From a cultivator's perspective, the monster had every right to be furious.
It was a third-level Physique Strengthening Stage expert, a being that had already crossed a major realm and stood far above ordinary cultivators. In the hierarchy of strength, such an existence was supposed to dominate anyone below that realm with absolute authority.
And yet—
Here it was.
Being forced into a life-and-death struggle by a mere sixth-level Elementary Stage cultivator.
If its opponent had been at the ninth level of the Elementary Stage, the monster might not have felt such intense humiliation. After all, a ninth-level Elementary Stage cultivator was already standing at the very threshold of the Physique Strengthening Stage. That level was often regarded as a half-step into the next major realm. Losing or being injured by such a person, while shameful, could still be grudgingly accepted.
But this?
This was different.
This was absurd.
A sixth-level Elementary Stage cultivator was nothing more than an ant in its eyes—someone who should have been crushed effortlessly with a single strike. The very idea that a third-level Physique Strengthening Stage expert was being pushed to this extent by such a weak existence was laughable, even ridiculous.
And yet, reality was cruel.
That ridiculous scenario was unfolding right before its eyes.
The monster could not understand it.
No matter how hard it tried to analyze the situation, it could not comprehend how Ethan was managing to survive, let alone fight back. Ethan's cultivation base was undeniably weak compared to its own. There was no doubt about that. The gap between their realms should have been insurmountable.
So how?
How was this human managing to keep up?
How was he still standing?
How was he still attacking?
The monster did not know the answer.
What it did know, however, was that this situation could not be allowed to continue.
If Ethan were given more time, the monster was certain of one thing—this human would recover, adapt, and possibly grow even stronger. The monster was not ignorant. It could sense that Ethan's condition was far from perfect. His breathing was heavy, his movements slightly stiff, and his injuries were real.
This was the best chance.
Perhaps the only chance.
To end everything.
Having reached that conclusion, the monster abandoned all restraint.
It rose fully from the ground, its massive body straightening as its killing intent surged without concealment. The air around it seemed to tremble slightly under the pressure of its aura.
Slowly, deliberately, it pulled its right arm backwards.
Muscles bulged and expanded unnaturally, veins standing out like twisted ropes beneath its skin. A strange and ominous energy began to gather around its clenched fist. That energy was not normal spiritual energy—it was thick, violent, and blood-red in colour.
The moment Ethan saw it, his heart sank.
The aura emanating from that fist was sinister, filled with a sense of malice and destruction. It was as though the monster was condensing all of its rage, humiliation, and killing intent into a single devastating blow.
Ethan knew immediately—
This was not a casual attack.
This was not a probing strike.
This was the monster's final move.
It was going all out.
It would no longer hold back.
If this attack landed, Ethan would die without question.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
A normal approach would never work against such an attack. No amount of swordplay or brute force would be enough to counter that terrifying energy. If he tried to block it directly, his body would shatter. If he tried to dodge, the speed and range of the attack would still catch him.
There was only one option left.
His trump card.
Nature's Punch.
Yet, even as he resolved to use it, doubt crept into his heart.
He had never tested this technique before.
He had received it as part of Mother Nature's Blessing, but he had never once used it in an actual battle. He had no idea how powerful it truly was. He did not know its limits. He did not even know whether it would be strong enough to contend with a Physique Strengthening Stage expert.
For a brief moment, hesitation surfaced.
But it vanished just as quickly.
Strong or weak, complete or incomplete—it did not matter anymore.
This was a do-or-die situation.
If the monster was going all out, then Ethan would go all out as well.
There was no room for holding back.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan recalled the procedure for using Nature's Punch, carefully remembering every detail described in the manual. He forced himself to calm his racing thoughts and followed the instructions precisely.
He pulled his right arm backwards.
The moment he did so, he focused his mind completely, shutting out everything else. He concentrated on one thing only—nature.
He reached out.
And then—
His perception changed.
It was as if his consciousness had been pulled into an entirely different world.
This world was vast and boundless, filled with countless natural scenes. Ethan felt as though he was standing at the center of nature itself, able to observe fragments of its endless cycles.
In one place, he saw a forest.
But it was not a living forest.
The trees were dead, their trunks dry and cracked, their branches broken and withered. Leaves had long since fallen, and the ground was barren and lifeless. Yet, despite this desolation, a faint and subtle energy lingered in the air.
It was death energy.
Thin, weak, but undeniably present.
That grayish energy drifted slowly out of the dead forest and gathered around Ethan's fist.
Then, his perception shifted.
In another place, he saw a completely different forest.
This one was dense, vibrant, and overflowing with life. Towering trees stretched toward the sky, their leaves lush and green. The air was thick with vitality, and the ground pulsed with life force.
From this forest, a brilliant green energy emerged.
It was life energy.
Pure, abundant, and powerful.
That green energy surged toward Ethan's fist, intertwining with the gray death energy that had already gathered there.
Ethan sensed many other regions within this mysterious world.
But no matter how hard he tried, his perception could not reach them.
A thick fog blocked his awareness, obscuring whatever lay beyond.
Why?
The answer came to him almost instinctively.
He was not strong enough.
His current cultivation was too low to perceive the deeper layers of nature. The only way to pierce that fog was to become stronger—far stronger than he was now.
A thought surfaced in his mind.
If that's the case… then Nature's Punch can evolve.
This technique was not fixed.
It could grow.
It could change.
It could become something far more terrifying in the future.
The realisation sent a brief thrill through Ethan's heart.
But he did not dwell on it.
This was not the time.
The present battle demanded his full attention.
Ethan's perception snapped back to reality.
He looked down at his right fist.
Wrapped around it was a condensed ball of energy.
Two distinct energies coexisted within it.
One was vibrant green, filled with boundless vitality.
The other was gray, heavy, and saturated with death.
They were opposites.
Life and death.
Vitality and decay.
A perfect contradiction.
Yet, strangely, they did not clash.
They coexisted in harmony, balanced in a delicate equilibrium—much like Yin and Yang.
Ethan did not have the luxury to analyze this phenomenon further.
He clenched his fist tightly and poured every last bit of his Strength Attribute into that energy ball.
If this were his final attack, then it would be absolute.
The monster, meanwhile, had finished charging its own strike. It sensed immense danger when it looked at the pure energy condensed into a fist from its enemy.
The monster felt that its death was certain if it came in contact with that pure energy coming from its enemy's fist.
But it didn't care. It is bound by its duty. Its duty is to stop anyone from trespassing on the main door of the Ancient Palace.
But when it sensed the danger from the enemy's upcoming attack, it made up its mind to face it without any hesitation.
Both of them had reached the same conclusion.
This battle would end here.
There would be no second chance.
No retreat.
No hesitation.
They locked eyes.
In that moment, both Ethan and the monster carried the same thought.
Do or die.
With a thunderous roar, the monster charged forward, its blood-red fist tearing through the air. At the same time, Ethan surged forward as well, his body propelled by sheer will and determination.
Time seemed to slow.
It took far longer to describe than it did to happen.
In less than five seconds, both had completed their preparations, closed the distance between them, and entered each other's attack range.
It might have taken time to explain this, but the entire process happened in an instant.
Their fists collided.
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion erupted at the point of impact.
The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the surrounding area and sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
For a brief instant, it seemed as though both attacks were evenly matched.
But then—
The explosion was suppressed.
Overpowered.
Ethan's fist, enveloped in Nature's Punch, tore through the monster's attack like a hot knife through butter.
Even Ethan himself was stunned.
He watched in disbelief as his fist pierced straight through the monster's fist. The blood-red energy shattered instantly, and the monster's arm exploded in a spray of blood and shattered bone.
The momentum did not stop there.
Ethan's fist continued forward.
It penetrated the monster's right arm completely, tearing through flesh and muscle without slowing down.
The monster froze.
Shock filled its blood-red eyes.
Before it could even comprehend what had happened, Ethan's fist slammed into its chest.
Ethan snapped out of his daze instantly.
He had the advantage.
And he would not waste it.
With ruthless decisiveness, he twisted his fist's trajectory, aiming directly for the monster's heart.
The monster understood.
It knew.
This was the end.
There was no escape.
No defence.
No miracle.
Slowly, it closed its eyes.
And accepted its fate.
Ethan's fist pierced through its chest.
The monster's heart exploded.
Blood burst outward in all directions, staining the ground and air alike.
The monster's massive body went limp.
And in that moment—
The battle was over.