Deep in the Great Wilderness
"This is the feeling of soaring…
The Great Wilderness sings a love song…
Yo, yo, check it out…"
In the heart of the vast wilderness, a young boy perched atop a five-colored luan bird, belting out a passionate tune. His voice brimmed with excitement and unrestrained joy, carrying the bold aura of one who soared freely above the world!
Beside him, however, a young girl was far less enthralled. Yue Chan clutched her ears, her forehead creased with dark lines of exasperation, clearly at her wit's end.
Finally, unable to endure the torment any longer, she snapped, her voice a furious roar. "Enough! What in the world are you singing? It's absolute nonsense! Can you just shut up already?"
Her outburst only seemed to amuse the boy, Lin Fan. Rather than quieting down, his lips curled into a sly, mischievous grin.
"Young lady, venturing alone into the Great Wilderness—aren't you afraid?" he teased, his tone laced with playful challenge.
Before Yue Chan could respond, Lin Fan's right foot shot out with lightning speed, striking her with a swift, merciless kick.
Thud!
Caught completely off guard, Yue Chan had no time to react. The force sent her tumbling off the luan bird, plummeting like a meteor toward the earth below.
For the first few moments, Yue Chan's mind was a blank void, utterly stunned. What just happened?
It wasn't until several breaths later, as the wind roared past her, that she snapped back to reality. She was free-falling from tens of thousands of meters in the sky.
Terror seized her. Her face paled, and a piercing scream tore from her throat. "Lin Fan, I'll kill you for this!"
At that moment, Yue Chan could scarcely believe it. This guy… he actually dared to kick me off the luan bird! How ruthless!
Her fury blazed hotter with every passing second. If looks could kill, Lin Fan would have been sliced to pieces a thousand times over.
High above, Lin Fan's voice drifted down, calm and commanding. "Your training officially begins now. Your task: slay one legacy beast of equal strength every day. Fail, and you'll be stuck in the Great Wilderness forever!"
"You… you despicable jerk… #$&%!" Yue Chan's delicate face twisted with rage. Throwing aside her usual grace, she unleashed a torrent of curses, her refined demeanor nowhere to be found.
If not for her cultivated restraint—and a limited vocabulary of insults—she might have cursed his entire ancestral line.
Boom!
A small hill collapsed under the impact of her fall, sending rocks tumbling and dust billowing. Yue Chan emerged from the rubble, her eyes blazing like twin flames, radiating an aura that warned all to stay away.
Roar!
At that moment, a deafening beastly bellow echoed through the wilderness. From the depths of the jungle leapt a massive, five-colored tiger, its body stretching five or six zhang long, fierce and majestic. Its copper-bell eyes locked onto Yue Chan, and with a gaping maw of razor-sharp fangs, it lunged.
"Courting death!" Yue Chan spat coldly, unfazed. Behind her, eight Heavenly Passages flared to life. Instead of retreating, she advanced, clenching her delicate fist and striking the beast—dozens of times her size—with a single, devastating blow.
The tiger was sent flying dozens of meters, its bones snapping under the force.
But Yue Chan wasn't done. Like a streak of silver light, she pursued, unleashing a barrage of fists. In an instant, she landed dozens of strikes, each one precise and brutal.
Boom!
Her fists met flesh with raw, primal force. Without using any treasures or artifacts, Yue Chan hunted the vibrant tiger in the most savage way possible.
Even after it lay dead, she delivered a few extra kicks to its corpse, as if venting the inferno of anger still burning within her.
"Hiss… Who knew this little lady could be so ferocious when riled up?" Lin Fan sucked in a breath, observing from atop the luan bird high above.
Of course, he kept a watchful eye on the surroundings. This was training, not a death sentence—he wouldn't risk Yue Chan's life recklessly.
At the same time, he scanned the area for a worthy opponent to hone his own skills.
There was no doubt: the crucible of life-and-death combat was the fastest way to unlock one's potential, far surpassing the gains of secluded cultivation.
Lin Fan had learned this truth at the tender age of four or five, thanks to the teachings of Qi Dao Lin. The old man's methods were effective… even if he was a bit stingy.
_
In the jungle below, Yue Chan continued her tirade. "Stinking Lin Fan, rotten Lin Fan… always calling me 'wife' with that sweet tongue, and now you kick me without a shred of mercy! Hmph, just you wait—if you ever fall into my hands, I'll carve you up seventeen or eighteen times!"
An hour later, she'd finally exhausted her stockpile of insults, and her anger began to ebb.
Taking a deep breath, Yue Chan steadied herself, regaining her composure. She set out to hunt again.
Lin Fan's words had struck a chord—she knew he was capable of following through on his threats. If she failed this task, he'd likely leave her stranded in this beast-infested wilderness.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Living among wild beasts every day? I'd go mad!
This region of the Great Wilderness was rife with danger. Some beast kings here had reached the Engravement or even Formation Arrangement Realms—far beyond what a young cultivator like her could handle.
Over the next hours, Yue Chan fought through multiple bloody battles, narrowly escaping danger time and again. As night approached, she finally found a suitable target: a double-headed black-striped snake. With fierce determination, she slew it.
But the victory came at a cost. One of her slender arms was nearly bitten off, and blood stained her white robes crimson. Her veil had long since been lost, torn away in the chaos.
In just a single day, the lofty, ethereal saintess of a great sect had been reduced to a disheveled, dirt-streaked wild girl, her clothes tattered and torn.
Thud!
That night, Yue Chan dragged her slain prey and tossed it at Lin Fan's feet. Her face was still stormy, likely still simmering over the day's events.
"Today's task is done," she declared icily.
Lin Fan glanced at the corpse and nodded slightly. He sat by a crackling fire, roasting golden, crispy meat. Nearby, a large pot simmered, steam rising in fragrant swirls.
"Come, eat with me," he offered casually.
Yue Chan scoffed, turning her head away. "I, Yue Chan, would rather die of exhaustion or starvation than eat your food!" She plopped down cross-legged on the ground, her pride unyielding.
Clearly, she was still fuming over being kicked.
Lin Fan chuckled, sprinkling an array of spices onto the meat. The air filled with an irresistible aroma, savory and mouthwatering, teasing the senses.
Not far off, Yue Chan, who had been meditating to heal her wounds, couldn't help but swallow hard. The gurgle of her throat betrayed her, and a flush of embarrassment crept across her face.
That jerk… he bought all those spices just for this moment! she thought, seething. She desperately wanted to eat, but her pride held her back.
"Mmm… so good!" Lin Fan took a bite of the roasted meat, waving it tantalizingly before her. His face lit up with exaggerated delight.
"You…" Yue Chan gritted her teeth, her full lips gleaming vividly in the firelight, tempting and fierce.
"Come grab some if you want it, or I'll finish it all!" Lin Fan teased, ladling a bowl of soup from the pot. The broth shimmered with radiant hues, brimming with potent energy.
This was no ordinary meal. The soup was made from the meat of a beast king, infused with rare spiritual herbs—a potent elixir that could boost one's strength significantly.
"Hmph, since you're begging me, I'll graciously have a little," Yue Chan said with an air of haughty reluctance. Unable to resist the aroma any longer, she shuffled over.
One bite, and it was as if her tongue melted. Her entire body relaxed, the day's fatigue and injuries fading away in an instant.
The two devoured the meal with gusto, their mouths watering. Eventually, Yue Chan shed her restraint, tussling with Lin Fan over the last piece of meat.
"Hey, wife, you're a saintess—act like a lady!" Lin Fan wailed, feigning resentment.
Yue Chan's exquisite face, luminous as fine porcelain, glowed in the firelight. Her lively eyes sparkled, framed by long lashes that fluttered with every glance. She shot him a withering look.
You want me to play the refined fairy now? Where was that concern earlier?
I'm done pretending!
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