Spotted Toad

Even if he wanted to give chase, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. "Wait. Go speak to my father and let him decide for himself," Xing Jing'an instructed after a moment's hesitation, calling back the servant. "Yes, Young Master." Xing Jing'an frowned as he watched the servant leave, then took a deep breath and resumed his martial training. He only resented that he was not strong enough. Had he possessed the strength of the Qi and Blood Realm, what schemes or traps would he ever fear? *** Beast Roar Mountain teemed with fierce beasts. Peaks joined into endless, undulating mountain ranges. Lin Zheyu had departed the city early in the morning, making his way straight to Beast Roar Mountain. The mountain was shrouded in lingering mist that had yet to disperse. Reaching into his pouch, Lin Zheyu took out a medicinal pill. He had concocted this Miasma Warding Pill according to a recipe from the Poison Canon to guard against toxic mountain vapors. Rustle, rustle. Faint rustling stirred the mountain forest. Most of the predators prowling the outer perimeter were not particularly formidable. Throughout his trek, the strongest Lin Zheyu encountered were merely at the level of the Viscera Tempering Realm. His purpose in entering the forest was to seek out fierce beasts that had just stepped into the Qi and Blood Realm. Since advancing to his current level, he had not fought a single true duel against an evenly matched foe, having relied entirely on his overwhelming strength to crush opponents directly. Lin Zheyu wanted to see whether clashing with an opponent of comparable strength would help hone and elevate his fist momentum! Following the mountain trails, he walked deeper into Beast Roar Mountain. The further in one went, the stronger the fierce beasts became. Hunters and bandits never dared penetrate too deeply. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Moving at blistering speed, Lin Zheyu covered nearly thirty li in under half an hour. Out here, virtually all traces of human activity vanished. Hiss— A massive serpent over ten meters long, coated in greenish scales patterned with black and yellow markings, burst abruptly from the dense thicket. Opening its gaping maw wide, the giant python lunged to tear into Lin Zheyu. Lin Zheyu's qi and blood surged, pouring into his arms. The muscles on his arms swelled, enveloped in an intangible fist momentum. Boom! A dull explosion rang out as his fist slammed squarely into the python's snout. Terrifying force detonated, and the immense snake head struck the ground with violent impact, kicking up a thunderous crash. Shifting his footing with the strides of the Golden Goose Skill, Lin Zheyu appeared beside the python in the blink of an eye. Bang! Bang! Bang! His massive fists rained down like a torrent. Howling in agony, the python whipped its tail frantically to coil around Lin Zheyu, but it failed to touch so much as a corner of his clothes. The fifth level of the Golden Goose Skill granted astonishing speed and footwork, far beyond anything the giant python could match. Had Lin Zheyu not been focused on refining his fist momentum, he could have dispatched this serpent in just a few blows using his Golden Goose Skill attacks. Hiss— Before long, the serpent's head was battered to a pulp by Lin Zheyu's fists, yet its tail continued to thrash wildly against the surroundings. "It seems to have some effect." Lin Zheyu examined his fist momentum. It felt ever so slightly more condensed than before—an extremely subtle change, but a real one nonetheless. "This python was at the peak of Viscera Tempering. With its massive body and brute strength, ordinary martial artists at the peak of Viscera Tempering would have no choice but to flee. "Still, its strength was a bit too weak. A fierce beast in the Qi and Blood Realm would likely be of far greater help." Lin Zheyu muttered to himself as he looked down at the dead python whose tail was still twitching. It had to be said that fierce beasts like pythons possessed truly tenacious vitality; even with its skull pulverized, its body retained reflex activity. Lin Zheyu had no intention of venturing any deeper. The beasts in this vicinity were almost all at the peak of Viscera Tempering. With a careful search, he might even cross paths with a beast at the Qi and Blood Realm. Ignoring the writhing serpent tail on the ground, Lin Zheyu began searching the nearby area for formidable beasts. Fierce beasts possessed keen alertness; seeking fortune and fleeing danger was their instinct. Powerful beasts could detect surges of qi and blood from afar, steering clear whenever they sensed a stronger presence approaching. However, Lin Zheyu excelled at the Turtle Breathing Art. When he circulated it fully, he appeared no different from an ordinary person. Any beast that crossed his path would regard him merely as prey to hunt. Six to eight hours slipped by. The sky began to dim. Despite scouring the mountain forest relentlessly, Lin Zheyu had only found three beasts at the peak of Viscera Tempering and eight beasts at the Bone Tempering Realm. After a full day of combat and slaughter, he noticed his fist momentum had grown noticeably firmer. "I'll search a little longer. If I still can't find a beast at the Qi and Blood Realm, I'll call it off and return next time," Lin Zheyu thought. The sky was growing dark, and living corpses prowled Beast Roar Mountain. His strength had not yet reached the First Transformation of Qi and Blood, and he had no wish to run into terrifying demons like living corpses. After searching for another ten minutes or so and slaying another beast, Lin Zheyu turned back. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Moving swiftly, he flitted through the branches. As he passed a swamp, a strange commotion drifted from the waters. Gurgle, gurgle. A peculiar sound echoed. Suddenly, a massive beast over ten meters long lunged from the swamp. It closely resembled an alligator, though far more hideous and ferocious. The beast snapped its bloody maw wide, revealing three rows of razor-sharp teeth capable of puncturing over a hundred bloody holes in a single bite. "A Qi and Blood Realm beast!" Lin Zheyu's eyes narrowed slightly as a thick reek of blood washed over him. The aura of a beast in the Qi and Blood Realm was extraordinarily daunting. This aura was a distinct type of force field, born from the beast's brutal nature and condensed through endless hunting and slaughter. It naturally exerted an overwhelming suppression over weaker creatures. Whoosh! Lin Zheyu's momentum was instantly ignited. The power of his qi and blood erupted with a roar. Pushing lightly off a branch with his toes, he shifted sideways to the left, dodging the beast's snap by a hair's breadth. The burst of speed from the beast's sudden ambush was terrifying. Most martial artists in the Qi and Blood Gauze Realm who had never trained in lightness skills would have fallen victim to such an ambush. Having evaded the strike, the qi and blood within Lin Zheyu boiled. His aura crested to its absolute peak in an instant. A sense of unshakeable confidence, domineering supremacy, and martial invincibility filled his spirit. This fist momentum was what he had gleaned from the Wild Bull Fist. When facing opponents weaker than himself, he had never felt anything amiss. Only now, upon clashing against the terrifying aura of a Qi and Blood Realm beast, did he pinpoint the flaw. A sense of discord. There was a palpable disconnect between himself and this fist momentum. The fist momentum was confident, domineering, and invincible, yet he had not forged the corresponding conviction of a martial artist. If he wanted to make this momentum truly his own, he had to temper himself through constant battle, winning again and again to cultivate the will and conviction of a true powerhouse. Without hesitation, the moment he dodged, Lin Zheyu launched an immediate counterattack. Boom! A tremendous surge of qi and blood erupted as both fists slammed down upon the beast's skull, producing a muffled boom. A violent recoil traveled back along his fists. Even with his qi and blood gauze acting as a buffer, Lin Zheyu's arms felt slightly numb. What formidable defense this beast possessed! Crash— Struck by Lin Zheyu's unexpected blow, the giant beast plunged from midair and slammed onto the ground, kicking up an enormous roar. Yet its hide was so thick and tough that it took no real harm. Scrambling out of the crater, it thrashed its limbs and plunged into the swamp with a splash, vanishing without a trace. "It got away." Lin Zheyu looked toward the swamp, but could no longer spot any sign of the beast. This creature was a natural-born hunter; when launching its assault, it had revealed not a shred of hostility, evading even Lin Zheyu's formidable sixth sense. He had only noticed it the moment it burst from the waters. "I need to get out quickly. Darkness is falling, and Beast Roar Mountain is far more dangerous at night," Lin Zheyu thought. With a flicker of his body, he sprinted toward the perimeter of Beast Roar Mountain. By the time he returned to Songyi City, it was already past six in the evening. After washing up, Lin Zheyu gathered Jia Yanyong and a few others to unwind at the Hundred Pavilions. Fighting fierce beasts deep in Beast Roar Mountain all day had been exhausting, yet it left his blood boiling and gave him the exhilarating thrill of hearty, untamed combat. In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Every day, Lin Zheyu headed out to Beast Roar Mountain to fight and kill powerful fierce beasts. Over those few days, the seeds of confidence, domineering power, and invincibility took root in his heart, ready to slowly sprout and flourish over time. One afternoon. Lin Zheyu rushed out from the depths of Beast Roar Mountain, accompanied by beastly roars that shook the heavens. Rumble! Rumble, rumble! The earth trembled violently as countless beasts fled in terror. "How could such a terrifying beast suddenly appear in that place!" Lin Zheyu cursed inwardly as he sprinted with everything he had. The clothes on his back had been torn to shreds by a beast's claws, revealing sleek lines of muscle marked with several fine scratches. Just moments ago, as he searched for prey, two beasts of horrific strength had burst out from the mountain depths, fighting each other as they tore across the landscape. Lin Zheyu had merely been caught in the crossfire. A casual swipe from that fox-like beast—built as massive and robust as a male lion—had shredded his shirt. Fortunately, Lin Zheyu's lightness skill was exceptional; otherwise, a whole chunk of flesh would have been torn away. "I almost lost my life back there," Lin Zheyu thought with lingering dread. Had that beast not been locked in combat with another monster, he likely would have perished. After putting a great distance between them, Lin Zheyu finally halted, panting heavily. "Those two beasts must have possessed strength at the Qi and Blood Three Transformations—or even the Four Transformations!" he mused. "That's enough for today. My luck's a bit foul; I'll come back tomorrow." Muttering under his breath, Lin Zheyu turned to leave. It was still early, and the forest remained brightly lit. Strolling leisurely through the woods for less than an hour, he noticed a group of people dressed as hunters running hurriedly in the distance. Lin Zheyu took a closer look. What a coincidence—the man leading them was Ma Wangcheng, whom he had met by chance before. "Brother Ma, did something happen?" Lin Zheyu stepped forward quickly and asked out of curiosity. Ma Wangcheng lived up to his name; he was an honest and sincere man who had once offered Lin Zheyu considerable help. If the man was in trouble, Lin Zheyu was more than willing to lend a hand within his ability. "It's you!" "Quick, run! Don't go that way—there are traces of living corpses over there!" Ma Wangcheng said, pointing in the direction they had just fled from. "A living corpse appeared?" "No. "But there are traces of their activity. There's a chance a living corpse is hiding nearby," Ma Wangcheng said grimly. Living corpses indeed disliked moving about during the day, but if prey delivered itself to their doorstep, they wouldn't mind helping themselves to a meal. "I see. "How do you determine the traces of a living corpse's activity? Could you tell me?" Lin Zheyu inquired. "Wherever a living corpse prowls, the surrounding vegetation looks as if it's been scorched black. Any corpses found nearby look corroded by some deadly poison, charred all over. "If you ever see a scene like that, you must get away immediately!" Ma Wangcheng warned solemnly. "Thank you for the warning, Brother Ma. Here is a little creature I found in the forest—take it as a gift." Lin Zheyu smiled, pulling a brilliantly colored toad from his pack. "A spotted toad!" Ma Wangcheng gasped. This toad was poisonous and prized for medicine, worth a handsome sum. At current market rates, one could fetch at least three taels of silver. "Brother Lin, I cannot accept this," Ma Wangcheng said. "It's nothing. I caught several. You've helped me plenty in the past, Brother Ma; this is only what you deserve," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile. His luck had been good today, having come across three spotted toads. This toad could be used to brew a rare hallucinogenic concoction capable of knocking out a martial artist of the Qi and Blood Gauze Realm for the time it took an incense stick to burn. "I still have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave." Passing the spotted toad into the man's hands, Lin Zheyu shifted his feet and vanished into the mountain forest.