Yun Ting stood firm as the Red Jade Ape locked eyes with him, its deep crimson body gleaming under the faint light that filtered through the jade trees. The air around them grew tense, crackling with energy as both combatants prepared to unleash their full power.
Without hesitation, the Red Jade Ape charged, its massive fists tearing through the air like boulders hurtling down a mountain. Yun Ting sidestepped with practiced ease, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow. He countered instantly, his palm glowing with condensed energy as he struck forward.
Heavy Palm Strike!
The attack connected, and a deep vibration spread through the ape's body. The force of the strike carried an unnatural heaviness, making the beast stagger backward, its feet cracking the stone beneath them. However, the Red Jade Ape quickly recovered, its sharp, intelligent eyes narrowing in recognition of Yun Ting's skill.
The ape responded with a flurry of punches, its movements swift and precise. Each strike was a blur, carrying a crushing weight that could pulverize stone. Yun Ting's instincts screamed as he twisted his body, barely avoiding a punch aimed at his ribs. The sheer force of the missed blow sent a gust of wind rushing past him.
Energy Beam!
Yun Ting retaliated, raising his hand and releasing a concentrated beam of energy toward the Red Jade Ape's chest. The attack struck its mark, scorching its hardened jade-like skin but failing to pierce through. The ape roared in defiance and lunged once more, forcing Yun Ting onto the defensive.
For minutes, the battle raged, a fierce exchange of blows between two equally matched warriors. Yun Ting's palm techniques delivered crushing impacts, each strike infused with an unnatural weight that slowed the ape's movements. His energy attacks—beams, discs, and explosive bombs—chipped away at the creature's jade-like armor. But the Red Jade Ape refused to fall, its endurance seemingly limitless.
What made the fight truly dangerous was the ape's boxing technique. Unlike the wild swings of lesser beasts, the Red Jade Ape's strikes were refined, precise, and executed with near-perfect timing. It was a masterful boxer, its footwork swift, its punches unpredictable. No attack was wasted, and no movement was unnecessary.
Yun Ting gritted his teeth as he narrowly avoided another devastating punch, his body twisting at the last second. He knew that brute force alone wouldn't be enough. The ape's martial skill matched his own, making this a battle of techniques rather than sheer power.
Then, something shifted within him.
His soul chip, a fragment of his existence that stored and processed information at an inhuman speed, began analyzing the ape's movements. Every jab, every hook, every dodge—it all became data, feeding directly into his consciousness. The patterns of its attacks, the rhythm of its footwork, the micro-adjustments before each strike—all of it was laid bare before his mind's eye.
At first, he simply reacted, dodging just a little more effortlessly, countering just a little more precisely. Then, it happened—
His vision sharpened, and suddenly, he could see it. The weaknesses, the flaws hidden beneath the perfect execution.
The Red Jade Ape's movements weren't flawless—they simply followed a perfected pattern. And now, Yun Ting understood that pattern completely.
A plan formed in his mind, every step leading toward victory.
The next time the ape attacked, Yun Ting didn't retreat. He moved forward.
As the ape threw a straight punch, Yun Ting pivoted at the perfect moment, positioning himself just outside the strike zone. Before the beast could recover, his palm shot forward, striking the side of its knee—a weak joint, one he had identified moments before.
Crushing Palm!
A loud crack echoed through the battlefield as the ape stumbled, its balance momentarily disrupted. But Yun Ting didn't stop. He twisted his wrist, forming an energy disc in his free hand and slashing it across the ape's exposed ribcage. Red shards of jade broke off, scattering into the air like shattered glass.
The ape roared in fury and pain, its instincts driving it to retaliate with a powerful uppercut. Yun Ting saw it coming before it even began.
Energy Bomb!
He stepped back and launched an explosive orb straight into the incoming punch. The resulting blast engulfed the ape's arm, sending it reeling. Yun Ting moved in instantly, taking advantage of the opening.
Final Step.
His body surged forward with explosive speed, dodging the ape's sluggish counterattack. His palm, infused with all the strength he had refined, struck the ape's exposed throat.
A deep, guttural sound choked out from the beast as it staggered back, its entire body trembling. Cracks spread rapidly across its red jade skin, spiderwebbing from the point of impact. Yun Ting took a deep breath and gathered the last of his energy.
With a final, decisive blow, he struck the ape's chest with an earth-shattering palm strike.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward. The Red Jade Ape's body convulsed violently as the cracks deepened—then, with a final roar, its form shattered.
Large fragments of red jade scattered across the ground, leaving behind only a pulsing, glowing energy source where the beast once stood.
Yun Ting exhaled, his breath steady despite the intensity of the fight. He had won.
He stepped forward and reached for the energy source. Even before touching it, he could feel the immense power radiating from within.
His lips curled into a smirk.
This battle had been worth it.
Yun Ting found Lu Yan and Liang Ji had ended their fights before him and were now assisting in eliminating the remaining green jade apes. Seeing him finish his battle, Liang Ji called out, her spell encasing three green jade apes in ice. With a simple touch, the frozen creatures shattered, leaving behind small green glowing energy sources.
"Yun, absorb the energy source! It's one of the benefits of the secret realm for defeating the Jade Apes," she urged.
Yun Ting nodded and began absorbing the energy source. As the energy flowed into his body, he directed it toward refining his true energy. Within five minutes, the energy within the source was completely depleted, and his true energy refinement was complete. He realized he could refine it further, strengthening it again once his understanding of vitality deepened.
As he ceased controlling the energy flow, the residual energy was drawn into his bones. A strange sensation spread through him as he felt his bone structure begin to change. When the energy was fully absorbed, he noticed his bones had started taking on a jade-like appearance. However, the transformation was incomplete.
He needed more energy sources. The power within his bones had increased, and with it, his overall strength had also grown. Determined, he resolved to fully transform his bones into jade, knowing that it would grant him even greater strength and resilience.
Yun Ting charged at the remaining green jade apes, swiftly killing one and absorbing its energy source before moving on to the next. He continued this cycle, collecting and refining each energy source as he fought. By the time all the jade apes were slain, Yun Ting's bones had transformed to 90% jade.
His teammates exchanged glances before charging into the Jade Tree Forest, eager to find more jade apes and harvest their energy sources. They discovered several young or juvenile apes and, driven by greed, eliminated them all to absorb their energy. However, many of their bones, including Yun Ting's, remained incompletely transformed.
Determined to complete the transformation, they turned to the fruits growing on the jade trees. Upon consuming them, they felt the transformation accelerate, and within minutes, their bones fully solidified into jade. Yun Ting felt his strength at least doubled, and he was not alone—all 27 of his teammates experienced the same surge in power. Together, they numbered 28.
Realizing there were two missing, they rushed back to the battlefield. Among the scattered jade fragments, they discovered the bodies of two fallen teammates from the array competition.
Though they had only known them for a week, they had fought together as comrades, sharing life-and-death struggles. With heavy hearts, they cremated the bodies and collected their ashes in vessels, which were placed in the space bags of the deceased's closest teammates.
The exhilaration of their transformation was overshadowed by sorrow. That night, they chose to rest in the Jade Forest, their moods somber.
No one ventured out to hunt. Instead, they sustained themselves with food pills and practiced in silence, each one understanding that only their strength could ensure their survival in the secret realm.