A heavy silence lingered in the ravine, thick enough to taste. The shadows at the far end remained still, yet none of the three dared to turn their backs.
"Should we retreat?" Fatty Kui whispered, eyes darting around like a squirrel in a lightning storm.
Han Yu narrowed his eyes. "No sudden movents. We don’t know what’s watching us."
Wu Shuan, ever calm, nodded in agreent. "If it wanted to attack us by surprise, it would’ve done so already. Let’s wait and observe. Retreating now might provoke it—or worse, make us look weak."
"You an we aren’t already?" Fatty Kui muttered, clutching his snack basket like it might serve as a shield.
Then, from the edge of a jagged rock, sothing shifted.
A wet scraping sound echoed—like raw at being dragged over stone.
Han Yu and Wu Shuan instinctively stepped in front of Fatty Kui, weapons ready.
From the shadows crawled a massive beast, its slick, grayish-green skin rippling with muscle. Its eyes were pale and lidless, its nostrils flaring as it tasted the air with a forked, steaming tongue. Two stubby forearms clung tightly to the rock, while its powerful and thick tail carried it forward in deliberate, heavy stride. The tail was thick as a tree trunk and twitched ominously behind it.
"A Two-Legged Ravine Salamander," Wu Shuan said under his breath. "Peak Qi Refining Realm. That’s a serious beast."
Fatty Kui paled. "W-we’re gonna die."
But Han Yu, oddly enough, exhaled in relief. "That’s it? I thought it was a Mist Eye sect assassin with fog eyes and a poison flute."
Wu Shuan cracked his neck. "No tricks. No illusions. Just a big, slimy lizard. We can handle this."
"We?" Fatty Kui asked. "I’m not a lizard-fighting expert! I’m built for snacks and codic timing!"
"Good," Han Yu said. "Then you’ll survive out of sheer genre awareness."
With no further warning, the beast let out a guttural hiss and lunged.
Wu Shuan dashed to the left, drawing his sword in a smooth arc. Han Yu flared his qi and dove to the right. Fatty Kui, squealing, stumbled backward and sohow tripped behind a boulder—just as the beast’s claws swiped through the air where his face had been a second ago.
Han Yu spun around and activated the Falling Leaf Strike, launching a swift diagonal cutat the beast’s rear leg. It hissed in irritation but didn’t bleed much—its hide was thick, armored like scales fused with stone.
’Good thing I borrowed this sword from Wu Shuan. My old broom would’ve broken instantly.’ Han Yu thought to himself.
Having learned that Han Yu had no proper weapon with him, the man had gladly given Han Yu one of his spare swords to use. While it was just a Low Grade Spirit sword, it was more than enough.
While Han Yu was grateful for the sword, Wu Shuan slashed the salamander’s flank, his blade glowing with a faint white light as he channeled qi into his strikes.
The salamander twisted, its long tongue snapping out to knock him off balance—but Fatty Kui charged in from the side, arms wide like a rampaging boar, and slamd bodily into the beast’s ribs.
It didn’t budge.
But the impact made a loud thud, and surprisingly, Kui didn’t collapse.
"WHOA!" Han Yu blinked. "You’re still standing?"
"My master’s training works! It gives absurd internal reinforcent!" Kui wheezed. "But it also makes every hit feel like I’m being tenderized for a barbecue!"
The beast snarled and brought its claws down toward Kui’s head.
Wu Shuan leapt in, intercepting with a powerful upward slash that knocked one claw aside and sliced into the beast’s arm. Han Yu dashed forward, fists crackling with qi.
"Bolt God Fist!"
BOOM!
A thunderclap exploded as Han Yu’s punch struck the salamander’s chest, sending it staggering back a few steps. Wisps of qi danced over its scales.
"Still not enough!" he cursed. "Its hide is too thick."
’I need to channel more spirit qi to hurt it but I’ll also need more ti to prepare it.’ Han Yu thought to himself as they regrouped.
Wu Shuan panted slightly, sweat dotting his brow. "We need to focus on its underside or the eyes."
"Eyes are high up," Han Yu said. "We’d need soone to draw its attention."
Everyone looked at Fatty Kui.
"...Why is everyone looking at like I’m a disposable chicken?"
"You’re the tank," Han Yu said. "It’s practically in your job description now."
Kui groaned but nodded. "Fine. If I die, bury with a stear full of buns."
He ran forward, waving his arms and shouting, "HEY! You greasy sausage with legs! I taste awful and I’m very high in cholesterol!"
The beast snarled and lunged at him. Kui dodged left and managed to throw a stone that bounced off the salamander’s snout. It roared and turned toward him, snapping its jaws.
Han Yu took the opportunity to flank, his arm glowing with qi again.
BOOM! BOOM!
He landed two more Bolt God punches—one on the leg and one near the stomach—but though the impacts rippled with energy, the beast remained maddened and ferocious.
Wu Shuan moved in for a finishing strike—aiming for the eye.
But just as he leapt, the salamander whipped its massive tail around.
CRACK!
Wu Shuan was hit mid-air and sent flying like a ragdoll, slamming into the far cliff wall with a grunt.
"WU SHUAN!" Han Yu shouted, panic flaring in his chest.
He turned back just in ti to see the beast open its maw wide—jaws descending toward Fatty Kui, who lay on the ground, dazed and blinking.
"Hey, wait, wait—this isn’t my arc to die yet!"
Han Yu’s feet moved before his thoughts finished forming. Qi surged up in his legs faster than ever, his body flaring with power.
BOOM!
He launched forward, qi pooling in his arm in two points before it collided!
"Bolt God Fist—Full powered punch!"
Thunder scread through the ravine as Han Yu’s punch connected squarely with the side of the salamander’s head.
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