A monkey-like creature with four arms and thick brown fur stared at me with hungry eyes, emitting strange noises as it yelled at me.
"Come on, let's fight," I declared, tossing my robe aside to reveal my muscular physique.
The monkey thumped its chest, signifying its approval of my approach. This was going to be a fist fight.
I gestured towards a nearby cave, indicating that the victor would claim it as their prize. The monkey seemed to comprehend my intent.
"Uh Uh Ah Ah," it uttered.
Was I confident in my ability to prevail against this creature in a fist fight? Not at all. The monkey and I were on the same layer, the tenth, but while I had reached its peak, the monkey was still in the early stages.
However, like most Spiritual Beasts, the monkey possessed an incredibly robust physique. That's why most cultivators emphasized training their bodies in addition to mastering Qi. I, too, desired to strengthen my physical prowess, but the predicament was that I lacked the necessary techniques.
Regardless, as the sun beat down on us, we clashed. I sprinted towards the monkey, adeptly evading its powerful punch that caused even my hair to ripple in the wind. Swiftly, I twisted my body, directing a knee strike towards its ribs.
The blow landed, but despite the monkey retreating a few steps, it appeared to withstand the attack without significant damage. This posed a considerable problem.
Enraged even further, the monkey jumped towards me, launching a punch of its own. The speed caught me off guard, but instead of dodging, I chose to endure the blow. I wanted to test the strength of my body and embrace the opportunity to break through my stagnant cultivation.
Bracing myself, I positioned both of my arms in front of me, using my forearms to block the attack. The impact was so powerful that it sent me hurtling through the air, crashing into a nearby tree and splitting it in half. As I rose to my feet, I realized my arm hadn't shattered. Though it throbbed with pain, it remained functional, and that was what truly mattered.
"Hahaha! Prepare yourself!" I bellowed, propelling myself towards the beast once more.
The monkey appeared visibly astonished. It had often struck cultivators and other beasts, leaving them lifeless on the ground. Yet, I stood resilient, defying its expectations and breaking its spirit. It attempted another attack, delivering the same punch as before.
I stood firm, digging my feet into the ground as the punch descended. My stance was unyielding, and I seized the monkey's hand.
"Take this!" I exclaimed.
Spotting a nearby rock, I swiftly grabbed the monkey by the arm, leveraging a vertical motion to hurl it directly towards the rock. The impact shattered the rock into tiny fragments, leaving the monkey grievously injured.
We locked eyes, and then the monkey fled. I didn't pursue it. This was a duel, not a fight to the death, and the monkey didn't seem so malicious after all.
After the fight concluded, I sensed a slight improvement in both of my Dantians. This was an encouraging sign. Despite being at the peak of the Tenth Layer, my cultivation still required battles and refinement to break through to the next level.
The fight against the monkey had not been tiring at all, so I continued venturing deeper into the woods, pushing my body to its limits. The black robe I often wore was safely stored inside my Spatial Pouch, and now I roamed the forest, displaying my bare upper body like a wild warrior.
It didn't take long for word to spread among the cultivators, most of whom were in the Qi Condensation realm. Almost all sects sent their disciples to this area for training, and they had a mutual understanding not to harm each other. Although there were occasional lapses in this agreement, they were infrequent, as they could potentially escalate into sect conflicts, which was undesirable. Nevertheless, duels did occur, and the devil sects did not adhere to the same rules.
The cultivator who attacked me was either from a devil sect and disregarded the rules or targeted me because I lacked a robe associated with any of the sects in the province. They didn't feel obligated to respect the rules that applied to rogue cultivators.
Anyway, the word of a wild cultivator running around the forest, engaging in battles with any beast that entered his sight, quickly spread. I knew this because I encountered the three cultivators once again—the ones searching for the inheritance.
"Ye Hu, relax," one of the girls said. "He doesn't appear to be an enemy."
"Hou Suyin, we can't trust strangers! He's the enigmatic wild cultivator who fights all the beasts in the area."
"But he's been winning, hasn't he? Even if we joined forces, we wouldn't stand a chance against him..."
Ye Hu let out a sigh. "You're right, Hou Biya. Damn it."
I sat near a tree, leaning my back against it, observing the three cultivators as they conversed. I was already familiar with Ye Hu, the youth with black hair and a sword fastened to his back. The girls were the same as well, but I didn't learn their names in our first encounter.
Firstly, they had blond hair, which was quite uncommon in that region. Secondly, both of their names contained "Hou," and they bore a striking resemblance to each other, possessing slender bodies and standing nearly 1.80 meters tall.
"Why are you debating whether I'm an enemy or not when all I'm doing is resting against a tree, enjoying the breeze? You're so paranoid," I remarked, shaking my head.
"Who are you? And why are you fighting naked?" Ye Hu inquired.
I rose to my feet and began flexing my biceps. "Why should I conceal this body?"
They were left speechless, unsure how to respond.
"So, Tian Li, right? We're heading to a perilous location, and based on your demeanor, you seem friendly enough. Would you like to join us?"
I didn't voice my thoughts aloud, but seriously, these people seemed to have a penchant for trouble. First, they sought after an inheritance that could cost them their lives (fortunately, it was sealed), and now they were embarking on yet another dangerous expedition. Why should I go with them?
"Yes, I will join you," I replied.
Listen, it was not my fault. Fighting beasts and cultivators was incredibly exhilarating!