratch. Secondly, the Crimson-Eyed Fox has a unique innate ability—heightened senses. Its perception is so acute that it can anticipate attack trajectories, and combined with its incredible reflexes and agility, landing a solid strike on it becomes nearly impossible."
Fu's eyes widened in amazement. "You really know a lot about monster beasts."
Ye Feng chuckled. "I read a lot in the library. You should visit it sometime and start reading."
Fu rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face.
Ye Feng gazed at the crimson-furred corpse once more, contemplating how he should he use it to his advantage. Monster-beast corpses were always valuable; some were even regarded as priceless treasures.
Ye Feng's lips curled into a sly smirk as a thought crossed his mind. Fu noticed and tilted his head, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Brother Feng, why the smirk?"
Ye Feng's eyes gleamed with mischief as he met Fu's gaze. "I just came up with a way to lure the monster beasts nearby."
Fu's eyes widened, and a grin slowly spread across his face. "Really? How?"
Still smirking, Ye Feng leaned closer and said, "It's simple. We grill the Crimson Eyed Fox and eat it. The aroma will draw every monster beast in the area straight to us… and then we take them out."
A bloodthirsty glint shone in Ye Feng's eyes, and Fu couldn't help but mirror his sinister smile.
Fu couldn't help but laughed maniacally, "HAHAHAHAHA, this is going to be fun, my brother; let's grill this little fox." Ye Feng nodded and started collecting some tree branches from the nearby trees, then they started making fire in order to grill the Crimson-Eyed Fox.
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After 45 minutes
After grilling the Crimson-Eyed Fox, the rich aroma of its meat spread rapidly through the surrounding areas. The scent carried far on the wind, seeping between trees. Before long, monster beasts lurking nearby caught the smell and began rushing toward Fu and Ye Feng's location, their low growls and heavy footsteps echoing through the forest.
Ye Feng and Fu were enjoying the freshly grilled meat of the Crimson-Eyed Fox when the ground suddenly began to tremble beneath their feet.
Ye Feng's lips curled into a smile as he stood up, summoning the Blood Dragon Fang into his hand. He slowly turned his head toward the depths of the forest and said calmly, "The monster beasts are coming. Get ready, Fu."
Fu sprang to his feet and summoned his saint weapon, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He threw his head back and laughed maniacally.
"HAHAHAHAHA! This is going to be fun!"
A horde of rank-two monster beasts surged toward Ye Feng and Fu like a raging tide. Both of them revealed bloodthirsty grins as they stared at the incoming monster beasts.
Ye Feng stepped forward and used the Free Step martial skill his figure blurred as he shot forward at an incredible speed.
"SWISH!"
Multiple afterimages tore through the air behind him as his movements became erratic and impossible to track, closing the distance to the monster beast horde.
Fu's eyes widened in surprise at Ye Feng's sudden burst of speed, and a smile tugged at his lips. 'He's getting stronger and stronger… I must not fall behind.'
With a laugh filled with excitement, Fu gripped his saint weapon tightly and charged into the monster-beast horde as well, his killing intent erupting as the battle began.
Both Fu and Ye Feng began cutting down the monster beasts like devils reincarnated in human skin. The battlefield erupted in a wet chorus of destruction.
"SQUASH! SQUASH! SQUASH!"
Ye Feng danced through the horde with ghostlike agility, his footsteps erratic and impossible to predict. His figure flickered in and out of sight as the Blood Dragon Fang traced graceful arcs through the air, each swing precise and lethal. In a storm of flashing steel and splattering blood, monster beasts fell one after another, cut down mercilessly before they could even react.
"SQUASH!, SQUASH!, SQUASH!, SQUASH!"
The monster beasts were frozen in fear, their instincts screaming danger as their eyes failed to track Ye Feng's movements at all. His afterimages were overlapping as he weaved through their ranks like a phantom. By the time they realized he had passed them, cold killing intent washed over their backs—and blood was already spraying into the air.
"SPURT!, SPURT!, SPURT!, SPURT!"
Fu, on the other hand, was like a true war god incarnate. With every swing of his saint weapon, a monster beast was cleaved cleanly in half, flesh and bone offering no resistance at all. He swung relentlessly, like a madman intoxicated by battle.
"SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH."
Blood sprayed in every direction, drenching the ground and staining his body crimson. Both Ye Feng and Fu were completely soaked in the blood of the monster beasts, yet neither showed the slightest hesitation. Instead, cruel smirks curled on their faces as they pressed forward, continuing their merciless massacre as if slaughter itself were a form of enjoyment.
_____
At the same time
Three academy staff rushed through the forest the moment they sensed the violent surge of monster beasts. Branches snapped beneath their feet as they hastened forward, fully prepared for a desperate battle.
However, the scene that greeted them left them utterly stupefied.
The forest floor was drenched in blood, severed limbs of monster beasts scattered everywhere. Fu stood in the midst of the carnage like a war god, his saint weapon rising and falling without pause, cleaving monster beasts apart with terrifying force. Beside him, Ye Feng moved like a phantom—afterimages flickering in and out as his figure danced through the horde. With every flash of his blade, another monster beast collapsed before it could even react.
The once-ferocious monster beast horde was in complete disarray, their roars turning into panicked wails as they were mercilessly cut down.
"…What the hell?" The skinny, middle-aged academy staff member stared ahead, muttering under his breath in disbelief.
A muscular academy staff member swallowed hard as Ye Feng beheaded a monster beast in a single, fluid motion. His heart skipped a beat as he watched Ye Feng and Fu slaughter the horde. "Those kids are insane," he muttered slowly.
The female academy staff took a deep breath, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Am I seeing things?" she murmured, her voice trembling. "Those kids…"
The female academy staff member had an ordinary face, her brown hair tied neatly into a ponytail. Her figure was curvy and feminine, her aura steady and mature—yet the shock blazing in her eyes shattered the composure befitting an academy elder. The metallic stench hung heavy in the air, a silent testament to the massacre that is taken place.
The muscular man beside her shook his head. "No, Aya. What you're seeing is exactly what we're all seeing… those kids…"
Aya took a deep breath and nodded. She then looked at Ye Feng and Fu again—only to freeze in shock when she sensed Ye Feng's cultivation.
"Yun, this kid is at the fifth layer of the Saint Realm! He's a new student—how is it possible for his cultivation to advance so fast?"
Upon hearing this, the muscular man narrowed his eyes at Ye Feng, and after assessing his cultivation, he finally replied.
"He's just broken through to the 5th layer of the Saint Realm. Don't forget, he received a rank-three monster core as a reward in the freshmen competition."
"He also received the Saint Concentrating Pills and the Pure Cleansing Pills after winning the wager against the Zhang family's young masters, so it's only natural that he made such a significant breakthrough in his cultivation."
The last member chuckled at Yun's words and commented, 'This kid is so lucky, I'm envious.'"
Yun nodded and chuckled. "It seems they have things under control. Let's leave."
The academy staff then departed. Aya turned to Yun and said, "Yun, I think we should report this to the headmaster."
The skinny man nodded upon hearing Aya's words . "Aya is right, Jun."
After a moment, Yun glanced at Aya. 'You're right. Aya, go and report what you saw to the headmaster. Jeng and I will continue our patrol—catch up with us once you're done.'"
_____
With Fu and Ye Feng
After Fu and Ye Feng finished their massacre, they stood amid a sea of monster corpses. Blood coated their bodies, giving the impression they had bathed in it rather than water. Ye Feng turned to Fu. "Let's collect the monster cores from these corpses and leave. We need to rest for a while."
Fu smiled and nodded. Without another word, the two of them began collecting the monster cores, moving efficiently through the fallen beasts as if this grisly task were second nature.
After collecting the monster cores and storing them in his space belt, Fu asked Ye Feng, "So, where should we head now?" Ye Feng smiled. "Let's find a safe place to rest for now. We'll take one or two of these corpses and use the same strategy again tomorrow." Fu nodded, storing two monster beast corpses in his space belt, and the two of them quickly left the area.
______
Three days later
Three days passed. During that time, Fu and Ye Feng repeated the strategy they had used to lure the monster beasts. Twice each day, they confronted the monster beasts hordes, cutting through them with relentless precision, and steadily amassed a growing stockpile of monster cores. Both Ye Feng and Fu reveled in the carnage, a strange thrill surging through them with each clash amidst the chaos of battle.
Fu and Ye Feng were venturing deeper into the forest when a sudden, piercing scream tore through the air: "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Without a second thought, both of them sprinted toward the source of the cry.
When they reached the source of the scream, they saw twenty yellow-furred monkeys attacking a female student. Ye Feng's eyes widened in recognition—she was the same student who had helped him in the library a few weeks ago while he was searching for a suitable method to condense a saint weapon. Without hesitation, Ye Feng turned to Fu.
"Fu, we have to help her," he said urgently.
Fu nodded, his expression serious. Both of them summoned their saint weapons, and charged toward the yellow-furred monkeys with deadly precision.
Fu swung his axe with relentless force, cleaving the monkeys in half. "SQUASH! SQUASH! SQUASH!" Each strike landed with brutal precision. Meanwhile, Ye Feng moved like a shadow, using his Free Step to dance around the attackers. With his Beheading Free Sword martial skill, he severed heads in rapid succession. "SQUASH! SQUASH! SQUASH!" The forest echoed with the chaotic rhythm of their battle.
Rou was stunned by the scene before her. She couldn't help but admire the sheer strength of Fu and Ye Feng, and she was equally shocked at how quickly they were cutting down the monkeys. Swallowing hard, she turned to them, about to express her gratitude, when Ye Feng spoke. "Are you alright, Miss Rou?"
Rou looked closely at him, and recognition suddenly lit up her eyes. "You… you're the guy I helped in the library a few weeks ago!"
Ye Feng smiled and gave a small nod.
Rou took a deep breath, still astonished by the sheer strength of Ye Feng and Fu. She could hardly believe that Ye Feng—whom she had first met when his cultivation barely reached the peak of the Saint Force Realm—had grown so powerful.
Ye Feng's sharp gaze softened as he asked, "Are you hurt?"
Rou nodded, wincing slightly. "Yes… I think I'll have to use the Flare Formation I can't continue on in this competition."
Ye Feng inclined his head in understanding, while Fu's expression reflected a mix of concern and curiosity. "What happened to your team? Did you participate in this competition by yourself?"
Rou shook her head in disbelief. "No, I joined a team, but we were overwhelmed by those monster beasts. There were too many of them, so we had no choice but to split up if we wanted to survive. When we scattered, the monster beasts did too. No matter how hard I fought, I eventually grew exhausted and injured my shoulders. I was lucky that you two came to my rescue. Thank you."
Rou then gave a charming smile to both Fu and Ye Feng, making them blush at her radiant expression.
Rou struggled to move her arms and felt a deep blush creep across her cheeks. She turned toward Ye Feng, her voice barely above a whisper, "Can you… get the flare formation from my space belt and activate it for me? I… I can't move my arms."
Ye Feng felt his own face heat up. He shot a glance at Fu, who was trying—and failing—not to blush as well. Rou's pleading gaze fell on him again, and with a resigned sigh, Ye Feng bent down to carefully remove her space belt from her slender waist.
When Ye Feng's hand brushed against her waist, Rou trembled, and he felt a strange pull, as if he were losing himself in her gaze. Fu, watching the scene, smirked knowingly. Clearing his throat, he faked a cough, snapping both Rou and Ye Feng back to reality. Their faces flushed crimson.
Hastily, Ye Feng removed the space belt from around her waist, grabbed the flare formation, and activated it.
"SWISH!"
A bright blue flare shot into the sky, illuminating the surroundings.
After a few minutes, two academy staff members arrived. One was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She had short pink hair, a curvy figure, and an irresistibly cute face. Beside her stood a short, green-haired man with a cold expression and a lean, muscular build.
The pink-haired woman looked at them and said with a charming smile, "So you kids used the flare formation. Let's get going."
Rou quickly stepped forward. "Excuse me, teacher," she began, hesitating slightly, "I would like to forfeit… but my fellow students saved my life. I don't think they would want to forfeit."
The cute woman glanced briefly at Ye Feng and Fu before shrugging. Cradling Rou in her arms, she turned and walked away along with her follow academy staff, the three of them then disappeared down the path.
Fu glanced at Ye Feng and, noticing him staring in the direction where Rou and the two instructors had gone, smirked. "If you like her, you'd better make your move quickly," he said.
Ye Feng's eyes widened in surprise, meeting Fu's teasing expression.
Fu chuckled softly. "Do you really think someone with her beauty won't have admirers—or people chasing after her?"
Ye Feng remained silent for a moment, then turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Let's dig out the monster cores from their corpses."
Fu nodded, and the two of them began carefully extracting the cores from the fallen underground yellow-furred monkeys.
_____
After 20 minutes
After extracting the monster cores from the monster beasts' corpses, they continued venturing deeper into the Dragon Forest.
A day had passed since Fu and Ye Feng met Rou. During that time, they attracted monster beast hordes twice, yet each encounter ended the same way—swift and effortless slaughter, leaving not a single monster beast standing.
They pressed deeper into the forest in search of monster beasts. However, when they finally decided to take a brief rest, a shocking sight greeted them—Ye Long and his friends were lying on the ground nearby, their bodies battered and drenched in blood, barely clinging to life.
Fu and Ye Feng rushed over at once. Ye Feng dropped to his knees beside them and shouted, his voice trembling with fury, "First Brother, what happened? Who did this to you?!"
Ye Long's face was deathly pale. He coughed violently, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, before forcing out a few weak words. "Zhang Da's… team."
The moment the name left his lips, Ye Feng's eyes turned icy, while Fu's killing intent surged uncontrollably. Without hesitation, Ye Feng took his brother's space belt, quickly retrieved the flare formation, and activated it.
A bright blue flare shot into the sky, illuminating the surroundings.
Minutes later, a burly, muscular man appeared. The instant his gaze fell on Ye Long and the others—lying broken and bleeding—he let out a heavy sigh.
"You kids are in terrible shape," he said grimly. "Hang on. I'll take you to the medical bay at once."
He then turned to Ye Feng and Fu. "You kids are staying, I guess?"
Fu nodded without hesitation. Ye Feng, however, remained silent. At that moment, rage was burning through his veins—so fierce that all he could think about was making Zhang's brothers suffer, forcing them to kneel and beg for mercy.
The muscular man shrugged when he saw Fu nod. Without another word, he hoisted Ye Long and his injured friends onto his shoulder and sprinted toward the forest exit.
After the academy staff carried Ye Long and the others away, Fu looked at Ye Feng and asked, "What's your plan now? Are you going to hunt the Zhang brothers? I think it's about time we deal with them. I really want to steal their pills"
Ye Feng met Fu's gaze and nodded. "Of course I am. How dare they hurt my brother like that? If we had arrived any later, he would have died. Didn't you see how badly injured he was?"
Fu smirked at Ye Feng's words and nodded. "Fine, I'll help you. I never liked those two anyway. In return, I want all their pills. I'll give you my entire share of the monster cores in exchange."
Ye Feng smirked back. "Fine by me."